Fr

ee
Iss
ue
All Things Italian in New York
Year 3, Issue 7-8
September-October 2015
$ 4.50

Watch us on i-Italy | TV
NYC LIFE - Channel 25: web TV:
Saturdays 11:30pm & go to www.i-ItalyTV.com
Sundays 1:00PM Apple Tv:
in the NYC metropolitan download our iPhone app
area on all cable operators and connect to your TV
and on the airto your TV
Cover art: John DeSantis

Italian
Creativity
Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology;
New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015.

Insert NEW!
The 2015
A special issue dedicated to Events
Calendar

A Different Italy, sponsored

by the Italian

Diverse Italians Heritage

& Culture
Committee
Anthony Julian Tamburri, Fred Kuwornu,
Jaqueline Greves Monda, Jerry Krase, Paul Moses, of New York.
John Viola, Maria Bartiromo, Peter Vallone Sr.

Events Dining Out & In Ideas Tourism

Italy in New York: Sicilian Magic in the Living Italian in New Baroque Sicily. When
Culture, Art, and Big Apple. Restaurants, York: Fashion, Design, History and Art Join
Special Events pizzerias, and more Books & Music Forces — and Win
 P 101

Contents
staff&info
Fr
ee
Iss
ue

➜20
All Things Italian in New York
Year 3, Issue 7-8
September-October 2015
$ 4.50

➜44
Watch us on i-Italy | TV
NYC lIFE - Channel 25:

Maria Bartiromo: Caring

WEB TV:
Saturdays 11:30PM & go to www.i-ItalyTv.com
Sundays 1:00PM APPlE TV:
in the NYC metropolitan download our iPhone app
area on all cable operators and connect to your Tv
and on the airto your Tv

For Your Roots

Cover art: John DeSantis

Official Events and

Italian
Creativity
Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology;
Focus ■ by Lucia Pasqualini Proclamations
New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015.

➜22 ➜45-75
Insert NEW!
The 2015
A special issue dedicated to Events
Calendar

A DIFFERENT ITALY, ponsored

➜05
by the Italian

DIvERSE ITALIANS Heritage

& Culture

Peter Vallone: Not Just Daily Calendar

Anthony Julian Tamburri, Fred Kuwornu, Jaqueline Committee
Greves Monda, Jerry Krase, Paul Moses, John Viola, of New York.
Maria Bartiromo, Peter Vallone Sr.

Events
Italy in New York:
Culture, Art, and
Dining Out & In
Sicilian Magic in the
Big Apple. Restaurants,
Ideas
Living Italian in New
York: Fashion, Design,
Tourism
Baroque Sicily. When
History and Art Join
Editorial Italians — Italian Americans! September-November 2015
■ by Letizia Airos ■ by Francine Segan
Special Events pizzerias, and more Books & Music Forces — and Win

i~Italy NY ➜06 ➜25

Introducing a Different Italy La musica parla italiano
www.i-ItalyNY.com
by Maria Teresa Cometto — Music Speaks Italian Dining In
A magazine about
all things Italian
in New York City ➜08 ➜26 Bringing Italy to your family table
Rethinking our Labels Alitalia Looks to the Future
Year 3 - Issue 7-8
September-October 2015
■ by Anthony Julian Tamburri ➜81
Lavazza Turns 120
Editor in Chief ➜09 Events No Compromise on Quality
Letizia Airos The Message of a ‘Migrant to Achieve Success
letizia.airos@i-italyNY.com Pope’ in the Americas ■ by R. C.
Project Manager ■ by Gennaro Matino Everything Italian in NYC
Ottorino Cappelli ➜82
o.cappelli@ItalianMediaCorp.com ➜10 ➜29 A book by Gigi Padavani
Alberto Burri at the Guggenheim Mondo Nutella: Spreading a
Staff & Contributors The Trauma of Painting Piece of Italy Throughout
Natasha Lardera, Bianca Soria, Mila
■ by Mila Tenaglia the World
Tenaglia (editorial coordination);
■ by Francine Segan
Michele Scicolone and Charles
➜31
Scicolone (food & wine editors);
Rosanna Di Michele (chef); Mila Giorgio Morandi at CIMA ➜85
Tenaglia (events); Stefano Celsi The Poetics of an Italian A lemonade and a larger project
(fashion); Judith Harris, Maria Rita Latto, Modernist One Sip Is All It Takes To Go
Virginia di Falco (Italy correspondents); ■ by Mila Tenaglia To Portofino
Stefano Albertini, Dino Borri, Enzo ■ by R. C.
Capua, George DeStefano, Dominique ➜32
Fernandez, Fred Gardaphe, Jerry Krase,
Gennaro Matino, Lucia Pasqualini, Fred
The Light of Southern Italy ➜86
Plotkin, Francine Segan, Anthony Julian
■ by M.T. Honey 101
Fred Kuwornu: ■ by Dino Borri
Tamburri (columnists & contributors);
The Right to Be Italian ➜33
Matteo Banfo, Giacomo Lampariello,
Mattia Minasi, (TV & multimedia ■ by George DeStefano The Italian American Cancer ➜87
team); Roberta Cutillo, Claudia Sbuttoni Foundation Turns 35 How to Prepare
(interns); Will Schutt (translation); ➜11 ■ by A.C.
al Fusilli sfiziosi al miele
Robert Oppedisano (editorial Jaqueline Graves Monda: Specirt ■ by Rosanna Di Michele
I n s e
supervision); Alberto Sepe (web & Living (with an) Italian in
mobile); Darrell Fusaro (cartoonist);
Lilith Mazzocchi, Antonella Villa
New York City The 2015 IHCC ➜88
■ by Letizia Airos A favorite dish...
(layout); Andrée Brick (design). Events Calendar Caciocavallo all’Argentiera
For advertising contact:
Italian Media Corporation
➜14 ■ by Michele Scicolone
AdTeam@ItalianMediaCorp.com The Unfortunate Pilgrim Sponsored by the Italian Heritage and ... Paired with the right wine
Main Offices
■ by Jerry Krase Culture Committee of New York, Inc. Nero d’Avola
■ by Charles Scicolone
New York
28 W 44th Street
New York, NY, 10036
➜15 ➜35
Tel. (917) 521-2035 The Fortunate Pilgrim A Message from the IHCC
Rome ■ by Paul Moses President/Chairperson
Via Montebello 37
■ by Joseph Sciame
00185 Roma
Tel. (366) 747.8348 ➜16
John Viola: The Mission of ➜37
Being Italian in a Global A Brief History of the Italian
Copies printed this
month: 50,000
World Heritage and Culture Month
■ by Ottorino Cappelli in New York
Continued ➜
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 3
 i-Italy|NY ➜ Contents

Dining Out
Eating Italian in the Big Apple

➜90
Neighborhood by Neighborhood
Il Vicoletto: Italian Way of
Life @ Union Square
■ by L. A.

➜91-93
Dining Out Special Bookshelf: Italian Reads
Sicilian Magic in NYC & Listens
■ by Gero Salamone
Tourism
➜94 ➜100
Two Authentic Pizzerias in Manhattan A conversation with Ruth Ben-Ghiat Are you going to Italy soon?
Neapolitan Pizza: A Life Empire Cinema:
Passion
Ideas Italy’s Skeleton ➜105
■ by L. A. in the Closet Exploring the famous Italian island
■ by Stefano Albertini Baroque Sicily. When
Style: Fashion, Design & More History and Art Join Forces
➜102 — and Win
➜96 Renato D’Agostin’s Frecce Tricolori ■ by Dominique Fernandez
A conversation with Dan Meis Acrobatic Colors in the
Designing Stadio Venice Sky ➜110
della Roma: A Glorious ■ by N.L. What to eat when you get there
Mix of Past, Present, Three Sicilian Gourmet
and Future ➜102-103 Treasures
■ by Mila Tenaglia Suggested Readings ■ by Ambra McCoy
■ by B.S.
➜98-99
Personal Shopper ➜103
Branding and Rebranding Italian Jazz
Made in Italy Mr Sax(ophone)
■ by Stefano Celsi ■ by Enzo Capua

Where To Find Us
Government and Educational Institutions: Consulate General of Italy (690, Park Ave) ● Italian Cultural Insti-
tute (686 Park Ave) ● Italian Trade Commission (33 E 67th St) ● Italian Government Tourist Board (630 5th Ave)
● Scuola d’Italia G. Marconi (12 E 96th St) ● John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, CUNY (25 W 43rd
St) ● Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò, NYU (24 W 12th St) ● Inserra Chair, Montclair State University (1 Normal
Ave Montclair, NJ) ● Italian American Committee on Education (18 E 41st St) ● Collina Italiana (1556 3rd Ave) ●

Bookstores, Showrooms & Galleries: Rizzoli Bookstore (31 W 57th St) ● Poltrona Frau (141 Wooster St) ● Cassina
(151 Wooster St) ● Cappellini (152 Wooster St) ● Alessi (130 Greene St) ● Casa del Bianco (866 Lexington Ave) ●
Pratesi (892 Madison Ave) ● Monnalisa (1088 Madison Ave) ● Scavolini (429 W Broadway), Guzzini (60 Madison
Ave) ● Bosi Contemporary (48 Orchard St) ● Boffi Soho (31 ½ Greene St) ● CIMA - Center for Italian Modern
Art (421 Broome St) ●

Gourmet Stores: Eataly New York (200 5th Ave) ● Di Palo (200 Grand St) ● Citarella (2135 Broadway; 1313
Third Ave; 424 Avenue of the Americas) ● Agata & Valentina (1505 1st Ave; 64 University Pl.) ● Morton Williams Supermarkets (908 2nd Ave; 311 E 23rd St; 1565 1st
Ave) ● A.L.C. Italian Grocery (8613 3rd Ave, Brooklyn) ● Arthur Avenue Market (2344 Arthur Ave, Bronx) ● Jerry’s Gourmet (410 South Dean St, Englewood, NJ) ●
Giovanni Rana Pastificio e Cucina (75 9th Ave) ● La Panineria (1 W 8th St)

Restaurants, Pizzerias & Wine Bars: Acqua Santa (556 Griggs Ave, Brooklyn) ● Addeo & Sons (2372 Hughes Ave, Bronx) ● Alloro (307 E 77th St) ● Azalea (224 W 51 St) ●
Ballarò Café (77 2nd Ave) ● Borgatti’s (632 E 187th St, Bronx) ● Bruno Bakery (506 LaGuardia Place) ● Cacio e Vino (80 2nd Ave) ● Crave It (545 6th Ave) ● Epistrophi
Cafe (200 Mott St) ● Fabbrica (40 N 6th St, Brooklyn) ● Felice 83 (1593 1st Ave) ● Felice 64 (1166 1st Ave) ● Forcella (485 Lorimer St, Brooklyn) ● In Vino Veritas (1375
1st Ave) ● Kestè (271 Bleecker St) ● L’Arte del Gelato (Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave) ● Le Cirque (151 E 58th St) ● The Leopard at des Artistes (1 W 67th St) ● Madonia
Brothers (2348 Arthur Ave, Bronx) ● Osteria del Principe (27 E 23rd St) ● Osteria del Circo (120 W 55th St) ● Raffaello Kosher Pizza (37 W 46th St) ● Pastai (186 9th
Ave) ● Piccolo Fiore (230 E 44th St) ● Pizzetteria Brunetti (626 Hudson St)● Paola’s Restaurant (1295 Madison Ave) ● Il Posto Accanto & Il Bagatto To Go (190 E 2nd
St) ● Quartino bottega organica (11 Bleecker St) ● Ribalta (48 E 12th St) ● Risotteria Melotti (309 E 5th St) ● Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto (283 Amsterdam Ave) ● San
Matteo (1739 2nd Ave) ● SD26 (19 E 26th St) ● Sirio (795 5th Ave) ● Stella 34 Trattoria at Macy’s (151 W 34th) ● Tarallucci e Vino (163 1st Ave; 475 Columbus Ave; 15
E 18th St) ● Club Tiro a Segno (77 MacDougal St) ● Tramonti (364 W 46th St) ● Trattoria Cinque (363 Greenwich St) ● Trattoria L’incontro (21-76 31st St, Astoria) ● Via
Quadronno (25 E 73rd St) ● Villabate Alba (7001 18th Ave, Brooklyn) ● Vivoli Gelateria at Macy’s ● (151 W 34th St) ● Zero Otto Nove (15 W 21 St) ● Zibetto (1385 6th
Ave) ● Zio (17 W 19th St).
To be added to our distribution network write to editors@i-Italy.org

4 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

i-Italy|NY ➜ Editorial
Editorial
➔ Letizia Airos
The road is a child running up ahead of
me and hiding behind a bend – perhaps
he’s waiting to surprise me when I get
there.
— Pascal D’Angelo, Mezzoggiorno
Pascal D’Angelo was a shepherd
and poet from Abruzzo. An
autodidact, he immigrated to the US
in 1910 and was fascinated by the
dynamism of his adopted country,
despite the occasional hardship
he encountered there. His simple
yet eloquent verse was published
in various American journals,
and the fresh air of discovery that
permeated his work seems a fitting
way to greet autumn in New York.
Although our cover pays tribute
to Italian discoveries of another
kind—to major Italian contributions
to science and technology—an
immigrant’s voyage is a similarly
courageous excursion into the
unknown, one that also requires
invention, so we feel justified in
introducing this issue of i-ItalyNY
with our shepherd poet.
●●●●
This special issue features an insert
by the Italian Heritage
& Culture Committee presenting all
of the Italian and Italian-American
events happening in this city of
immigrants during the fall. And
because Italy and Italians are
so poorly represented by current
stereotypes, we have dedicated this
issue to differences and diversity by
entitling it “A Different Italy, Diverse
Italians.”
●●●●
The “Different Italy” described
in Maria Teresa Cometto’s cover
story is a country that goes beyond
Like us on Facebook
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 5
What’s hiding behind the bend?
i-Italy’s Fiat 500 designed by Massimo Vignelli (Milano 1931 - New York City 2014)
fashion, art and good cooking, a
country that gave birth to some of
the most important scientific and
technological innovations of the last
fifty years.
The stories of “diverse Italians” that
you will find in the following pages
speak to a concept of Italianness
that transcends ethnic labels and
“hyphenated” identities, as reflected
upon by Anthony Tamburri.
Gennaro Matino talks about the
best-known hyphenated Italian,
the Italian-Argentine Pope who, in
recent weeks, has borne his message
of peace and social equality to the
Americas. We also introduce you to
Afro-Italian director Fred Kuwornu,
a noted champion of dual citizenship
in Italy, and Jaqueline Greeves
Monda, a sophisticated Jamaican
whose marriage to one of New
York’s noted Italian intellectuals
has led to her “Italianization.”
And two multi-hyphenated college
professors—a Slavic Sicilian
American and a German Jewish
Italian American—travel to uncover
the Italian side of their respective
ancestries, with differing fortunes.
We then profile three very
different but equally successful
Italian Americans. John Viola, the
youngest president in the history
of the National Italian American
Foundation, talks about the
organization’s 40th anniversary
and how he intends to transform
NIAF into a global ambassador
of Italianness in the world. Lucia
Pasqualini continues her column on
Italian-American mentors and role
models, this time discussing how
anchorwoman Maria Bartiromo
helped her understand her own
family’s history. And Peter Vallone,
the good old guy of Italian-American
politics in New York, talks about his
Sicilian origins and how he served
as NYC Council Speaker for roughly
twenty years.
Finally we attend to some of Italy’s
“adopted” citizens—or “Italici,” as
Piero Bassetti would define them.
They include American architect
Dan Meis, who is currently at work
on the new soccer stadium in Rome;
Italian studies professor Ruth
Ben-Ghiat, who talks with Stefano
Albertini about her latest book
Empire Cinema; and French writer
Dominique Fernandez—member
of the Académie française, award-
winning Pasolini scholar and author
of several important essays about
Italy— who takes us on a unique
tour of Baroque Sicily.
●●●●
Sicily and its particular relationship
to difference and diversity is in fact
the subject of much of this issue.
Previously the region from which
Italians emigrated, Sicily now
finds itself on the receiving end of
immigrants coming into Italy. Here,
you’ll also discover a Sicily that is
home to art—not just beaches and
beachcombers—and get a taste
of its cuisine at New York’s best
Sicilian restaurants.
●●●●
Through this issue of i-ItalyNY we
hope to show you that Italy’s true
capital goes by the name “diversity.”
Not only is its history a continuous
overlapping of cultures, but a steady
stream of emigrants has carried
that cultural patrimony around
the world, opening it up to further
transformations. And today’s
Italianness is the result of this long,
complex process.
So, even if you’re staying in NY
this fall, let yourself wander with
us—with our magazine and our
television show, website and social
media—in search of Italianness.
Wander like the shepherd poet.
What’s hidden behind that bend?
You’ll be surprised to find out when
you get there.
 ( letizia.airos@i-Italy.org)
www.facebook.com/iitaly
●● SPECIAL ISSUE: A DIFFERENT ITALY, DIVERSE ITALIANS
Introducing a Different Italy
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the New
York debut of the first personal computer — the
mythic P101 created by Olivetti and featured at
the 1965 World’s Fair —, this year the Italian
Culture Month in the Big Apple celebrates
“Italian Creativity” in science and technology
by Maria Teresa Cometto*
●● Fashion, art and good cooking. There’s a
reason Italy has earned so many admirers
of its cultural patrimony. Yet few people
know that some of the most important
technological innovations of the last fifty
years originated in the Bel Paese. True,
Italians are “a population of poets, artists,
heroes, saints and explorers,” but they’re
also inventors and makers, people who
translate brilliant ideas into products that
can improve our lives.
For example, did you know that the first
personal computer wasn’t created in Steve
Jobs’ garage, but ten years earlier in a villa
in Pisa? The people who envisioned a
“desktop” computer, one that was “attractive
to look at and touch,” as opposed to the
giant computer of the 1950s, were a group
of “crazy” young people, “a motley crew
of designers” from Olivetti, the company
then famous for manufacturing mechanical
6 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
typewriters. In 1964, the crew put the
finishing touches on the Programma 101, or
P101, which hit the international market a
year later in New York, during the World’s
Fair of 1965, just 50 years ago. The computer
was greeted enthusiastically. NASA
purchased it and put it to use for the Apollo
mission to the moon in 1969, and, after
copying the design, Hewlett-Packard was
later slapped with a fine for patent violation.
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of
P101’s New York debut, this year the theme
of the Italian Culture Month in the Big Apple
– thanks to the Italian Heritage and Culture
Committee of New York and its president
Joseph Sciame – happens to be “Italian
Creativity: Celebrating 50 Years of Science
and Technology; New York World’s Fair 1965
– Expo Milano 2015.”
“Make in Italy”
The true story of Italy’s historical
contributions to global technology is
narrated by “Make in Italy,” an exhibition
sponsored and curated by the non-profit
foundation Make In Italy CDB – chaired
by Carlo de Benedetti, Massimo Banzi
and Riccardo Luna. The exhibit, which
premiered in Rome as part of the European
Maker Faire last year and is now on display
in Milan, held simultaneously at the Expo in
the Telecom Italia Pavilion and the Museum
of Science and Technology. “ And – who
knows – this international debut may just
mark the prelude to a trip to New York and
maybe to Silicon Valley…
Speaking of Silicon Valley you should know
that an Italian was behind the creation
of Intel’s first microchip in 1971. “The
computer on a chip” had the computational
capacity of a genius and took up just a
couple of square millimeters. After months
of solitary work on the project, the inventor,
Vicenza-native Federico Faggin, was so
proud of his achievement that he put his
initials on the first microchip series, the
 Italy’s historical
contributions to
global technology is
narrated by “Make in
Italy,” an exhibition
that has traveled from
Rome’s European
Maker Faire to Milan’s
Expo. An international
debut that may just
mark the prelude to a
trip to New York and to
Silicon Valley
Intel 4004. “When I finished it, I liked its
overall view,” Faggin recalls. “It almost
seemed like a work of art, an abstract
painting, so I signed it.” Leave it to an
Italian to think of a chip as a painting!
Today, collectors of vintage electronics
pony up thousands of dollars on eBay to
purchase the historic chip, a model of
which is on display at the “Make in Italy”
exhibit.
Hi Tech Italian Creativity
Another truly global icon in the “maker”
industry, from Silicon Valley to Asia, is
Arduino, a hardware and software system
that comes on a blue board about the
size of a credit card and provides an easy
way to create new devices. If you connect
it to a PC and a 3-D printer, it can also
produce prototypes in the blink of an
eye. Simply put, Arduino is at the heart of
the movement currently revolutionizing
manufacturing. It was made in Ivrea,
Piedmont, by Massimo Banzi and three of
his friends and colleagues at the Interaction
Design Institute. Besides being on display at
“Make in Italy,” Arduino was acquired by the
Museum of Modern Art in November 2014,
thanks to its elegant look and its role in
innovative design.
Speaking of design, the exhibit also
includes the mythic Miss Sissi lamp,
designed for FLOS by Philippe Starck.
But there’s something special about this
particular model: it’s made of “clean”
plastic produced by Bio-On, a Bolognese
company founded by Marco Astorri
and Guy Cicognani.
Armed with just a
Mac connected to the
Internet, the two
“do-it-yourself
scientists”
discovered the
recipe for transforming
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 7
Above: a room of the Make in Italy exhibit. To the right: the Miss Sissi lamp, made by FLOS with
100% biodegradable plastic produced by the Bolognese company Bio-On. Below: Isspresso, the first
“outer space” espresso machine by Agrotec and Lavazza. Bottom: Technogym’s Plurima.
Opposite page. Above: Intel 4004, the first microchip designed by Federico Faggin in 1971;
below, Olivetti’s first personal computer, Programma 101
Beyond Leonardo
There are also those who have
combined high technology
with fine Italian cuisine.
While training astronauts
from the European space agency, David
Avino, founder of the aerospace engineering
company Argotec, had the idea to liven
things up on board by replacing the usual
hardtack with gourmet meals. He also
wound up creating the first “outer space”
espresso machine. With the help of Lavazza,
Avino conducted experiments on liquids
in zero gravity and extreme pressure
conditions. Italian astronaut Samantha
Cristoforetti, aka AstroSamantha, tasted
the first espresso in outer space on May 3,
2015. The coffee maker, called Isspresso, is
refuse from sugar factories into a hard, another great addition to Make in Italy.
resistant plastic, like Moplen except it’s But there are many more objects in the
100% biodegradable in water in just ten exhibit – from Olympic Games supplier
days. The material is now sold worldwide Technogym’s “gym-in-a-machine” to the
and is listed on the stock exchange. first carbon fiber eyeglasses designed
by Italia-Independent to Carlo Ratti’s
“smart bikes.” And they all have one
thing in common: Italian creativity,
which didn’t end with Leonardo
da Vinci, but continues to combine style,
good taste, technological innovation and a
passion for business. ●●
* Journalist and writer Maria Teresa Cometto is a
US contributor to the Italian daily ”Corriere della
Sera” and a co-author of Tech and the City. The
making of New
York’s startup
community
(with Alessandro
Piol).
●● ITALIAN, ITALIAN AMERICAN, AMERICAN, AND SOME NOTIONS OF WHITENESS
Rethinking our Labels
Being of southern
European origins, we
know that historically
we have not always
been considered white
by Anthony Julian Tamburri
●● If when talking about our
identity we also approach the
notion of whiteness and all that
it pertains, we find ourselves
on a most slippery slope. This
is not to say that we should not
broach such subject matter. On
the contrary, being of southern
European origins, we know
that historically we have not
always been considered white,
and as a result, those of the
great migration who hailed
from below the “Linea Spezia”
were in fact placed into a non-
white category for a period of
time. Hence, our obligation to
negotiate said slippery slope
seems thus inevitable; it is an
obligation for both the scholar
and the community leader.
The risk of such a discussion
is to fall into a trap of flat,
superficial analysis and thereby
not consider the complexities
of neither ethnicity nor
“whiteness” as we know both
concepts today; as a result, one may not
recognize the multi-strata characteristic
of any “white” ethnic group and therefore
present an incomplete portrait of the group
at hand. In order to avoid this, we must
force ourselves to let go of some of our
traditional historic-thematic perspectives
that rein still among certain dominant
culturalists, or within what are now nicely
bleached, “white” ethnic communities. We
need to open up conversations regarding
all aspects of our communities.
A European ethnic group’s essentialist
identification with “whiteness” may
indeed prove counter-productive. Such
identification may suffocate, indeed
eliminate, the possibility of diverse
characterizations of one’s ethnicity.
Especially if internal, such ethnicity would
8 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
figure as an homogenous group of people
who identify with mainstream (read,
WASP), when, instead, we know very well
that intra-ethnic tensions do indeed exist
precisely because these groups prove not
homogenous, and various occasions have
provoked animated, internal dialogue in
recent years. Further still, identification
with WASPdom may very well lead to
an exclusively “celebratory packaging of
the past [which] often forgets … histories
of oppression and intimidation,” as one
What we thus
need to do is to
dismantle those long-
held notions of
“whiteness” and its
power to aggregate
various groups into
one vast cluster of, in
our case, seemingly
assimilated southern
Europeans
critic stated (Anagnostou 2009, 11). Such
tensions were and continue to be evident
in a number of European ethnicities.
We see this in the various two-flagged,
double-national hymned celebratory
galas and other such events that, if not
negotiated accordingly, may cause said
ethnicity to stagnate; for it is by now
common acceptance that ethnicity does
indeed evolve to some degree from one
generation to the next. If we do not
recognize as much, then the consequence
is that hegemonic past
myths persist, and ethnic
divisions — internal and
external — arise.
What I am discussing here
is self-management of
one’s ethnicity, as I have
already done elsewhere
(Tamburri 1991, 2014). As
we know, the southern
European has the option
— indeed, the privilege —
to identify as an Italian in
one situation and as an
American (read, white) in
another. This is, in fact,
the privilege of the “white
ethnic,” which is also
the conundrum of those
who engage in any sort
of ethnic discourse, be
that discourse academic
or more broadly public.
The combination of and/
or the shifting to and fro
between “Italian” and
“American” have, on
occasion, excluded from its identification
some arbitrarily undesirable historic
components that may actually continue
to co-buttress said ethnicity — something
that is characteristic of a certain
component of the Italian community in the
States.
In eschewing said past histories, we can
readily get caught up in a situation of
diachronic amnesia for which any lack
of knowledge of our ancestors’ trials and
tribulations during the proverbial four-
decade period of 1880-1924 adumbrates
such past challenges. As a consequence,
we may fall into a state of synchronicity
for which current phenomena rein and all
connections to the past are lost precisely
because, as a result of socio-economic
progress and all that it may signify to those
“moving on up,” we erroneously adopt
the assumption that southern European
immigrants and their progeny have
assimilated into mainstream America.
What we have witnessed elsewhere,
instead, is that such assumptions often
prove false. What we also know from some
scholars is that “ethnicity is a process
of inter-reference between two or more
cultural traditions” (Fischer, 195) — i.e.,
different ethnic cultures — and, I would
add, between two or more generations of
the same ethnic group. The consequence
of such amnesia may, in fact, be an
inability to recognize affinities between the
above-mentioned trials and tribulations
of our ancestors and our migrant ethnics
today, all of which may result in a willy-
nilly insensitivity toward current day
The Message of a
‘Migrant Pope’
in the Americas
by Gennaro Matino*
We can’t become men without engaging
our fellow man. That seems to be
the slogan of Pope Francis’ trip to the United
States, during which he will become the first
pope in history to speak before Congress
in Washington, D.C., before appearing at the
United Nations in New York and the World
Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. The Pope
has come from the other side of the world to
visit “his own” world, the Americas, which in
just a few centuries has changed the fate of
the planet and imposed its “style” on distant
nations and ancient customs. It’s a continent
predominantly composed of émigrés – a
fact attested to by Francis’ own origins as the
descendant of an Italian immigrant family
in Argentina –, full of surprises, teeming with
contradictions and blighted by inequality.
Traveling from north to south, one witnesses
a lightning-quick shift from economic power
to economic marginalization, from the
promise of development to hopeless scarcity.
“Lightning-quick” could also describe the way
the Pope took up the cause of the poor on his
trip to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay this past
summer; prophetically acknowledged the
world’s new sense of solidarity with Cuba; and
persuasively argued for the protection of all
creation in the United States. “Let us protect
Christ in our lives so that we can protect others,”
said Pope Francis, “so that we can protect
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 9
immigration to the United States.
What we thus need to do is to dismantle
those long-held notions of “whiteness”
and its power to aggregate various
groups into one vast cluster of, in our
case, seemingly assimilated southern
Europeans. We need to destabilize “white
ethnicity as a bounded category” with the
specific goal of “affirm[ing] commonalities
and confirm[ing] differences” in order
to promote, in the end, “a network of
scholarly entanglements instead of
isolated nodes of inquiry” (Anagnostou
2013, 122). “Whiteness” surely remains
within the conversation of ethnic
discourse, but it undergoes, along the way,
a series of interrogations and analyses that
eventually underscore its malleability of
signification. ●●
creation!” He also retraced what has been the
essence of his preaching with renewed vigor.
“Being a protector, however, is not something
that involves Christians alone; it also has a prior
dimension which is simply human, involving
everyone. It means protecting all creation, the
beauty of the created world, as the Book of
Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi
showed us. It means respecting each of God’s
creatures and respecting the environment
in which we live. It means protecting people,
showing loving concern for each and every
person, especially children, the elderly, those
in need, who are often the last we think about.”
Protecting creation. In other words, not just
protecting individual lifestyles but building a
community of brotherly love. Such protection,
he continued, “requires kindness, requires
tenderness.” We can’t become men without
engaging our fellow man. And yet we prefer to
hide; going it alone is our daily bread. By vying
for the world’s supplies, nations risk waging war.
“The urgent challenge to protect our common
home,” said the Pope, “includes a concern to
bring the whole human family together to
seek a sustainable and integral development,
for we know that things can change. I offer an
urgent appeal then for a new dialogue about
how we are shaping the future of our planet.
The environmental challenge we are facing,
and its human roots, concern and affect us
Works Cited
Georgios Anagnostou. Contours of White
Ethnicity: Popular Ethnography and the Making
of Usable Pasts in Greek America. The Ohio
University Press, 2009.
—— . “White Ethnicity: A Reappraisal,” Italian
American Review 3.2 (2013): 99–128.
Michael M. J. Fischer. “Ethnicity and the Post-
modern Arts of Memory,” in Writing Culture:
The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography. James
Clifford and George E. Marcus, eds. University
of California Press, 1986.
Anthony Julian Tamburri. Re-reading Italian
Americana: Generalities and Specificities on
Literature and Criticism. Fairleigh Dickinson
University Press, 2014. 3-25.
——. To Hyphenate or not to Hyphenate: the
Italian/American Writer: Or, An Other American?
Guernica Editions, 1991.
all.” When forced to talk to one another, in our
differences we discover demons, fears that
hound us and disturb our peace. And if we
have to engage one another, if we’re really
compelled to, then we tend to prefer engaging
with our doubles, mirror images of ourselves,
those who won’t talk back, whose existence
we recognize precisely because it does not
conflict with our own. Our fear of confrontation
leaves us few options and what options it does,
are destructive: we choose to either run away
from or attack and annihilate the other. We live
together, work together, walk side by side down
the same chaotic roads, yet we remain cut-off,
irremediably alone. And yet it is imperative we
reach out to one another. There’s a beautiful
Midrash passage (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13) in
which God says to Adam: “Now all that I have
created, I created for your benefit. Be careful
that you do not ruin and destroy my world;
for if you destroy it, there is no one to repair
it after you.” Our fear of losing possessions
generates more suffering and anxiety than
the pleasure we derive from possessing them
in the first place. It’s clear that calls like Pope
Francis’ in New York, to be rid of possessions,
are really a re-proposal of the proper use of our
earthly goods. They do not threaten the idea
of property. Instead they affirm the principle
of sharing, “the duty to limit power in such a
way that man, making use of it, can remain a
man.” We can’t become men without engaging
our fellow man. Harmonious existence is
only produced by people through dialogue,
understanding and confronting the perils of
diversity, only through the agony and toil of the
common word. There’s no doubt we are at risk
of going out of existence. And we can’t make
mankind without talking.
* Gennaro Matino teaches Theology and History of
Christianity in Naples, where he runs the parish of SS.
Trinità. He has written several books and collaborates
extensively with both traditional and new media.
●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | FRED KUWORNU

The Right To Be Italian

Afro-Italian filmmaker
Fred Kuwornu explores
the challenges of ethnic
diversity in Italy.
by George DeStefano

●● Fred Kuworno is an Italian filmmaker

whose work examines the complexities
of racial, ethnic, and national identity.
His first film, “Inside Buffalo” (2010) was
a documentary about the 92nd Infantry
Division, known as the “Buffalo Soldiers,”
an all-black combat unit that fought in Italy
during World War II. Kuwornu made the film
after working with Spike Lee on “Miracle at
St. Anna,” Lee’s 2008 feature film about the
92nd division. Two years later, Kuwornu
provoked controversy in Italy, and some
much-needed public discussion, with “18
Ius Soli: The Right to be Italian,” a critique of
Italian citizenship law based on Ius Sanguinis.
Under the Italian law, Italy-born children
of immigrants do not automatically qualify
for citizenship. They must instead request
it when they reach 18 years of age, and no
later than their nineteenth birthday. That
leaves them in a legal limbo, and they often
experience unequal treatment despite
their Italian birth and residency. “18 Ius
Soli: The Right to Be Italian” won the Best
Documentary award at the Black Berlin
International Cinema Festival, and Kuwornu
has screened it at the Pentagon, the Library
of Congress, and at film festivals.
Born in Bologna to an Italian Jewish mother
and a Ghanaian father, Fred Kuwornu last
year moved from Italy to Brooklyn, which
he calls “the beating heart of artistic and
creative New York.” He is doing post-
production work on “Blaxploitalian,” a film
about black actors in Italian cinema, while
also developing a new documentary about
the Neapolitan musician James Senese,
whose father was a black American soldier
stationed in Naples during World War II.
i-Italy recently spoke with Kuwornu about
his experiences as a biracial Italian and
the challenges of being an ethnic/racial
minority in today’s Italy.
‘Afroitaliani’ and ‘Afroitalici’
“In my documentaries and when I speak at
conferences, I talk a lot about being African
and Italian,” he says. “It is a hybrid identity
Fred Kuwornu with
Chirlane McCray de Blasio
that I’m trying to understand more and Italy is a great
more as Fred Kuwornu and therefore as an
individual who is Afro-Italian.” country. But
The director says he wants to explore not
only the “Afroitaliano” identity of Italian-
sometimes it forgets
born people of African descent, but also that its great cultural,
what he calls “Afro-Italico,” an appellation
for someone of mixed Italian and black
artistic, and scientific
backgrounds, whether the “Italian” side wealth really is due to
is from Italy, the US, or Canada, and the
“African” side from the US, the Caribbean, the mix of genes –
or Brazil. “There are many more ‘Afroitalici’
in the world than ‘Afroitaliani,’” he says.
biological and cultural
“18 Ius Soli” has stimulated discussion about – that has passed
citizenship for the Italian-born children of
immigrants. But Kuwornu says, “The only
through our land in two
thing that has changed, one might say, is thousand years.
that perhaps the children of immigrants
are now much better informed than before Perhaps our mistake
about this problem.”
He says that the citizenship law is “absurd”
has been to not
because Italy has always been a multiethnic historicize this and
country, going back to the Roman Empire.
“Italy’s a great country,” he says. “But
teach it, starting with
sometimes it forgets that its great cultural, elementary school.
artistic, and scientific wealth really is due
to the mix of genes – biological and cultural
– that has passed through our land in two and ethnic prejudice is worse than when
thousand years. Perhaps our mistake has he was growing up. “It’s very challenging to
been to not historicize this and teach it, be a member of an ethnic minority in Italy
starting with elementary school.” today,” he adds. “Perhaps the only thing
more difficult is being a Muslim.”
The challenge of diversity “I grew up in the late ‘70s, when there were
Kuwornu says that in today’s Italy, racial few Afro-Italians in Italy. In Bologna then,

10 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

there were maybe five or six mixed-race ●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | JAQUELINE GRAVES MONDA
kids – I don’t think there were any who

Living (with an)

were fully black. I never had any problems
with racism in school because the teacher
would have punished any misbehavior. I
don’t want to suggest that there wasn’t any
racism, but in that period from the ‘60s to

Italian in NYC
the ‘80s, any instances of bullying, racism,
or bad behavior were punished.”
He does suspect, however, that his non-
Italian surname may have cost him jobs;
after he earned his degree in political
science, he applied for positions but never
received a response. “Perhaps my foreign
last name on my resume created some Blending Jamaican Italian” mean for a non-Italian? Better yet:
What’s it like to live with an Italian, in an
problems,” he remarks.
As a visitor to the US, and now as a New
and Italian cultures Italian context, even outside of Italy?
I decided to seek help from a couple that
York resident, Kuwornu has spoken to through hospitality, is beloved by this city, not the transient
Italian Americans at such organizations
as the Calandra Institute and Casa Italiana
food, and ... “free” New York gossip variety, but one with a
firm foothold in the city’s cultural milieu,
Zerilli-Marimò in New York, and on college speech one with ties to literature, film, art. So I
campuses. Some, he says, have reacted decided to pay a visit to Jacqueline Graves, a
negatively because they cannot conceive Jamaican, and her husband Antonio Monda,
of Italians as anything but white. Some by Letizia Airos an Italian writer, film studies professor at
seemed shocked that someone who looks NYU and acting director of the Festa del
like him speaks and gestures as an Italian. ●● What does italianità (or “Italian-ness”) Cinema in Rome.
“Perhaps there’s some envy there because mean to a non-native? How do you explain In New York Jacqueline and Antonio play
so many Italian Americans don’t speak our it? There are certainly abstract stereotypes an active role, often side by side, in various
language any more,” he says. But some associated with italianità. We say, for cultural institutions, including, to name a
do understand that “Italy has become a example, that Italians are kind, friendly, few, the Morgan Library, NYU’s Casa Italiana
multiethnic society.” beautiful and passionate. We say they Zerilli-Marimò, the Tribeca Film Festival,
The African Americans who have seen know a thing or two about love and having Lincoln Center and MoMA. Yet they are
his films have reacted very positively, he a good time. Then there are those images also widely known for hosting Italian and
says. They too are surprised that “in Italy that immediately call Italy to mind: Ferrari American writers, journalists, actors, critics
today there is a black community that is and Prada, Venice and Florence, the Trevi and artists at their home on the Upper East
beginning to produce a culture and history Fountain and Mount Vesuvius, pizza and Side. Their house is a “laboratory of ideas,”
that may affect the field of black studies.” pasta. There are also, we know, negative as Antonio himself calls it, where people
stereotypes. Italians are often considered gather round the dining room table.
About music and identity loud, quarrelsome and hotheaded. And some Who better than Jacqueline Graves Monda to
Kuwornu is now seeking funding for his people still stress the “M-word”… guide us on this tour of italianità, of family,
forthcoming documentary about James But I wanted to try to tackle the concept food, a sense of religion and the virtues of
Senese, an Afro-Italian saxophonist and head-on, not dwell on the usual stereotypes. hospitality. Not to mention the vice/virtue
bandleader who has been a prominent Why not talk to a non-native who lives of talk, talk, talk – never ending and all
figure on Naples’ music scene since the with an Italian, I thought. What does “living consuming.
‘70s. “The film will be about music and
identity: what it meant to be African-
Italian in the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s,” he
says. Besides Senese, Kuwornu has
interviewed actor-director John Turturro
for the film; Turturro’s documentary,
“Passione,” about Neapolitan music,
featured Senese. Kuwornu also plans to
interview New York Mayor Bill de Blasio,
who is of Campanian descent, and de
Blasio’s son, Dante, whose mother is
African American.
Dante de Blasio, he says, “could be a New
York version of James Senese.”
Kuwornu sees identity not as a fixed
destination but as a process, and a journey.
“Our identities need not always come
from our roots,” he observes. “Even more
so, they should be connected to where
we are and where we want to go. Identity
shouldn’t imprison but instead should be
a foundation, so that people can be free to
Jaqueline Graves Monda in Capri
dream what they want to become.” ●●

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A lot in common
Let’s start with how they met. In New York,
through friends. It was 1985. Antonio was
scouting a location for a documentary.
Jacqueline was in the city with family. She
didn’t know much about Italy then, but, like a
lot of people, she did know about its art, music
and opera. They immediately warmed to one
another. He didn’t speak much English then. “I
learned Italian first, starting from scratch,” she
says, smiling, “thanks to a full immersion with
his family in Italy. He was away at the time!”
Beautiful, sunny, Jacqueline’s personal –
though with-it – fashion sense enhances her
Jamaican features. Her native land shines
through in an unpremeditated, gentle way.
It’s easy to understand how she enchanted
the young Italian.
But what do they have in common? “That’s too
easy,” she offers, not batting an eye. “Respect
for tradition, for family, for real values, for
hospitality.” And then there’s religion, even
if the road was a bit circuitous. “My family is
Protestant and Protestantism is a lot more rigid
than Catholicism,” says Jacqueline. “One of my
aunts married an Anglican priest who later
became bishop of the capital of Jamaica. I went
to a religious school. I became a Catholic with
Antonio, because I think it’s very important
to raise children in the same faith.” And yet
another factor in their marriage is their shared
interest in culture, music, literature and art: “I
come from a very cultured family. I grew up
around books. My grandfather read ancient
Greek. Classical music was in the air…”
Hospitality as a way of life
But the couple’s real – perhaps fatal – area
of agreement is in their ability to “host
parties,” a mainstay of their life in New
York. “Italians are similar to Jamaicans.
Thanks to my grandparents and mother,
I was used to keeping our doors open to
people from around the world. I remember
my grandmother’s beautiful garden parties,
the tables topped with seasonal fruit. When
Antonio brought me to Calabria for the first
time, I found the very same thing. Even if I
didn’t speak Italian at the time.”
As the New York Times has reported,
luminaries like Philip Roth, Robert De Niro,
Martin Scorsese and Zadie Smith flock to the
Monda household. Paying them a visit is a
special experience. But making such big names
“feel at home” can’t be easy. Or can it?
“I’m myself,” Jacqueline confesses, “hosting all
kinds of people comes naturally to me.”
Indeed, this splendid lady of the house attends
to both her kitchen and her guests with great
ease. On occasion, you might even catch a
glimpse of Antonio’s mother by the stove.
And so, as our talk drifts toward kitchen
matters, I discover the secret to Italian-
Jamaican hospitality: food. Jacqueline’s food
has become famous for its seamless blend of
Italian-Jamaican cultures and is the subject of a
forthcoming book.
12 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Jaqueline and Antonio in Italy
Blending cultures through food
“Yes, a cookbook done my way. I make a
note of what I like around. I always find the
right ingredients to strike a good balance, and
slowly but surely I’ve created my own type of
cooking. But I don’t call it ‘fusion’ – I hate that!”
But where does this passion for cooking
come from? “You’ll laugh. I must admit that
as a girl I didn’t know how to cook. I lived
with my mother, who was a good cook, so I
didn’t have to. Then everyone in my Italian
family started asking me, ‘What? You really
don’t know how to cook?’ Antonio’s family
placed a lot of importance on the subject. So
I slowly began to cook. My mother-in-law
Marilù and my sister-in-law Elvira were a
fabulous help.”
As an Italian, I might have guessed. But
cooking for Italians must be grueling for
someone not Italian. “In fact for many years
I was afraid to cook pasta for Italians!”
Jaqueline recalls, “That’s not the case today.
Everyone asks me to cook pasta now. I like
to invent. The flavors I create are based on
memories. Much of my cooking is inspired
by my memories of the time I spent with
my grandmother. After that it’s easy. I try
to make dishes with a few, simple products.
Now it’s easier to find quality ingredients.
When I began cooking back in ’94, you
couldn’t even find decent basil in New York.”
NYC makes it easier
And her family? What is it like to raise children
in a bicultural family? The couple has three
kids, and their house has that unmistakable
family feel. Jacqueline couldn’t be more
straightforward on this matter: “New York
is the best place to raise children with two
different cultural backgrounds. Our children
go to Italy every summer and have always
heard Italian spoken. In New York, they’re
The Italians talk
all the time! About
everything, a lot.
Especially about
politics. That’s not how
it worked in my world.
My grandfather would
say, ‘Don’t talk about
religion or politics with
anyone.’ Think of the
difference! But, now
that you ask, I realize
that I love this way of
talking freely. I love the
way you Italians have
of freely expressing
yourselves
close to my mother and other relatives of mine.
They have experienced my culture, even if we
haven’t been to Jamaica often. There are many
Jamaican events here: concerts, folk dances,
shows. We always go. New York is a special
city. It let’s you remain who you are. It’s the
essence of hospitality.”
Italianness is — talking freely
I try, fiendishly, to provoke her a little. “What
can’t you stand about Italians?”
“You’re going to get me in trouble…” she
laughs. “The Italians talk all the time! About
everything, a lot. Especially about politics.
That’s not how it worked in my world. My
grandfather would say, ‘Don’t talk about
religion or politics with anyone.’ Think of
the difference! I remember how astonished
I was those first few years. And my mother
was perplexed. She didn’t understand the
language and was hearing all this talk, talk,
talk…But, now that you ask, I realize that I
love this way of talking freely. My mother
says I’ve changed. She doesn’t recognize
me anymore. But I love the way you Italians
have of freely expressing yourselves.”
And when does Jacqueline feel most Italian?
“Maybe when talking with my daughter
Caterina. She really is Italian. She always
wants to speak Italian and speaks so quickly
that sometimes on the phone I can’t even
understand her!”
One last question. Getting back to Antonio,
what’s your secret? How do you live so
happily together? “By working every day
with a constant need for one another.
You have to take as well as give. And be
generous…”  ●●
 More CUNY
Award Winners!

SEAN THATCHER CARLA SPENSIERI

Barry Goldwater Scholarship 2015 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Grant 2015
College of Staten Island Hunter and Queens Colleges

CUNY students are winning the most prestigious highly competitive awards in the nation. In the
past five years, they have won 81 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, 79
Fulbright Awards for research and teaching English abroad, and 12 Barry Goldwater Scholarships
for outstanding undergraduates who intend to pursue research careers in mathematics, the natural
sciences or engineering. And two CUNY doctoral candidates captured prestigious prizes that are
rarely awarded to students — a Pulitzer Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship, both for poetry.
Providing quality, accessible education has been CUNY’s mission since 1847, a commitment that
is a source of enormous pride, as are these students.
— James B. Milliken
Chancellor

Join the winners’ circle!

For more information about The City University of New York visit cuny.edu/welcome

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 13

●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | JERRY KRASE

The Unfortunate Pilgrim

A Slavic Sicilian
American recalls his
trip to his ancestral
village and finds that
in the final analysis,
“You can’t get there
from here.”

by Jerry Krase

●● Every October, or “Italian Heritage and

Culture Month” as it known in La Grande
Mela, I have mixed feelings. Few count
me as Italian American despite treasuring
my mysterious patrimony, including the
fact that all Italians are anarchists until
they are in charge. Despite having been a
Founder of the American Italian Coalition
of Organizations, and President of the
American Italian Historical Association, I
never apply for anything with “Italian” or
“Italian American” in the title. As to “only
real Italians need apply” I’ve had too many
bad experiences. For example, when I was
Director of the Brooklyn College Center for
Italian American Studies (1975-1984) several
“real” Italian American professors complained
that a “non-Italian” held the post. My research
on Italian American college students helped
establish the Distinguished Professorship of
Italian American Studies. However, when
someone mistakenly nominated me for the
post, I received a call from a prominent Italian
American starting with “How dare you….”
My identity problem has a long history. When
I started dating my wife Suzanne Nicoletti
in 1958, her parents wanted to know my
“nationality.” As I didn’t know I looked through
some family papers and discovered that my
mother’s maiden name was “Cangelosi.”
When I asked her why never told us she was
Italian she replied, “We’re not,” explaining that
her mother said they were “Sicilian.” I thought
this was a positive, so I told Suzanne the “good
news,” which for her un-Sicilian parents was
rather bad. Most of her relatives still think I’m
Irish because most of the “mixed marriages”
they know of are Irish-Italian.
Three decades later, I got a PSC/CUNY grant
to do “Photographic Research in Southern
Italy.” Suzanne’s relatives encouraged us to
visit their hometown in Laurino, Province of
Salerno. A borrowed Italian Auto Club road
The disappearing road to Laurino (Photo by Jerry Krase)
map showed a direct route from Potenza
to Laurino on an ominously colored Strada
Provinciale (county road) 11e and 11f. As I
drove I asked pedestrians along the way “È
questa strada per Laurino?” But the responses
were incomprehensible: “Si, ma bla, bla, bla,
bla.” (“Is this the road to Laurino? Yes, but
blah, blah, blah, blah”). The road morphed
from two paved lanes, to two unpaved
lanes, to one unimproved lane where we
encountered goats and herders. After several
hours of breath-taking views and back-
breaking bumps the roadway improved and
we entered Laurino.
We asked people for the residence of la
famiglia De Gregorio and were energetically
pointed the way to a three-story stuccoed
building situated on a steep incline where
we knocked on the door. The small, yet
three-generation, extended family was just
finishing dinner. When we explained who we
were, they treated us like lost, royal, relatives.
The table was quickly re-set and after we
finished eating and drinking we were invited
to stay longer (even a few days). We thanked
them for their kind invitation but explained
we were on our way to meet people in
Sorrento and needed to make up for the time
lost in the mountains. The men took us to a
bar and introduced to neighbors and friends.
There were some tears when we left and we
felt as though we were leaving “home”, but
understood our real home was in Brooklyn.
Back in “The States,” I decided to explore the
“conversation” I had with people along Strada
To be American
is to be uprooted,
if not rootless, in the
sense of having roots
elsewhere, and our
journey in search of
our imaginary Italian
home made that clear.
provinciale 11 to Laurino. I sent the e-mail
message below to some of my academic
Italian friends. Their responses reveal a great
deal about authentic Italian bontà:
Amici/e
I need help with a translation of phrase from
English into Italian for a paper I am writing
about my own, and my wife Suzanne’s,
search for our roots in Italy. It regards
traveling to a remote village in Campania
(Italy) and asking people along the way
whether this was the road to the town. The
question I asked, perhaps incorrectly, was:
“E’ questa la strada per Laurino?” The answer
in Italian was (credo): “Yes, but you can’t get
there from here.”; “Yes, but you can’t get
there this way.”; or “Yes, but the road turns
into a goat path” (which it did).
Grazie tante, Mino Cangelosi Krase.

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These were the replies:
1. “Sì, ma non ci arriva da quì; Sì, ma non è questa
la strada; Sì, ma la strada diventa una strada da
capre.” Hope to see you soon. All the best Mino
Vianello.
2. Traduzione: “E’ questa la strada per Laurino?
Sì, ma non ci si arriva da qui. La strada diventa
una mulattiera (mule trail).” Saluti, Maddalena
Tirabassi.
3. “Sì, ma non ci si arriva da qui; Sì, ma la strada
va a finire in un sentiero (but I would not know
how to translate ‘goat path.’)” Best, Cristina
Allemann-Ghionda.
4. Dear Jerry: My translation: “Sì, ma non ci si
arriva da qui; Sì, ma non ci si arriva da questa
parte; “Sì, ma la strada diventa una mulattiera.”
Best, Stefano Luconi.
5. Jerry, I am on my way to Venice for a
MA thesis discussion where I acted as co-
supervisor. “Si, ma non puoi/può andarci da
qui...” Will get back to you soon again, best!
Paolo Ruspini.
6. The most Italianate response, which I
gratefully received from my Italian colleagues
was as follows:
Jerry: the question “E’ questa la strada per
Laurino?” is perfect, in Italian. The problem
is that, encountering a “native” in Italy, the
native — only to be kind — tends to reply to the
question as if it were: “Is this the one best way
to Laurino?”; so that the reply is: “Ok, this way
is good, inasmuch as it goes to Laurino; the best
way, however, is ...” In fact, replying: “No, it’s
wrong, the good way is another one” the native
could have felt uneasy, since the reply would be
a bit rude. Anyway: your question was classical;
I also would have used the same linguistic
form; and I would have had the same reaction.
Bye. Leonardo Cannavo.
I replied to Leonard, thusly: grazie tante, ma
come si dice in italiano le frase? How would you
say it in Italian? And can I quote you in my
paper? I think your understanding of the
situation is perfect. La tua comprensione della
situazione è perfetta!
To which he wrote:
Ok, sorry, I didn’t get the point. The easiest
translations for the three phrases is as
follows:
“Yes, but you can’t get there from here” = “Sì,
ma da qui non ci può arrivare.”
“Yes, but you can’t get there this way” = “Sì,
ma da questa strada non ci può arrivare.”
“Yes, but the road turns into a goat path” = “Sì,
ma la strada diventa un sentiero per capre.”
If you quote me in a paper of yours, it will be
an honor; you need not ask for permission.
Most unfortunately, few methodologists (and
consider that I feel uneasy wearing the hat
of a methodologist) refuse to consider the
cultural and psychosocial frames of their
job. Speech interaction is both amusing and
revealing. Bye. L.
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 15
As a child, I had attended a few Italian
“football” weddings, and as an adult I went to
a rather unsatisfying Cangelosi reunion, more
like a picnic, in Garfield, New Jersey. I hoped
the Cangelosi clan gathering would be like the
Sicilian wedding scene from the Godfather,
Part II. For people like me expectations or
“demands” for authentic experiences can’t
be met because we never experienced them.
●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | PAUL MOSES
The Fortunate Pilgrim
A German Jewish Italian American travels to
his ancestral villages and feels the pull
by Paul Moses*
This June, I deepened the ties to my Italian
heritage by traveling for the first time
to the villages in Calabria and Basilicata
where my mother’s parents were born.
I never met either of my grandparents,
who married in 1909 at St. Patrick’s Old
Cathedral on Mott Street and lived on
the next block down. Both died before I
was born, but in some ways, I met them by
seeing the small towns where they grew up.
My grandmother, Rachela Martoccia
(shortened to Martocci), was especially
vague for me as she had died the year after
giving birth to my mother in Manhattan.
But to see her lovely hilltop village of
Laurenzana in the Basilicata region, to meet
the people, to kneel at the local shrines
and to taste the food specific to the area all
helped me to better understand her and my
Italian ancestry.
A castle that served Emperor Frederick II
in the thirteenth century presides from
Laurenzana’s rocky pinnacle. Nearby is an
800-year-old church where the remains of
the holy Franciscan friar Blessed Egidio are
venerated. The narrow, winding streets
on the hill below, the stone buildings and
rounded towers date to medieval times.
The Martoccia family, I discovered, lived
in a valley far below these heights and
worshiped in a little chapel on the town’s
outskirts. I now understood one of the
stories about my grandmother: how much
she enjoyed going up to the ancient castle
when she was a girl.
Cerasi, my grandfather Christopher
Moscato’s hometown, is up in the clouds in
Calabria’s Aspromonte mountains. Driving
there was a little frightening because I was
so tempted to peek at the breathtaking
We move through the scenes but have never
been, and will never be, part of them. To be
American is to be uprooted, if not rootless,
in the sense of having roots elsewhere, and
our journey in search of our imaginary Italian
home made that clear. In searching for
my roots I became an unfortunate pilgrim,
because in the final analysis “You can’t get
there from here.” ●●
Laurenzana (Basilicata)
views while negotiating hairpin turns.
Seeing Cerasi made me appreciate a story
I heard about how my grandfather would
leave home as a youth to work in the fields
with a bit of bread, cheese and a chestnut in
his pocket. It would have been a very long
walk through those steep, pine-forested
hills to arrive at any fields. And I was
amazed that someone who came from such
isolated rural splendor could manage to
raise six children in Mott Street’s crowded
slums.
The people were very hospitable when I met
them on June 13 after Mass for the Feast of
St. Anthony, Cerasi’s patron saint. I was
invited in for espresso and cookies, and
shown the Moscatos’ one-time home and
the communal wood-fired hearth where
bread is baked—a particular favorite for me
because, perhaps not coincidentally, I am
an avid bread baker.
While just a handful live there nowadays,
quite a few people with roots in Cerasi
return to the old family homes on weekends
or for vacation and a celebration of St.
Anthony in August, demonstrating the
ancestral magnetism of the villages that dot
Italy’s mountain regions.
Now I’ve felt that pull, too.
* A professor at Brooklyn College/CUNY, Paul
Moses is the author of An Unlikely Union:
The Love-Hate Story of New York’s Irish and
Italians.
●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | JOHN M. VIOLA

The Mission of Being

Italian in a Global World
The youngest
president in the
history of the National
Italian American
Foundation explains
what it means to feel
“both fully American
and fully Italian” today

by Ottorino Cappelli

●● Though nowadays he resides in Washington

D.C., John M. Viola tirelessly commutes to New
York City to visit his girlfriend Nicole Di Bona. He
is still a regular at the local feasts of the “Madonna
della Neve” and “Giglio” in his native Brooklyn.
And, at 31, he is the youngest president in the four-
decade history of the National Italian American
Foundation.
John traces all of his ancestry to Southern Italy.
His paternal ancestors emigrated from the Vallo
di Diano, Campania, today a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. His maternal grandparents hail from
Puglia (Palo del Colle) and Sicily (Palermo). John’s
father Vincent, himself a native Brooklynite who
became a successful businessman, has been a vice-
chairman of NIAF and a well-known philanthropist
who, among other things, played a crucial role
in the NIAF relief efforts in the aftermath of the
Abruzzo earthquakes in 2009.
Family origins and a strong paternal role model
must have been an important influence for
someone who, as John says, feels “both fully
American and fully Italian and a mix of the two.”
President Viola holds a dual degree in Sociology
and Anthropology from Fordham University, and
made an early career in community leadership and
development in Brooklyn. He also has experience
founding and managing international and domestic
programs. But leading NIAF is definitely his most
challenging initiative to date, and John tackles it
head-on.
An exponent of a new generation of Italian
Americans for whom being Italian is “a state of
mind,” he envisages redefining NIAF’s mission
by transforming it into a global institution, a
John Viola (left) with actor, comedian and singer Joe Piscopo
worldwide ambassador of the “Italy” brand. As
John puts it: “We represent an important addition to
the global promotion of Italy.” His innermost dream
is to help Italian Americans shed their previous
“colonial” identity as captive buyers of Italian
products, and instead engage them “as Italians, as
people who are an integral part of ‘being Italian’ in
today’s globalized world.”
As NIAF prepares to celebrate its 40th Anniversary
this coming October, i-Italy sat down with John
Viola not only to revisit the organization’s past
achievements but to explore more deeply this
project of Global Italian-ness that he feels is so
important “in a world where geography means so
much less than it ever has, and a person can be of
two shared identities.”
NIAF was established in 1975. Who were
the main founders and how did they come
together?
It’s hard to identify NIAF’s founders. There is a
list of names attached to the first meetings in
1975. There’s our first Chairman, Jeno Paolucci,
or our second, Frank Stella. There are names of
families whom we all recognize—politicians,
professors, priests, and community activists.
NIAF was started by a collective of Italian
American men and women who saw that
there could be more for our community than
just fraternal organizations. There needed to
be some central voice in the nation’s capital
that could advocate for access where other
groups couldn’t. NIAF really came together to
fill a need in our community: the need for an
institutional presence at a different level, not
so much grass roots but pioneering.
What would you say have been the major
steps of NIAF’s development and its major
achievements over the past 40 years?
That would hardly fit in a short answer!
I think our foundation has really done
incredible work first of all in breaking into
the halls of power here in Washington. If
you look at where our community was in
1975 and where we are today, it’s a different
story. Today we have two of nine Supreme
Court Justices, a Speaker of the House, Italian
Americans in major Cabinet positions, and
an incredibly healthy, active, and diverse

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 My self-
identifying with
my Italian side has
defined who I am. I feel
as though I fully pertain
to both cultures, and I
think that’s okay in a
modern context.
Frankly, that’s also the
future of our
community and an
organization like ours;
a global context of
being Italian American
Talking at an NIAF meeting. To his left, John Calvelli

membership in the Italian American
Congressional Delegation; members of both
parties who rally around their heritage. All
of that has been a big part of NIAF’s work.
In terms of our educational mission, we
have given tens of millions of dollars in
scholarships and grants throughout the
United States and Italy. We’ve been a major
part of the leadership around saving the AP
Italian Language Exam. We also mustered
and directed resources, in a first of its kind
public-private partnership, for earthquake
relief in L’Aquila. I could go on, but needless
to say I’m proud of all this organization has
accomplished in 40 years.
At one point in its history, NIAF was
perceived as an “elitist” organization, sort
of removed from “the real people” in the
Italian American community, especially
from young people. How come?
I can understand how NIAF earned that
reputation. Sometimes there’s a certain
pomposity that comes with trying to show
the world an organization that is serious
about its work, and perhaps over the years
we’ve gotten a little too comfortable in that
position. But I don’t really think of us as
removed from real people. I like to think of
us as built from real people. The truth of the
matter is, there’s a fine line between being
elitist and being preeminent, and we strive
every day to be preeminent: in what we do,
in how we answer the needs of our Italian
American community, in making courageous
decisions, and in being made up of people
who are self-selected, unique and, in a certain
sense, elite. Not financially elite, but elite in
their commitment to their Italian American
heritage and to serving their Italian American
community. The word elite should be used
carefully. It should not be taken to mean
those who have the most, but those who care
the most, who are the most active, and who
want to make a difference. In this sense, yes,
we do want to be the elite of the community.

I think as fully
engaged and
integrated Americans,
we should be bilingual.
And our second
language should
certainly be the tongue
of our mother country.
That way, when we go to
Italy, we are not going
out of a sense of
nostalgia or because we
have a vowel at the end
of our last names. We
are going as active and
With actor and director John Turturro full participants
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 What does it mean for you, a young
professional in his 30s, to be an Italian
American? And what relationship do you
have with your “Italian side” and today’s
Italy?
What being Italian American means to me
is a lot different than what it meant for
my parents and my grandparents. For me,
being an Italian American means I get to
enter a global world with a shared identity.
I get to feel both fully American and fully
Italian and a mix of the two. Even before I
took this job, which requires my spending
a lot of my time in Italy and participating
in Italian society, I was there a lot. My
family has always been back and forth.
And my self-identifying with my Italian
side has defined who I am. It’s hard to
explain, but I feel as though I fully pertain
to both cultures, and I think that’s okay in
a modern context. I think in a global world Above: meeting Pope Francis in Rome. Below, clockwise: enjoying spaghetti with chef David Greco, owner
where geography means so much less than of Mike’s Deli on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx; having a ‘pizza al metro’ in Vico Equense (Italy); supporting
it ever has, a person can be of two shared Italy during the UEFA Euro Cup 2008 with brothers Michael and Travis.
identities. Frankly, that’s also the future
of our community and an organization names. We are going as active and full unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.
like ours; a global context of being Italian participants. I’d hesitate to leave the table for long if you
American. Tell us about the upcoming anniversary. don’t want to miss something really special.
It will be a little different this time. What’s I suppose you could say this is our take on
What’s the difference between an Italian in store? the Italian Oscars. ●●
Italian (even one living abroad) and an The 40th Anniversary is going to be by far
Italian American? Traditionally these two the most exciting event we’ve put on in a
communities have had some difficulties
in talking to each other, in understanding
long time. I think it’s fair to say that over
the 40 years of this Gala Weekend, people’s
John Viola
each other. Why? What can be done to expectations have changed and the younger on i-Italy | TV
foster their mutual understanding? generation is not looking for a head table Scan the QR code and watch
I think there are a lot of differences and a veal chop. Now, we want to make sure the video on your smarthphone.
between the two communities but I also that our event is accessible to everyone. We
think they are quickly disappearing. Like want to put forth something that’s dynamic
I said, nowadays what you identify as and multifaceted. We want to hold events
is self-selective. People can get on the throughout the weekend for those who are
Internet and see any place in any corner passionate about their Italianness: chances
of the world and have every opportunity for people to meet, network, and celebrate
to access as much information about that the feeling of being amongst their own.
place and its culture as they want. You Ultimately we want our Gala dinner to be
could live in the middle of New Jersey one of the premiere events on the social
and feel Italian. Sure, you have to go and calendar in the nation’s capital—again.
participate, but all of the resources are This year’s going to be incredibly different
there. I think a major difficulty the two from anything you’ve seen in the past, and
communities have in communicating I don’t want to spoil all of the surprises we
is literally talking to each other. The have in store, because there are many, but
language is a big divide. Italy has focused I will say that if you’ve been to our Gala
on improving the number of English every year for the past 39, this is going to be
language speakers and I think it is
imperative that our community make the
effort to take back the Italian language.
People don’t want to talk about it, but we
gave it up under a lot of anxiety and under
the dark cloud of Second World War. The
numbers drop drastically during and after
that struggle. I think it’s time we said, as
fully engaged and integrated Americans,
it’s okay for us to be productively bilingual.
And our second language should certainly
be the tongue of our mother country. That
way, when we go to Italy, we are not going
out of a sense of nostalgia or because
we have a vowel at the end of our last

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www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 19
●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | MY MENTORS 3. MARIA BARTIROMO
Caring For One’s Roots
Lucia Pasqualini
Photo by Iwona Adamczyck
When I first met Maria
Bartiromo I did not
know who she was,
and I could not
imagine how much
she would influence
my life.
by Lucia Pasqualini
●● In September 2010, I had just arrived
in New York and was exploring the city.
One Saturday afternoon, I entered the
huge Barnes and Nobles bookstore on 86th
Street, where I was struck by the cover of a
book by Maria Bartiromo. That was the first
time I heard of Maria. A few weeks later,
I was invited to attend my first Columbus
Day Gala Dinner, where, it turned out,
Maria Bartiromo was the Grand Marshal
of the Columbus Day Parade. My memory
of that night is still very clear; Maria’s
speech touched my heart profoundly.
My grandfather Pietro had been born in
Philadelphia in 1916, and I realized that,
up until that moment, I had no vivid
understanding of his experience. Maria’s
words allowed me to envision the story
of my grandparents and millions of other
Italians who immigrated to the United
States over the centuries. For the very
first time, I grasped the true essence of a
country founded on immigration. Maria’s
words elegantly illustrated the pride she
took in being American and Italian. The
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Maria Bartiromo. Photo by Riccardo Chioni
speech was very emotional.
That was the first of many events to
come during which I had the opportunity
to see Maria. She has always actively
participated in the Italian-American
community, and her involvement extends
to the Columbus Citizens Foundation and
the National Italian American Foundation
(NIAF). I first spoke to Maria on March
2011, during President of the Republic
Giorgio Napolitano’s visit to New York on
the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of
the Unification of Italy. I was in charge of
organizing the visit, and Maria was the
Master of Ceremonies at a special gala in
honor of the President. She also held a
beautiful interview with him. When the
organizers traveled ahead to New York,
they requested a meeting with Maria. She
arrived very punctually at the St. Regis
Hotel; the organizers, on the other hand,
were delayed. Maria patiently waited for
the arrival of the Italian delegation by
conversing with us. I was struck by her
smile and attitude. She must have been
very busy, yet she never once looked
annoyed. That was the first lesson I learned
from Maria: the importance of paying any
commitment—and one’s interlocutors—the
proper respect.
After President Napolitano’s visit, my
relationship with Maria became very
cordial. We often attended the same
events, meeting again at the Scuola
d’Italia Gala in March 2012. After the
event, I received an email from her. I was
impressed. Not only had she beaten me to
the punch, her email conveyed my exact
feelings. Like all excellent journalists,
Maria is naturally curious. She has that
special gift of understanding people at a
glance, of seeing the person behind the
title. After receiving her email, I had the
pleasure and privilege of getting to know
her more intimately, and the more I talked
to her, the more I was fascinated by her
extraordinary charisma. Her presence
alone makes her stand out. When she
enters a room, you cannot help but be
drawn to her light. Her modesty and
humility come naturally, as is usually the
case with someone at ease with herself.
Later, I read her book The 10 Laws of Enduring
Success and suddenly realized the reasons
 Maria’s speech
at the 2010
Columbus Day Gala
Dinner — my first —
touched my heart
profoundly. My
grandfather Pietro
had been born in
Philadelphia in 1916,
and I realized that, up
until that moment, I
had no vivid under-
standing of his
experience. Maria’s
words allowed me to
envision the story of
my grandparents and
millions of other
Italians who
immigrated to the
United States over the
centuries. For the very
first time, I grasped the
true essence of a
country founded on
immigration as she
elegantly illustrated
the pride she took in
being American and
Maria Bartiromo and Lucia Pasqualini at the New York Stock Exchange.
Italian. Above, from left to right: John Viola, Leon Panetta, Maria Bartiromo and Joe Piscopo.

for my fascination. Each chapter revealed
another facet of her inner beauty. The book is
a collection of the lessons she has learned in
her life, both from personal and professional
experience. It captures the essence of a
person who is passionate about what she
does and has always had the courage to risk
choosing her own path, a path based on her
strong ethical convictions and the vision she
has of herself; a person who continuously
and humbly strives to be a better human
being; a person of profound integrity; a
person who has always had a sense of what
she wants to achieve and how to do the
right thing. For Maria, doing the right thing
means taking care of other people; giving
back to the community; setting an example
in your personal life as well as the life you
lead as a member of society. Maria has been
Master of Ceremonies for the Columbus Day
Celebrations for many years now, and no
matter what, she has never failed to fulfill
that duty, a sign of her gratitude to the
community and the pride she takes in her
Italian-American roots. The gala has also
been a moment to gather her family together.
I have always loved seeing her surrounded by
her beautiful family. It speaks volumes about
her character.
Maria’s book is still on my bedside table,
and I love flipping through it whenever I’m
in need of guidance. Thanks to her book, I
discovered who I am and what I want to be.
Maria has been and still is a role model and
a great source of inspiration. Her example
and the lessons I learned from her own
personal experiences have taught me a lot
about the importance of mentorship. She
taught me that mentors do, in fact, exist,
and it depends on each of us to be able
to seize upon the secret of their success.
Maria’s approach toward life reminds me
of something my mother used to tell me
when I was a child: “Surround yourself
with people better than you and treat them
well.” Clearly, she was encouraging me
to look for mentors who could help me
become a better person. I feel extremely
grateful that Maria is part of my life and
blessed for her friendship.
Grazie Maria! ●●

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●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | PETER VALLONE
Peter Vallone on i-Italy | TV
Francine Segan meets Peter Vallone.
Scan the QR code to watch the interview on your smarthphone.
Not Just Italians —
Italian Americans!
Lawyer and politician Democratic Majority Leader of the New
York City Council from 1986 to 2001. Peter
Peter Vallone, Speaker ran for governor of New York in 1998 and
of the New York City for Mayor in 2001. He currently practices
law, teaches political science and is the
Council for almost two author of the biography Learning to Govern:
decades, chats about his My Life in New York Politics from Hell Gate to
City Hall.
immigrant family, his
Peter, your dad came to America from
Sicilian roots, and his Sicily when he was two.
political career. “There He had a huge family. They settled here
is something special in New York City, just like everybody else
about being an Ameri- did, back at the turn of the century. As
he grew up, and the whole family kept
can of Italian descent,” sticking together, he realized that there
was something special about being an
he says. “The Ameri- American of Italian descent. He spent
cans of Italian descent his whole life preaching and living
that. My father would hold meetings
here have no idea how wherever Italians gathered. He would say,
lucky they are! “Remember where you are. You are not
just Italians, you are Americans of Italian
descent! You’re in the greatest country
in the world! You don’t have a loyalty
by Francine Segan to Mussolini! You have a loyalty to God,
because that is what this country is based
●● Peter Vallone is a former New York on! So, take pride in being an American. ”
City councilman who represented Astoria, Then he would recite the Declaration of
Queens, for twenty-seven years. He was Independence in Italian and in English.
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Your dad was a famous judge, and you
went into politics. How did your Italian-
American background influence your
choice to go into politics?
Part of his speech, and part of my speech
today, is the importance of voting,
because these are the people that carry
on our tradition of freedom. He spent
a lot of time making sure everybody
registered.
To people who ask what difference is
my one vote going to make, I say, “Well,
I won the second-most powerful office
of the city of New York by one vote. If
you hadn’t voted, I might have lost. So
don’t say one vote is not important – it
certainly is.”
You just took your entire family to Sicily.
Tell us about that.
Yes, we just came back. I wanted them
to see where my father was born. I have
a rather large family, twenty-eight of
us with eight grandchildren, aged six
through thirty.
You mean to say twenty-eight of you
traveled together? How did you do that?
We had our own bus. They just loved it!
The little one said, “Why would anybody
leave?”
They left because of the dictatorship,
because of the lack of job opportunities.
Wherever we went in Sicily – and we
went to a lot of places – people would say,
“What a wonderful family. So much love.
We used to be like that. We don’t know
what happened.” What I think happened
is that there’s no work in Italy, so young
people have to go to Germany, to the
United States, to wherever there are jobs.
The Americans of Italian descent here
have no idea how lucky they are! They
can bring everybody together for dinner
on Sundays like my family still does.
Who cooks?
We usually take turns. My wife is a
wonderful cook. She learned from her
mother who learned from her mother.
It’s very difficult for us, because there are
so many Italian-American restaurants
throughout the city, but we get the best
Italian food right at home.
Thank you for chatting a bit about your
Italian heritage and your wonderful trip.
It’s been delightful.
It’s wonderful to be here. What you’re
doing – spreading the truth about how
great it is to be an American of Italian
descent – is wonderful. ●●
 ITALIAN CULTURE AT HOME
IN NEW YORK
LA CULTURA ITALIANA A NEW YORK

ITALIAN CULTURE AT HOME

IN NEW YORK
LA CULTURA ITALIANA A NEW YORK

24 West 12th Street, New York, NY, 10011

www.CasaItalianaNYU.org

24 West 12th Street www.casaitalianaNYU.org

_SERVIZI.indd 11 1/22/13 1:58 AM

The largest university-wide research institute

in the Americas dedicated to the study of the
Italian American experience

Queens College
City University
of N ew Y ork

25 West 43rd Street

New York, NY, 10036
http://qcpages.qc.edu/calandra

The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute is the most renowned academic institution, outside Italy, studying the Italian
diaspora. It facilitates extensive academic research, counseling services, demographic studies, student internships, study abroad
curricula, and public programming from seminars to television and online media. These key points of the institute’s mission serve
as the foundation for all of its endeavors. In recent years the institute has produced significant new scholarship in these areas of
Italian American studies, and established initiatives in the U.S., Calabria, and Umbria, as well as ongoing partnerships with faculty
and researchers from other universities in Italy. As a result, the institute is situated at the forefront of Italian diaspora studies.
LA MUSICA PARLA ITALIANO

Music Speaks Italian

●● The fifteenth installment of “Settimana della Lingua Italiana nel Mondo” will take place this year from October
19th to the 24th. The major international event promotes the notion that Italian is an important language of classic
and contemporary culture.
Started in 2001 by an arrangement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Accademia della Crusca, and under
the esteemed patronage of the President of the Republic, the event has grown each year to involve Italy’s entire cultural
and diplomatic network as well as other associations and institutions around the world.
Each year a number of conferences, exhibits, shows, and talks are organized around a particular theme. This year’s
theme is “L’italiano della musica, musica dell’italiano.” To celebrate the event, at the behest of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs’ Direzione per gli italiani all’estero e le politiche migratorie i-Italy and ANFE (the National Association of Emigrant
Families) have collaborated on the promotional video “La musica parla Italiano – Music speaks Italian,” which will be
available on the Internet, social networks and TV.

STAY TUNED FOR OUR VIDEO IN OCTOBER

Realizzato con il sostegno del Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale – Direzione Generale per gli Italiani all’Estero e le Politiche Migratorie

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 25

●● SPONSORED CONTENT

Alitalia Looks to the

Future
UNVEILING A NEW BRAND,
NEW LIVERY AND NEW
PRODUCTS

●● Style, passion and love for life:

all elements that have become the
inspiration for our brand redesign.
The key to our renovation is in the belief
that Italy has a unique place in the hearts
of the world. Our goal is to recreate
an on board experience which reflects
the Italian style, hospitality, passion
and creativity for all guests. Through a
careful and thoughtful design approach,
we have updated our aircraft livery,
preserving its most recognizable elements allusion of speed is created by a refined
while revealing a more stylish, more series of white lines leading towards the
sophisticated and more luxurious look. stabilizer. The new inflight experience
The tail has maintained the traditional ‘A’, places considerable emphasis on greater
our iconic mark recognized all over the customer choice, innovation, quality, and
world, but has added a more detailed and above all, more personal control over how
bold design. An elegant soft white fuselage guests relax, dine and are entertained on
adds style and sophistication and the board.

CONTEMPORARY
NEW CABIN
INTERIOR AND WI-
FI TECHNOLOGY
Beginning in June 2015 interior
renovations across our entire
long haul fleet are scheduled
to be completed by mid 2016

On board, our guests will be welcomed in completely renovated cabins, featuring leading luxury
Italian brands and upgraded services to elevate the travel experience. We are also introducing Wi-
Fi connectivity on our long haul aircraft providing our guests with access to the internet and the
option to always be connected.

26 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

BUSINESS CLASS: In our Business Class cabin on
intercontinental routes, upgraded services

COMFORT include new Poltrona Frau leather seats

that convert to true flat beds and leading

ITALIAN STYLE Italian brands such as Frette bedding,

Ferragamo amenity kits and Richard
Ginori tableware offering our guests
The best of Italian maximum comfort and a sophisticated
travel experience.
design to offer our “Dine-Anytime,” giving our guests the choice to
dine at their preferred time, and Bedtime turndown service
guests maximum are among the new services that will be introduced to enhance even
comfort and a further the on board experience. All Alitalia A330 and B777 aircrafts operating out
of New York-JFK to Milan and Rome will offer the upgraded and new services upon
sophisticated travel completion of the renovations. The enhanced services will be also available from
Boston and Miami to Rome, and on the seasonal Los Angeles and Chicago flights to
experience Rome, which operate between May and October.

UPGRADED SERVICES
IN PREMIUM ECONOMY
AND ECONOMY CLASS
Service in our Premium Economy
and Economy class cabins will also
be upgraded with stylish new cabin
interior designs and new amenities to
provide a renewed guest experience.
In Premium Economy, our guests enjoy
dedicated check-in and priority boarding,
increased baggage allowance, welcome
beverage with Prosecco, Frette amenity
kits and plush blanket and cotton pillow.
New elements of the improved meal
service feature our signature ‘Digestif’
service offered after the main meal
serving limoncello and our Italian favorite
espresso. The new “Spuntino” menu
features a selection of hot snacks.
In Economy, in celebrating a proud
tradition of food, we put great effort in
enriching the meal service with a focus
on traditional Italian favorites, such as
the “mid-flight spuntino” (snack) service,
coffee and cappuccino, and warm Italian
bakery products. Additional service
upgrades include greater IFE content,
Inflight connectivity (for a charge) and
warm fleece blanket from luxury Italian
brand Frette.

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 27

 www.eatalyny.com

CHEF’S KITCHEN October 24th, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM CHEF’S TABLE

Sunday Suppers - $100
September 8th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM October 27th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM September 3rd, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Get to Know Gnocchi - $100 Get to Know Gnocchi - $100 A 4-Course Dinner with Chef Einat Admony - $135
September 10th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM September 4th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Pasta 101 - $100 IDENTITÀ GOLOSE A 4-Course Dinner Featuring the Food & Wine of Puglia - $125
September 12th, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM September 5th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Cooking with Five Ingredients or Less - $100 September 30th, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Celebrating Eataly’s Greatest Hits - $125
September 14th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Seminar with Andrea Migliaccio & Tony Mantuano - $125 September 19th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Meatless Monday in Sardegna - $100 September 30th, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM A 4-Course Dinner Featuring the Food & Wine of Sardegna - $125
September 23rd, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Seminar with Moreno Cedroni & Mario Batali - $125 September 25th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
In the Kitchen with Dale Talde - Cookbook Included! - $130 October 1st, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM A 4-Course Dinner Featuring the Food & Wine of Napoli - $160
September 26th, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Seminar with Massimo Bottura & Michael White - $125 October 15th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Sunday Suppers - $100 October 1st, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM A 4-Course Dinner with Chris Fischer - Cookbook Included - $150
September 28th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Dinner with Massimo Bottura, Andrea Migliaccio, Moreno October 17th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
My Kitchen Year with Ruth Reichl - Cookbook Included! - $130 Cedroni & Ugo Alciati - $190 A 4-Course Fall Harvest Feast - $125
October 8th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM October 2nd, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM October 22nd, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Cooking with Nancy & Sara Jenkins - $110 Seminar with Carlo Cracco & Jonathan Benno - $125 A 4-Course Dinner with Chef Marc Murphy - $135
October 10th, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM October 2nd, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Italian Comfort Food - $100 Seminar with Ugo Alciati & Marc Vetri - $125
October 12th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM October 2nd, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Meatless Monday in Campania - $100 Dinner with Carlo Cracco, Davide Scabin, Mark Ladner
October 14th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM & Vito Mollica- $190
Fall Harvest in Toscana - $100 October 3rd, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
October 17th, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Seminar with Davide Scabin & Fortunato Nicotra - $125 This is only a selectionof the
Pasta 101 - $100 October 3rd, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM events at La Scuola di Eataly.
October 17th, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Seminar with Vito Mollica & Rita Sodi - $125 For more info visit our website:
Pasta 101 - $100
http://www.eataly.com/nyc-school
October 24th, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
A Sauce for Each Dish - $100

28 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

 This is only a selection of the forthcoming Italian events in New York.
For the full calendar point and shoot with your smartphone, or go to www.i-italy.org
Events
legend

Conferences Book Arts & Cinema Music & Food Fashion

& Seminars Presentation Exhibits & Theatre Concerts & Wine & Design

●● A RETROSPECTIVE AT THE GUGGENHEIM FROM OCTOBER 9 TO JANUARY 6, 2016

Alberto Burri: The Trauma of Painting

Rosso gobbo (Red Hunchback), 1953

Acrylic, fabric, and Vinavil on canvas; metal rod on verso, 56.5 x 85 cm Private collection, Rome.
© Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, Città di Castello/2015 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/SIAE, Rome/SIAE, Rome.

A hundred years after
Alberto Burri’s birth and
35 years since his last
American exhibition, the
Guggenheim Museum of
New York pays homage to
one of the most influential
artists in the 20th
century art with a major
retrospective.
by Mila Tenaglia
●● The Guggenheim’s
comprehensive retrospective is
the first U.S. exhibit dedicated
to Italian artist Alberto
Burri (1915-1995) in over 35
years. The Umbrian maestro
arguably made the largest
Italian contribution to the
international art scene of the
postwar period.
+100 works on display
After two years of intense
work and under the guidance
of Emily Braun and Megan
Fontanella, the Guggenheim
has put together a remarkable
exhibition that presents
American audiences with
a nuanced, sometimes
contradictory portrait of Burri.
Many of the one hundred-
plus works on display, his
monochrome paintings made
from the 1950s to the 1990s,
have never left Italy before.
Coming a generation after Lucio
Fontana, Burri was a doctor
in the Italian army during its
campaign in Africa, where he
was imprisoned and sent to a
prisoner-of-war camp in Texas,
an experience that made a
profound impact on his artistic
output and worldview.

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 29

 Events

Burri would go on to create

experimental works with
unconventional materials like
iron, wood, plastic and tar.
Understanding Alberto Burri’s
art isn’t easy. His unusual and
innovative way of painting with
an array of materials went beyond
the confines of pictorial and
classical art, confines which, given
his Umbrian roots, nevertheless
deeply influenced his work.

Milestones
The Guggenheim retrospective
seeks to highlight his poetic
investigation of the object-image,
which would inspire the Neo-
Dada movement, Processual
Art and Arte Povera. Burri’s
“extra-pictorial” materials were
taken from real life to created
works like “Gobbi” (hunchbacks),
“Catrami” (tars) and the famous
series of “Sacchi” (sacks), which
incorporated lacerated jute bags. Ferro SP (Iron SP), 1961. Iron and oil on wood, 130 x 200 cm. Galleria nazionale d’arte moderna e contemporanea, Rome
Like all great innovations, Burri’s © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/SIAE, Rome. Photo: Antonio Idini, Soprintendenza alla Galleria nazionale
method of cutting and sewing d’arte moderna e contemporanea, Courtesy Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali.
materials to create artistic
masterpieces caused shockwaves The retrospective follows a Sponsored by Lavazza that we entertain with New
and scandals. Still today these timeline that emphasizes the The museum’s success would York City, our hometown, its
works remain milestones in the artist’s connection to American not have been possible without denizens and visitors from all
artistic landscape of the second minimalism, which had an the support of Lavazza, a brand over the planet. It’s not just a
half of the 20th century. impact on his later works. leader in the coffee industry, matter of supporting a major
Several of the paintings adorning There will also be a series which recently celebrated its cultural institution, but, as
the Guggenheim’s luminous, of public events to celebrate 120th anniversary. Lavazza a company and as a brand,
dizzying spiral ramp, including the exhibition, with theater has been actively involved in contributing to a certain idea
“Grande Bianco” (1952) and performances, screenings of other initiatives tied to the about a good, stimulating life
“Grande Bianco” (1956) come neorealist cinema and dance Guggenheim. Ennio Ranaboldo, in the city. That idea includes
from the private collections performances. The latter the CEO of Lavazza USA, outstanding art – such as is
of the Fondazione Albizzini will include a 1973 ballet explained that “the partnership certainly going to be the case
Collezione Burri, founded by choreographed by Burri’s wife, the with the Guggenheim is part with the Alberto Burri show –
Burri in 1978. American ballerina Minsa Graig. of the broader conversation and great coffee!” ●●

Italy on the go: on cable, on the air,

on the Web & on your iphone.
That’s right. You can catch us Saturdays at 11:30 pm & Sundays at 1 pm on
NYCTV Channel 25 (Time Warner – Verizon FiOS – RCN – Comcast – DirecTV &
on air) or Channel 22 (Cablevision).
And if you miss an episode, you can
still download our free iphone app
from iTunes and connect to any HD
television with your Apple TV device.

Got it? Buona visione!

30 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Events
●● RARELY SEEN WORKS ON VIEW AT CIMA FROM OCTOBER 9 TO JUNE 25, 2016
Giorgio Morandi at CIMA: The
Poetics of an Italian Modernist
After mounting exhibitions
of the work of Fortunato
Depero and Medardo Rosso,
the Center for Italian
Modern Art is dedicating
its third annual
installation to Giorgio
Morandi (1890-1964), the
illustrious painter and
etcher from Bologna.
Morandi’s simple yet
technically adroit still-lifes
and landscapes made him a
central figure in 20th
century art.
by Mila Tenaglia
●● Over fifty works, several of
which have not been seen in
the US in decades, will be on
display at CIMA’s retrospective
dedicated to modernist Giorgio
Morandi, including paintings,
etchings and drawings, giving
viewers the opportunity to
admire the light and rigor
of Morandi’s art. Among the
most important works is
his rare oil-on-canvas self-
portrait, Autoritratto, 1930,
which was last displayed
in the U.S. 40 years ago.
The painting denotes the
artist’s increasing interest in
abstraction and materiality
over representation.
Major public and private
international collections
in Italy were fundamental
to launching the show,
including Collezione Mattioli,
Museo di Arte Moderna e
Contemporanea di Trento e
Rovereto, Fondo Ambiente
Italiano and MAMbo (Museo
d’Arte Moderna di Bologna).
The 1930s and the 1960s
“You won’t find a
biographical-anthological
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 31
Giorgio Morandi, Self-portrait, 1930. Oil on canvans, 62 x 53 cm. Private collection
show at CIMA,” explains
CIMA’s founder and president
Laura Mattioli. “There will
be a focus on the period of
the 1930s, which, though
unknown abroad, anticipates
the most important evolutions
in the painter’s art. And, for
contrast, next to that period
we’ll be placing his very last
works from the 1960s.”
The curatorial choice
attempts to highlight the most
countercultural, contemporary
aspects of Giorgio Morandi’s
activity and the formative role
the latter had on minimalist
and conceptual art of the
postwar period.
“In the 1930s, Morandi mainly
used a dark palette, enlivened
by a few, violent chromatic
contrasts and a thick mixture
of colors in which traces of the
paintbrush are clearly visible,”
says Mattioli. “In the last three
years of his life, on the other
hand, the artist uses very soft
and luminous colors, which
he applied with transparent,
almost liquid but still visible
strokes. They would appear to
be two contradictory pictorial
styles, but in reality both
form part of a single, cohesive
discourse on painting.”
Morandi in the U.S.
Like the other artists shown
at CIMA, Giorgio Morandi
had ties to New York and its
inhabitants. During the 1920s
he had the good fortune to
regularly exhibit his etchings
in Pittsburgh, which brought
him notoriety in the US during
the postwar period.
Despite keeping his
distance from the world
of salons and his love of
solitude, Morandi directly
influenced many artists,
particularly minimalists
and conceptualists. His
watercolors, geometric boxes
and flowers expressed an
anguished and lyrical look
at reality that captivated
intellectuals and artists,
like Agnes Martin, who,
Mattioli explains, “saw one
of the Bolognese master’s
watercolors acquired by a
friend of hers at the 1959
Venice Biennial.”
“I believe that giving a more
international reading of an
artist erroneously considered
‘provincial’ because he didn’t
travel much - and almost
exclusively within Italy - is
important for the art history
of the world,” says Mattioli.
“I think that Morandi is still
only partially understood
in the US and generally,
both in Italy and abroad.
For a long time his work
was exclusively interpreted
as the continuation of the
highest tradition of Italian
painting, which was Roberto
Longhi’s reading of him. It’s
no coincidence that in the
last decade many exhibitions
on Morandi – including
the one in New York at the
Metropolitan Museum – were
curated by Dr. Maria Cristina
Bandera, director of the
Longhi Foundation and niece
of Longhi’s student, Mina
Gregori.”
To broaden our interpretation
of the Bolognese maestro,
CIMA has invited artists to
speak to the public about the
works on display, and thus
bring to light the modernity
and rigor of one of the greatest
exponents of 20th-century
Italian painting. ●●

●●AT THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE
The Light of
Southern Italy
Paintings from the 19th-
Century Neapolitan School
on show from October 8th
to November 5th.
by M. T.
●● A carefully selected
exhibition curated by Marco
Bertoli, The Light of Southern
Italy highlights artists from
across Italy’s southern regions
including Abruzzo, Molise,
Campania, Puglia, Basilicata,
Calabria, and Sicilia. Mastering
light and chromatic effects,
these painters created
landscapes, seascapes, genre
scenes, and portraits of great
beauty. The intensity of the
Mediterranean light in these
images accompanies the viewer
throughougt the Pompeii
excavations, the grandeur of
Vesuvius, the rugged coastline,
and the humble allure of the local
people.
“This remarkable exhibition
showcases 27 Italian artists
with 34 paintings ranging in
subjects from seascapes and
Filippo Palizzi, Gli Scavi di Pompei
32 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Events
landscapes, to large-scale figural
scenes of everyday life, and
compelling portraits to name a
few,” says curator Marco Bertoli.
“All of the paintings come from
important private collections.
And while some have been
exhibited before, others are Liuzzo & Associates is dedicated to securing
being presented to the public for
the first time.” nonimmigrant working visas and status,
The Light of Southern Italy is the U.S. permanent residence, corporate
first exhibition bringing together compliance programs, citizenship,
Italian artists from the 19th
naturalization, and expatriation matters for
century and specifically from the
Naples school. Why focus on this its clients. As a firm whose practice is
period? “Despite the fact that it exclusively focused on U.S. Immigration
is not well known in the United
and Naturalization law, we successfully
States,” the curator explains,
“this is an extremely productive, represent all foreign individuals and
diverse, and beautiful period of corporate entities. From artists to
Italian artistic production—and multinational corporate executives, Liuzzo
we are eager to celebrate it!”
Pleased to be in partnership with & Associates assists its clients in
the Italian Cultural Institute determining the most appropriate and
of New York in this endeavor, efficient strategy to meet their objectives.
Marco Bertoli feels confident
Given the prominence of immigration issues
that the public will be excited
and intrigued to learn more in today’s political climate, recent arrivals
about this portion of Italy’s to the U.S. are in need of reliable and
artistic heritage, particularly as it
comprehensive advice upon which to base
focuses on the southern regions,
which are often overlooked in their future plans. Liuzzo & Associates is
favor of art from the northern i d e a l l y p o si t i o n e d a t t h e f o r e f r o n t o f
part of the country. immigration regulatory changes, keeping
“American viewers, who
are for the most part pace with evolving laws as well as our
unfamiliar with the clients’ expectations.
artistic production of
southern Italy, will love
to see its beauty and
value, especially the many
Italian Americans who
have ancestral ties to this
area and to this particular
period—which marks the
beginning of the great
wave of Southern Italian
emigration.” ●●
One Penn Plaza, Suite 2016 • New York, NY 10119
This exhibition received Tel: 212.736.2100 • Fax: 212.736.2159
generous support from Eataly; info@liuzzolaw.com • www.liuzzolaw.com
IFIM S.p.A., Milan; Santa Lucia
Natural Spring Water; Gtech;
IMA S.p.A, Bologna; and Luxury
Living New York.
Events

THE ITALIAN AMERICAN CANCER FOUNDATION TURNS 35

IACF’s Annual
Benefit Dinner &
Auction
On the eve of the November 10th Benefit at
the Mandarin Oriental, we spoke to Cristina
Aibino, Executive Director of the American-
Italian Cancer Foundation. We discussed
the importance of collaborative research
between Italy and the US regarding breast
cancer, a very significant and pressing topic
in the lives of many.
by A. C.
Founded in 1980, the American-
Italian Cancer Foundation (AICF) is a
New York-based 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization that supports cancer
research, education, and control,
emphasizing the outstanding
resources of Italy and the United
States, recognizing world-class
scientific excellence in medicine, and
serving economically disadvantaged,
medically underserved New York
City women through breast cancer
screening, outreach, and education.

This year the benefit
is celebrating its 35th
anniversary. You’ve been
putting so much effort into
research for so long – what
do all these years of hard
work mean to you?
These 35 years represent the
consolidation of our fight
against cancer. We have
given over 419 scholarships
to young Italian researchers
who have come to the US
to contribute to excellent
research projects and we
have offered over 90,000
screening tests to New York
residents to guard against
cancer. Our programs allow
us to invest in research and
in the American community
in which we reside. We’re
proud of the results we’ve
achieved over the last 35
years and look forward to the
next 35 years.
The American-Italian Cancer
Foundation supports cancer
research, a very sensitive
topic of great importance.
What is the difference
between the manner in
which research is conducted
and work is carried out in
the US as opposed to Italy?
The technical and scientific
preparation of Italian
researchers ranks among
the best in the world. With
this solid background, the
recipients of our scholarships
have ample opportunity for
professional development.
In the US, Italian researchers
will have access to
exceptional laboratories,
international research teams,
and both financial and
creative freedom to develop
research projects.
During the benefit, prizes
will be given to two world-
renowned scientists: Fredrick
W. Alt. and Carlos L. Arteaga.
What are the criteria for
being selected for these
prestigious awards?
Our Prize for Scientific
Excellence in Medicine is
awarded annually to two
doctors who have made
significant contributions to
the field of oncology, one in
research and the other in
applied medicine. Frederick
W. Alt is the Director of the
Program in Cellular and
Molecular Medicine at Boston
Children’s Hospital and a
Professor of Pediatrics and
Genetics at Harvard Medical
School. Carlos T. Arteaga
is the Clinical Research
Director of the Breast
Cancer Research Program,
Professor of Cancer Biology,
and Professor of Medicine
at Vanderbilt University.
They were chosen by our
Scientific Advisory Board, a
group of select Italian and
American doctors who have
collaborated with us for
many years to further our
work in the field of oncology.
The chairs of the charity
gala will be Laudomia
Pucci, CEO of Pucci, and
Alessandro Castellano, CEO
of SACE. Lamberto Andreotti,
Chairman of the Board of
Bristol-Myers Squibb, will
receive the Alessandro di
Montezemolo Lifetime
Achievement Award. Why
did you choose these specific
honorees?
The honorees of our annual
gala are professionals
who have distinguished
themselves via exceptional
accomplishments in Italy
and around the world.
What projects are you
working on at the moment?
We are working on
promoting the Foundation
via a new website and a
social networking effort to
raise public awareness of
our programs. We want to
give a voice to our fellows,
tell their stories, and follow
them until the end of our
scholarships so that others
can travel the same road in
the future. With regards to
our screening against breast
cancer, we are constantly
searching for centers in the
region in order to expand our
screening and admit more
women into our clinics.

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 33

34 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
2015 IHCC Events Calendar
COMPILED BY THE ITALIAN HERITAGE AND CULTURE COMMITTEE – NY, INC.
A Message from the
You are
enthusiastically
and wholeheartedly
invited to join us in President/Chairperson
this celebration to
partake of, and partici- Dear Friends:
pate in, as many activi-
Welcome to the 39th annual
ties listed in the calen- celebration of Italian Heritage and
dar of events as you Culture Month. This year the Board
of Directors of the Italian Heritage
are able. With all of us, and Culture Committee, New York,
the members of the Inc. has selected as its theme:
Italian Heritage and Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50
Years of Science and Technology;
Culture Committee, NY, Inc., a Board second to New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo
none in its enthusiasm and grace of life as Milano 2015.
“Italophiles,” I encourage you to celebrate our The IHCC-NY, Inc. recognizes,
rich heritage! EXPO Milano 2015, the worldwide
celebration in Italy by saluting
the various programs that will
be sponsored, especially in the
month of October 2015, a positive
representation of all that occured
and is occurring in Italy and
presented to the world. That gift has
been hundreds of years of inventions
and research that have brought
about some of the most creative
outcomes in the fields of science and
technology. We enjoy those benefits
today!
We join with all Italian Americans
in celebrating this special year.
We are confident that the various
organizations that historically
recognize Italian Americans
during the month of October will
especially think about the important
contributions to our heritage and
culture that have been made by
Italian Americans and women in
science and technology professions
over the last 50 years.
At this time, I thank all who
have suggested and prepared the
final work towards the various
posters, bookmarks, pamphlets,
and solicitation of programs for
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 35
the booklet/insert of activities for
the year 2015, all of which can be
found as well on our web site. Our
publications are provided through
the generosity of benefactors, among
which are the Columbus Citizens
Foundation, the Office of the
Consulate General of Italy in New
York and many other individuals
and contributors.
During these challenging economic
times, we are most appreciative of
the response by those individuals
who generously have contributed to
the development of our materials,
and as well, to the overwhelming
largesse by our sponsors whose ads
are included within. For without
their financial support, we might
not have been able to produce such a
comprehensive view of all the many
activities for Italian Heritage and
Culture Month, 2015.
You are enthusiastically and
wholeheartedly invited to join
us in this celebration to partake
of, and participate in, as many
activities listed in the calendar of
events as you are able. With all
of us, the members of the Italian
Heritage and Culture Committee,
NY, Inc., a Board second to none
in its enthusiasm and grace of life
as “Italophiles,” I encourage you to
celebrate our rich heritage!
Grazie a tutti e buon proseguimento!
Cav. Uff. Joseph Sciame
President/Chairperson
Mese della Cultura Italiana
Italian Heritage and Culture
Committee of New York, Inc.
www.italyculturemonth.org
info@italyculturemonth.org
212.642.2027
36 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Events ➜ Calendar

●● SPONSORED BY THE ITALIAN HERITAGE AND CULTURE COMMITTEE – NY, INC.

A Brief History of Italian Heritage

and Culture Month in New York
More than three and one
half decades of special
events, concerts, exhibits,
lectures, and proclamations
to celebrate and to better
inform New York, the largest
Italian city outside Italy,
and other geographic areas
throughout the United States
and the world, of the
important legacy of Italian
and Italian American
culture.

N
ew York’s Italian Heritage
and Culture Month will
celebrate its thirty-ninth
anniversary this year, 2015. The
Italian Heritage and Culture
Committee of New York, Inc.
(IHCC-NY, Inc.) has provided
more than three and one half
decades of special events,
concerts, exhibits, lectures, and
proclamations to better inform
New York, the largest Italian city
outside Italy, and other
geographic areas throughout the
United States and the world, of
the important legacy of Italian
and Italian American culture and
to celebrate these significant
contributions.
In the spring of 1976 the Mayor of
New York City Abraham Beame
initiated the first “Italian Culture
Week” from May 17 to 23 of that
year. The idea was originally
brought to the attention of Dr.
Leo Bernardo, Director of the City
Bureau of Foreign Languages of
the Board of Education of the City
of New York, and he was easily
persuaded of the value and
importance of the proposal,
appointing Dr. Angelo Gimondo
as project coordinator. Nine
years later, in 1985, the festivities
moved to October, to coincide
with various Columbus Day
May 7, 2015: Mother Italy Statue Ceremony at Hunter College, CUNY, with IHCC-NY, Inc. Board Chair Cav. Joseph Sciame
presenting to Honoree, Minister General Natalia Quintavalle.
celebrations, and grew in
duration to become “Italian
Heritage and Culture Month.” As
the years passed, the Governor of
the State of New York and the
President of the United States
joined in acknowledging this
significant annual celebration by
issuing proclamations in
recognition of the heritage and
culture of Italians and Italian
Americans.
Dr. Gimondo (honored by the
Italian Government on several
occasions, including being
granted the title of Gran Uff. in
the Order of the Star of Solidarity)
was the head of the corps of
volunteers who annually
coordinated the celebration of
Italian heritage and culture in the
five boroughs of New York. His
whole-hearted enthusiasm for
the project was matched by that
of Rosamaria Riccio Pietanza,
then-President of the Italian
Teachers Association of New
York, who, together with him,
assembled educators and
administrators with an interest
in language and culture, many of
whom remain involved with the
IHCC-NY, Inc.
In December 2006 Dr. Gimondo
retired as founder and president
of the IHCC-NY, Inc. after thirty
years of outstanding leadership,
leaving an important legacy that
continues today. He presently
serves on the board as a
consultant and adviser. In
January 2007, Cav. Uff. Joseph
Sciame, Vice-President for
Community Relations at St.
John’s University, past president
of the national Order Sons of
Italy in America, and an IHCC-
NY, Inc. Board member for three
decades, was elected President/
Chair of the Board of Directors.
Under his leadership, the Board
of Directors of the IHCC-NY, Inc.
continues to be comprised of
eminent representatives of New
York’s Italian and Italian
American community.
Early on, the organizers
conceived of the idea to dedicate
each year’s celebration to a
specific theme or personality
from the history and culture of
Italy and Italian Americans. Each
year the Board of Directors

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 37


selects a new theme,
commissions a poster, and
Mission Statement publishes a Calendar of Events
booklet. The themes represent
Italian Heritage and Culture some of Italian America’s many
Committee of New York, Inc. significant leaders, concepts, and
historical highlights, and a list of
them is included below.
The mission of the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee, New In addition to its efforts to
York, Inc. (IHCC-NY, Inc.) is to: promote heritage and culture,
• Heighten public awareness of Italian heritage and culture; along with the annual Da Vinci
Award ceremonies conferred
• Coordinate sponsorship of programs that celebrate Italian heri- upon distinguished Italian and
tage and culture;
Italian Americans, the IHCC-NY,
• Sponsor annually the Italian Heritage and Culture Month activities; Inc. has in recent years:
• sponsored a concert in
• Promote the study of Italian language and culture among all ethnic
groups; Washington Square Park in
honor of the 100-year
• Engender pride in Italian Americans regarding their own heritage; anniversary of the birth of
and Giuseppe Garibaldi;
• Encourage positive portrayals of Italian Americans in the media • organized a special anniversary
and with the general public. gathering on the occasion of the
200th birthday of Antonio
Vision Statement
Meucci, inventor of the
The Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc. will telephone;
conduct, sponsor and/or participate in activities throughout the • mounted an international art
year, with special emphasis on the celebration of Italian Heritage exhibit from Palermo, Sicily, of
and Culture Month. works by Rosa Ponte Fucarino
The vision of the IHCC-NY, Inc. is to be a dynamic organization in and partnered with the Institute
the Italian American community that will collaborate on and foster of Classical Architecture and
an appreciation of Italian and Italian American contributions to Classical America in the 500th
the world. Anniversary Celebration of
Andrea Palladio;
The IHCC-NY, Inc. will:
• supported the efforts of the
• Solicit funds to carry out its mission and fulfill its vision; Italian and Italian American
• Network with Italian and Italian American resources to gain active community in promoting the
individual and group participation; cause of the Advanced
Placement exam in Italian
• Assist in promoting Italian heritage, culture, and language; and language in U.S. high schools;
• Provide quality materials to educational, cultural groups and other • saluted the lifetime
entities. achievements of the late Rocco
Caporale, Ph.D., former Board
Programs
Member;
The IHCC-NY, Inc. will encourage and/or sponsor programs at • hosted a special tribute to
schools, colleges, civic entities, ethnic and other organizations so international playwright Dott.
as to promote Italian heritage, culture and language; and foster Cav. Mario Fratti for his play and
positive recognition for the contributions of Italians and Americans movie Nine;
of Italian descent to our society. • participated in the annual
Adopted 7-14-09 flag-raising ceremonies at
Bowling Green, the site of the
arrival of the first Italian to New
York, Pietro Cesare Alberti.
Commencing in 2010, the
October flag-raising has been
held at the “Mother Italy” statue
at Hunter College, CUNY, NYC,
followed by a traditional
luncheon to celebrate Italian
Heritage and Culture Month with
the IHCC’s Board of Directors;
• advocated for obtaining an
official U.S. Congressional
Resolution for the 150th Anniver-
sary of the Unification of Italy;
April 19, 2015: AIAE Annual Luncheon Award Ceremony recognizes IHCC-NY, Inc.
Board Member Cav. Joan Marchi Migliori.
38 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Events ➜ Calendar
• welcomed in 2012 an
international exhibit from
Florence, Italy, honoring Amerigo
Vespucci (the year’s theme for
Italian Heritage and Culture
Month); in October 2012 a bust
statue of Vespucci by sculptor
Greg Wyatt was unveiled for
permanent display at the
Organization of American States
under the sponsorship of
Ambassador Sebastiano Fulci;
• celebrated Italian Heritage and
Culture Month 2012 at the
National Arts Club, with the
participation of international
singer Cristina Fontanelli;
• co-sponsored in December
2012 the famed Presepio at the
Staten Island campus of St.
John’s University with the Casa
Belvedere Foundation. The
Presepio was a gift to the NY Fire
Department by Italian officials of
the Chamber of Commerce of
Naples following the events of
9/11; and
• hosted special ceremonies in
March 2013 at the John D.
Calandra Italian American
Institute to inaugurate the
“Poster Series” created by Artistic
Director John Battista DeSantis in
honor of 2013: Year of Italian
Culture in the United States.
Several weeks later Ambassador
Claudio Bisogniero visited the
site to view the posters during an
unprecedented stop in New York
City.
The IHCC-NY, Inc.’s role in
concert with the Office of the
Consulate General, now led by
Minister Natalia Quintavalle, as
well as with the American
Association of Teachers of Italian
and the Italian American
Committee on Education, has
been strengthened over the years
in more collaborative ways so as
to achieve common goals in
education, heritage, culture,
language, diplomatic respect,
and a better understanding of
the Italianità that is so important
to the legacy bequeathed to
Italian Americans by their
families. For many years the
Consuls General of Italy have
each fully supported the efforts
of IHCC-NY, as has the Office of
the Director of Istituto Italiano di
Cultura di New York.
Today, owing to the work of the
Events ➜ Calendar
IHCC-NY, Inc., a multitude of
programs and events are
organized by cultural
associations, community centers,
libraries, schools, and university
departments of Italian in the
Greater New York metropolitan
area to proudly celebrate
October’s Italian Heritage and
Culture Month. Moreover, in
other places such as Illinois,
Massachusetts, New Jersey,
Rhode Island, Washington D.C.,
Wisconsin, and more, Italian
Americans have followed the
example of the IHCC-NY, Inc.
and enhanced activities in their
respective areas for the month of
October.
For the year 2015, the Board of
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 39
Clockwise:
#1: June 2, 2015: Italy Day at
Italian Trade Commission.
#2: May 7, 2015: Mother’s Day
Weekend – at Mother Italy Statue
Recognition Ceremony. Board of
Directors join Minister Natalia
Quintavalle.
#3: May 7, 2015: Minister Natalia
Quintavalle and Cav. Dr. Mary
Ann Re at Mother’s Day Weekend
Recognition at Mother Italy
Statue.
#4: October 10, 2014: Cav. Dr.
Anthony Tamburri and Cav.
Joseph Sciame, Board Chair,
toast to Columbus Day Weekend
2014 following a Recognition
Ceremony for Dr. Tamburri at the
Mother Italy Statue.
#5: October 10, 2014: Cav. Dr.
Anthony Tamburri, honoree for
Columbus Day Weekend 2014
addresses attendees at Mother
Italy Statue.
Directors of the IHCC-NY, Inc.,
joining with the theme
advocated in Italy, determined
that it be appropriate in its role to
recognize Italian and Italian
Americans, by celebrating the
2015: year of Italian Creativity:
Celebrating 50 Years of Science
and Technology; New York
World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano
2015, acknowledging the
achievements and great
accomplishments of Italy and its
gifts of science and technology to
the world, and more specifically
to the United States. In a true
Italian spirit of enterprise, energy
and enthusiasm, Italians and
Italian Americans can be saluted
and hailed in special ways.

Indeed, the legacy lives on!
During the course of the year
2014-15, the Board of Directors
continued its tradition at the
Mother Italy --Statue with its
various recognitions, and for the
October 2014 Columbus Day
weekend saluted Board Member
Distinguished Professor Cav.
Anthony Julian Tamburri, Ph.D.,
Dean, Calandra Institute, for his
lifetime professional, ethnic and
cultural achievements, while
over the 2015 Mother’s Day
weekend, the Board recognized
the work of Minister Natalia
Quintavalle, Consul General of
Italy to New York.
What follows is a chronological
listing representing the array of
themes designated throughout
more than three and one half
decades to celebrate the Italian
Heritage and Culture Month.
2015 Italian Creativity: Celebrating
50 years of Science and Tech-
nology. New York World’s Fair
1965-Expo Milano 2015
2014 Celebrating the Italian American
Experience. Legends and Icons
in Sports
2013 Year of Italian Culture in the
United States
2012 Amerigo to America: Amerigo
Vespucci 1452-1512
2011 150th Anniversary of the Unifi-
cation of Italy
2010 Maria Montessori: An Interna-
tionally. Renowned Educator
and Physician
2009 Galileo Galilei: Father of Mod-
ern Astronomy; Giuseppe Petro-
sino: Italian American Crime
Fighter 1860-1909
2008 Andrea Palladio: Architect for
the Ages 1508-1580; Antonio
Meucci: The True Inventor of
the Telephone 1808-2008
2007 Giuseppe Garibaldi: Eroe dei
Due Mondi/Hero of Two Worlds
1807-2007
2006 Celebrating the Italian Genius:
The Leonardo DaVinci Legacy
2005 Giuseppe Mazzini: The Political
Idealist of the Italian Struggle
for Independence
2004 Amerigo Vespucci
2003 Focus on Italian Opera
2002 Constantino Brumidi: Artist of
the United States Capitol
2001 Giuseppe Verdi: A Tribute to
Italy’s Patriotic Composer
2000 Italy in the Year 2000: Italian Heri-
tage and Cultural Roots at the
Threshold of the New Millennium
40 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Members of the Board
Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc.
Founding Chairman
Gr. Uff. Angelo Gimondo, Ph.D.
Honorary Chairpersons
Minister Natalia Quintavalle
Consul General of Italy
Giorgio van Straten
Director, Italian Cultural Institute
of New York
Angelo Vivolo
President, Columbus Citizens
Foundation
Cav. di Gr. Cr. Hon.
Dominic R. Massaro
Justice, NYS Supreme Court
Uff. Joseph V. Scelsa, Ed.D.
President, Italian American
Museum
Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri, Ph.D.
Dean, John D. Calandra Italian
American Institute, Queens
College/CUNY
Baronessa Mariuccia Zerilli-
Marimò
Trustee, New York University
Officers
Uff. Joseph Sciame
President and Chairman
Maria C. Marinello, Esq.
Vice President
John Mustaro, P.E.
Treasurer
1999 The Italians of New York: Five
Centuries of Struggle and
Achievement
1998 New York City at 100: Italian
Americans Commemorate the
Immigrant Experience (Patria e
famiglia)
1997 The Voyages of Giovanni Cabo-
tto: 500th Anniversary
1996 Italy and its Regions (L’Italia
delle Regioni)
1995 Guglielmo Marconi: Centennial
of the Radio
1994 Italian Americans in Law: From
Beccaria to Scalia
1993 The Legacy of Italy’s Artistic
and Cultural Contributions to
the World
1992 Cristoforo Colombo 500th An-
niversary: The Legacy Lives On
1991 Italian Americans: The Legacy
of Cristoforo Colombo
1990 William Paca: Signer of the
Declaration of Independence,
Jurist, 3 times Governor of the
State of Maryland
1989 Italians Reaching Out: Anto-
nio Meucci, inventor of the
Telephone; Mother Cabrini,
Missionary of the Immigrants
Committee Chairs
Adam Stefanile
Fundraising
Rosa Casiello O’Day
Marketing
William Russo
Membership
Cav. Joan Marchi Migliori
Programming
Nancy J. Indelicato
Public Relations
Cav. Giuliana Ridolfi Cardillo
Special Projects
Legal Advisor
Josephine Belli, Esq.
Board of Directors
Uff. George Altomare
Claudia Massimo Berns
Rosa Casiello O’Day
Dott.ssa Antonella DeGennaro
Joseph DiPietro
Uff. Maria Fosco
Cav. Prof. Mario Fratti
Barbara Gerard, Ed.D.
Uff. Mico Delianova Licastro
Lucrezia Lindia
Cav. Josephine A. Maietta
Guy Palumbo
Cav. Dott. Berardo Paradiso
Cav. Mary Ann Re, Ph.D.
1988 Lorenzo Da Ponte/Academia
1987 Year of the U.S. Constitution:
Mazzei and the Italian Contri-
bution
1986 Year of Lady Liberty
1985 Building America
1984 Year of the Etruscans
1983 Italian Culture Week
1982 Italian Culture Week
2015: Ceremony at Mother Italy Statue with La Scuola d’Italia Gugliemlo Marconi
students singing the National Anthems.
Events ➜ Calendar
Board of Advisors
Stephen R. Aiello, Ph.D.
Stefano Albertini, Ph.D.
Cav. Anthony Brusco
Giuseppe Cirnigliaro, J.D.
Rosanna Coscia
Gaetano Cipolla, Ph.D.
Frances Fusco
Cav. Paul Patanè, Ph.D.
Wanda Radetti
Cav. Angelo Siciliano
Artistic Director
John Battista DeSantis
Recognized Board Members
and Friends *
2007 Helen and Jack Como
2008 Cav. Dott. Berardo Paradiso
2009 John De Santis
2010 Cav. Joan Migliori
2011 Nancy Indelicato
2012 John Mustaro
2013 Joseph Di Pietro
2014 Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri,
Ph.D.
2015 Elisabetta Calello
* At Annual Flag Raising Ceremonies
on Columbus Day Weekend
1981 Italian Festival of the Arts
1980 Italian Culture Week
1979 Italian Culture Week
1978 Italian Week, Board of Educa-
tion of New York
1977 Italian Culture Week
1976 Italian Culture Week
Events ➜ Calendar
Acknowledgments & Financial Supporters
We wish to express our deep
gratitude to:
Minister Natalia Quintavalle,
Consul General of Italy to
New York, for her generous,
collaborative support regarding
the work of the IHCC-NY,
Inc. including the use of the
Italian Cultural Institute for
meetings and conducting our
administrative operations;
Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri,
Ph.D., Distinguished Professor
and Dean of the John D.
Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College of The
City University of New York and
IHCC-NY, Inc. Honorary Board
Member, and his staff for their
technical assistance and use of
the Institute’s facilities in the
preparation of the calendar of
events, specifically: Marianna
Prestigiacomo, Lisa Cicchetti,
Sian Gibby, Carmine Pizzirusso,
Olga Pappas and Rosaria Musco;
Cav. Joan Marchi Migliori, Board
Member IHCC-NY, Inc. and
Program Chair, for the singular
coordination of all aspects of
the collection and review of
proposed programs prior to
the printing of the calendar of
events.
John Battista De Santis,
Vice President of Webb
Communications, Inc. and
IHCC-NY, Inc., Artistic
Director and Board Member,
for generously donating
the art work and design
for the theme, and graphic
services for the various
publications and website www.
italyculturemonth.org;
Nancy Indelicato, Board
Member IHCC-NY, Inc., for
developing the bookmark, and
for assembling the respective
bibliography and assisting with
media relations for this year’s
theme;
Frank J. Sciame Jr.
CEO and Chairman, Sciame
Construction LLC
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 41
Uff. George Altomare, UFT and
IHCC-NY, Inc. Board Member, for
facilitating the distribution of
posters and bookmarks to the
New York City Public Schools;
Lucrezia Lindia, IHCC-NY, Inc.
Board Member, for her work on
the annual Essay Contest, and
financial contribution for the
essay awards;
Ottorino Cappelli, Ph.D., Project
Manager and Cav. Letizia Airos,
Editor in Chief, i-Italy New
York for facilitating the new
fabrication format for the 2014
IHCC-NY, Inc. program booklet;
Gr. Uff. Angelo Gimondo,
Ph.D., IHCC-NY, Inc. Founding
Chairman, for his ongoing
guidance and encouragement
since 1976 to the present;
And Uff. Joseph Sciame,
current president/chair, for
his willingness to lead this
important cultural activity on
behalf of the Board of Directors
of the Italian Heritage and
Culture Committee-NY, Inc.
We wish to express our
deep gratitude to the
financial supporters of the
Italian Heritage and Culture
Committee of New York, Inc.,
who either personally, or in-
kind or through their respective
personal and professional
associations, have assisted:
Primary Benefactors
The Columbus Citizens
Foundation, Inc.
Angelo Vivolo, President
The John D. Calandra Italian
American Institute, Queens
College/CUNY
Cav. Anthony Julian
Tamburri, Ph.D., Dean
Minister Natalia Quintavalle
Consul General of Italy in
New York
Italian Language of Inter-
Cultural Alliance (ILICA)
Cav. Vincenzo Marra,
Founder and President
St. John’s University
Uff. Joseph Sciame, Vice
President for Community
Relations
John DeSantis, Vice President
Webb Communications, Inc.
Graphic Artist
Grand Patrons
Cav. Vivian Cardia
Italian Cultural Center, St.
John’s University
Uff. Joseph Sciame, Chairman
La Scuola d’Italia Gugliemo
Marconi
Maria Palandra, Ph.D., Rector
NYS OSIA, Grand Lodge
Foundation
Carolyn Reres, President
Patron Angels
Association of Cavaliere of the
Republic of Italy
Cav. Dr. Thomas S. Bellavia,
President
Cellini Charitable Foundation
Inc.
Alfonso Squillante, President
Giuseppe Cirnigliaro, J.D.,
President
Militello Val Catania Society,
Inc.
Coccia Foundation
Elisa Coccia, President
Farmingdale State College
Horticulture Semester in
Florence, Florence University
of the Arts
UFCW Local 1500, Bruce W.
Both, President
Cav. Uff. Joseph Sciame
Maria and Cav. Anthony Julian
Tamburri, Ph.D.
Sponsors
Garibaldi Meucci Museum,
Stephanie Lundegard,
Administrator
Prof. Francesco and Lucrezia Lindia
Maria C. Marinello, Esq
National Organization of Italian
American Women,
Maria Tamburri, Chair
Wanda S. Radetti, Tasteful
Croation Journeys
Uff. Joseph V. Scelsa, Ed.D.,
President of the Italian
American Museum
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center
David A. Pope, Director
Contributors
Uff. George Altomare
Senator Tony Avella,
NY State Senate
Claudia Berns
Cav. Prof. Mario Fratti
Anthony V. Gazzara
Barbara Gerard, Ed.D.
Virginia M. Giovinco
Senator Martin J. Golden,
Friends of Marty Golden
Anthony Leone
Cav. Josephine A. Maietta,
AIAE President
Comm. Aldo Mancusi, Enrico
Caruso Museum
Foundation
Cav. Joan Marchi Migliori
Cav. Mary Ann Re, Ph.D.
Patricia and Martin Sandler
Santina Spadaro
Hon. Peter F. Vallone,
Former Speaker, NYC
Council
Friends
Virginia P. Andriola
Nicolina R. Astorina
Anthony V. Calenda
Sarah DeMott, Ph.D. Candidate,
NYU
Faith J. Felix
Jaqueline Gagliano
Jean M. Gagliardo
Daniela Gioseffi
Catherine C. Greco
Carmine Piscareta, Mr. Carmine
International Hair Salon
Patricia Leuzzi Polak
Gilbert R. Scalone Jr., MD.
Frank T. Strafaci, Esq.
In Kind
Giovanna Auriemma,
Co-hosts Francesca &
Antonio Pisano, “Souvenir
D’Italia” www.wrhu.org. Radio
Hofstra 88.7FM, Sat. 10:00 am
Tony Pasquale, “Ciao Tony”
Radio ICN www.incradio.com
Mon & Fri, 1:30 to 2:30 pm
and Sat. 10 to 11:30 am
Attilio Carbone “Melodie
Italiane” Radio1240 am,
Sunday 4:00-5:00 pm

Participating Schools
Elementary through Secondary
Bocce Tournament
September/October. Day of
Week: Tuesday/Thursday
2:25–4:00 pm
New Italian Club students
will learn to play Bocce.
Veteran Italian Club
students will compete in 4
person teams. Sponsored by
TMLA Italian Club.
The Mary Louis Academy
176-21 Wexford Terrace,
Jamaica Estates, NY.
Admission: free; members
only. Contact: Mr.
Maurantonio 718 - 297-2120
NMaurantonio@tmla.org
Healthy Cooking
- The Benefit of a
Mediterranean Diet
October. Day of Week:
Tuesday 2:45-4:00 pm
Students will learn
to make pasta from
scratch using pure all
natural ingredients. In
addition, the benefits of a
Mediterranean Diet and its
elements will be discussed.
Sponsored by TMLA Italian
Club.
The Mary Louis Academy
176-21 Wexford Terrace,
Jamaica Estates, NY.
Admission: free; members
only. Contact: Mr.
Maurantonio 718 - 297-2120
NMaurantonio@tmla.org
Cultural Harmony
Celebration
October. Day of Week: Friday Milano Expo 2015.
3:30-5:30 pm
Italian Club participates in
a multicultural celebration.
The Italian Club sets out
an Italian food table for
tastings, the Tarantella
is demonstrated, and
members perform Italian
songs. Sponsored by TMLA
Italian Club.
The Mary Louis Academy
176-21 Wexford Terrace,
Jamaica Estates, NY.
Admission: $7; open to
the public. Contact: Mr.
Maurantonio 718 - 297-2120
NMaurantonio@tmla.org
42 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Italian Heritage and
Culture Month Trivia
Contest
October 1 - October 31 - Daily
Announcements 8:10-8:30 am
Each school day in the
morning announcements
students will be given
an Italian Heritage and
Culture Month related Trivia
question. Each homeroom is
to keep track of the questions
and research their answers.
At the end of the month each
homeroom must submit
their answers via the school
computer system. The
homeroom with the most
correct answers will receive
a basket of Italian goodies
for all to share. Sponsored by
TMLA Italian Club.
The Mary Louis Academy
176-21 Wexford Terrace, Jamaica
Estates, N.Y. 11432. Admission:
free; members only. Contact: Mr.
Maurantonio 718 - 297-2120
NMaurantonio@tmla.org
Robbins Lane Elementary
School - Syosset
Dates and programs will be
announced.
Second, Third and Fourth
Graders will celebrate the
Italian Heritage and Culture
Month with a variety of
cultural activities the whole
month of October 2015. The
students will also view
several power point
programs dedicated to the
Robbins Lane School
157 Robbins Lane, Syosset
Admission: for students only.
Thea C. Pallos, Principal
516-364-5804. Contact: Cav.
Josephine A. Maietta
jmaiettaaiae@aol.com
Robbins Lane Elementary
School - Syosset
Throughout the month of
October (Dates and programs
will be announced.)
Integrated learning activities
will highlight and honor
the contributions of Italian
Americans. There will be a
particular emphasis on the
celebration of 50 years of
science and technology.
Robbins Lane School
157 Robbins Lane, Syosset
Admission: for students only.
Thea C. Pallos, Principal
516-364-5804. Contact: Cav.
Josephine A. Maietta
jmaiettaaiae@aol.com
Italian Explorers and their
Discoveries
October 1 - 26
Second, Third and Fourth
graders will view a
documentary about famous
Italian explorers.
Robbins Lane School
157 Robbins Lane, Syosset
Admission: for students only.
Thea C. Pallos, Principal
516-364-5804. Contact: Cav.
Josephine A. Maietta
jmaiettaaiae@aol.com
Amerigo Vespucci and his
Accomplishments
October 1 - 26
Second, third and fourth
graders will learn about the
life of Amerigo Vespucci
and his accomplishments.
Students will develop a
project to display in the
hallways.
Robbins Lane School
157 Robbins Lane, Syosset
Admission: for students only.
Thea C. Pallos, Principal
516-364-5804. Contact: Cav.
Josephine A. Maietta
jmaiettaaiae@aol.com
Lecture on Italian
Explorers: Colombo,
Vespucci, Caboto and
Verrazzano
October 1 - 15
Fourth graders will research
and give oral presentations
on an explorer of their
choice.
Robbins Lane School
157 Robbins Lane, Syosset
Admission: for students only.
Thea C. Pallos, Principal
516-364-5804. Contact: Cav.
Josephine A. Maietta
jmaiettaaiae@aol.com
Events ➜ Calendar
Cristoforo Colombo,
Queen Isabella & Amerigo
Vespucci
October 12
Colombo, Queen Isabella
& Vespucci will greet the
students as they arrive to
school.
Robbins Lane School
157 Robbins Lane, Syosset
Admission: for students only
Thea C. Pallos, Principal
516-364-5804. Contact: Cav.
Josephine A. Maietta
jmaiettaaiae@aol.com
Lecture on Italian
American Inventors
October 12 - 30
Fourth graders will research
and give oral presentations
on famous Italian Inventors
and their inventions.
Robbins Lane School
157 Robbins Lane, Syosset
Admission: for students only.
Thea C. Pallos, Principal
516-364-5804. Contact: Cav.
Josephine A. Maietta
jmaiettaaiae@aol.com
Lecture on Social Classes
in Rome
October 1 - 10
Fifth graders studying Latin
will research and give oral
presentations on the Roman
Society.
Robbins Lane School
157 Robbins Lane, Syosset
Admission: for students only
Thea C. Pallos, Principal 516-
364-5804. Contact: Celeste
Tracy at:jmaiettaaiae@aol.com
Photo Exhibit
October 1-30
Fifth graders studying Latin
will display, in the school
library, photos taken around
the City of New York of
Roman monuments, Latin
words written on buildings.
Robbins Lane School
181 Cold Spring Rd., Syosset
Admission: for students only
Thea C. Pallos, Principal
516-364-5804. Contact:
Celeste Tracy at jmaiettaaiae@
aol.com
The Columbus CiTizens FoundaTion Proudly PresenTs....

The 71ST annual Columbus day

CelebraTion iTinerary

Thursday, oCTober 8Th

ItalIan HerItage CelebratIon
GraCie mansion
saTurday, oCTober 10Th
annual gala
WaldorF-asToria
monday, oCTober 12Th
Columbus Day mass
sT. PaTriCk’s CaThedral

monday, oCTober 12Th

Columbus Day ParaDe
FiFTh avenue From 47Th To 72nd sTreeT
www.ColumbusCitizensFD.org
@ColumbusCtzns

Official Events and Proclamations
BROOKLYN
Oct 8
Brooklyn Borough Presi-
dent Italian Heritage and
Culture Month Proclama-
tion Ceremony
Time: TBA
Brooklyn Borough Hall,
209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn
● The Honorable Eric L. Adams will
host a proclamation ceremony in
honor of Italian Heritage and Culture
Month. Sponsored by Brooklyn Bor-
ough President Eric L. Adams. Admis-
sion: invitation only.
BRONX
Oct 8
Bronx Borough President
Italian American Heritage
and Culture Month Cel-
ebration
12:00 – 3:00 pm
Location: TBA
● Reception honoring Italian-Ameri-
can leaders contributing to the growth
of the Bronx. The reception will include
entertainment with “cultural music”
and Italian cuisine. Dignitaries such
as the Consul General of Italy in New
York, as well as elected officials from
throughout the Borough and City who
wish to acknowledge the growing im-
portance of New York’s Italian-Ameri-
can population, will join residents and
leaders in the salute. Sponsored by
Bronx Borough President, Hon. Ruben
Diaz, Jr. Admission: free; space is lim-
ited; RSVP is required. Contact: Sonia
Malave-Negron 718-590-3989; fax: 718-
590-3537 (smalave@bronxbp.nyc.gov).
44 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
MANHATTAN
Oct 8
New York City Mayor’s
Italian Heritage and
Culture Reception
Time: TBA
Gracie Mansion
● Mayor Bill De Blasio welcomes mem-
bers of the New York City community
to Gracie Mansion for a reception cel-
ebrating Italian Heritage and Culture
Month. Sponsored by the Office of the
Mayor and the Columbus Citizens
Foundation. Admission: By Invita-
tion Only
Oct 22
New York State Comptrol-
ler Thomas P. Di Napoli’s
Salute to Italian Heritage
and Culture Month
St. John’s University,
Astor Place, Manhattan
● New York State Comptroller
Thomas P. Di Napoli will host his
annual celebration of Italian heri-
tage and culture. Join Comptroller
Di Napoli as he honors members of
the Italian American community for
their service and commitment to
the preservation of Italian heritage
and culture. Sponsored by State
Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
Oct 23
New York City Comptrol-
ler Scott M. Stringer Italian
Community Breakfast
Time: TBA
By Invitation Only,
● New York City Comptroller, Hon.
Scott M. Stringer, will host a break-
fast for Italian American Community
Leaders to Celebrate Italian Heritage
and Culture Month.
QUEENS
Oct 20
Queens Borough Presi-
dent Melinda Katz’s Ital-
ian Heritage and Culture
Ceremony
7:00 pm
St. John’s University Marillac
Terrace, 8000 Utopia Parkway,
Queens, NY
● An annual tribute to the year’s
theme to celebrate “The Year 2015:
Italian Culture in the United States.”
The Hon. Melinda Katz presents
awards to distinguished individuals in
the Borough of Queens. Sponsored by
the Office of the Borough President and
coordinated by the Italian Heritage and
Culture Month Committee of Queens.
Contact: Uff. Joseph Sciame 718-990-
1941 or 718-990-5892 (sciamej@st-
johns.edu).
STATEN ISLAND
Oct 10
Staten Island Borough
President James P. Oddo
and Historical Richmond
Town Celebrates Italian
Heritage and Culture
Month with Festival Rome
Through Richmond Town
12:00 – 5:00 pm
Historic Richmond Hill Town, 441
Clark Avenue, Staten Island, New
York 10306
● “Last year’s event was a resound-
ing success, and we hope to build
on that success to make this year’s
festival even better,” said Borough
President James P. Oddo. “Our goal
is to provide Staten Islanders with
a celebration of the contributions
made by those of Italian descent.
The event will be informative, edu-
cational, and a whole lot of fun.” Ed
Wiseman, Coordinator of the event,
added: “What an honor it is to work
with Borough Hall and local leaders
on this spectacular event. It’s a thrill
to see all the smiles, on faces from
people ages eight to 80, enjoying a
quintessential part of the American
experience. It’s simply meraviglioso!”
Sponsored by Staten Island Borough
Events ➜ Calendar
President James P. Oddo. Admission:
Free and open to the public. Contact:
(718) 351-1611. For more information,
go to www.historicrichmondtown.org.
WESTCHESTER
Oct 5
Westchester County Proc-
lamation Ceremony in
Honor of Italian Heritage
and Culture Month
7:30 pm - Ceremony and Reception
Antonio Meucci Lodge #215, OSIA,
279 Maple Avenue, White Plains, NY
● Presentation and Proclamation
by the Honorable Robert Astorino,
Westchester County Executive. With
Special Recognition of Outstanding
Students and Teachers of the Italian
Language in Westchester. The Theme
of the Celebration is: “Italian Creativ-
ity: Celebrating 50 years of Science
and Technology, New York World’s
Fair 1965-Expo Milano 2015.” Business
attire. Sponsored by the Westchester
Coalition of Italian-American Organi-
zations. Contact: Prof. Carlo Sclafani
914-433-6073 (carlosclafani@opton-
line.net – WestchesterCIAO@gmail.
com).
Oct 19
Westchester County
Proclamation Ceremony
6:00 pm - Ceremony
800 Michaelian Office Building
Eighth Floor Legislative Chambers and
Rotunda, 148 Martine Avenue, White
Plains, NY
● In honor of Italian Heritage and Cul-
ture Month October 2015 “Italian Cre-
ativity: Celebrating 50 years of Science
and Technology New York World’s Fair
1965-Expo Milano 2015” with Special
Recognition of Outstanding Students
and Teachers Of the Italian Language
in Westchester. Business attire. Spon-
sored by the Westchester County
Board of Legislators, Through Chair-
person Michael Kaplowitz, and West-
chester Coalition of Italian American
Organizations. Contact: Prof. Carlo
Sclafani 914-433-6073. (carloscla-
fani@optonline.net – Westchester-
CIAO@gmail.com).
Events ➜ Calendar

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

daily- Italian Cultural Institute of

New York, 686 Park Avenue
Borough Contact Persons
calendar ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork
● An exhibition of photographs by
Alfonso Carrara (1922-2012). Carrara,
Posters, Bookmarks and Calendar of Events may be acquired by contacting
the following persons:
an Italian-American architect-artist-
poet-photographer, documented the Bronx Mary Vaccaro

Sep 1 - Jan 8 exhausted, disoriented populations

and war-ravaged architecture of
Frances Fusco and Danielle Youmeni
Enrico Fermi Cultural Center,
Belmont Branch of the New York
UFT Queens Borough Office
97-77 Queens Boulevard, 5th Floor
Rego Park, NY 11374
Italy’s small towns and villages dur- Public Library (718) 275-4400
Reframing Italian ing the Allied northward advance 610 East 186th Street, Bronx, NY
America: Historical through the countryside in 1944 - 10458 Angie Markham
(718) 933-6410 Federation of the Italian Ameri-
Photographs and 1945. Admission: free; open to the
can Organizations of Queens, Inc.
Immigrant public. Contact: Fabio Troisi 212 Patricia Filomena 29-21 21st Avenue
Representations 8794242 (fabio.troisi@esteri.it). UFT Bronx Borough Office Astoria, NY 11105
9:00am-5:00pm (Monday-Friday) 2500 Halsey Street (718) 204-2444
John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College/CUNY, Sep 1 - 29 Bronx, NY 10461
(718) 379-6200 Staten Island
Stephanie Lundegard,
25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
◗ qc.edu/calandra Brooklyn Administrator
19th Century John Capuano Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
● This exhibit features 23 photographs Neapolitan School UFT Brooklyn Borough Office 420 Tompkins Avenue
depicting Italian immigrant life in the 10:00 am – 4:00 pm 335 Adams Street Staten Island, NY 10305
United States from 1900-1930, presum- Italian Cultural Institute of Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 442-1608
New York, 686 Park Avenue (718) 852-4900
ably part of a previous exhibition. This
◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork Debra Penny
is an opportunity to discover, interpret, Manhattan UFT Staten Island Borough Office
and enjoy these fragi le and obscure ● A year after the exhibition dedicated James Morgan 4456 Amboy Road
visual documents that offer a glimpse to the “Macchiaioli,” the ICI presents Istituto Italiano di Cultura Staten Island, NY 10312
of how Italian immigrants refashioned the first retrospective dedicated to 686 Park Avenue (718) 605-1400
New York, NY 10021
themselves in the process of trans- the nineteenth century Neapolitan
(212) 879-4242 Long Island
forming America. Sponsored by John “school”: 28 of the most representative Cav. Josephine A. Maietta
D. Calandra Italian American Institute. works of southern painting, from land- Olga Pappas AIAE, AATI-LI, IACE, NIAF, IHCC-
Admission: free; open to the public. Con- scape views of the gulf to the realism of John D. Calandra Italian American NY, Inc.
tact: 212-642-2094 (calandra@qc.edu). the end of the century. Admission: free; Institute Robbins Lane Elementary School
25 West 43rd Street, 17th floor 157 Robbins Lane
open to the public. Contact: Fabio Troisi
New York, NY 10036 Syosset, NY 11791
Sep 1 - Oct 31 212 8794242 (fabio.troisi@esteri.it). (212) 642-2094 (516) 364-5804

Dom Quartuccio, A Through Oct 31 Nancy J. Indelicato

310 West 106th Street
Westchester
David A. Pope
Retropective 1939 New York, NY 10025 Executive Director
(212) 662-8264 Westchester Italian Cultural
- Present: Little Art Exhibit by Center
Italy’s Photographer Annette Marten Uff. George Altomare Generoso Pope Place
12:00 – 6:00 pm 1:00 – 5:00 pm UFT Headquarters Tuckahoe, NY 10707
Italian American Museum, 155 (Wednesday - Saturday) 50 Broadway, 10th Floor (914) 771-8700
Mulberry Street, Manhattan Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 New York, NY 10004
◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island (212) 598-7771 New Jersey
Cav. Mary Ann Re, Ph.D.
● Dom Quartuccio was born and raised ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org
Queens Director
in “Little Italy”, at an early age with a ● Garibaldi-Meucci Museum is host- Uff. Joseph Sciame Coccia Institute for the Italian
camera bought for him by his older ing an art exhibit with paintings by Vice President for Community Experience in America
brother. He started to take pictures and Annette Marten, a local Staten Island Relations One Normal Avenue
St. John’s University, Administra- Dickson Hall, Suite 171
win prizes which lead to a very success- artist. In 2004 when the tsunami
tion Building, Montclair, NJ 07043
ful career as a photographer spanning caused major devastation, Annette’s Newman Hall, Room 155 (973) 655-4038
seven decades. The exhibition traces watercolor print Bridging the Gap raised 8000 Utopia Parkway
his body of work. Sponsored by Italian $2,000 from private donations towards Queens, NY 11439
American Museum. Admission: free; the tsunami relief fund. Sponsored by (718) 990-1486/1941
open to the public. Contact: Dr. Joseph Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Admission:
Scelsa 212-965-9000; Fax: 347-810-1028 $10/$5 for members; open to the pub-
(info@italianAmericanMuseum.org). lic. Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608
(info@garibaldimeuccimuseum.org).

Sep 1 - 29
Sep 10
HappenChance:
World War II Wine Tasting:
Photographs, Wines of Veneto.
Italian Campaign, 1942 - Featuring Tenuta
1945 Santa Maria alle Pieve

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 45

 Events ➜ Calendar

6:30 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● Be dazzled by one of the oldest Ital-
ian wine making families: the Bertani
family. Centuries of expertise, deep
ties to the land, and a passion for inno-
vation which sustains the family phi-
losophy have all been translated into
the creation of a series of world-class
wines that are highly regarded for their
unique personality and character. The
event will feature a virtual tour of the
Estate, a tasting of six wines and paired
appetizers, and a risotto cooking dem-
onstration and tasting by chef, Mario
Di Chiara. Location: Kitchen – Early
registration is recommended and
seating is limited. Admission: Mem-
bers: $60; Non-Members: $75. Contact:
Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109
(pcalce@wiccny.org)

Author Talk with

Dr. Cynthia Gueli,
Author of Lipstick
Brigade
Sep 4: 7:00 pm
NIAF building, 1860 19th Street
NW, Washington, DC
◗ noiaw.org
● Lipstick Brigade tells the inspiring
story of Washington’s World War II
“Government Girls,” recruited from
every corner of the nation to staff the
offices of America’s central command
post, transforming the usually sedate
capital city into a rollicking boomtown
filled with young, adventurous, single
women. A conversation and reception
with the book’s author, Italian Ameri-
can, Cindy Gueli. Advance ticket pur-
chase required. Sponsored by National
Organization of Italian American Wom-
en, Greater Washing DC Region. Admis-
sion: Members $10; Non-members $20.
Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth
Connolly 212-642-2003.
public. Contact: Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa public. Contact: Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa Bill Ronanye, Society President, a

Sep 10 - 20 212-965-9000; Fax: 347-8101028 (info@

Artifacts of San
Gennaro
12:00 – 7:00 pm
Italian American Museum, 155
Mulberry Street, Manhattan
◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org
● Exhibit of artifacts of past San Genn-
aro Feasts include vendor permits, San
Gennaro medals, photographs of first
committee members, posters, first
Queen of San Gennaro, original plate
block for poster, prayer cards and street
scenes. Admission: free; open to the
ItalianAmericanMuseum.org).
San Gennaro:
Video Screening
12:00 – 7:00 pm
Italian American Museum, 155
Mulberry Street, Manhattan
◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org
● Continuous screening of 20 minute
video of the life and significance of
the Feast of San Gennaro, including
the “Miracle” of Liquefaction during
the 89th annual feast in Little Italy.
Sponsored by Italian American Mu-
seum.Admission: free; open to the
212-965-9000; Fax: 347-8101028 (in-
fo@ItalianAmericanMuseum.org).
Sep 12
Mario Lanza
Society Fall
Luncheon
1:00 pm
Patsy’s Restaurant, 236 West 56th
Street, Manhattan
● Celebrate the great voice and career
of Mario Lanza with good food, music
and those interested in the beloved
tenor. Activities include updates by
live performance by an upcoming
young opera singer, highlights from
Mario Lanza’s performances and our
usual “Name the Tenor Quiz” by Op-
era Educator Lou Barrella. The cost
includes a 3 course meal. Sponsored
by The Mario Lanza Society of New
York. Admission: $75; $65 for Mem-
bers; open to the public. Contact: Bill
Ronanye 718-338-8662 (wjronayne@
optonline.net).
Italian American
Writers Association
Reading Series
5:45 pm

46 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Events ➜ Calendar
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia
Street, Manhattan
◗ iawa.net
● Featuring authors Nancy Caronia and
Edvige Giunta. The Italian American
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 47
Writers Association will celebrate its
25th Anniversary in 2016. Since 1991,
IAWA has given voice to writers through
its literary series every second Saturday
of the months. Readings begin with an
Sep 15
Mario Lanza: The
Man and His Music
7:00 pm
Italian Cultural Foundation
at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard
Avenue, Staten Island
◗ www.casa-belvedere.org
● A one hour audiovisual presen-
tation on the life and career of the
legendary tenor from Philadelphia by
noted Lanza authority Bill Ronayne.
The presentation includes rare early
private recordings and radio appear-
ances, a photo slide show, clips from
all 7 films plus a rare live appearance
on British television. Sponsored by
The Italian Cultural Foundation at
Casa Belvedere. Admission: $25 do-
nation per person includes refresh-
ments; open to the public. Contact:
Marian Rodi 718-273-7660 (info@
casa-belvedere.org).
Benvenuto
Presidente -
Welcome Mr.
President
2:00 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● In a small mountain village, lives
a naive fisherman with the famous
name of Giuseppe Garibaldi. One
day, due to a political mistake, he is
elected President of Italy, and taken
out of his quiet and bucolic life. Gi-
useppe’s joyful optimism, his hu-
manity and his disarming honesty
will confront political corruption,
conspiracies, and institutional bu-
reaucracy. Directed by Riccardo Mi-
lan. Registration is required.Admis-
sion: Members free; Non-Members
$15. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-
8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@wiccny.org).
Sep 16
Thinking and
Imagination by
Federico Vercellone
6:00 pm
Italian Cultural Institute of
New York, 686 Park Avenue
◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork
● Presentat ion of t he recent ly
Open Mic. Sponsored by IAWA. Admis-
Visit the IHCC
sion: $8 includes complimentary drink;
website with your
open to the public. Contact: Maria Lisella
718-777-1178 (marialisella@aol.com).
smartphone
 Events ➜ Calendar

translated volume Pensare per im-

magini (Bruno Mondadori, 2010) by
Italian philosopher Federico Ver-
cellone. Admission: free. Contact:
donatella.baldini@esteri.it.

Digital Humanities
in Authorea: New
Spaces for
Publishing on a Shared
Free Platform
5:30 pm
Montclair State University,
Schmitt Hall 104, 1 Norman
Avenue, Montclair, NJ
◗ montclair.edu
● Meeting with co-founder of the
start-up Authorea, Alberto Pepe, a
young astrophysicist turned entre-
preneur, originally from Apulia, Italy.
Pepe will illustrate this Galileo-Galilei
inspired project and explain how its
shared platform has the potential
to change the face of data sharing
among scholars all around the word
by allowing them to collaboratively
write rich data-driven manuscripts on
the web. Please Note: RSVP required.
Sponsored by The Inserra Chair in
Italian and Italian American Studies
at Montclair State University. Admis-
sion: free; open to the public. Con-
tact: Dr. Teresa Fiore 973-655-7292
(fiorete@mail.montclair.edu).
.
“An Evening in
Lazio” Celebrating
the Calandra
Institute with Dean
Anthony Tamburri
7:00 pm
Piccolo Fiore Ristorante, 230
East 44th Street (between 2nd and
3rd Avenues), Manhattan
◗ www.qc.edu/calandra
● Lazio is a region of central Italy
bordered by the Tyrrhenian Sea,
traversed by the waters of the Tiber
River, and characterized by hills and
mountains where it slopes down to
the coast. It is the cradle of occiden-
tal civilization and Christian culture,
a place of lakes and legends, of ther-
mal spas and history, of ancient roads
and verdant hills. Its capital is Rome,
Italy’s largest and most beloved city.
Featuring stand up comedian Regina
DeCicco. Calandra’s Dean Anthony Ju-
lian Tamburri will host. Sponsored by
the John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College/CUNY.
Admission: Premium Seating $100;
Dean’s Table $200 (limited seating).
(Includes one glass of wine, tax, and
gratuity) A portion of the evening’s
proceeds will benefit the Calandra
Institute. For reser vations please

48 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Events ➜ Calendar

call 212- 6 42-209 4. email to : ca-

landra@qc.edu or visit the website:
www.qc.edu/calandra.

Sep 17
Learning Our
History Ourselves:
Author Talk with
Maria Laurino
5:30 pm
Location: Manhattan, TBD
◗ noiaw.org
● In The Italian Americans: A History,
Maria Laurino’s richly researched,
beautifully designed and illustrat-
ed companion book to the much-
anticipated PBS series that aired in
February 2015, Laurino strips away
stereotypes and nostalgia to tell the
complicated, centuries-long story of
the true Italian-American experi-
ence. Join the Greater New York Re-
gion for a conversation with Laurino
over espresso and dolce. Sponsored
by National Organization of Ital-
ian American Women. Admission:
Advance ticket purchase required.
Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth
Connolly 212-642-2003.

Writers Read Series.

Mary Jo Bona reads
from I Stop Waiting
for You (Bordighera Press,
2014);
Louisa Calio reads from
Journey to the Heart
Waters (Legas, 2014);
George Guida reads from
The Sleeping Gulf
(Bordighera Press, 2015
6:00 pm
John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College/CUNY,
25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
◗ qc.edu/calandra
● This event features three poets
coming together to read from their
latest works. Maria Mazziotti Gillan
has called Mary Jo Bona’s I Stop Waiting
for You “An immensely moving medi-
tation on grief for the twin brother
who dies from AIDS. [T]he ghosts of
her other dead and lost populate this
book as well. Those losses are bal-
anced out by her poems that explore
her Italian-American heritage and
her love poems.” Of Journey to the Heart
Waters, Harvard scholar Henry Louis
Gates Jr., writes: “Louisa Calio’s poetry
is a veritable chiaroscuro of images
in black and white, woven together
with a profound passion for the lyri-
cal.” Elisabetta Marino calls Calio “a
real healer,” adding, “This is a journey

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 49

 Events ➜ Calendar

among cultures, America, Italy and

Africa.” Writing about The Sleeping
Gulf, Pui Ying Wong said, “Generous,
always engaging, Guida’s poems open
Italy and the world to us,” and Maria
Terrone adds, “Imagine Jonathan Swift
with an Italian American sensibility -
that’s George Guida.” Sponsored by
John D. Calandra Italian American In-
stitute, Queens College/CUNY.
Admission: free; open to the public
RSVP by calling 212- 642-2094. Please
note that seating is limited, and we
cannot reserve seats. For further in-
formation, see our website at www.
qc.edu/calandra.

Special
Presentation: How
Italian Are You? The
New Italian American
Identity
6:30 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● Through the understanding of fac-
tors that influence Italian American
identity, and the ways in which they
affect individual daily lives, Dr. Rose-
mary Serra will analyze the self-repre-
sentation of Italian Americans and the
self-perception of representations sug-
gested by others of the Italian Ameri-
can community. She will also reflect
on the meaning that Italian heritage
has in the daily lives of younger gen-
erations and how it affects their val-
ues, behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and
image of Italy and the Italian. Dr. Serra
is a leading research sociologist from
the University of Trieste, and is the
author of a groundbreaking and very
relevant research that investigates
the status of Italian American iden-
tity within the greater New York area.
With the participation of young Italian
professionals who will be sharing their
experiences. Must register in advance
and prepay. Admission: Members $15;
Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia
Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@
wiccny.org).

Sep 18
Book Presentation:
The Fat Man
Arpeggios by
Pellegrino D’Acierno and
Lucio Pozzi
6:00 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
(NYU), 24 West 12th Street
◗ casaitaliananyu.org

50 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Events ➜ Calendar

● Program subject to change. Please

visit www.casaitaliananyu.org. All
events are free and open to the public.
Seating is on a first-come-first-serve
basis. Sponsored by Casa Italiana
Zerilli-Marimò, New York University.
24 West 12th Street (between 5th and
6th Avenues), Manhattan. Contact:
Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739.

Sep 19
Book Presentation
and Signing
2:00 pm
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420
Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island
◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org
● Author Dr. David Mercaldo will
present his latest book The Other Ital-
ians. The book is an historical view
of a major component of the Italian
and Italian American culture deal-
ing with the historical legacy of the
Roman Catholic Church and its new
millennia transitions. Dr. Mercaldo
has authored several books, which
include The Ferry and La Famiglia.
Sponsored by Garibaldi-Meucci Mu-
seum. Admission: $10; $5 for mem-
bers; open to the public. Contact:
Carol Berardi 718-442-1608.

Sep 20
Caruso and the
Evolution of
Recorded Sound
2:00 pm
The Enrico Caruso Museum of
America, 1942 East 19th Street,
Brooklyn
◗ enricocarusomuseum.com
● Caruso recordings and the history of
recorded music, music boxes and re-
cords. Sponsored by the Enrico Caruso
Museum of America. Admission: free;
open to the public. Contact: Comm.
Aldo Mancusi 718-368-3993 (aman-
cusi@enricocarusomuseum.com).

Presenting Le
Marche Region
2:00 pm
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420
Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island
◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org
● A promotional presentation on “Le
Marche Region of Italy” and spon-
sored by the regional Department of
Culture. Dr. Mauro Peroni, who gives
lectures on Italian identity, will pres-
ent the geographical, cultural and so-
cial uniqueness of the regions along
with a screening of a documentary on

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 51

 Events ➜ Calendar

the historical and artistic heritage.

You will be able to sample a tasting of
local products (wine and food). Spon-
sored by Garibaldi- Meucci Museum.
Admission: $10; $5 for members;
open to the public. Contact: Carol
Berardi 718-442-1608 (info@garib-
aldimeuccimuseum.org).

Sep 21
Italian Language
Classes Begin at the
Garibaldi-Meucci
Museum
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420
Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island
◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org
● Italian Language Classes begin
the week of September 21. Day and
Evening Classes range from Begin-
ners to Advanced. This is a 12 week
course. Call the Museum at 718-442-
1608 or visit our website at www.
garibaldimeuccimuseum.org for further
information. Sponsored by Garibaldi-
Meucci Museum. Admission: $165;
$150 for members; open to the public.
Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608
(info@garibaldimeuccimuseum.org).

Sep 24
Michele Civetta
Retrospective
6:00 pm
Italian Cultural Institute,
686 Park Avenue
◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork
● The Italian-American director
and video-artist Michele Civetta
celebrates with the Italian Cultural
Institute 20 years of career, both in
the United States and Italy, featur-
ing several clips of his films and vid-
eos, from the early beginnings to his
most recent works. Admission: free;
open to the public. Contact: Fabio.
Troisi (fabio.troisi@esteri.it).
.
Dr. Joseph Tromba
Lecture Series Event.
Book Presentation:
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti as the creator and leader Special Yeats called Dante the “chief imagina-
Marinetti: The Artist and of the transformative Futurist art Presentation: The tion for all of Christendom,” and T.S.
His Politics with author, movement emerging in early 20th- Father of the Italian Elliot elevated him to only one other
Ernest Ialongo century Italy, Ialongo traces the Language: Dante poet in the modern world, William
11:30 am political evolution of this one-time 6:30 pm Shakespeare. Professor Lou Leonini
Stony Brook University’s Center radical to the fervent Fascist he ulti- Westchester Italian Cultural will explore the life and history of
for Italian Studies, in the Frank mately became. Sponsored by Cen- Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Dante Alighieri, explaining why the
Melville Memorial Library, Room Tuckahoe, NY
ter for Italian Studies, Stony Brook Florentine poet is called the “Father of
E4340, 100 Nicholls Road, Stony ◗ wiccny.org
University. Admission: free; open to the Italian language” and why Dante’s
Brook, NY
the public. Contact: Jo Fusco 631-632- ● Dante Alighieri has provided guid- Divine Comedy is considered the
◗ stonybrook.edu
7444; Fax. 631-632-7421 (josephine. ance and nourishment to major poets greatest literary masterpiece in the
● In his exploration of the politics of fusco@stonybrook.edu. all through the ages. William Butler Italian language, and after more than

52 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Events ➜ Calendar
650 years still continues to astonish
generations of readers. Must register
in advance and prepay. Admission:
Members $15: Non-Members $25.
Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700
ext. 109 (pcalce@wiccny.org).
Visit the IHCC
website with your
smartphone
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 53
Sep 25 ● Wines made by the Societ y’s
members are judged and 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd prizes are awarded. Wines
Festa della and grapes will be featured as well
Vendemmia / Wine as the techniques of winemaking.
Contest and Dinner Italian food is served. Musical en-
Dance ter tainment. Sponsored by The
6:30 pm Kensico Italian American Society.
The Kensico Italian American Admission: $25; $35 for non-mem-
Society, Heydorn Hall, Hawthorne bers; open to the public. Contact:
Reformed Church, 65 Broadway,
Flavia 914-769-8120.
Hawthorne, NY
Sep 25-27
Traditional Italian
Folk Music Camp for
Mandolin and
Guitar
12:00 pm
Cape Cod Mandolin Camp, East
Sandwich Beach, Cape Cod,
Massachussetts
◗ nemandolins.com/CCMC.html
● The camp will take place on Cape
Cod i n one of America’s most beautiful
resorts: East Sandwich Beach, Massa-
chusetts. John La Barbera’s workshop
will present historical, technical in-
formation and some of the repertoire
based on his first and foremost com-
prehensive mandolin books Traditional
Southern Italian Mandolin and Fiddle
Tunes and Italian Folk Music for Mando-
lin (Mel Bay Publications). Sponsored
by Admission: open to the public.
Contact: August Waters 917-488-3692
(camp@nemandolins.com).
Sep 26
Bus Trip to the
Tenement Museum
and Eataly
Bus departs 8:30 am from Victory
Blvd (WWII War Memorial Rink)
near Clove Road, Staten Island
◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org
● The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum will
host a “Hard Times Tour” of the Tene-
ment Museum in Manhattan. After-
wards, a visit to Eataly for shopping
and dining on your own. Call several
weeks ahead for reservations for din-
ing at their famous eateries. Spon-
sored by Garibaldi Meucci Museum.
Admission: $65; open to the public.
Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608
(info@garibaldimeuccimuseum.org).
Lecture Series
Enchanting Venice:
Venice’s Favorite
Sons
10:30 am
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● Marco Polo, Casanova, and Vivaldi
are some of Venice’s favorite sons. Toni
McKeen will provide some new insights
into the travels of Marco Polo and how
he became so famous. The story of the
legendary Casanova and his adventur-
ous life will be discussed, as well as the
life and influence that Vivaldi had on
the music world of Venice and beyond.
 Events ➜ Calendar

Must register in advance and prepay.

Admission: Members $15; Non-Mem-
bers $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-
771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@wiccny.org).

St. Rocco’s Bakery:

Meet and Greet
1:30 - 3:30 pm (rain date
October 3)
St. Rocco’s Bakery, 4 Saint Rocco
Place, Glen Cove, NY
◗ noiaw.org
● NOIAW’s Long Island Network sea-
son kick-off event features a delicious
luncheon on the patio of the renowned
St. Rocco’s Bakery, including choice of
panini, beverage, dessert, and coffee.
Catch up with current members and
meet new faces! Sponsored by Na-
tional Organization of Italian Ameri-
can Women. Admission: Members
$25; Non-members $35 (advance
ticket purchase required). Contact:
visit: noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly
212-642-2003.

Let’s Cook Together!

Cooking Classes for
Children: Tortina
alle Mele - Apple Cake
2:00 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● The secret of this recipe is the love
with which it is prepared. A tradi-
tional Sicilian recipe from Palermo,
fast and easy to make to sweeten
your mornings! Appropriate for all
ages. Each class is 1 ½ to 2 hours long.
Space is limited, early registration is
suggested. Must Register in advance
and prepay. Admission: Children’s
Fee: Members $30, Non-Members
$40; Parent & Child Fee: Members
$45, Non-Members $55; each addi-
tional person: Members $30, Non-
Members $40. Contact: Patrizia
Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@
wiccny.org).

Sep 26-27
Festa d’Italia /
Motori d’Italia
1:00 am – 7:00 pm
The Italian Cultural Foundation
at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard
Avenue, Staten Island
◗ casa-belvedere.org
Festa D’Italia will feature continuous
music and entertainment by some of
onstrations, games, rides, crafts, silent
auction, raffles and more. Sponsored Sep 27
today’s young new talent as well as by The Italian Cultural Foundation
● Annual Weekend Italian Festival seasoned performers singing tradi- at Casa Belvedere. Admission: $10 Howard Beach
& Car Show. Two days of fun for the tional Italian and American favorites. per person, per day; Children under Columbus Day
whole family and an incredible show- During the festivities there will also 12 free; open to the public. Contact: Parade
case of some of the most recognized be Italian specialty foods and pastries, Marian Rodi 718-273-7660 (nfo@casa- Time TBA
Italian performance and luxury autos. wine tasting, exhibits, culinary dem- belvedere.org). Howard Beach Columbus Day

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Events ➜ Ongoing
Foundation Inc., 101-42 99th
Street, Ozone Park, NY
● Grand Marshal: Msgr. Jamie J.
Gigantello. Sponsored by Howard
Beach Columbus Day Foundation
Inc. 101-42 99th Street, Ozone Park,
N.Y. 11416 Tel:718-641-3469 (HBCo-
lumbusDay@gmail.com).
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 55
will rally at Stony Brook University
campus. Owners of Italian vehicles
interested in participating in this dis-
play, please contact Center for Italian
Studies, 631-632-7444 or josephine.
fusco@stonybrook.edu. Sponsored
by Center for Italian Studies, Stony
Brook University. Stony Brook Uni-
versity campus on the lawn adjacent
to the Graduate Physics Building and
directly across from the Sports Com-
plex off John S. Toll Drive. Admission:
free; open to the public. Contact: Jo
Fusco 631-632-7444; Fax 631-632-7421
(josephine.fusco@stonybrook.edu).
The Italian Heritage
and Culture
Committee of the
Bronx and Westchester
presents its Il Leone di San
Marco Awards at the 36th
Annual Awards Luncheon
12:00 - 3:00 pm
● For further information, contact
Ms. Patricia Santangelo, President,
by email at: ItalianHeritageandCul-
ture@gmail.com. Davenport Club,
New Rochelle, NY.
Learning Our
History Ourselves:
Author Talk with
Maria Laurino
4:00 pm
Location: Staten Island TBD
◗ noiaw.org
● In The Italian Americans: A History,
Maria Laurino’s richly researched,
beautifully designed and illustrated
companion book to the much-antici-
pated PBS series that aired in February
2015, Laurino strips away stereotypes
and nostalgia to tell the complicated,
centuries-long story of the true Italian-
American experience. Join the Greater
New York Region for a conversation
with Laurino over espresso and dolce.
Sponsored by National Organization of
Italian American Women. Admission:
Advance ticket purchase required.
Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth
Connolly 212-642-2003.
Sep 28
Annual CUNY
Faculty and Staff
Center for Italian 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Reception for
Studies, Stony Center for Italian Studies, Stony Italian Heritage and
Brook University Brook University, 100 Nicolls Culture Month
Robert D. Cess Concorso Road, Stony Brook, NY 6:00 pm
d’Eleganza. X Annual ◗ stonybrook.edu John D. Calandra Italian American
Celebration of Italian ●A display of “art forms on wheels” Institute, Queens College/CUNY,
25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
Vehicle Excellence and as a means of illustrating one form
◗ qc.edu/calandra
Beauty of Italian culture. Display vehicles
 Events ➜ Calendar

● CUNY-wide, co-sponsored by ILICA-

Italian Language Inter Cultural Alli-
ance. Featuring an ILICA Conversation:
“How do Cultural Differences Play into
Global Networking?” Refreshments
will be served. Contact: DChirico@
york.cuny.edu, 718-262-2687.

Sep 29
Built with Faith:
Italian American
Imagination and
Catholic Material Culture
in New York Cit y
6:00 pm
Leonard Library, 81 Devoe Street,
at Leonard Street, Williamsburg,
Brooklyn
◗ bklynlibrary.org
● Folklorist Dr. Joseph Sciorra of
the Calandra Institute will present
his recent book Built with Faith: Ital-
ian American Imagination and Catholic
Material Culture in New York City, a
35-year ethnographic study docu-
menting how artistry and religious
practices shape the city. Sponsored
by Leonard Librar y. Admission:
free; open to the public. Contact:
David Camara 718-486-3365 (dca-
mara@bklynlibrary.org).

The Untold Story of

Luigi Del Bianco
and Mount
Rushmore
7:00 pm
The Italian Cultural Foundation
at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard
Avenue, Staten Island
◗ casa-belvedere.org
● Presentation by Douglas J. Glad-
stone, author of the critically ac-
claimed book, Carving a Niche for
Himself; The Untold Story of Luigi Del
Bianco and Mount Rushmore. An im-
migrant from the Italian Province
of Pordenone, Del Bianco died on
January 20, 1969 of accelerated sili-
cosis, which he got from never hav-
ing worn a mask while working as
the chief carver of the Mount Rush-
more National Memorial from 1933
through 1940. Tasked with giving
the four presidential faces their
“refinement of expression” by no
less than Rushmore sculptor and
designer Gutzon Borglum, whose
own letters in the Manuscript Di-
ian American immigrant was the
chief carver on what is arguably
Sep 30 ● Renowned Italian director Dario
D’A mbrosi ( Teat ro Patolog ico )
vision of the Library of Congress the most iconic landmark in this presents, for the first time, La Div-
clearly attests to his importance, country. Sponsored by Admission: La Divina Malattia ina Malattia, a theatrical piece in-
Del Bianco is specifically referred $20 donation per person; open to 6:00 pm spired by Dante’s Divine Comedy.
to as the chief car ver in one of the public. Contact: Marian Rodi Italian Cultural Institute, Admission: free; open to the pub-
these letters, dated July 30, 1935. 718-273-7660 (info @ casa-belve- 686 Park Avenue, Manhattan lic. Contact: donatella.baldini@
Come hear the story of a great Ital- dere.org). ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork esteri.it

56 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Events ➜ Calendar
Author and Activist:
Climate Justice
Docu-Drama
Previews
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Maya Deren Theatre: Anthology
Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
(East 2nd Street), Manhattan
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 57
◗ www.anthologyfilmarchives.org
● Author and Activist: The Daniela
Gioseff i Story por trays a life-af-
f ir ming str uggle to make ar t of
civil rights, democratic equality
and climate justice. Produced and
directed by A nton Evangelista,
the docu-drama tells of the cre-
ative life of a multi-media artist,
inspired by a tenacious immigrant
father, to become an author who
dares to integrate Deep South tele-
vision in Selma during the era of
the “Freedom Riders.”
It shows Daniela’s fat her’s im-
migrant struggle after his death-
def ying journey to the U.S.A. to
attempt to achieve the American
Dream, hard labors to become a
Phi Beta Kappa student and chemi-
cal engineer inventor of soft-light.
We follow Daniela’s undaunted ac-
tivism through abuse by the KKK
to a near death in childbirth, and
striving to become an award-win-
ning author of NY City where she
meets and is praised by famous
authors Carl Sagan, George Plimp-
ton, Grace Paley, Allen Ginsberg,
Gov. Mar io Cuomo and U.S. vice
presidential candidate Geraldine
Ferraro.
We see her achieving an American
Book Award and Lifetime Achieve-
ment Award in Poetry, as well as
t h roug h de cade s of t enac iou s
activism and finally to her work
in climate justice for the future
of her g randchildren. The f ilm,
cover ing years of recent Amer i-
can history, has a conclusion that
warms the heart and inspires oth-
ers to “light a candle rather than
curse the darkness.”
More information and film clips
at: http://www.AuthorandActiv-
ist.com. Admission : $10 Sum-
mer Discount Tickets Now Online
at : w w w. /ig g.me /p /aut hor-a nd-
a c t i v i s t- c l i m at e -j u s t i c e - d o c u-
drama.
Sep 30 - Oct 1
Orlando:
Furiosamente
Rotolando
6:00 pm
The Italian Academy for
Advanced Studies in America,
1161 Amsterdam Avenue Manhattan
◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu
● Episodes from Ludovico Ariosto’s
Orlando Furioso performed by Enrico
Messina. (IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE).
Sponsored by Reg ione P ug l ia :
Teatro Pubblico Pugliese: Unione
Europea: Fondo per lo Sviluppo e
la Coesione: Department of Ital-
ian, Columbia University: Italian
Academy for Advanced Studies in
America.
Admission: free; open to the public
Contact: Allison Jeffrey 2128542306
(aj211@columbia.edu).
Visit the IHCC
website with your
smartphone
 Events ➜ Calendar

Oct 1 - 3 Office of the President

Crossing the Line Borough of Queens
2015 City of New York
7:30 pm
New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th
Street (between Seventh and Eighth
Avenues), Manhattan
● Alessandro Sciarroni: Folk-s will
you still love me tomorrow? (New
York Premiere). Co-presented with
New York Live Arts. Six dancers en-
ter the stage and perform in hypnotic
unison in this debut of Italian per-
formance maker Alessandro Sciar-
Greeting:
roni. Precise, rhythmically pounding Whereas: Italian history and traditions are a unique source of pride to Italian Americans, who have made
feet and a pair of lederhosen are the tremendous contributions of their own to our great borough, city, state, and nation; and
only recognizable relics of a centu-
ries old Bavarian folk dance that is Whereas: Italians and Italian-Americans have pioneered innovations in industry, design, and creativity toward
reduced here to its most elemental improving the lives of all humankind; and
form. Working between dance, per-
Whereas: to celebrate these accomplishments, the Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of New York
formance art, and anthropological
(IHCC-NY) has selected as its 2015 theme: “Italian Creativity: Celebrating Fifty Years of
ritual, Sciarroni deploys the body in Science and Technology; New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015”; and
all its sweaty physicality to push the
limits of human potential in this vis-
Whereas: Queens enjoys a distinct legacy as host of both the 1939/40 and 1964/65 World’s Fairs, historic
ceral, mesmerizing piece. Sponsored events that took place in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. We commend EXPO Milano for
by Italian Cultural Institute and continuing the tradition by naming its exposition “Feeding the Planet; Energy for Life” and by
French Institute Alliance Francaise showcasing advances in science and technology; and
(FIAF). Admission: free: open to the Whereas: I salute Joseph Sciame, President and Chair of the IHCC-NY for coordinating a month of
public. Contact: Fabio Troisi 212-879-
events together with the Italian Consulate, government leaders, and community organizations,
4242 (fabio.troisi@esteri.it).
highlighting the importance of Italian American discoveries to the past, present, and future that we
share.
Oct 1 - 31 Now, therefore, I, Melinda Katz, president of the Borough of Queens in the City of New York, do hereby proclaim the month
of October as
“How to Create,
Produce, Promote,
and Profit from
Italian Heritage & Culture Month
Positive, Permanent in Queens, in grateful recognition of the many accomplishments and contributions of Italian Americans to the World’s Borough, to
Portrayals of Ethnicity, the City and State of New York, and to the United States of America. Done at Queens Borough Hall, Kew Gardens, in the
Race, Gender, and Religion City of New York, on this first day of October in the year two thousand and fifteen.
in American Mass Media-
Entertainment, News, and
Advertising”
Day of Week: seven days.
Time: to be scheduled.
Morelli Art Museum & Design
Studio Melinda Katz
◗ MorelliART.com/National President of the Borough of Queens
◗ braveheartsandminds.com/serious
● American Mass Media expert and

internationally-recognized artist,
author, and educator, Patrick Morelli,
gives an entertaining, illuminating,
and inspiring presentation that il-
lustrates and describes the nature of
mass media and the present status of
one’s ethnicity, race, gender, and reli-
gion in the popular media hierarchy
of American heroes and villains. He
then shares and explains realistic,
workable, time-proven techniques,
methods, and directions on how to
create, produce, promote, and profit
from Positive, Permanent Portrayals
of Ethnicity, Race, Gender, and Re-
ligion in American Mass Media-En-
tertainment, News, and Advertising.
View Morelli’s visual arts and literary
websites: Visual Arts Website: www.
MorelliART.com-National Monuments
to Dr. King, the victims of the Septem-
ber 11th attacks, and the prestigious
“La Bellissima America” sculpture.
Literary Website: www.braveheart-
sandminds.com-serious and comic
novels portraying Italians and Ital-
ian American male and female main
characters as heroic, intelligent, so-
cially and politically-prominent, and
deeply human professional people,
Oct 1
and fathers and mothers, and dare one
add, “sophisticated” in the best sense
of the word--perhaps, the first time
such characters have been featured The Philip V.
in the history of American literature Cannistraro
and, hopefully, one day soon in Hol- Seminar Series in
lywood movies and television dramas. Italian American Studies.
Available on-line in hard cover or E- An Unlikely Union: The
book format. Sponsored by Morelli Art Love-Hate Story of New
Museum & Design Studio. Interested York’s Irish and Italians,
individuals contact Patrick to sched- Paul Moses, Brooklyn
ule a presentation. New York City and College, CUNY
Albany. Admission: free; open to the 6:00 pm
public. Contact: Patrick Morelli (mo- John D. Calandra Italian American
relliart@aol.com). Institute, Queens College/CUNY,

58 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Events ➜ Calendar
25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
◗ qc.edu/calandra
● Starting in the nineteenth cen-
tury, Irish Americans and Italian
Americans found themselves at
odds: in the Catholic Church, on the
waterfront, at construction sites,
and in the streets. But after World
War II the two communities made
peace, via intermarriage on a large
scale. In his book An Unlikely Union:
The Love-Hate Story of New York’s
Irish and Italians (New York Univer-
sity Press, 2015), veteran New York
City journalist Paul Moses unfolds
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 59
this story of how two of America’s
largest ethnic groups learned to
live with each other in the wake of
decades of animosity. Illustrative
examples include: the love affair be-
tween radical labor organizers Eliza-
beth Gurley Flynn and Carlo Tresca;
hero detective Joseph Petrosino’s
struggle to be accepted in the Irish-
run NYPD; and Frank Sinatra’s com-
petition with Bing Crosby to be the
country’s top male vocalist. With
this engaging history, Moses dem-
onstrates that Americans are able to
absorb and be transformed by social
change and conflict. Sponsored by
John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College/CUNY.
Admission: free; open to the public.
RSVP by calling 212- 642-2094. Please
note that seating is limited, and unable
to reserve seats.
2015 Petrosino
Annual Gala
6:30 pm
Russo’s on the Bay, Crossbay Blvd.,
Howard Beach, Queens, NY
● The annual gala for the Lt. Det. Jo-
seph Petrosino Association in Amer-
ica will be held at Russo’s on the Bay
in Howard Beach, Queens. This year’s
honorees include: Minister Natalia
Quintavale, Consul General of Italy in
New York; Commissioner, New York
Police Department, William Bratton;
Angelo Vivolo, President, Columbus
Citizens Foundation, and Philip Foglia,
Deputy Inspector General, NYS. Spon-
sored by Lt. Det. Joseph Petrosino As-
sociation in America, Inc. Admission:
$150; open to the public. Contact:
Robert Fonti 631-626-4256 (vjmco@
hotmail.com).
Adventures in
Italian Opera
6:30 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
(NYU), 24 West 12th Street
◗ casaitaliananyu.org
● Guest TBA. Program subject to
change. Please visit www.casa-
italiananyu.org. All events are free
and open to the public. Seating is
on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Sponsored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-
Marimò, New York University. Con-
tact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739.
Oct 2
Sixth Annual Italian
Flag Raising
Ceremony
12:30 pm
● In celebration of Italian-American
Heritage Month in New Jersey. One
Bergen County Plaza, Piazza Hacken-
sack, NJ.
Calabria guerriera e
ribelle - Calabria,
warrior and rebel
6:00 pm
John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College/CUNY,
25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
◗ qc.edu/calandra
● Presentation of book by author Gi-
ampiero Mele. A cliché has it that in
Calabria history is always in transit.
Spartacus and Hannibal had gone
to Calabria not to pass through but
to recruit warriors and to organize.
Julia, daughter of Augustus, which
can be considered the Lady Diana of
2000 years ago, was confined to Reg-
gio Calabria and died there because
of Emperor Toberio, her ex-husband.
In this book several Calabria lovers
or travelers express their feelings for
this Region that has much history and
beauty yet to be discovered. Sponsored
by: Coni-Italian National Olympic
Comiitee USA; The John D. Calandra
 Events ➜ Calendar

Italian American Institute, Queens

College/CUNY; Italian Heritage and
Culture Committee of NY, Inc. Admis-
sion: free; open to the public. Contact:
Mico Delianova LIcastro 631-566-0257.

Music: A Night of
Romantic Italian
Opera
7:00 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● Come and be swept off your feet
with a sampling of some of the most
cherished Italian romantic arias. Join
us for an evening of music and love,
presented by the talented artists of
New York City-based Amore Opera.
Meet the artist at a reception follow-
ing the concert. This program has
been made possible by the collabora-
tion of the Scarsdale Women’s Club
and it will take place at the Scarsdale
Women’s Club, located at 37 Drake
Road in Scarsdale. Must register in
advance and prepay. To register, call
the Westchester Italian Cultural Cen-
ter at 914-771-8700. Admission: $45;
Payment by cash or check only. Con-
tact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext.
109 (pcalce@wiccny.org).

A Haunted Evening
at the Museum
7:30 pm
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420
Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island
◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org
● A Haunted Evening Tour at the
Gar ibaldi-Meucci Museum con-
ducted by Brian Cano of “Haunted
Collector” and Chris Mancuso from
“Scared.” They will present what is
known as a “Paranormal 10l,” an
introduction to the Museum and
grounds tour. A presentation of their
time there and activity witnessed and Nicky Guida of 2 – 2 Entertain- $25; open to the public. Contact: Mau- regularly at the Garibaldi-Meucci Mu-
and a small investigation therein. ment. Sponsored by Howard Beach reen Gonzalez 212-860-2983 (mau- seum and other organizations within
Sponsored by Gar ibaldi-Meucci Columbus Day Foundation Inc. Ad- reengonzalez@hotmail.com). the tri state area. Admission: $10;
Museum. Admission: $50; open to mission: $135; RSVP by September $5 for members; open to the public.
the public. Contact: Carol Berardi
718-442-1608 (info@garibaldimeuc-
25th. Contact: 718-641-3469.
Oct 3 Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608
(info@garibaldimeuccimuseum.org).
cimuseum.org).
Oct 2-3 & 16-17
Howard Beach
The Legacy of the
Roman Empire Oct 4
Columbus Day Performances in 2:00 pm
Foundation 10th Color Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Italian Heritage Day
Annual Gala Dinner Dance 8:00 pm Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
7:00 pm Our Lady of Pompeii Theater, ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org Senator John Heinz
Russo’s on the Bay, Crossbay Blvd., 238 Bleecker Street (Carmine ● Professor Lou Leonini will give a talk History Center, 1212 Smallman
Howard Beach, Queens, NY Street), Manhattan on the Roman Empire. Professor Leo- Street; Pittsburgh, PA
● Honoring Msgr. Jamie J. Gigantello, ● A variety of performing arts as a nini has had a long association with ◗ heinzhistorycenter.org
Rocco DiRico and Salvatore J. Armao. spontaneous inspiration to a painting Italian and Italian-American history ● Tu e la tua famiglia are cordially in-
Featuring Angelo Venuto and DJs Jack to be auctioned at the end of the show. and culture. His specialty is Italian vited to commemorate your Italianità
LaSala of Satisfaction Guaranteed Sponsored by Italytime. Admission: Studies, and teaches and lectures at the History Center with a full day

60 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Events ➜ Calendar
of interactive activities designed with
K-12 students in mind. In honor of
Italian Heritage Month, local com-
munity groups and museum staff
will facilitate educational activities
on every floor of the museum. Activi-
ties are conceived in a manner that
will allow all members of the family
to work together to learn about Italian
American history and culture. Inter-
generational participation is encour-
aged, so bring tua madre, tuo padre, tua
nonna, tuo nonno, tua zia, tuo zio, e tutti i
tuoi fratelli, sorelle e cugini. Besides fun
family activities, Italian Heritage Day
will also feature an Italian American
bazaar in the Mueller Center with ven-
dors, live entertainment, and informa-
tion tables about local Italian groups.
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 61
Learn how you can celebrate your
Italian heritage all year round! Spon-
sored by Senator John Heinz History
Center/Mascaro Construction. Admis-
sion: regular museum admission for
adults, free for children 17 & under;
open to the public. Contact: Melissa
E. Marinaro, Curator, Italian American
Program 412-454-6426 (memarinaro@
heinzhistorycenter.org).
12th Annual Italian
Heritage Festival of
Gloucester County
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
River Winds Community Center,
1000 River Winds Drive West,
Deptford, NJ
● Micheal Castaldo will sing classic
Italian songs, American hit songs
sung in Italian, and chart topping
original songs from his 6 CDs. Spon-
sored by Gloucester County Italian
Heritage Foundation and the New
York City Olive Oil Cooperative. Ad-
mission: free; open to the public.
Contact: Charlotte Jayne 631-256-
6515 (cjayne@optonline.net).
EURO CLASSIC
12:30 pm
Madison Square Garden,
Manhattan
● Basketball game between EA7
Olimpia Milano vs. Maccabi Electra
Tel Aviv. Sponsored by Euro League
Basketball. Admission: Call Box Of-
fice at 212-645-6080 and use promo
code: IHCM for discount. Contact:
Arthur Kenney 646-756-5393 (olim-
piamilano18@gmail.com).
Embroidered
Stories: Interpreting
Women’s Domestic
Needlework from the
Italian Diaspora
2:00 pm
American Labor Museum/Botto
House, 83 Norwood Street,
Haledon, NJ
● Editors Edvige Giunta and Joseph
Sciorra present an interdisciplinary
collection of creative work and schol-
arly essays about embroidery, crochet,
and sewing, and Italian immigration.
The book’s transnational perspective
includes memoir, poetry, and visual art
about Italian immigrants and their de-
scendants in Argentina, Australia, Can-
ada, and United States. Sponsored by
American Labor Museum/Botto House
National Landmark. Admission: free;
open to the public. Contact: Angelica
Santomauro 973-595-7953 (labormu-
seum@aol.com).
“Regina Pops”
Concert
3:00 pm
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
Auditorium, 5902 6th Avenue,
Brooklyn
◗ reginaopera.org
● Regina Opera soloists will present
a 2-hour concert of well-known opera
and Broadway selections and Italian
songs. Sponsored by Regina Opera
Company. Admission: $15; open to the
public. Contact: Fran Garber 718-259-
2772 (info@reginaopera.org).
Oct 6
The American
Foundation of Savoy
Orders. The
Thirteenth Annual Savoy
History Lecture,
Reception and Dinner
6:00 pm (lecture)
7:00 pm (reception)
8:00 pm (optional dinner)
The Knickerbocker Club,
2 East 62nd Street, Manhattan
● Savoy Lecture Series Chairman,
Gr. Uff. Marco Grassi introduces the
lecture “Exploring Giuseppe Verdi’s
Enduring Legacy: Italy’s Risorgi-
mento, Unification under the House
of Savoy, and Beyond” by August
Ventura. $175.00 per person (Lec-
ture, Reception & Dinner). $125.00
per person (Lecture and Reception).

LA SCUOLA D’ITALIA
GUGLIELMO MARCONI
www.lascuoladitalia.org
  ◗ casaitaliananyu.org
Fall Open House Events
Lower School 10/7/15
Upper School 10/8/15
To register or for further information, please visit:
www.lascuoladitalia.org
As the only Italian bilingual and bicultural
school (PreK-12) in North America,
deeply rooted in the European classical
tradition, La Scuola d’Italia offers a
strong foundation in liberal arts,
mathematics, and science as well as an in-
depth study and appreciation of
American, European, and Italian
civilization and culture. Its curriculum
fosters intellectual stimulation and
personal growth and is open to innovation
and to new technologies.
Students receive a thorough multicultural
and multidisciplinary education,
developing the international
understanding and openness needed to
become productive and ethical
participants in the ever more integrated
world we live in. The curriculum in two
languages is challenging so as to permit
students at the end of the Liceo to reach
high levels of bilingualism. A variety of
opportunities for expression in the fields
of art, drama, and music complement this
rigorous program.
Knowledge of Italian is not a prerequisite
for admission to Pre-K through 6th grade.
To best serve our international student
population, La Scuola d’Italia maintains a
policy of rolling admissions.
62 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Contact: 212‐972‐1100, Ext. 245; Fax:
212‐983‐5271 (AmSavoy@aol.com;
www.savoia.org).
Bogliasco
Foundation Yearly
Presentation
6:00 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
(NYU), 24 West 12th Street,
Manhattan
◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu
● Program subject to change. Please
visit our website. All events are free
and open to the public. Seating is
on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Sponsored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-
Marimò, New York University. Con-
tact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739.
Oct 7
Geography of
Shame - A
Fictionalized
Memoir
12:20 - 1:10 pm
College of Staten Island, Campus
Center Building 1C, 2800 Victory
Blvd, Staten Island
◗ csi.cuny.edu
● Professor Maryann Feola from
the English Department of CSI/CU-
NY tells an interwoven story of the
mythological and historical chal-
lenges characteristic of southern It-
aly, a haunting some emigrants un-
wittingly carried when they crossed
the Atlantic that was inherited by
future generations. Sponsored by
Center for International Service/
College of Staten Island, CUNY. Ad-
mission: free; open to the public
Contact: Winnie Brophy 718-982-
2100 (winnie.brophy@csi.cuny.edu).
“From The Echoes
of Mulberry Street
to the Italian Folk
Revival of the 1970s”
6:10 pm
Columbia University Italian
Department, 116th Street and
Broadway, Manhattan
◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu
● Presented by John La Barbera,
highlights the vast repertoire of
Italian immigrant music composed
and published in New York City in
the early 20th century, as well as
recounting the Italian folk music re-
vival in Italy during the 1970s and
the exchange between Italian and
Italian American musicians. Spon-
sored by Columbia University Ital-
ian Department. Admission: open
Events ➜ Calendar
to the public. Contact: Dr. JoAnn
Cavallo (jac3@columbia.edu).
Emanuele Arciuli,
“Five Versions of
Darkness”
7:00 pm
The Italian Academy for
Advanced Studies in America,
1161 Amsterdam Avenue (south of
118th Street), Manhattan
● A recital of works on piano by Buso-
ni, Crumb, Faur, Liszt, and Schumann,
performed by Emanuele Arciuli.
Sponsored by The Italian Academy
for Advanced Studies in America.
Admission: free; open to the public.
Contact: Allison Jeffrey 212-854-2306
(aj211@columbia.edu).
Oct 8
Young
Professionals
Networking Event
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Location: Manhattan TBD
● Join us for a Young Profession-
als networking reception. Connect
with other Italian American young
professionals in the city and bond
over shared heritage! Sponsored by
Greater New York Region, NOIAW.
Admission: Advance ticket purchase
required. Contact: visit noiaw.org or
call Beth Connolly 212-642-2003.
Exhibit: Abruzzo
and Molise,
Yesterday and
Today. Opening ceremony
6:30 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● The exhibit Abruzzo and Molise, Yes-
terday and Today represents a journey
through the regions of Abruzzo and
Molise, a single combined region
until 1963. Located at the bottom of
the Apennine Mountains, only a few
hours from the Eternal City and still
predominantly untouched by tour-
ism, these highlands offer natural
beauty and unique wildlife. From the
breathtaking ancient hilltop villages,
home to Italy’s oldest national park,
to Neolithic caves, Roman ruins and
the best beaches in the country. The
people of these regions have been
shepherds since the Bronze Age, and
only in the last half-century has their
way of like begun to transform. The
region has slowly regained economic
Events ➜ Calendar
growth, despite being hit by the dev-
astating earthquake of 2009, when
over 300 people died, and 65,000 were
left homeless. The exhibit highlights
the region’s natural resources, an-
cient history, culture and traditions.
Through ancillary programs we will
highlight not only the social history
of memories and traditions, but also
their craftsmanship, literature, and, of
course, their culinary excellence! The
exhibit will be open to the public until
November 20. For a detailed list of pro-
grams and events associated with this
exhibit please visit website wiccny.org.
Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700
ext. 109 (pcalce@wiccny.org).
A Tribute to Frank
Sinatra
7:30 pm
Cellini Lodge #2206, OSIA, Marcus
Christ Hall, Jericho Turnpike and
New Hyde Park Road, New Hyde
Park
● A celebration of his songs and mu-
sic to acknowledge his 100th Birthday.
Collation to follow. Sponsored by Cel-
lini Lodge #2206, OSIA. Admission:
free; open to the public. Contact: Jean
Gagliardo 516-935-05084 (Jgagliardo1@
optimum.net).
Oct 8 - 31
A New Play by Mario
Fratti
8:00 pm (Thursday,
Friday, Saturday);3:00 pm (Sunday)
Theater for the New City, 1st
Avenue, Manhattan
● Contact: Mario Fratti 212-582-6697.
Oct 9
Raising the Italian
and American Flags
in Honor of Italian
Creativity: Celebrating 50
Years of Science and
Technology; New York
World’s Fair 1965 – Expo
Milano 2015
12:00 pm
Mother Italy, Sculpture located
at Poses Park, East 68th Street,
between Lexington and 3rd
Avenues, Manhattan
◗ csi.cuny.edu
● Uff. Joseph Sciame, President, Ital-
ian Heritage and Culture Committee
of New York, Inc. will officiate at the
ceremony to honor “Italian Creativ-
ity: Celebrating 50 Years of Science
and Technology; New York World’s
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 63
R E N EW IN G P O S IL L IP O • R E N EW IN G O UR FA IT H
Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015” at the
“Mother Italy” statue by Giuseppe RE NE WI NG P OSI L L I P O . RE NE WI NG OUR FA I T H
Massari. Attending dignitaries will
include Minister Natalia Quintavalle.
Sponsored by the Italian Heritage and Vivian Cardia
Culture Committee of New York, Inc.,
the John D. Calandra Italian American and the entire Board of Directors of
Institute, Queens College/CUNY, and
Hunter College/CUNY. Special Hon-
The Foundation for the
oree: TBA. Luncheon: TBA. Contact: Pontifical Institute of Theology at Posillipo
Joan Migliori 212-642-2094 (joan.mi-
gliori@qc.cuny.edu). Salute the
Abruzzo & Molise in
Tavola & Pre- Italian Heritage & Culture Committee
Dinner Jazz Concert
6:00 (Concert); 7:00 (Dinner ) of New York
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org as they celebrate
● Tradition can be found on the
table as unique flavor created by the
meeting of two regions, Abruzzo and ITALIAN CREATIVITY
Molise. Unique dishes and flavors are
the expression of a peasant and pasto-
ral culture that have become current
in through the hospitality and love of
Working to restore and renew
tradition of the people of Abruzzo and the Seminary and Institute at Posillipo
Molise. The evening will start at 6:00
pm with a live concert entitled Naples
in My Heart, a musical journey through
the blending of Classical Neapolitan
Song Tradition and American Jazz Tra-
ditions, presented by Luca Santaniello
RESTORE • RENEW • REVITALIZE
and his Jazz Band Quartet. A celebra- PONTIFICAL INSTITUTE OF THEOLOGY
tion of authentic food of Abruzzo &
Molise, five courses sit down dinner
featuring fine products & wines from
participating sponsors, exquisitely
The mission of The Foundation for the Pontifical Institute of
prepared by Rosanna Cooking.
About Luca Santaniello: Originally from
Theology at Posillipo (“The Posillipo Foundation”) is to support
Campobasso, Italy, Luca Santaniello is the restoration and renewal of the Institute’s buildings and
a drummer, composer, and educator programs. The Institute includes a seminary in which 100 men
living in New York City. His proficiency
in many different musical situations
are currently in formation for priesthood and a graduate program
in theology for 350 other individuals including lay people and
and settings and his strong versatil-
religious. The Pontifical Institute of Theology at Posillipo was
ity on the drums have earned him
wholehearted praise in the United entrusted by Pope Pius X in 1910 to the Society of Jesus. Alumni
States, Europe, and South America. of the Institute include Cardinals, Bishops, and theologians.
He entered the international scene Its impact is profound, global, and enduring.
by performing with some of the great
masters of jazz, such as Joe Lovano,
For more information:
Ron Carter, Lee Konitz, Benny Golson,
Roy Hargrove and Joe Locke. “His tal-
scollins@posillipofoundation.org
ent makes him very unique – espe- www.seminarioposillipo.it
cially to the jazz world, where Luca www.posillipofoundation.org (under construction)
Santaniello has proven his high com- YouTube: Pontifical Institute of Theology at Posillipo
mitment to the music.” Hot House Jazz
Magazine NYC, Gwen Clavier.
About Rosanna Cooking: Rosanna Di Mi-
chele is a native of Abruzzo, who loves
to share her passion for Abruzzo’s
typical cuisine: ancient skills passed
from generation to generation and not
taught in any school. Rosanna grew
up in the kitchen, helping her parents

with their family-owned restaurant.
Her affinity for cooking continued as
she refined her skills and became a pri-
vate chef and an ambassador of Abruz-
zo’s culinary traditions and distinctive
products. Admission: Members $60;
Non Members $75. Contact: Patrizia
Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@
wiccny.org).
East Hanover
Italian American
Columbus Day
Dinner
East Hanover Manor, 16 Eagle
Rock A venue, East Hanover, NJ
T E L E V I S I O N F O R T H E ITALIAN AMERIC AN E X P E R I E N C E ● Micheal Castaldo will be honored
as the EHIAC Music Achievement
Award Recipient for his outstanding
presents performances, arranging and com-
posing talents for keeping the Italian
the 9th Annual language alive and in the forefront
of entertainment and the arts. Spon-
sored by East Hanover Italian Ameri-
ITALIAN HERITAGE & CULTURE MONTH
Special Episodes 2015
can Club. Admission: $100. Contact:
William Agnellino 973 -884-3525.
Oct 9 - Jan 6
Alberto Burri: The
Trauma of Painting
Solomon R. Guggenheim
October 8, 15, 22, 29 Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue (at
89th Street) Manhattan
9 am, 3 pm, 9 pm CUNY TV ◗ guggenheim.org
● This major retrospective exhibi-
tion, the first in the United States
FOUR ONE-HOUR EPISODES in more than 35 years and the most
comprehensive ever mounted, show-
cases the pioneering work of Italian
ITALICS regular monthly program airs October 28! artist Alberto Burri (1915; 1995). Ex-
ploring the beauty and complexity
cuny.tv/show/italics of Burri’s process-based works, the
exhibition positions the artist as a
central and singular protagonist of
post-World War II art. Sponsored by
I TA L I C S I S H O S T E D B Y Italian Cultural Institute. Contact:
Anthony Tamburri, Executive Producer Lucia Grillo, Producer Fabio Troisi (fabio.troisi@esteri.it).
Oct 10
Columbus Day
Festival at Historic
Richmond Town
12:00 - 5:00 pm
Historic Richmond Hill Town, 441
Clark Avenue, Staten Island, New
York 10306
◗ historicrichmondtown.org
● “Last year’s event was a resounding
success, and we hope to build on that
success to make this year’s festival
even better,” said BP Oddo. “Our goal
ItalicsTV @ItalicsTV youtube.com/ItalicsTV is to provide Staten Islanders with a
celebration of the contributions made
64 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Events ➜ Calendar
by those of Italian descent. The event
will be informative, educational, and a
whole lot of fun.” Ed Wiseman, Coor-
dinator of the event, added: What an
honor it is to work with Borough Hall
and local leaders on this spectacular
event. It’s a thrill to see all the smiles,
on faces from people ages eight to
80, enjoying a quintessential part of
the American experience. It’s simply
meraviglioso!” For more information,
go to http://www.historicrichmond-
town.org.
38th Annual
Queens Columbus
Day Parade
11:00 am
Assembling at Kaufman Studios,
34-11 36th Street, Astoria, NY
● Marches down Steinway Street
to 30th Avenue and ends on Asto-
ria Blvd. and the newly renamed
Street Cav. Vincent Iannece Street.
Cav. Iannece was the co-founder
and driving force in reinstating this
parade. Sponsored by Federation
of Italian American Organizations
of Queens, Inc. Admission: free;
open to the public. Contact: Angie
Markham 718-204-2444; Fax 718-
204-9145 (fiao@juno.com).
Italian Cultural
Film: Passione
3:00 pm
Italian Club of Westchester
Community College, Gateway
Bldg, Davis Theatre (Parking Lot 1)
75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY
◗ sunywcc.edu
● John Turturro directed and also
stars in this movie along with Max
Casella and Angela Luce. The rich
musical culture of Naples comes to
life on the screen in this musical-
themed documentary; beginning
with tunes written in the year 1200
and journeying straight through to
the 21st century. Passione reveals
how artists have used song to ex-
plore every subject from sexual-
ity to protest, in a lively series of
short musically driven vignettes.
Sponsored by the Italian Club of
Westchester Community College.
Admission: free; open to the pub-
lic. Contact: Prof. Frank Maddalena
914-606-6794 (frank.maddalena@
sunywcc.edu).
Download the
i-Italy App
Events ➜ Calendar
Special
Presentation:
Abruzzesi nel
Mondo: Mario = & Goffredo
Palmerini
4:00 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● Internationally acclaimed play-
wright and drama critic Mario Fratti
and award-winning journalist Gof-
fredo Palmerini will recount their
lifetime experiences in their native
town, L’Aquila, capital of Abruzzo.
A Live performance by two profes-
sional actresses of Fratti’s award
winning play Nine will follow. Prof.
Mario Fratti is an internationally ac-
claimed playwright and theater crit-
ic. He is best known for his musical
Nine, which in its original production
in 1982 won the O’Neill Award, the
Richard Rodgers Award, two Outer
Critics Circle Awards, eight Drama
Desk Awards, and five Tony Awards.
In its 2003 revival, Nine, won three
Outer Critics Circle Awards and two
Tony Awards. Acclaimed journalist
and author Goffredo Palmerini was
born in L’Aquila, where he worked
for over 30 years at the City Hall as
Consigliere Comunale and Adminis-
trator. He writes for several papers
and magazines, both local and inter-
national. In 2008, he won the XXXI
Premio Internazionale Emigrazione
as journalist and International
Prize “Guerriero di Capestrano”
for his contribution to the circula-
tion of the Abruzzese culture in the
world. Must register in advance and
prepay. Admission: Members $15;
Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia
Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@
wiccny.org).
Italian American
Writers Association
Reading Series
5:30 pm
Sidewalk Café, 94 Avenue A & 6th
Street, Manhattan
◗ iawa.net
● Maria Mazziotti Gillan has au-
thored more than 20 poetry col-
lections, is the Founder/Executive
Director of the Poetry Center at Pas-
saic County Community College in
Paterson, NJ and editor of the Pater-
son Literary Review and recipient of
the 2014 George Garrett Award for
Outstanding Community Service in
Literature from AWP (Association
of Writers and Writing Programs),
while poet and translator Michael
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 65
Palma has published translations JOHN D. C A LA NDRA ITA LIA N A MERIC A N INSTIT UT E
of nine modern and contemporary
Italian poets; his terza rima transla-
tion of Dante’s work, Inferno: A New
Verse Translation has won high praise.
The Italian American Association
will celebrate its 25th Anniversary
in 2016. Since 1991, IAWA has given
voice to writers through its literary
series every second Saturday of the
months. Readings begin with an
Open Mic. Sponsored by IAWA. Ad-
mission: $8 includes complimentary
drink; open to the public. Contact:
Maria Lisella 718-777-1178 (mari-
alisella@aol.com).
Oct 11
East Hanover
Italian American
Club Columbus Day
Parade
11 :00 am
Ridgedale Avenue, East Hanover, NJ
● Cheer Micbeal Castaldo on, as the
Grand Marshall for the 2015 Colum-
bus Day Parade in East Hanover, New
Jersey. Sponsored by East Hanover
Italian American Club. Parade will be
held along Ridgedale A venue, East The Italian American Review, a biannual, peer-
Hanover, NJ Admission: free; open to reviewed journal of the John D. Calandra
the public. Contact: William Agnellino
973-884-3525. Italian American Institute, publishes scholarly
Annual Columbus articles about the history and culture of
Dinner Dance Italian Americans, as well as other aspects
2:00 pm
The Stone Manor 101, 101 Saw of the Italian diaspora. The journal embraces
Mill River Road, Hawthorne, NY
● Honorees: Retired Judge Francis
a wide range of professional concerns and
Nicolai and the Honorable Carl Fulgen- theoretical orientations in the social sciences
zi, Supervisor, Town of Mount Pleas-
ant, NY. Sponsored by The Kensico
and cultural studies.
Italian American Society. Admission:
$95; open to the public. Contact: Flavia
914-769-8120.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
$15 Student/Senior • $20 Individual • $$40 Institution • $$50 Int’l Airmail
Oct 13 To subscribe online go to qc.edu/calandra. Under the publications
menu, click on Italian American Review and scroll down to the subscribe
Center for Italian button to make a secure PayPal purchase by credit card.
Studies, Stony Or mail a note along with your check or money order made payable
Brook University to “Queens College/Calandra Italian American Institute” to:
Richard Nasti Lecture Italian American Review Subscriptions
Series Event John D. Calandra Italian American Institute
2:30 pm 25 West 43rd Street, 17th floor
Stony Brook University, Harriman New York, NY 10036
Hall, Room 137, 100 Nicolls Road,
Stony Brook, NY
● Lecture Presentation by Alessan- For more information, or if you are interested in
dro Del Ponte (Political Science, Stony submitting an article for consideration, go to
qc.edu/calandra. Under the publications menu,
Brook University) on the topic: The
Challenges of the Economic Crisis in
Italy and the EU: The Role of European click on Italian American Review.
Identity. Sponsored by Center for Ital-

ian Studies, Stony Brook University.
Admission: free; open to the public.
Contact Person: Jo Fusco 631-632-7444;

 Fax 631-632-7421 (josephine.fusco@
stonybrook.edu).

 Symposium: The

 Italian Diaspora in

 North America
6:00 pm
John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College/CUNY,
Proudly supports
25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
◗ qc.edu/calandra
● This symposium will revisit aspects
Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of the Italian diaspora in North Amer-
ica in its numerous manifestations:
of New York, Inc. anthropological, cultural, aesthetic,
and so on. Speakers will include the
39th Anniversary of Italian Heritage president of the University of Calabria,
Gino Crisci, other members of UniCal’s
and Culture Month
faculty and administration, and schol-
ars from the Calandra Institute and
other CUNY campuses. Moderated by
Elda Coccia, Founder Anthony Julian Tamburri, Dean. Spon-
sored by the University of Calabria and
Elisa Coccia, President the John D. Calandra Italian American

 Institute, Queens College/CUNY. Ad-
mission: free; open to the public. Con-
tact: 212-642-2094.
Ladyvette Cabaret
Musical
Performance
6:00 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
(NYU), 24 West 12th Street,
Manhattan
◗ casaitaliananyu.org
● Program subject to change. Please
visit our website. All events are free
and open to the public. Seating is on
a first-come-first-serve basis. Spon-
sored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò,
New York University. Contact: Kostja
Kostic 212-998-8739.
Italy’s Earliest
Settlers
7:00 pm
The Italian Cultural Foundation
at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard
Avenue, Staten Island
◗ casa-belvedere.org
● The Roman Empire was one of the
greatest civilizations in history. It be-
gan in Rome in 753 BC., at the height
of its power it controlled over two
million square miles stretching from
the Rhine River to Egypt and from

 Britain to Asia Minor. Professor Louis
Leonini will discuss the rise and fall
of the world’s first superpower, focus-
ing on momentous turning points
that shaped Roman history. It is an
interesting story on who were the
earliest settlers on the Italian penin-
66 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Events ➜ Calendar
sula, where did they come from and
what was their legacy? Phoenicians,
Etruscans, and Greeks - What did they
contribute to the early development of
Ancient Rome? Sponsored by The Ital-
ian Cultural Foundation at Casa Bel-
vedere. Admission: $25 donation per
person includes refreshments; open to
the public. Contact: Marian Rodi 718-
273-7660 (info@casa-belvedere.org).
Oct 14
Book Presentation:
L’uomo che ascoltava
le 500, by Francesco
Paolo Tanzj
2:00 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● L’uomo che ascoltava le 500 is a pre-
sentation of 13 unpublished short
stories. Based on autobiographic
episodes, the stories and events are
narrated with different asymmetri-
cal rhythms: dramatic, contempla-
tive, thoughtful, ironic. The result
is a text with a strong existentialist
nature, describing a man in his au-
thenticity, in his desire for liberation,
but also tangled in his despair. The
entire collection closes with the au-
thor expressing his personal consid-
erations (in some cases controversy)
on creative writing in general and
the conditions of contemporary Ital-
ian literature. Francesco Paolo Tanzj
lives in Agnone, Molise, where, for
many years, he has been promot-
ing the Readings of Contemporary
Poetry. He published the novel Un
paradiso triste (A sad paradise) in 2007,
and five poetry books: Aggregazioni
(1974), Oltre (1995), Grande Orchestra
Jazz (1996), Per dove non sono stato mai
(2002), Oltre i confini - Beyond Boundaries
(2008). The latter was co-written with
the English poet Jessica d’Este, with
translation English-Italian. His latest
publication in 2012 is the anthology
L’oceano ingordo dei pensieri. Admis-
sion: Suggested donation $10; regis-
tration is required. Contact: Patrizia
Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@
wiccny.org).
AdDRESSing Style:
Scott Schuman (the
Sartorialist)
6:00 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
(NYU), 24 West 12th Street,
Manhattan
◗ casaitaliananyu.org
Events ➜ Calendar
● Program subject to change. Please
visit our website. All events are free
and open to the public. Seating is on
a first-come-first-serve basis. Spon-
sored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò,
New York University. Contact: Kostja
Kostic 212-998-8739.
Oct 14 - Nov 18
AIAE Networking
Luncheon
7:00 pm
(Wednesday evenings )
The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum,
420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island
◗ GaribaldiMeucciMuseum.org
● This 6-week class will elicit an ap-
preciation for both seasoned opera
lovers and new-comers alike, exciting
the appetites of all those who espe-
cially love Italian Opera. You will hear
recorded musical excerpts by some of
the world’s greatest singers, follow li-
bretti, see live video performances and
gain insights into the minds and souls
of the composers whose works still af-
fect us today. Join us for an experience
of intellectual stimulation and musi-
cal pleasure. Sponsored by Garibaldi-
Mucci Museum. Admission: $125; $110
for members; open to the public. Con-
tact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608 (info@
garibaldimeuccimuseum.org).
Oct 15
Congressman Vito
Marcantonio:
Champion of
Immigrant Rights
2:00 pm
Hostos Community College,
500 Grand Concourse, C-391,
Bronx
● Vito Marcantonio served as a
congressman for East Harlem from
1934—50. During, this time he forged a
powerful alliance between the Italian
and Puerto Rican communities. His
advocacy for immigrant rights was a
central part of his leadership for a pro-
gressive political agenda. Presenter:
Professor Gerald Myers. Entertain-
ment/ Refreshments. Sponsored by
the Italian American Council at CUNY,
Office of Compliance and Diversity
and SDEM of Hostos Community Col-
lege. Admission: free; open to the pub-
lic. Contact: Sue Miceli 718-518-4244
(smiceli@hostos.cuny.edu).
 President
 Cav.
 Uff.
 Dr.
 Thomas
 S.
 Bellavia
 288
 Boulevard,
 Hasbrouck
 Heights,
 NJ
 07604
Italian Woman
Trailblazers Wine
Tasting
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 67
6:00 pm
Location: Manhattan TBD
◗ noiaw.org
● Join us for an innovative guid-
ed wine tasting and networking
event. We’ll taste fabulous wines
produced only by Italian women
With sincerest appreciation
winemakers and learn about the
for all those who contribute to
exceptional women who created
W
them. Sponsored by Greater New
York Region, NOIAW. Admission: an admirable representation of
advance ticket purchase required ith sincerest appreciation
Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth Italians in America in all forms
Connolly 212-642-2003.
for all those who contribute to
“The MILANO of of life throughout the USA!
Giuseppe Verdi” - A an admirable representation of
Lecture & DVD
Presentation by Lou
Barrella
Italians in America in all forms
6:30 pm
Italian American Museum, 155 of life throughout the USA!
Mulberry Street, Manhattan
◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org
● The city of Milan was an important
location during the life of Giuseppe
Verdi, however not without its contra- Maria and anthony taMburri
dictions. The Conservatory of Music
which bears his name denied him
entry as a young student. After five
early opera premieres, he shunned
La Scala for 36 years. Yet, Casa Ri-
cordi, the famous publishing house, Maria and anthony taMburri
did much to encourage and promote
Verdi’s works; and the composer’s
greatest work, the Casa di Riposo,
continues to exist as a home for re-
tired musicians. As we celebrate Expo
Milano 2015, these and other places
like the Grand Hotel will be explored,
all accompanied by the music of the
opera world’s Grand Maestro! Spon-
sored by Italian American Museum.
Admission: Suggested contribution
Celebrating our Heritage
$10; open to the public. Contact: Dr. Through Education & Cultural Philanthropy
Joseph Scelsa 212-965-9000 (ItalianA-
mericanMuseum@gmail.com).
Oct 16
Independent
Movie: C’era una
volta la terra
2-­‐-­‐
6:30 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place, 2015 Italian Creativity:
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org Celebrating 50 Years of
● Screening of the documentary C’era
una volta la terra, directed by Ilaria Jo-
Science and Technology (1965-2015)
vine and Roberto Mariotti. A journey
into the Molise region inspired by the
stories of the renowned “molisano”
writer Francesco Jovine. The love for
his land is the focus of this documen-
tary that will pass through the cities
 Events ➜ Calendar

of Venafro, Isernia, Pescolanciano, bers $15, Non-Members $25. Contact:

A HORTICULTURE SEMESTER IN FLORENCE Agnone, Termoli, Larino, Guardial- Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109
fiera, Casacalenda, Campobasso and (pcalce@wiccny.org).
A HORTICULTURE
Immerse SEMESTER
yourself in Italian IN FLORENCE
horticulture in Florence, Bojano. The goal is to represent the
Italy. Study sustainable green environments, the beauty, the rich history and traditions Let’s Cook Together!
Ahistory
HORTICULTURE
Immerse yourself
of the Italian SEMESTER
in Italian
garden, INthe
and FLORENCE
horticulture inculture
Florence,
of of the region, combining the images Cooking Classes for
A HORTICULTURE
Italy. Study sustainableSEMESTER
green IN FLORENCE
environments, the with the writing of Jovine. With the Children: Biscotti
Immerse grapes
yourself and wine
in Italian production.
horticulture
history of
Immerse the Italian
yourself garden,
in Italian and thein
horticulture in
Florence,
culture of
Florence,
special participation of the governor Caserecci - Homemade
Italy. Study
Intern and grapes sustainable
participate in green
design environments, the
practices in nature of the Molise region, Paolo Di Laura Cookies
Italy. and
Study sustainable wine production.
green environments, the
A HORTICULTURE
history
while of thein
living Italian SEMESTER
garden,
the center theIN
of and FLORENCE
the culture of
Renaissance.
Frattura. In Italian with English sub- 2:00 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
history of the
Intern and grapes Italian
participate garden, and the culture of title. Light reception will follow. Must
and in design
wine practices in nature
production. Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Immerse yourself
grapes in Italian
and wine horticulture
production. in
while living in the center of the Renaissance. Florence, register in advanced and prepay. Ad-
Tuckahoe, NY
mission: Members $15; Non-Members
Italy.and
Intern Study sustainable
participate green environments,
in design the
practices in nature ◗ wiccny.org
Intern and
history ofparticipate
theinItalian in designand
garden, practices in nature
the culture of
$25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-
while living the center of the Renaissance. 8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@wiccny.org). ● These homemade cookies with-
while living in the
grapes andcenter
wineof the Renaissance.
production. out butter and without milk are

Intern and participate in design practices in nature Oct 17 delicious Sicilian biscuits from
Catania. Easy to prepare, ideal to be
while living in the center of the Renaissance. milk dipped, these biscotti are great
Harvest Art Festival breakfast treats. Appropriate for all
12:00 - 5:00 pm ages. Each class is 1 ½ to 2 hours
The Garibaldi-Meucci long. Space is limited, early regis-
Museum, 420 Tompkins Avenue, tration is suggested. Must register
Visit www.farmingdale.edu/florence-horticulture Staten Island
Email florencehorticulture@farmingdale.edu for more info! in advance and prepay. Admission:
◗ GaribaldiMeucciMuseum.org Children’s Fee: Members $30; Non-
Visit www.farmingdale.edu/florence-horticulture
Proudly presented
Email by Farmingdale State College
florencehorticulture@farmingdale.edu for more info!
● The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum will Members $40; Parent & Child Fee:
in partnership with Florence University of the Arts hold its first outdoor Art Festival. Art- Members $45, Non-Members $55;
Visit www.farmingdale.edu/florence-horticulture
Proudly Visit www.farmingdale.edu/florence-horticulture
presented
Email by Farmingdale State College
florencehorticulture@farmingdale.edu for more info!
ists and Crafters will present their each additional person: Members
in partnership with Florence University of the Arts
Email florencehorticulture@farmingdale.edu for more info! works for sale. Artists wishing to par- $30, Non-Members $40. Contact:
Proudly presented by Farmingdale State College ticipate should contact the Museum. A Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109
Proudly presented
in partnership by Farmingdale
with Florence State
University College
of the Arts five foot space costs $50, 10 feet $75 and (pcalce@wiccny.org).
Visit www.farmingdale.edu/florence-horticulture
in partnership with Florence University of the Arts $100 for 15 feet. All artisans and musi-
Email florencehorticulture@farmingdale.edu for more info!

Proudly presented by Farmingdale State College

cians should call the museum at 718-
442-1608 for further information. Spon- Oct 18
in partnership with Florence University of the Arts sored by Garibaldi- Meucci Museum.
Admission: $5; open to the public. Con- Italian Musical and
tact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608 (info@ Comedy Show
garibaldimeuccimuseum.org). 3:00 pm
Italian Club of Westchester
Lecture Series: Community College, 75
Enchanting Venice Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY

Cellini Lodge
- Murano: The ◗ sunywcc.edu

Cellini Lodge
History and Art of Glass ● Enjoy the mesmerizing golden voice
Making and Its Famous of Moreno Fruzetti, a professional Ital-
No. 2206 Mosaics ian American singer who was awarded
No. 2206
Sponsored by the
10:30 am
Westchester Italian Cultural
The Ambassador of Italian Music to
America. Floyd Vivino will enter-
Cellini Charitableby
Sponsored the
Foundation Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
tain you with his very unique Italian
Cellini Charitable Foundation
-----------------------------------------
◗ wiccny.org
American humor. Sponsored by Italian
-----------------------------------------
ORDER SONS OF ITALY IN AMERICA Club of Westchester Community Col-

ORDERNewSONS ITALY
HydeOFPark, IN A
New MERICA
York
● The history of glass-making in Ven-
ice is almost as old as the city itself.
lege. Hankin Academic Arts Building
(Parking Lots 2 or 4). Admission: $20
New Hyde Park, New York The Island of Murano, just a 10 min- Members; $25 for Non-Members; open
ute boat ride off the coast of Venice, is to the public. Contact: Prof. Frank
home to this world famous glass. Here Maddalena 914-606-6794 (frank.mad-
for over 700 years, master craftsmen dalena@sunywcc.edu).
have honed their glass making skills,
passing down this tradition from gen-
eration to generation. Toni McKeen Oct 19
will illustrate various types and uses
of beautiful decorative glass, analyz- Friends of FAI
ing the magnificent splendor of Mu- Yearly Presentation
ALFONSO SQUILLANTE rano’s palaces and Veneto-Byzantine 6:30 pm
ALFONSO SQUILLANTE
President style churches, some with mosaics Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
(NYU), 24 West 12th Street,
President and ornamental motifs designed in
Manhattan
the 12th century. Must register in ad-
vance and prepay. Admission: Mem- ◗ casaitaliananyu.org

68 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Events ➜ Calendar
● Program subject to change. Please
visit our website. All events are free
and open to the public. Seating is on
a first-come-first-serve basis. Spon-
sored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Ma-
rimò, New York University.Contact:
Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739.
Oct 20
Demonstration:
“Italian Pasta
Making”
12:00 - 2:00 pm
York College, CUNY, 9420 Guy R.
Brewer Boulevard, Jamaica, NY
◗ york.cuny.edu
● Contact: SGhelli@york.cuny.edu,
718-262-2462.
Milano: A City of
Paradox for
Giuseppe Verdi
7:00 pm
The Italian Cultural Foundation
at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard
Avenue, Staten Island
◗ casa-belvedere.org
● A Lecture & DVD Presentation by
Lou Barrella. The city of Milan was an
important location during the life of
Giuseppe Verdi, however not without
its contradictions. The great Conser-
vatory of Music which bears his name
is the same world renowned school
that denied him entry as a young
student. The celebrated La Scala Op-
era House, which premiered five of
his early operas, was shunned for 36
years by the internationally known
composer until later in life due to ar-
tistic differences. Casa Ricordi, the
famous Milanese publishing house,
did much to encourage and promote
Verdi’s works, but more importantly
forged a lifelong, personal friendship
with him. Sponsored by The Italian
Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere.
Admission: $25 per person includes
refreshments; open to the public. Con-
tact: Marian Rodi 718-273-7660 (info@
casa-belvedere.org).
Oct 21
NCC 27th Annual
Italian Heritage Day
Program
9:00 am – 12:15 pm
Nassau Community College, CCB
Building 252-253, 1 Education
Drive, Garden City, NY
● Theme: “The Italian Contributions
to the United States from Food to Sci-
ence.” Focus on Italian contributions
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 69
in the realm of food, especially Slow
Food movement and science and
technology - the latter originating
during World War II and currently
conducting important research on
hypersonic speed in U.S. Session 1.
9:30 - 10:45 am: Slow Food Movement.
Session 2. 11:00 am - 12:15 pm: Ital-
ian Technology in the United States.
Sponsored by Nassau Community
College. Admission: free; open to the
public. Contact: Dr. Salvatore LaGu-
mina 516-572-7422 (sallagumina@
yahoo.com).
Lecture: “The
Artistic Gems of the
Uffizi Gallery”
11:15 am
Italian Club of Westchester
Community College, Gateway
Bldg, Davis Theatre (Parking Lot 1)
75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY
◗ sunywcc.edu
● Speaker: Cherise Gordon. Discover
the artistic gems housed in the Uffizi
Gallery in Florence. We will decode
the symbolism in works such as Bot-
ticelli’s “Primavera” making the work
much more understandable. As we
discuss the aesthetic components of
the art, much more glorious detail will
be put into focus. This will be a fantas-
tic artistic cultural voyage of one of the
oldest and most prestigious art insti-
tutions in the world. Sponsored by Ital-
ian Club of Westchester Community
College. Admission: free; open to the
public. Contact: Prof. Frank Maddale-
na 914-606-6794 (frank.maddalena@
sunywcc.edu).
Il Giornalino
Workshop
12:15 pm
Queens College, 6530 Kissena
Blvd., Flushing, NY
◗ qc.cuny.edu
● All college and high school stu-
dents studying Italian are invited to
participate in the 12th annual edi-
tion of Il Giornalino. Information on
submission will be provided. Spon-
sored by Calandra Italian American
Institute. Admission: free; open to
the public. Contact: Joseph Gros-
so 718-997-5769 ( joseph.grosso @
qc.cuny.edu).
Concert:
Alessandra Garosi
6:00 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
(NYU), 24 West 12th Street,
Manhattan
◗ casaitaliananyu.org
● P rog ram subjec t to change.
Leonardo da Vinci
Award Recipients
The Leonardo da Vinci Award, by the Italian Heritage and Culture Commit-
tee of New York, Inc., is the highest recognition given to a distinguished
individual who has demonstrated exemplary contributions to the Italian
American community by the Italian Heritage and Culture.
Prior Recipients to 2015:
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.
Director of NIAID
Prof. Joseph Tusani
Herbert H. Lehman College,
The City University of New York
Guilio Terzi di Sant’Agata Terzi
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italy
Gr. Uff. Matilda Raffa Cuomo
Founder of Mentoring USA
Michael Massimino, Ph.D.
Astronaut
Comm. Louis Tallarini,
President
Columbus Citizens Foundation
Gr. Uff. Angelo Gimondo, Ph.D.
Founder and President
IHCC-NY, Inc., 1976-2006
Baronessa Mariuccia Zerilli-
Marimò
Board of Trustees
New York University
2015 Leonardo da Vinci Award Recipient
To Be Announced In October 2015
Please visit our website. All events
are free and open to the public.
Seating is on a f irst-come-f irst-
ser ve basis. Sponsored by Casa
Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York
University. Contact: Kostja Kostic
212-998-8739.
Pasta From Scratch
- A Cooking Class at
6:30 pm
Sur La Table
Sur La Table, 1468 Northern Blvd,
Manhasset, NY
◗ noiaw.org
● Lear n to make per fect pasta
from scratch in this fun cooking
class led by a professional chef at
Sur La Table. We’ll prepare three
types of pasta and three savor y
sauces, then enjoy full portions
of each dish with red wine. Spon-
sored by National Organization of
Robert B. Cattell
Past Chairman and CEO
KeySpan Corporation
Comm. Senator John J. Marchi
New York State Senate
Michael Capasso
General Director
DiCapo Opera Theatre
A. Bartlett Giamatti, Ph.D.
President, Yale University
Dr. Edward J. Mortola
President Emeritus
Pace University
Professor Robert R. Alfano
Director, The City University of
New York Center for
Advanced Technology
Cav. Anthony Brusco
Senior Vice President
Applied Graphics Technology
Cav. Professor Mario Fratti
Tony Award winning Playwright
of Nine
Italian American Women, Long Is-
land Network. Admission: Mem-
bers $75; Non-members $ 85 Ad-
vance ticket purchase required.
Contact: visit noiaw.org or call
Beth Connolly 212-642-2003.
Tra Storia e
Tradizione: “The
Mysteries of
Campobasso and the
‘Nducciata”
6:30 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● Lear n about the ancient and
spectacular t radit ion of La
n’ducciata and La Sagra dei Misteri di
Campobasso, or Festival of Myster-
ies of Campobasso, which is con-
sidered one of the most significant

Participating Colleges
and Universities n ing , civ il r ig ht s, and v iolent
Activities listed in Calendar of Events
Borough of Manhattan Com-
munity College/CUNY+
College of Staten Island/
CUNY
Columbia University
Farmingdale State College
Hofstra University
Hostos Community College/
CUNY
Hunter College/CUNY
traditions in the histor y of the
Molise region and represents the
connection between past, present
and future. Understand the histor-
ical value of the Mysteries is also to
understand a city’s existence and
beginning. Presented by Marilyn
Ann Verna, Ed.D. Must register in
advance and prepay. Admission:
Members $15; Non-Members $25.
Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-
8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@wiccny.org).
Symposium:
Alberto Burri at the
Guggenheim
8:00 pm
The Italian Academy, 1161
Amsterdam Avenue (south of
118th Street); Manhattan
◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu
● Concurrent with the Guggen-
heim Museum’s retrospective, and
Alberto Burri: The Trauma of Paint-
ing, the symposium will address the
exhibit itself as well as Burri’s work
in the context of postwar and con-
temporary art. Panel: Ernest Ialongo
(Hostos Community College, CUNY);
Emily Braun (Hunter College and
the Graduate Center, CUNY); How-
ard Singerman (Hunter College,
CUNY); Ruth Ben-Ghiat (NYU); Noa
Steimatsky (University of Chicago).
Sponsored by The Italian Academy
for Advanced Studies in America
and the Seminar in Modern Italian
Studies. Admission: free; open to
the public. Contact: Allison Jeffrey
212-854-2306 (aj211@columbia.edu).
70 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Montclair State University
Nassau Community College
New York University
Queens College/CUNY
St. John’s University
Stony Brook/SUNY
Westchester Community
College/SUNY
York College/CUNY
Oct 22
International Prize
Gradiva 2015 for
Italian Poetry
4:00 pm
Stony Brook University, Center
for International Studies,
Melville Library, Room E-4340
◗ stonybrook.edu
● This event is to celebrate the third
International Poetry Prize, devoted to
contemporary Italian poetry. Presi-
dent: Luigi Fontanella. Members of
the International Jury: Alessandro
Carrera, Milo De Angelis, Luigi Fon-
tanella, Irene Marchegiani, Sylvia
Morandina, Elio Pecora. Sponsored
by Gradiva International Poetry So-
ciety, Inc. Admission: free; open to
the public. Contact: Luigi Fontanella
631-476-6678 (Luigi.Fontanella@sto-
nybrook.edu).
Book Presentation:
Tomorrow-Land: The
1964-65 World’s Fair
and the Transformation of
America, by Joseph Tirella
6:00 pm
John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College/CUNY,
25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
◗ qc.edu/calandra
● Queens College alumnus and
English Major Joseph Tirella cre-
ates a portrait of Flushing Mead-
ows and its fairgrounds that had
little to do with the turmoil of the
city around it. Tomorrow-Land ex-
amines how the World’s Fair was
a 1960s flashpoint in politics, pop
culture, technology, urban plan-
crime. The book is now available
in paperback edition. Sponsored
by the University of Calabria and
the John D. Calandra Italian Amer-
ican Institute, Queens College /
CUNY. Admission: free; open to
the public. Contact: 212-642-2094.
Wine Tasting: An
Introduction to
Italian Wines
6:30 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● Gary Grunner and Bob Lipinski,
the authors of Italian Wine Notes
and Italian Wine and Cheese Made
Simple, w ill take you t hroug h
Italy’s 20 regions and their great
w ines. You’ll leave lov ing each
region, and a true expert on their
wines. Each wine will be accompa-
nied by paired appetizer. Location:
Dining Hall - Early registration is
recommended; seating is limited.
Must Register in advance and pre-
pay. Admission: Members: $ 60 ;
Non-Members: $75. Contact: Pa-
trizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109
(pcalce@wiccny.org).
The Boys from
Eighth and
Carpenter
6:30 pm
Italian American Museum, 155
Mulberry Street, Manhattan
◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org
● Book reading and presenta-
tion by Tom Mendicino, author of
The Boys from Eight and Carpenter
(Kensington, September 2015) fol-
lows the Gagliano brothers from
inseparable children to vastly dif-
ferent yet indelibly lined middle-
aged men as they change over de-
cades in Philadelphia. Sponsored
by Italian American Museum. Ad-
mission: free; open to the public
Contact: Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa 212-
965-9000; Fax: 347-810-1028 (in-
fo@ItalianAmericanMuseum.org).
Visit the IHCC
website with your
smartphone
Events ➜ Calendar
Oct 23
Teaching Italian
Symposium –
Workshop: Meeting
VIII – Imparando
giocando: Games and Play
in the Foreign Language
Classroom
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Montclair State University,
University Hall Conference Center
(7th floor), One Normal Avenue,
Montclair, NJ
● Eighth in a series of all-day pro-
fessional development programs
for teachers of Italian, at all levels,
consisting of a keynote presenta-
tion, panel discussion and four
intensive workshops (two hours
each). An annual signature col-
laboration between the Coccia In-
stitute for the Italian Experience
in America and the Department of
Spanish and Italian at Montclair
State University. Sponsored by the
Coccia Institute, the Department
of Spanish and Italian, and the
Inserra Chair in Italian and Ital-
ian American Studies at Montclair
State University. Please join our dy-
namic and experienced specialists
in instructional methodolog y in
foreign language: Professors Julie
Sykes (University of Oregon); An-
thony Mollica (Brock University
(Canada); Tom Means (Borough of
Manhattan Community College /
CUNY); and Nicola McGill (Far Hills
Country Day School). Symposium
Chair: Prof. Enza Antenos (Mont-
clair State University). Participants
will be awarded seven professional
credits. The Coccia-Inserra Award
for Excellence and Innovation in
the Teaching of Italian (K-12) will be
presented on this occasion. Admis-
sion: $50 registration fee for teach-
ers; $25 fee for graduate students
and student teachers Contact: Cav.
Mary Ann Re, Ph.D., Director 973-
655-4038; fax: 973-655-4284 (rem@
mail.montclair.edu).
Oct 24
Tra Storia e
Tradizione: “Le
Campane di Agnone
& The Marinelli Foundry”
12:00 noon
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
Events ➜ Calendar
● A presentation by a representative
of the renowned Marinelli Foundry
about the history and traditions of
clay sculpting, accompanied by the
live demonstration by Ettore Mari-
nelli. Campane Marinelli foundry,
considered to be the oldest foundry
in the world, is located in Agnone, a
small Italian town of 5,200 inhabitants
in the province of Isernia in Molise.
Campane Marinelli foundry has a very
long history, beginning with making a
bell around the year one thousand and
since then their work has been a long
sequence of success and honors. One
of the greatest honors that the foundry
can boast is the possibility to use the
Papal Arm Coast in their production;
Pope Pio XI granted the privilege to the
foundry in 1924. Don’t miss this fasci-
nating event, a program for the entire
family. Must register and prepay. Ad-
mission: Members $15, Non-Members
$25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-
8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@wiccny.org).
Milano: A City of
Paradox for
Giuseppe Verdi
2:00 pm
The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum,
420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island
◗ GaribaldiMeucciMuseum.org
● A Lecture and DVD presentation by
Lou Barella. The city of Milan was an
important location during the life of
Giuseppe Verdi, however not without
its contradictions. The great Conserva-
tory of Music which bears his name is
the same world renowned school that
denied him entry as a young student.
Celebrate Expo Milano 2015. Great
places, like, La Scala Opera House and
the Grand Hotel, will be explored, ac-
companied by the Grand Maestro.
Sponsored by Garibaldi-Meucci Muse-
um. Admission: $10; $5 for members;
open to the public. Contact: Stephanie
Lundegard 718-442-1608 (info@garib-
aldimeuccimuseum.org).
Le Marche
6:30 pm
Italian American Museum,
155 Mulberry Street, Manhattan
◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org
● Professor Mauro Peroni, Ph.D. will
lecture and screen a 40-minute docu-
mentary (with English subtitles) on
the regional, historical and artistic
heritage including a tasting of local
products. Sponsored by the Region
of Le Marche Department of Culture.
Admission: free; open to the public.
Contact: Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa 212-965-
9000; Fax: 347-8101028 (info@ItalianA-
mericanMuseum.org).
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 71
Oct 25
Festa San Vincenzo
Martire di Craco
10:00 am
The Shrine Church of the Most
Precious Blood, 113 Baxter St,
Manhattan
◗ thecracosociety.org
● Feast day Mass celebrated at The
Shrine Church of the Most Precious
Blood. Sponsored by The Craco So-
ciety. Admission: free; open to the
public. Contact: Frederick Spero
774-269-6611.
Oct 26
Tastefully Italian:
Italian Landscapes
and Food
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Borough of Manhattan
Community College, 199
Chambers Street, Manhattan
◗ bmcc.cuny.edu
● Experts will speak about Italian
landscapes and Italian food; Italian
and Italian-American music will be
played live; Italian poetry will be
read by an Italian actor. Admission:
free; open to the public. Contact:
Tom Means 212-220-8000 x5275 (jt-
means@bmcc.cuny.edu).
Pier Mattia
Tommasino, The
Stomach of the
World: Petrarch,
Muhammad, and
Mediterranean Studies
4:00 pm
The Italian Academy, 1161
Amsterdam Avenue (south of
118th Street), Manhattan
◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu
● The Italy at Columbia series in-
vites prominent Columbia University
professors to open one of their regu-
larly scheduled classes to the public,
bringing students and the community
together in the Academy building. Pro-
fessor Tommasino will lecture on top-
ics related to his class, “Dazzling Italy:
Braudel & Critics.” Sponsored by The
Italian Academy for Advanced Studies
in America. Contact: Allison Jeffrey 212-
854-2306 (aj211@columbia.edu).
York College Annual
Faculty and Staff
Reception for
Italian Heritage and
Culture Month
5:00 pm
York College, CUNY, Faculty Staff
Dining Room, 9420 Guy R. Brewer
Boulevard, Jamaica, NY
◗ york.cuny.edu
● York College Annual Faculty and
Staff Reception for Italian Heritage
and Culture Month. Refreshments
will be served. Contact: DChirico@
york.cuny.edu, 718-262-2687.
The Philip V.
Cannistraro
Seminar Series in
Italian American Studies.
Immigrants against the
State: Yiddish and Italian
Anarchism in America.
Kenyon Zimmer,
University of Texas at
Arlington
6:00 pm
John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College/CUNY,
25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
◗ qc.edu/calandra
● From the 1880s through the
1940s, tens of thousands of first-
and second-generation immigrants
embraced the anarchist cause af-
ter arriving on American shores.
In Immigrants against the State: Yid-
dish and Italian Anarchism in America
(University of Illinois Press, 2015),
Kenyon Zimmer explores why these
migrants turned to anarchism and
how their adoption of its ideology
shaped their identities, experienc-
es, and actions. Zimmer focuses on
Italians and Eastern European Jews
in San Francisco, New York City, and
Paterson, New Jersey. Tracing the
movement’s changing fortunes from
the pre–World War I era through the
Spanish Civil War, Zimmer argues
that anarchists severed all attach-
ments to their nations of origin but
also resisted assimilation into their
host society. Their radical cosmopol-
itan outlook and identity embraced
diversity, extending solidarity across
national, ethnic, and racial divides.
Sponsored by John D. Calandra Ital-
ian American Institute, Queens Col-
lege/CUNY. Admission: free; open to
the public. RSVP by calling 212- 642-
2094. Please note that seating is lim-
ited, and unable to reserve seats. For
further information, see our website
at www.qc.edu/calandra.
35th Anniversary
Kickoff Reception
6:30 pm
Il Bastardo, 191 Seventh Avenue,
Manhattan
◗ noiaw.org
● NOIAW invites you to join us in
kicking off our 35th Anniversary
year with members and friends at
a dinner reception. Sponsored by
Greater New York Region, NOIAW.
Admission: Members $125; Non-
members $150 ; Advance ticket
purchase required by October 20.
Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth
Connolly 212-642-2003 for tickets
and sponsorship information.
Oct 27
Primo Levi, The
Friend
6:30
Italian Cultural Institute,
686 Park Avenue, Manhattan
◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork
● Book Presentation: Primo Levi,
The Friend, ( CPL Edit ions, 2015)
English version of Bianca Guidetti
Ser ra’s limmud commemorat ing
world famous Italian writer Primo
Levi.Admission: free; open to the
public. Contact: donatella.baldi-
ni@esteri.it.
Presentation:
“Italian Kitchen
Tools and
Machinery from the Rustic
Rigagnocchi to the Alessi
Designs”
12:00 - 2:00 pm
York College, CUNY, 9420 Guy R.
Brewer Boulevard, Jamaica, NY
◗ york.cuny.edu
● Contact: SGhelli@york.cuny.edu,
718-262-2462.
Italian
Contributions in
Science &
Technology over the
Centuries
7:00 pm
The Italian Cultural Foundation
at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard
Avenue, Staten Island
◗ casa-belvedere.org
● In keeping with the theme of Ital-
ian Heritage & Culture Month 2015,
Professor Louis Leonini takes a close
look at Italian contributions in the ar-
eas of science and technology over
the centuries. Who were the Italians
and what did they do to help make
our world what it is today? Join us at
Casa Belvedere and find out! Spon-
sored by The Italian Cultural Foun-
dation at Casa Belvedere. Admission:
$25 donation per person includes
refreshments; open to the public.
Contact: Marian Rodi 718-273-7660
(info@casa-belvedere.org).

Italian Language Resources
An array of learning opportunities are available to foster Italian language
acquisition for toddlers, children, teens and adults. The following organi-
zations are offering classes from basic to advanced level skills:
AIAE (Association of Italian
American Educators)
Hofstra University
321 New Academic Building,
Hempstead, NY 11549
www.aiae.net
Casa Belvedere, The Italian
Cultural Foundation, Inc.
79 Howard Avenue, Grymes Hill,
NY 10301.
Tel: (718) 273-7660
Fax: (718) 273-0020
www.casa-belvedere.org
(info@casa-belvedere.org)
Center for Italian Studies
Stony Brook University
100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook,
NY 11794.
Tel: (631) 632-7444,
Fax: (631) 632-7421
www.italianstudies.org
(dseverino@italianstudies.org)
Dorothea’s House
Casa di Cultura Italiana
120 John Street, Princeton, NJ
08542.
Tel: (908) 359-1564
www.dorotheashouse.org
(gilda@dorotheashouse.org)
Oct 28
Lecture: “The Palio
of Siena”
11:15 am
Italian Club of Westchester
Community College, Gateway
Bldg, Davis Theatre (Parking Lot 1)
75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY
◗ sunywcc.org
● Speaker: Prof. Francesco Lindia.
Discover the beauty of Siena and
important facts about this fabulous
city, its history, art and the unique
event that takes place annually
called Il Palio di Siena. Sponsored by
Italian Club of Westchester Commu-
nity College. Admission: free; open
to the public. Contact: Prof. Frank
Maddalena 914-606-6794 (frank.
maddalena@sunywcc.edu).
Symposium:
Crisscrossing
Cultural Borders:
Reciprocal Influences
among African Americans
and Italian Americans
72 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
Order Sons of Italy in America
420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten
Island, NY 10305.
Tel: (718) 442-1608
Fax: (718) 442-8635
www.GaribaldiMeucciMuseum.org.
(info@garibaldimeuccimuseum.org)
Italian American Committee on
Education (IACE)
686 Park Ave LL New York, NY
10021.
Tel: (212) 772-8755
Fax: (212) 772-8756
www.iacelanguage.org
(info@iacelanguage.org)
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center
Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe,
NY 10707.
Tel: (914) 771-8700
Fax: (914) 771-5900
www.wiccny.org
(info@wiccny.org)
Collina Italiana
1556 Third Avenue @ 87th Street,
Suite 603, New York, NY 10128
Tel (212) 427-7770
(info@collinaitaliana.com)
1:30 pm
John Jay College, CUNY, 524
West 59th Street, Moot Court,
Manhattan
◗ jjay.cuny.edu
● The speakers for this symposium
will discuss the cross-cultural dia-
logues and debates that have and
continue to take place between
the African-American and Italian-
American communities in the Unit-
ed States. Sponsored by John Jay Col-
lege and the John D. Calandra Italian
American Institute. Admission:
free; open to the public. Contact:
Janet Rubel 212-237-8500 ( jrubel@
jjay.cuny.edu).
Study Italian in
Perugia, Italy
12:15 pm
Queens College, 6530 Kissena
Blvd., Flushing, NY
◗ qc.cuny.edu
● Study Italian in one of the most
beautiful medieval cities in Italy.
The six credit program is given in
June or July. Attend this informa-
tional meeting to learn more about
the most affordable study abroad
program to Italy for college stu-
dents. Sponsored by the John D. Ca-
landra Italian American Institute.
Queens College.Admission: free;
open to the public. Contact: Joseph
Grosso 718-997-5769 ( joseph.gros-
so@qc.cuny.edu).
Emanuele Torquati,
Nordic Ballads
7:00 pm
The Italian Academy, 1161
Amsterdam Avenue (south of
118th Street), Manhattan
◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu
● A recital of works on piano by
Brahms, Grieg, Saariaho, and Zem-
linsky, perfor med by Emanuele
Torquati. Sponsored by The Italian
Academy for Advanced Studies in
America.Admission: free; open to
the public. Contact: Allison Jef-
frey 212-854-2306 (aj211@ colum-
bia.edu).
Oct 29
Italian Immigrants
in California - Film &
Commentary and
Finding the Mother Lode:
Italian Immigrants in
California
2:00 pm
Farmingdale State College; SUNY,
Farmingdale State College
Roosevelt Hall Little Theatre
2350 Broadhollow Road (off Route
110), Farmingdale, NY
◗ farmingdale.edu
● Producers: Gianfranco Norelli
and Suma Kurien. The best-known
images of Italian immigrants in the
United States are those of the Ital-
ian enclaves in the urban centers of
the East Coast and the Midwest, of
hard lives in the face of discrimi-
nat ion t hat somet imes t ur ned
violent. The Italian immigrants to
California had a very different his-
tory of opportunities and an accep-
tance they did not find elsewhere.
This film for the first time tells that
story (www.findingthemotherlode.
com). Sponsored by Farmingdale
State College; SUNY. Admission:
free: open to the public. Contact:
Beverly Kahn 631-420-2396 (bev-
erly.kahn@farmingdale.edu).
Book Presentation:
A Short History of
the Italian
Renaissance by Virginia
Cox
Events ➜ Calendar
6:00 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
(NYU), 24 West 12th Street,
Manhattan
◗ casaitaliananyu.org
●Program subject to change. Please
visit our website. All events are free
and open to the public. Seating is
on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Sponsored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-
Marimò, New York University. Con-
tact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739.
Oct 30
Independent
Movies: Men of the
Cloth
6:30 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● Men Of The Cloth is an inspiring
portrait of Nino Corvato, Checchino
Fonticoli and Joe Centofanti, three
Italian master tailors who confront
the decline of the apprentice system
as they navigate their challenging
roles in the twilight of their career.
Checchino Fonticoli was the master
tailor at Brioni, the high-end cloth-
ing company based In the Abruzzo
region where he had done a tra-
ditional apprenticeship as a boy.
Brioni brought these traditionally
trained tailors with Old World skills
together, and employed them in an
American-inspired serial produc-
tion process. The factory also sup-
ported the entire town of Penne,
Italy and the surrounding area in
Abruzzo – which might otherwise be
abandoned as residents emigrated
to the cities and abroad for work. In
English. Light reception will follow.
Must register and prepay.Admis-
sion: Members $15, Non-Members
$25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-
8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@wiccny.org).
Celebrating Italian
Heritage and
Culture Month
7:00 pm
The Kensico Italian American
Society, Heydorn Hall (Hawthorne
Reformed Church), 65 Broadway,
Hawthorne, NY
● Italian regional foods will be
served and regional musical enter-
tainment will be provided. High-
lighting poetry by Italian poets. A
presentation of a comical nature
will also be part of the celebration.
Sponsored by The Kensico Italian
Events ➜ Calendar
American Society. Admission: $25;
non-members $35; open to the pub-
lic.Contact: Flavia 914-769-8120.
Oct 31
Symposium:
Michael Parenti’s
Wating for Yesterday
2:00 pm
Vito Marcantonio Forum,
Mulberry Street Public Library, 10
Jersey Street NYC between
Lafayette and Mulberry Streets
● Michael Parenti, a prolific and elo-
quent spokesperson for the American
Left, was born and raised in Italian
Harlem, which has been described
as America’s largest and most Italian
Little Italy. His memoir, Waiting for Yes-
terday recounts his poignant and sym-
pathetic impressions of a place and
time he has grown increasingly fond.
Specifically, his memoir shows how
his multigenerational Italian Ameri-
can family and community nurtured
in him a commitment to those left out
of the American Dream. Sponsored by
Vito Marcantonio Forum. Admission:
free; open to the public. Contact: Luis
Romero 718-499-5446 (vitomarcanto-
nioforum@gmail.com).
Italian Creativity:
Celebrating Science
and Technolog
October/November
Monday, Thursday, Friday 11:00 am –
1:00 pm; Saturday, Sunday 12:00 –
3:00 pm
American Italian Heritage
Museum, 1227 Central Avenue,
Albany, NY
◗ Americanitalianmuseum.org
● In our special exhibit room we
will carry out the theme. We also
use the theme on the cover of our
bi-monthly newsletter (October/
November 2015 issue). The ex-
hibit will include art, photos and
artifacts. Sponsored by American
Italian Heritage Museum. Admis-
sion: $5; Seniors $4; Children and
Members free. Contact: Prof. Philip
DiNovo 518-435-1979 (info@Ameri-
canitalianmuseum.org).
Presentation: ARIA
(Association to
Reunite Italian
Americans) – sponsored
lecture
November TBA
12:15 – 1:30 pm
Queens College, CUNY, 65-30
Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 73
● Please contact co-chairs for exact
program to be held in November
during free hour related to the Ital-
ian American experience. Refresh-
ments will be served. Sponsored by
ARIA (Association to Reunite Ital-
ian Americans) at Queens College.
Admission: free; open to the public.
Contact: Alexandra de Luise 718-
997-3748 or Pierre Tribaudi 718-997-
3079 (adeluise@qc.cuny.edu - pierre.
tribaudi@qc.cuny.edu).
Nov 1
“Gotta Sing”
Concerti
3:00 pm
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
Auditorium, 5902 6th Avenue,
Brooklyn
◗ reginaopera.org
● Regina Opera soloists will sing
your favorite operas and popular se-
lections in several languages. Spon-
sored by Regina Opera Company.
Admission: $15; open to the public
Contact: Fran Garber 718-259-2772
(info@reginaopera.org).
Nov 2
Documentary: The
Ashes of Pasolini
6:00 pm
Italian Cultural Institute,
686 Park Avenue, Manhattan
◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork
● On the occasion of the fortieth
anniversar y of Pier Paolo Paso-
lini’s death, the Italian Cultural
Institute presents a talk with Nor-
man MacAfee, translator of the
first English version of Le Ceneri di
Gramsci(Gramsci’s Ashes) and Al-
fredo Jaar, director of the documen-
tary The Ashes of Pasolini, which will
be screened following the confer-
ence. Admission: free; open to the
public. Contact: donatella.baldini@
esteri.it.
Theatre
Performance:
Homage to Pasolini,
Performed by KIT
6:00 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
(NYU), 24 West 12th Street,
Manhattan
◗ casaitaliananyu.org
● Program subject to change. Please
visit our website. All events are free
and open to the public. Seating is
on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Sponsored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-
Marimò, New York University. Con-
tact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739.
Nov 3
Cooking Class
6:00 pm
Casa Belvedere,
77 Howard Ave, Staten Island
◗ noiaw.org
● Enjoy a delicious cooking class
and meal with NOIAW’s Staten Is-
land Network! Sponsored by Greater
New York Region, Staten Island Net-
work, NOIAW. Admission: Advance
ticket purchase required. Contact:
visit noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly
212-642-2003.
Nov 4
Tra Storia e
Tradizione: Abruzzo
Forte e Gentile.
Discover the beauty and
hidden treasures of the
Abruzzo region.
Presented by Professor
Giuseppe Spedaliere
6:30 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● In Italy’s long and narrow pen-
insula, dense with cities and great
monuments, Abruzzo and Molise
stand out for their unspoiled natural
beauty and wilderness. Praising four
national and regional parks, Abruzzo
has one-third of its land reserved for
nature. With an economy that has
been traditionally pastoral, ancient
crafts such as pottery and ceram-
ics, gold, wood, and iron-working,
weaving and lace-making have de-
veloped. Come discover the history
and traditions of the region that has
been home of sophisticated and
passionate poets, such as Ovid and
Gabriele D’Annunzio, as well as its
greatest modern philosopher Bene-
detto Croce. Must register in advance
and prepay. Admission: Members $15,
Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia
Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@
wiccny.org).
Download the
i-Italy App
Nov 6
Italian Language
Inter-Cultural
Alliance (ILICA)
Annual Conference and
Reception
4:00 - 7:00 pm
John Jay College, CUNY, 524 West
59th Street, Moot Court, Manhattan
◗ ilica.org
● Topic: “Similarities and Synergies”
Co-sponsored by the John D. Calandra
Italian American Institute and John Jay
College. Contact: president@ilica.org,
718-262-2687.
Nov 6-8
New Literature from
Europe Festival
TBA
Italian Cultural Institute,
686 Park Avenue, Manhattan
◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork
● The New Literature from Europe
Festival is an annual celebration of
writing from across the European
continent. Featuring readings and
discussions between leading and
emerging literary voices from Eu-
rope, and some of America’s fore-
most writers and critics, the Festival
celebrates important new European
literature in translation. With the
participation of renowned Italian
writer Niccolo Ammaniti. Admis-
sion: free; open to the public. Con-
tact: Donatella Baldini (donatella.
baldini@esteri.it).
Nov 7
Italian Welfare
League’s Autumn in
New York Luncheon
11:30 am
Metropolitan Club, 1 East 60th
Street, Manhattan
◗ italianwelfareleague.org
● Annual luncheon gala includes
silent and live auctions, a raff le
and presentations of awards to
honorees. This year the Leag ue
celebrates its 95th anniversar y.
The event benefits “I Nostri Bam-
bini” – a grant program for children
of Italian-American heritage with
special needs. Sponsored by Italian
Welfare League. Admission: $285;
open to the public. Contact: Patty
Maniace 212-861-8480 ; Fax 646-
398-7428 (info@italianwelfarelea-
gue.org).
 Events ➜ Calendar

Garibaldi-Meucci despite the fact that nationhood

Museum Luncheon promotes one particular dialect as
CONGRATULATIONS 12:00 – 5:00 pm
LiGreci’s Staaten, 697 Forest
the national standard language.
This talk will facilitate a discussion
& Avenue, Staten Island of Italian dialect diversity from a
◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org
BEST WISHES ● Garibaldi-Meucci Museum hosts
scientific perspective. Sponsored
by Garibaldi-Meucci Museum.
its annual luncheon, honoring Jo- Admission: $10; $5 for members;
New York Grand Lodge Foundation, Inc. seph Rondinelli, Luigi Squllante, An- open to the public. Contact: Stepha-
naMaria Gentile and Christine Cea. nie Lundegard 718-442-1608.
Order Sons of Italy in America Please call the Museum for further
information. Sponsored by Garibal-
di-Meucci Museum. Admission: $70; Nov 10
open to the public. Contact: Carol
Berardi 718-442-1608 (info@garib- Afternoon Film:
aldimeuccimuseum.org). FIORILE
2:00 pm
Italian Language Westchester Italian Cultural
Inter-Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Alliance (ILICA) Tuckahoe, NY
Annual CE* (Gala) ◗ wiccny.org
6:00 – 11:00 pm ● While travelling to visit their grand-
Queens Museum, New York City father Massimo, two children are told
Building, Flushing Meadows, the story of the Benedetti’s curse,
Corona, NY which has affected the family for over
◗ ilica.org two centuries. For the past two hun-
● Annual Gala of the Italian Lan- dred years, the Benedetti’s family has
guage Inter-Cultural Alliance. Con- accumulated wealth and prosperity,
BOARD OF DIRECTORS tact: president@ilica.org, 718-262- becoming corrupt and hated by their
2687. former friends. Massimo Benedetti is
the last family member directly af-
Carolyn Reres
Foundation President Nov 8 fected by the curse, will the curse die
with him, or will the innocent young
ones be forced to carry it into the next
Boot Camp:
Joseph DiTrapani Introduction to
generation? Directed by Paolo Tavi-
ani, Vittorio Taviani. Registration is
Anthony D’Angelis Italian required. Admission: Members free,
Robert Ferrito 1:00 – 2:30 pm Non-Members $15. Contact: Patrizia
Location: TBA Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@
John Fratta ◗ noiaw.org wiccny.org).
Biagio Isgro ● Can’t get beyond Ciao and Arrive-
Thomas Lupo derci? Here is your chance to brush
up on your Italian skills. Whether Nov 11
Michele Ment you’re planning a trip to Italy or
Anthony Naccarato just to your local deli, it’s never a Filippo Tommaso
Nancy DiFiore Quinn bad time to learn a new language! Marinetti: The Artist
Sponsored by Greater New York Re- and His Politics
Joseph Sciame gion, NOIAW. Admission: Advance 6:00 pm
James Spatafora ticket purchase required. Contact: Italian Cultural Institute,
686 Park Avenue, Manhattan
visit noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly
Arthur Spera 212-642-2003. ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork
Luigi Squllante ● Book presentation: Filippo Tommaso
Robert Vaccarello Some Notes on Marinetti: The Artist and His Politics
Italian Dialects by Ernest Jalongo; with the partici-
2:00 pm pation of Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Michael A. Santo, Esq., General Counsel The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, (NYU) and Professor Anthony Ju-
420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten lian Tamburri (CUNY). Admission:
Island free; open to the public. Contact:
2101 Bellmore Avenue ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org Donatella Baldini (donatella.baldi-
Bellmore, New York 11710-5605 ● Christina Tortora, Professor at the ni@esteri.it).

1 (800) 322-OSIA (6742) College of Staten Island, CUNY, and

author will speak on the Italian lan-
Fax: (516) 221-OSIA (6742) guage and how it is widely regarded
Visit the IHCC
www.nysosia.org as the heritage language of Italian
website with your
Americans. She will discuss the
  historical linguistic reality of Italy,
smartphone
a nation of hundreds of languages,

74 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Events ➜ Calendar
Nov 12 - 14
Three-Day
International
Conference: The
Idea of the Mediterranean.
To Explore What the
Mediterranean Region
Represented in the Age of
Progress and. What it May
Represent in the Era of
Geopolitical Realliances
and Globalization
Thursday, November 12
(4:00 - 6:00 pm)
Friday, November 13
(8:30 am – 5:00 pm)
Saturday, November 14
(8:30 am – 5:00 pm)
Stony Brook University, Center
for Italian Studies, Stony Brook
University, Wang Center, Lecture Hall
2, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY
◗ stonybrook.edu
● A conference to recognize the value
and uniqueness of the Mediterranean
basin as a region having an original
identifiable culture, capable of con-
necting many other fragmented cul-
tures. United Nations’ diplomats from
different countries of the Mediterra-
nean area, and prominent scholars
and experts in Mediterranean Studies
and Affairs discuss the Mediterranean
from historical, cultural, artistic, and
political perspectives. Visit the Center
for Italian Studies web page www.sto-
 CIRNIGLIARO,
 J.D.
nybrook.edu/italianstudies) or contact
 Inc.,
 Advisory
 Board
 Member
the Center for additional information
and a more detailed program of the
event’s proceedings. Sponsored by
Stony Brook University, Center for
Italian Studies. Admission: All Confer-
ence Proceedings are free; open to the
public. Contact: Jo Fusco 631-632-7444;
Fax 631-632-7421 (josephine.fusco@
stonybrook.edu).
 Val
 Catania
 Society,
 Inc.
Nov 14
Independent
Movies: The Icemen
3:00 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● Produced by Carlo Magaletti with
the assistance and financial sup-
port, in part, by the United Pugliesi
Federation and the Society of Maria
SS del Buoncammino di Altamura.
Premiere screening of the documen-
tary The Iceman w hich analyzes the
beginnings of the ice industry and
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 75
attempts to explain why the Barese
in the area cornered the market. No-
tice, we said “attempts” as we are
not sure if it will ever be discovered
why. The documentary shows clips With grateful appreciation
to all those who contribute
of old icemen on horse and wagons,
those alive today explain the busi-
ness as well as clips of Rockland
Lake where the original ice was cut. to the Annual Celebration
In English. Light reception will fol-
low. Must register in advanced and of Italian Heritage
prepay. Admission: Members $15,
Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia
Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@
and Culture Month
wiccny.org).
Nov 17
Save Venice:
“Venice,
Uff. Joseph Sciame
Tenochtitlan, and
the Construction of Global
President / Chair
Empire” by Daniel Savoy
(Manhattan College)
IHCC-NY, Inc.
6:30 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
(NYU), 24 West 12th Street,
Manhattan
◗ casaitaliananyu.org
● Program subject to change. Please
visit our website. All events are free
and open to the public. Seating is
Complimenti!!
on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Sponsored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-
Marimò, New York University. Con-
tact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739.
GIUSEPPE
Nov 18 IHCC-­‐NY,
President
Author and Activist:
The Daniela Gioseffi
Story
6:30 pm mmmmmmm
John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College/CUNY,
25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
◗ qc.edu/calandra
Militello
● Refreshments, Reception Preview
Screening, Talk. Author and Activist:
The Daniela Gioseffi Story portrays a
life-affirming struggle to make art Beta Kappa student and chemical
of civil rights, democratic equality engineer inventor of soft-light. We decades of tenacious activism and
and climate justice. Produced and follow Daniela’s undaunted activ- finally to her work in climate justice
directed by Anton Evangelista, the ism through abuse by the KKK to a for the future of her grandchildren.
docu-drama tells of the creative life near death in childbirth, and striv- The film, covering years of recent
of a multi-media artist, inspired ing to become an award-winning American history, has a conclusion
by a tenacious immigrant father, author of NY City where she meets that warms the heart and inspires
to become an author who dares to and is praised by famous authors others to “light a candle rather than
integrate Deep South television in Carl Sagan, George Plimpton, Grace curse the darkness.” More informa-
Selma during the era of the “Free- Paley, Allen Ginsberg, Gov. Mario tion and film clips at: http://www.
dom Riders.” It shows Daniela’s fa- Cuomo and U.S. vice presidential AuthorandActivist.com. Sponsored
ther’s immigrant struggle after his candidate Geraldine Ferraro. We by The John D. Calandra Italian
death-defying journey to the U.S.A. see her achieving an American Book American Institute, Queens College/
to attempt to achieve the American Award and Lifetime Achievement CUNY.Admission: free; open to the
Dream, hard labors to become a Phi Award in Poetry, as well as through public. Contact: 212-642-2094.

Italian and Italian American Institutions in New York
MANHATTAN
Consulate General of Italy in
New York
consnewyork.esteri.it
690 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021
(212) 439-8600 (info.newyork@
esteri.it)
Istituto Italiano di Cultura
iicnewyork.org
686 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021
(212) 879-4242 (segr@italcultny.
org)
Italian-American Women’s
Center, Inc.
P.O. Box 656724
Fresh Meadows, NY 11365
718-805-1833 (iawcinc@yahoo.
com). Contact: Jacqueline
Gagliano: jbgagliano14@yahoo.
com
Italian Trade Commission
italtrade.com
33 East 67th Street
New York, NY 10065
(212) 848-0300 (newyork@
newyork.ice.it)
Italy-America Chamber of
Commerce
italchamber.org
730 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600
New York, NY 10065
(212) 459-0044 (info@italcham-
ber.org)
Italian Government Tourist
Board
italiantourism.com
630 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10065
(212) 245-5618
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò,
New York University
casaitaliananyu.org
24 West 12th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 998-8739 (casa.italiana@
nyu.edu)
76 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Columbus Citizens Foundation
columbuscitizensfd.org
8 East 69th Street
New York, NY 10021
(212) 249-9923 (ccf@columbus-
citizens.org)
Italian American Committee
on Education
iacelanguage.org
686 Park Avenue, LL
New York, NY 10021
Tel: (212) 772-8755 (info@
iacelanguage.org)
Italian American Museum
ItalianAmericanMuseum.org
155 Mulberry Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 965-9000 (info@italiana-
mericanmuseum.org)
Italian Welfare League
ItalianwelfareLeague.org
8 East 69th Street
New York, NY 10021
(212) 861-8480
i-Italy
(Italian/American Digital
Project)
i-italy.org
25 West 43rd Street, 17th floor
New York, NY 10036
(212) 642-2094 (editors@i-italy.
org)
John D. Calandra Italian
American Institute, Queens
College/CUNY
qc.edu/calandra
25 West 43rd Street, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10036
(212) 642-2094 (calandra@
qc.edu)
National Organization of
Italian American Women
(NOIAW)
noiaw.org
25 West 43rd Street, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10036
(212) 642-2003 (noiaw@noiaw.
org)
The Italian Academy for Ad-
vanced Studies in America at
Columbia University
italianacademy.columbia.edu
Casa Italiana, 1161 Amsterdam
Avenue, New York, NY 10027
(212) 854-2306 itacademy@
columbia.edu
BRONX
Enrico Fermi Cultural Center,
Belmont Branch of the New
York Public Library
arthuravenuebronx.com/enrico_
fermi.htm
610 East 186th Street, Bronx,
NY 10458. (718) 933-6410
BROOKLYN
Enrico Caruso Museum of
America
EnricoCarusoMuseum.com
1942 East 19th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11229
(718) 368-3993 (CarusoMuse-
umNY@aol.com)
Federation of Italian-American
Organizations of Brooklyn, Ltd.
(FIAO)
fiaobrooklyn.org
7403 – 18th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11204
(718) 259-2828 (info@fiaobrook-
lyn.org)
QUEENS
Italian Language Inter-Cultur-
al Alliance (ILICA)
ilica.org
27-28 Thompson Avenue, Suite
441, Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 392-2020 Fax: (718) 392-
2020 (ilica@aol.com)
Federation of Italian American
Organization of Queens, Inc.
(FIAO)
italianfederation.com
29-21 21 AveNUE, Astoria, NY
11105. (718) 204-2444 (Fiao@
juno.com)
Events ➜ Calendar
Howard Beach Columbus Day
Foundation, Inc.
howardbeachcolumbusday.com
101-42 99th Street, Ozone Park,
NY 11416. (718) 641-3469 (hb-
columbusday@gmail.com)
STATEN ISLAND
Casa Belvedere, The Italian
Cultural Foundation, Inc.
casa-belvedere.org
79 Howard Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10301
(718) 273-7660; Fax: (718) 273-
0020 (info@casa-belvedere.org)
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum,
Order Sons of Italy in America
GaribaldiMeucciMuseum.org
420 Tompkins Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10305
(718) 442-1608 Fax: 718)
442-8635 (info@garibaldimeuc-
cimuseum.org)
NASSAU
Grand Lodge of New York, Or-
der Sons of Italy in America
www.nysosia.org
2101 Bellmore Avenue
Bellmore, NY 11710
(516) 785-4623; Fax: 785-6742
WESTCHESTER
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center
wiccny.org
Generoso Pope Place
Tuckahoe, NY 10707
(914) 771-8700 ; Fax: (914) 771-
5900 (info@wiccny.org)
NEW JERSEY
Coccia Institute for the Italian
Experience in America
chss.montclair.edu/cocciainstitute
One Normal Avenue
Dickson Hall, Suite 171
Montclair, NJ 07043
(973) 655-4038; Fax: (973-655-
4050.
Events ➜ Calendar

Sciame is pleased to join the

Italian Heritage
& Culture Committee of NY
in celebrating

Italian Creativity:
Celebrating 50 Years of Science
and Technology;
New York World’s Fair 1965
- Expo Milano 2015

14 Wall Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10005

212.232.2200 | www.sciame.com

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 77

 S CI
BU T
M

IZ
COLU

ENS
FO

N
U
N DATIO

MISSION STATEMENT

In recognition of the significant contributions

made to the development and preservation
of the United States, its institutions and ideals
by those of Italian ancestry,
The Columbus Citizens Foundation,
through its members, is dedicated to the promotion
and support of cultural, educational
and social activities, engendering interest and
a greater appreciation for the historical
accomplishments and individual achievements
attributable to Italian heritage.
We firmly commit to raise, collect and receive funds,
to enable fundraising and distribute financial
aid for charitable and educational purposes through
sponsored programs and events,
especially for the education of children in need,
and pledge to extend ourselves
in perpetuating the philanthropic work
which has been synonymous with our Foundation.

COLUMBUS CITIZENS FOUNDATION, INC.

8 East 69th Street, New York, New York 10021-4906
Phone: (212) 249-9923 | Fax: (212) 737-4413 | www.columbuscitizensfd.org
78 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
 history, culture, passion

come to Naples
you will fall in love forever

www.comune.napoli.it www.vivere.napoli.it

●● serving authentic Italian coffee from Turin to outer space
Lavazza 120: No Compromise
on Quality to Achieve Success
The Lavazza Bar at the 120th Anniversary gala
by R. C.
A tradition of
experimentation and
innovation
●● Over a century ago, Luigi
Lavazza moved from the
countryside to the city of Turin in
Northern Italy. There he opened
the first store of what would later
become Lavazza, the international
company we know today, relying
solely on his passion for coffee
and his willingness to work hard.
During a trip to Brazil, the
patriarch discovered all there
is to know about coffee: he
learned about the properties of
its different varieties and started
to investigate how they could be
successfully combined, mixing
varieties into blends to create
new flavors. Such blends form the
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 81
coffee we consume today.
Luigi was the first to focus on
producing specific blends to
meet the demand and tastes of
customers, which meant that
he also worked tirelessly to find
better ways of producing new
blends. As his shop turned into
a business – initially operating
in the region of Turin before
expanding throughout Italy –
Luigi and his family worked on
improving every aspect of the
Lavazza coffee experience. For
instance, around 1927 Lavazza
started to sell coffee in pergamin,
a two-layered paper pack that
helped maintain the coffee’s
fragrance.
These continual small
innovations helped Lavazza to
expand, slowly but surely, even
during hard times in Europe.
The company not only survived
Dining In
taking italy to your family table
both World Wars, it thrived.
In the immediate aftermath
of World War II, once again
able to import coffee, Lavazza
made a series of marketing
decisions, highly innovative at
the time, that propelled it toward
unprecedented nationwide
success.
From Turin to Italy,
from Italy to America
By the 1950s Italy was already
familiar with a series of TV
advertisements known as
“Paradiso Lavazza,” a series that
continues to this day and usually
features appearances from some
of the most prominent figures
of Italian television. Lavazza has
in fact never ceased to devote
the utmost care and attention
to crafting popular ads. “We’ve
been working on an international
A family-owned Italian
coffee company founded in
Turin in 1895, Lavazza
owes its success to the
innovative genius of
founder Luigi Lavazza and
to the legacy he left behind.
Shortly after the company’s
120th anniversary,
celebrated, among other
events and initiatives, with
a gala in New York, we
decided to focus on the
company itself and what
makes it an exemplary
Italian business: both open
to innovation and tied to
tradition.
TV campaign: sixty seconds that
will air also here in America,”
explains Francesca Lavazza,
great-granddaughter of Luigi and
the company’s Corporate Image
Director. “For the first time on TV,
the ad will tell the story of Luigi
Lavazza, my great grandfather,
from the invention of the blend
to today.”
After having secured a special
place in the hearts of Italians,
Lavazza has in fact moved on to
attracting a wider international
clientele. This approach is being
undertaken with particular focus
on American consumers. The
timing couldn’t be better; for
the last few years the interest in
quality coffee in the United States
has been growing, particularly
in New York, where new coffee
shops keep sprouting up on every
corner.

Francesca Lavazza, Ennio Ranaboldo and Giuseppe Lavazza
●● Nutella, 50 Years of Innovation
Mondo Nutella: Spreading a Piece
of Italy Throughout the World
Responding to increasing
demand for the Italian
delicacy in the US, Mondo
Nutella (Nutella World)—
Gigi Padovani’s insightful
book about Europe’s
favorite spread— has
finally been translated into
English.
by Francine Segan
●● Lately, Nutella is starting
to make its way from the
breakfast (and snack) nooks
of Europeans, who have been
82 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
enjoying this delicious cocoa
and hazelnut spread for over
50 years now, to the hearts
(and tummies) of Americans.
Padovani begins his
informative and highly
enjoyable book Mondo
Nutella on a humorous note.
The book’s first chapter,
“Napoleon’s Fault,” traces
the origin of Nutella back
to the shortage of cocoa in
continental Europe that the
emperor caused by blocking
trade with Britain. As a result,
Italian chocolate-makers
decided to mix the declining
supply of cocoa with hazelnut
and created what is known in
Turin as “giandujot.”
Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table
Quality coffee: anytime,
anywhere
Instead of resting on its laurels,
Lavazza isn’t afraid to keep on
working. In fact, it’s speeding
things up. The company
understands that, though it
might have been profitable to
expand incrementally in the past,
times change. In a bid to keep
up with – and even anticipate –
current demands, Lavazza has
taken its biggest leap yet: past
Fred Plotkin at the Lavazza 120 gala
A European delicacy
“Made in Italy”
Thanks to the marketing genius
of Michele Ferrero, this delicious
and (for its time) innovative
product derived from the more
the Earth’s atmosphere and out
into space. About a year ago, a
Lavazza coffee machine able to
endure space travel and operate
in outer space was sent to the
International Space Station. The
ingenious marketing strategy
was clearly appreciated by quite
a few astronauts, and speaks
volumes about the company’s
core idea: that good coffee should
be savored by everyone, anytime,
anywhere. ●●
Lavazza 120
on i-Italy | TV
Scan the QR code to
watch this interview
on your smartphone
solid giandujot that literally
“spread” throughout Europe
beginning in the 1960s. Michele
Ferrero proved his genius
right off the bat, renaming
the product his father Pietro
Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table

Michele Ferrero
proved his
genius right off the bat,
renaming the product
his father Pietro
created in a pastry
shop in Alba, Northern
Italy. The product was
originally called
“Supercrema.” Ferrero
combined the word
“nut” with the suffix
“-ella,” giving the
name a more “Latin”
flavor.
created in a pastry shop in Alba,
Northern Italy. The product was
originally called “Supercrema.”
Ferrero combined the word
“nut,” whose root comes from
German, one of the most widely
used languages in Europe, with
the suffix “-ella,” giving the
name a more “Latin” flavor.
He also placed great emphasis
on the quality of the products
used to make Nutella and other
goods attached to the Ferrero
brand, which is a common
selling point for successful
Italian products. As a result,
sales went up and Nutella
became a staple product,
beloved by children – and their
parents – all over Europe.
Gigi Padavani and Francine Segan on i-Italy | TV
Nutella and Pop Culture
As Padovani explains in
his book, much of Nutella’s
success derives from its
association with famous
figures – in fact, the book has
an entire section dedicated
to the social significance of
Nutella, including its string
of advertisements featuring
prominent Italians and
foreigners.
Thanks to such ingenious
marketing, the product became
an integral part of Italian,
French and German society.
Its presence in popular culture
is astounding. From TV ads
to websites to social media
outlets, Nutella is found
everywhere.
Even more striking, as well
as extremely effective, is
the unsolicited celebration
of the product by influential
figures, including politicians,
actors, musicians and athletes.
Reflecting their genuine love
for Nutella, people often
mention it on social media
platforms like Twitter or
Facebook. And sometimes
those people just happen to be
Lady Gaga, who made casual
mention of her fondness for the
spread while tweeting about
the success of her new album.
Official or not, the wealth
of online publicity has
certainly played a huge role
Scan the QR code to
watch this interview
on your smartphone
in the recent diffusion of the
delicious spread on this side
of the Atlantic. The land of
peanut butter may not lack for
spreads, nevertheless it has
enthusiastically welcomed
Nutella into its supermarkets,
restaurants and kitchens.
Credit for its popularity is also
due to initiatives like Eataly’s
Nutella Bar in New York, where
the creamy chocolaty spread
is served with Italian favorites
like gelato, fruit, pastries, and
other European staples like
crepes and waffles. ●●

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 83

84 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table
●● A LEMONADE AND THE LARGER PROJECT BEHIND IT
One Sip Is All It Takes
To Go To Portofino
The intensity of Tigullio
lemons in a bottle awakens
the aromas of the Ligurian
Coast.
by R. C.
●● You can be whisked away
to Liguria simply by tasting
a lemon-flavored soft drink.
Don’t believe us? Close your
eyes and take a sip of Limonata
Niasca Portofino. Your nose
immediately picks up the
intense scent of lemons from the
Gulf of Tigullio on the Ligurian
Riviera. Concentrate and you’ll
also catch the subtle notes of
elderflower. Take another sip
and feel the fresh breeze off the
gulf where they grow. Admire its
pearly white color, its thousands
of sweet, sparkling bubbles.
There’s no doubt about it: you’ve
landed in Portofino.
Behind the fresh taste of this
unbelievable drink lies a story
that’s just as refreshing.
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 85
Niasca Portofino on i-Italy | TV
Scan the QR code to watch the interview on your smarthphone.
“Just three years ago,” says
Simona Mussini, a representative
of Niasca Portofino, “a group
of young people got together.
We wanted to do something
different in a place where luxury
reigns supreme and nobody
wants to get his hands dirty. So
we purchased some fields and
restored them. We worked hard
and always with the utmost
respect for nature,” she adds.
“We don’t use fertilizers or
poisons.”
The group combines its respect
for nature with a similarly deep
respect for hard work. Farmers
in the area have been enlisted
as partners and collaborators.
“What’s cool is that now
farmers bring us lemons
even though we don’t ask for
them,” says Mussini. “They
demonstrate the kind of pride
we take in a product made
through hard work. Indeed, to
work the land you need to bend
down – and that’s tough.’’
We met Mussini at Summer
Fancy Food in New York, where
she described her Tigullio
limonata with an equal measure
of pride. “This type of lemon is
much sweeter compared to the
lemons from Southern Italy. Our
beverage is all natural. We use
Tigullio lemons, brown sugar and
elderflower. This last ingredient
adds a splash of fun.’’
The drink is just one component
of Niasca Portofino’s larger
project. Founded by a group of
residents and frequent visitors,
the company seeks to resuscitate
local traditions, rehabilitate
the abandoned countryside,
restore spaces that have long
been uninhabited, and make
Portofino a vibrant place twelve
months a year—not just during
the summer. And of course,
by introducing the world to
Portofino and its local products,
the company also hopes to see
an uptick in tourism.
The project’s ambassadors are
three highly driven youthful
partners. ‘’Our success comes
from the heart,” says Mussini. “It
stems from an idea we developed
over the years. In the end, we’ve
got this amazing product. We
want to show people that Italy
is strong, and that if you have
an idea and put effort into it,
you can really create something
good.’’
Think globally, act locally, and
Limonata Niasca Portofino will
make a splash in the US. ●●

●● the secrets of a catchall product
Honey 101
Miele — a sweetener, a condiment and a
preservative; an ingredient for wines, cosmetics,
and medicines; even artisans have exploited its
properties. Learn a little history of honey and the
different ways to classify it.
by Dino Borri
●● Since ancient times, honey
has served different purposes.
It has been used as a sweetener,
condiment and preservative.
Honey has also been added to
fish, beans, focaccia, fruit jam
and syrups. As a preservative,
it has been used with apples,
quinces and pears. The upper
echelons of society once raised
their children on a mixture
of milk and honey. And
fermented honey was used to
produce mead, a drink popular
up through the Middle Ages.
(Another popular drink was
honeyed wine, made with the
best vintages, like Falerno and
Massico.)
Honey has supplied us with
everything from cosmetics
(aromatic oils, perfumes) to
medicine (as an antiseptic,
cicatrizant and purgative).
Even artisans have exploited
its properties: they have been
known to soak precious stones
in honey to heighten their
shine, and fabrics to bring out
their color.
Over centuries, honey has
86 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
remained a catchall
product. It sweetens
sour food—and not
only the palates of
rich; one Renaissance
document mentions
“peasants” who spread
honey on leeks—and adds
flavor to “country dishes,”
like beans, red and white meat,
and fruit preserves.
Honey vs. Sugar
The sugar industry began to
expand in 1800, and between
1850 and 1950 production
increased 20 fold. In the
first half of the 19th century,
honey and sugar cost the
same in England, which was
the principal exporter of cane
sugar at the time. Meanwhile in
Northern Italy honey
was cheaper
than sugar
as late
as
1860.
But the
demand
for sugar
grew, forcing
manufacturers to find an
alternative to cane sugar, which
they did with the discovery of
sugar beets.
As manufacturers began
mass-producing sugar, the
honey industry mobilized
and “modernized,” perfecting
methods for producing an
increasingly purer product. In
fact, in the first half of the 1900s,
people began to pay greater
attention to the provenance
of honeys, and what had long
been chatter turned into a real
commercial enterprise. But
it wasn’t until the 1970s that
Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table
scientific research would be
used to designate monofloral
honeys, thanks to the first
Melissopalynology studies,
which identified and quantified
how many pollen grains were
left in a honey and could testify
to each barrel’s provenance.
Honey—let me count the
ways!
Honey was later classified by
its place of origin, by how it
was collected and treated, or
by what it was to be used for.
The main distinctions regarding
its place of origin are honeys
obtained by the flower’s nectar,
which can be distinguished
by monofloral honey (i.e.,
honey collected by bees from
a single botanical species) and
multifloral honey, which comes
from different botanical species.
There is also the more flavorful
honeydew honey produced by
bees that transform a sugary
substance made from the
excretions of an insect called
Hemiptera. Honeydew honey
is known for its absence or
near absence of crystallization
due to its high percentage of
fructose.
Classifications based on how
the honey is treated include,
first and foremost, honeycomb
honey, which is obtained
when an apiculturist does not
separate honey from a loom
(that explains why it also
contains wax). Honeycomb
honey is the easiest kind of
honey to collect. There is
also filtered honey, which
has been separated from the
wax using filters, and honey
obtained by spinning or
pressing looms.
Types of honey based on their
use include table honey, made
for direct consumption as a
natural sweetener in drinks
or for cooking, and industrial
honey. The freshness and
storage time of industrial honey
is measured by its level of HMF
(hydroxymethylfurfural).
Royal Jelly
A particularly nutritious and
healthy kind of honey, royal
jelly is secreted from worker
bees’ hypopharyngeal glands
and used by bees to feed larvae
(for up to three days) and
the queen bee (for her
entire life). That is
why it is considered
a “noble” source of
nutrition. In the field of
apiculture, it is regarded
as one of the most highly
esteemed products.
Propolis, or Bee Glue
This substance is obtained by
collecting various bees on the
bud and cortex of different
species of plants, including
poplars, spruce pines, spruce firs,
pines, plum trees, oaks, elms,
willows, horse chestnuts and ash
trees, among others. It contains
aromatic essences, essential
oils like terpenes and various
other elements. Propolis is a
popular substance used to make
alternative medicine, candy and
alcohol solutions to treat soar
throats and oral infections. ●●
Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table

Where to find THEM

Italian Honey Eataly

200 5th Avenue
Given its unique geography, Italy has a wide variety of honey species, from artico-alpine ◗ www.eatalny.com
species in the north to tropical species in the south. The mountain ranges near the coast
provide for many different kinds of species given the area’s climactic diversity.

Apiculturists have identified six areas by species:

● Alpine: rhodendron, raspberry, myrtle, spruce (for producing honeydew) and
wildflowers.
● Appenine and pre-Alps: acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), sainfoin, various types of DiPalo’s
clover, chestnut. 200 Grand St. (at Mott St.)
● Hills: foraging and oleaginous cultivation (rapeseed, sunflower), chestnut. ◗ www.dipaloselects.com
● Plains: fruits, medicinal herbs, sunflowers.
● Tyrrhenian Coast: heather, strawberry, myrtle, rosemary.
● Interior and South: fruits, thyme, eucalyptus, myrtle, strawberry, carob.

Citarella
2135 Broadway
1313 Third Avenue
424 Ave of the Americas
How to Prepare ◗ www.citarella.com

Fusilli sfiziosi al miele

by Rosanna Di Michele
Agata & Valentina
1505 First Avenue
64 University Place
SERVES 4 PEOPLE ◗www.agatavalentina.com
¾ pound Fusilli n 5 ounces Gorgonzola n 5 ounces
Robiola n 1 ounce Pistachios n 2 Tablespoons of honey
n 1 Small onion n 2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive
Oil n Fresh mint n Salt, as desired n

INSTRUCTIONS

● Heat oil in a pan ● Finely slice the onion,

add to oil and simmer lightly ● Bring water
Morton Williams
908 2nd Avenue
to a boil, add salt and cook the fusilli until al 311 East 23rd Street
dente ● Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid ● Cut 1565 1st Avenue
the Gorgonzola and Robiola into small chunks ◗www.mortonwilliams.com
and add them to the onion ● Pour the cup
of cooking liquid to melt the cheese ● Crush
pistachio and add to pan ● Mix in fusilli and
let cook for a minute ● Plate the dish ● Add
honey and sprinkle a little fresh mint on top

Chef’s note: because gorgonzola is rich in flavor, do not

add too much salt to the pasta.
Jerry’sGourmet
410 South Dean Street
Englewood, NJ
◗www.jerryshomemade.com

www.rosannacooking.it

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 87

 Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table

A favorite dish... ... Paired with the right wine

by Michele Scicolone by Charles Scicolone

Sicilan Style Cheese A Great Sicilian Wine

Caciocavallo all’Argentiera Nero d’Avola
● According to an old story, l find it in NYC
a Sicilian silversmith who Heights Chateau: Wine Shop
found himself in financial Follow Michele 123 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn
Follow Charles
difficulties created this on i-Italy.org (718) 330- 0963 n In Vino Veritas on i-Italy.org
recipe, which has become a 1375 First Ave., Manhattan
classic. Trying to keep his (212) 288- 0100 n
poverty a secret from his
nosy neighbors, Serve the baked
he combined l Serves 4 cheese with a
caciocavallo, a n 8 ounces caciocavallo or green salad,
typical Southern provolone cheese, cut into crisp Sicilian
Italian cheese, 1/2-inch thick slices n 1 bread and a
with seasonings tablespoon olive oil n 2 bottle of hearty
usually associ- large garlic cloves, thinly red wine,
ated with meat sliced n 2 tablespoons white such as Nero
that he could no wine vinegar n 1/2 teaspoon d’Avola. It’s
longer afford. dried oregano ideal as an ap-
The fragrant petizer or quick
aroma of the cheese sizzling meatless meal.
with the olive oil, garlic, In a large heavy skillet, heat
vinegar, and oregano was the oil over medium heat. Add
enough to deceive them into the garlic and cook until just
thinking that nothing was beginning to turn golden, 1 to ● Nero d’Avola is an To make wine, Nero d’Avola
amiss. 2 minutes. Place the cheese indigenous grape variety of frequently is blended with
Caciocavallo is typically made slices in a single layer on top of Sicily named after the small other native grape varieties
from cows’ milk. Like moz- the garlic. Raise the heat and town of Avola in the southeast such as Nerello Mascalese,
zarella, it is a stretched curd add the vinegar. in the province of Siracusa. The Frappato and Perricone or with
cheese, but unlike mozza- Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until the name means “black of Avola.” international grapes such as
rella it is aged until it is firm cheese just begins to melt. Nero d’Avola is sometimes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
and tangy. The name cacio- With a metal spatula, quickly referred to by the name and Syrah. It may be possible
cavallo means “horse cheese” turn the slices and sprinkle Calabrese (or ‘from Calabria’) that Syrah and Nero d’Avola
which probably derives from with the oregano. but this probably derives from come from a common ancestor
the way the cheese was Cook briefly until the cheese is the corruption of a Greek-based but this has yet to be proven.
formed into teardrop shapes slightly softened and bubbling Siracusan dialect name. This Wines made from Nero d’Avola
that were bound in pairs to around the edges. is not the only explanation of can be drunk young when
a pole and suspended as if Transfer to a serving dish and how this confusion of names vinified and aged in stainless
over the back of a horse. serve hot with Sicilian bread. came about, but one thing is steel. These wines will have
clear and that is that this grape fresh red fruit aromas and
has never been important in flavors with a hint of spice. In
Calabria. the hands of some producers
Nero d’Avola is the most when the wine is aged in
important and most planted wood, it can be made into a
red grape variety grown in wine with a lot of body and
Sicily. Because it is so popular, aging potential and have hints
Nero d’Avola is cultivated in of raspberries, prunes and a
other parts of the island and touch of leather. Because of
thrives in the hot, dry climate. this range of styles, the prices
The training system for the range from $10 to $40 a bottle.
vines is usually the espalier Depending on the way it is
(trellis) method though some made, Nero d’Avola goes well
producers are moving away with salumi, red meats, and
from this system. cheeses.

For more about cooking, go to www.MicheleScicolone.com For more about wine, go to charlesscicolone.wordpress.com.

88 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

 From Italy with love!

Authentically Yours,
Francesco Cirio 1856
Coliseum - Rom
a

Francesco Cirio was the canned vegetable industry pioneer, starting back in 1856. Nowadays his
Cirio brand is loved throughout Italy along with 70 countries all over the world. With top
quality produce from a huge farmers Cooperative, Cirio products are controlled from
“seeds to table”. The exquisite taste of our juiciest Italian tomatoes is created with
C
iri o
It a i s t h e of
th
e care and expertise, by processing them in just 24 hours.
li a n s p o n s o r ti o n
C h efs F e d era We bring true italian flair to your cooking: taste the difference!

Come in Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

www.cirio1856.com Facebook.com/CirioUK @CirioUK
Dining Out
Restaurants+Pizzerias+Wine Bars
●● EATING ITALIAN NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD
Italian Way of Life @ Union Square
Take a break and check out
this new establishment in
Union Square serving lunch,
dinner, snacks, coffee and
cocktails. The service may be
quick but the place is still
authentically Italian.
by L.A.
●● There’s a special new corner
in Union Square serving up
the best in Italian food, and its
name captures small town life
in the old country. Al Vicoletto,
roughly translated, means “in
the back alley,” but it’s difficult to
describe the significance of the
word vicoletto in Italian. Vicoletti,
or small vicoli, suggests an Italian
way of life, a place where you
can kick back, stop by for a few
minutes, grab a snack, catch up
with a friend, or savor a coffee
while perusing the newspaper
before resuming the frenetic
New York rhythm we all live by.
In its Manhattan incarnation,
says partner Alberto Tartari, “Al
Vicoletto is located between two
major avenues and really is a
little alcove couched between the
city’s buildings.”
Casual, modern, Italian
Tartari has two other successful
establishments in Manhattan,
Baretto and Melograno. But Al
Vicoletto, given its location and
a few special projects in the
works, has a personality all its
own. “It’s a casual café and wine
bar,” says Tartari, “with a modern
Italian kitchen serving simple
and healthy dishes made with
quality ingredients and a wine list
that includes excellent, hard-to-
find wines. Our aim is to have a
selection of quality wines that
aren’t as well known outside of
Italy and a full bar with top-shelf
90 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
liquor.” And in Al Vicoletto’s case,
reasonable prices don’t mean
lower quality. “Having gluten-
free products and dishes is also
a priority,” adds Tartari. But
that’s not all. The spare, elegantly
furnished establishment also has
an outdoor space that resembles
one of those small courtyards
that catch you by surprise while
traversing the vicoletti in Italy.
It’s a small but endearing space,
at once romantic and relaxing
in the typically Italian way the
establishment promises.
So what exactly is Al Vicoletto?
A restaurant? A café? A place
to meet friends for breakfast?
Or lunch? Or dinner? Actually
it’s all of this, and more. “It’s
also a market,” says Tartari.”
“Our shelves are stocked with
hard-to-find, quality products
that represent the best in Italian
gourmet cooking, which starts
with small and mid-sized
companies.” Right. Typical of
Italy’s borghi and vicoletti.
The ‘Jerry Factor’
Another partner is Jerry Turci,
owner of Jerry’s Homemade
(pay a visit to his delicious all-
Italian gourmet store just off the
Washington Bridge in New Jersey,
where you’ll find great food, a
stunning selection of wines and
a sweet, homey atmosphere).
A casual café and wine
bar with a modern
Italian kitchen serving
simple and healthy
dishes made with
quality ingredients
and a wine list that
includes excellent,
hard-to-find wines.
Al Vicoletto
9 E 17th St
% (212) 620-6166
www.alvicolettonyc.com
Jerry’s experience as an importer
and retailer guarantees that all of
the shelves here at Vicoletto are
brimming with recherché Italian
brands. For example? According
to Tartari, “Thanks to Jerry, even
a simple breakfast transports you
to Italy. It’s as if you were in an
Italian home or at the bar before
going to work. Customers can
taste traditional packaged sweets
impossible to find elsewhere in
New York, as well as biscotti and
fresh croissants made by a bakery
we trust.”
Anything else? “We’re working
on a weekend brunch special
featuring live music. We’ve
also got several other events
in mind,” says Tartari, who
can’t seem to contain himself.
But there’s a reason for every
item he lists off; his goal is to
introduce Manhattan to select,
quality Italian goods. (And, of
course, make Al Vicoletto a New
York staple.) “We’re trying to
meet our clients’ demands while
also embodying the best Italian
traditions.”
Well then, let us be the first to say,
“Benvenuto, Al Vicoletto!” ●●
Dining Out ➜ Restaurants+Pizzerias+Wine Bars

Dining
Dining Out
Out Special
Special
Sicilian Magic in the Big Apple by Gero Salamone

The French poet Guy de Maupassant called Sicily “the land of oranges, of blooming ground, whose air in the
spring is a fragrance,” An island with timeless appeal, where one becomes enchanted with its numerous cities:
the capital Palermo, the charming Taormina, or the historic Ragusa Ibla. A region that over the years has received
an influx of different cultures: Greek, Arabic, Norman, Spanish, and other civilizations of the Mediterranean. The
popularity of Sicilian cooking makes it easy to experience its distinctive flavors in restaurants scattered across
New York. Listed below are some that offer traditional Sicilian cuisine often with innovative touches that make it
even more relevant in the new millennium.

ince of Agrigento. As an appetizer, try

the panu cunsatu (warm bread with
olive oil), which you could follow up
with delicious ragù, meatballs, or
tagliatelle with rabbit sauce. Before
leaving, be sure to try the sfinci, a Si-
cilian doughnut stuffed with ricotta or
orange and vanilla cream.

Restivo Ristorante
209 7th Avenue
% (212) 366-4133
◗ restivorestaurant.com
cuisine classic
atmosphere friendly
price $$

● Mix together rigatoni, tomato sauce,

eggplant, capers, and ricotta and you
get the “Restivo Rigatoni.” A culinary
specialty that takes its name from the
restaurant located in Chelsea and run
A taverna in the town square of Marzamemi, Sicily (photo by Stefano La Rosa, flickr.com | Creative Commons) by the Restivo family. You should def-
initely try the fresh mozzarella with

Upper East Village

East Side
Italianissimo
Ristorante
307 East 84th Street
% (212) 212-628-8603
◗italianissimoristorante-hub.com
cuisine innovative
atmosphere romantic
price $$$
● The name of the restaurant says
it all. Italianissimo (or “very Italian”)
Ristorante offers a wide variety
of Sicilian specialties. Start with
an appetizer of homemade bread,
pesto, and olives and sip on excel-
lent wine produced in Sicily. If you
want a typical Sicilian first course,
there is no doubt about what to
choose: the fettucine alla siciliana
with eggplant, tomato sauce, and
fresh mozzarella. Finally, why not
end the meal with a superb pista-
chio ice cream?
Cacio e Vino
80 2nd Avenue
% (212) 228- 3269
◗ www.cacioevino.com
cuisine authentic sicilian
atmosphere friendly
price $$$
● Cacio e Vino, in the heart of the East
Village, was conceived by owner Gi-
usto Priola, who found inspiration in
the words of Goethe: “Italy without
Sicily leaves no image in the soul.”
(“L’Italia senza la Sicilia non lascia nello
spirito immagine alcuna.”) The restau-
rant is made even more charming by
the paintings hung on the brick walls
that evoke the beautiful land of Sicily.
The extensive menu consists of sev-
eral dishes that recall the flavors of
Sicily. To start, try an appetizer with
caponata (fried vegetables seasoned
with a sweet and sour sauce) and pan-
elle (fritters made from chickpea flour),
followed by a pasta with tuna, capers,
olives, and tomatoes. You can also opt
for a plate of grilled fish with octopus,
tuna, squid, shrimp, and clams, all sea-
soned with oregano. Before leaving the
restaurant enveloped in the perfume
of Sicily, you must try the cassata si-
ciliana (sweetened ricotta, sponge cake,
marizpan, and candied fruit).
Chelsea
Bar Eolo
190 7th Avenue
% (646) 225-6606
◗eolonewyork.com
cuisine innovative
atmosphere elegant
price $S$
● In the lively neighborhood of Chel-
sea, you will find the wine bar, Bar
Eolo, which also offers an extensive
menu of Sicilian food. At the head of
the restaurant is chef Melissa, whose
love for Sicilian cooking was passed
down to her by her Sicilian grand-
mother from Sant’Anna, in the prov-
tomatoes and basil. It’s a small room
with less than 50 seats, which makes it
an intimate environment suitable for
a work lunch or a candlelight dinner.
Soho
Piccola Cucina Osteria
196 Spring Street
% (646) 478-7488
◗piccolacucinaenotecanyc.com
cuisine innovative
atmosphere cozy
price $$
● The success of Piccola Cucina Oste-
ria is tied to the creativity of chef Philip
Guardione, a true Sicilian, who in a
short time has been able to bring the
flavors of authentic Sicilian food to the
Big Apple. An intimate and welcoming
location in which you can enjoy ex-
quisite dishes. Start with a caponata of
swordfish prepared in the style of Paler-
mo or sardines alla beccafico with fennel
and oranges. A plate of spaghetti with
squid ink sauce is a sure bet as well.

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 91


Flatiron
District
Zio Ristorante
17 West 19th Street
% (212) 352-1700
◗ zio-nyc.com
cuisine innovative
atmosphere elegant
price $$$
● At a short distance from the el-
egant Flatiron building, you’ll find
Zio Ristorante, a cool place that in-
troduces Mediterranean cooking
with hints of innovation thanks to
the creativity of chefs Max Conver-
tini and Robero Manfe. You’ll get au-
thentic and fresh products served by
a friendly and hospitable staff. Start
your meal with an appetizer made of
eggplant, smoked mozzarella, sauce
and arugula, and later, enjoy a flavor-
ful tuna steak with fennel, caponata,
and stuffed zucchini flowers. Want
dessert? Get the cheesecake with
ricotta, blueberries, and chocolate!
Little Italy
Da Nico Ristorante
164 Mulberry Street
% (212) 352-1700
◗ danicoristorante.com
cuisine classic
atmosphere casual
price $$
● Like eggplant Parmesan? Da Nico is
the perfect place to try a superb ver-
sion along with other specialties, like
traditional minestrone soup of mixed
vegetables or spaghetti with tomato
sauce and meatballs. The chicken
with mushrooms and Marsala wine is
also worth a try. This homely place in
Little Italy is waiting for you to stop
by and spend a pleasant part of your
day in the company of Nico’s excellent
cooking.
Queens
Astoria
Forno Siciliano
43-19 Ditmars Blvd
% (718) 267-0790
◗ fornosicilianoastoria.com
cuisine traditional
atmosphere rustic
price $$
● Forno Siciliano is a piece of Sicily a
short distance from chaotic Manhat-
tan where one can savor delectable
Sicilian cuisine. Located in Astoria, a
92 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Dining Out ➜ Restaurants+Pizzerias+Wine Bars
traditional Italian neighborhood, the
restaurant is run by a family from the
province of Palermo that, for years,
has been committed to offering Sicil-
ian food and spreading the knowledge
of Sicily’s culinary art. Once you enter
Forno Siciliano, your eyes are imme-
diately drawn to a series of Sicilian
icons, like the famous Sicilian cart or
the large, colorful wall paintings de-
picting scenes of the island in all its
beauty. Popular dishes include the de-
licious penne alla siciliana with tomato
Caponata: A most typical Sicilian dish
sauce, ricotta and eggplant, or the veal
boscaiolo with mushrooms, pancetta,
and Marsala sauce. This meal can be
concluded with a great homemade
tiramisù.
Brooklyn
Cobble Hill
Ferdinando’s Focacceria
151 Union Street
% (718) 855-1545
cuisine authentic sicilian
atmosphere old-fashioned
price $$
● If you find yourself walking along
Columbia Street near the waterfront
in Brooklyn and you hear Frank Sina-
tra in the distance, or smell freshly
baked warm bread, then you are near
a Sicilian restaurant as special as its
owner, Francesco Buffa. The res-
taurant is Ferdinando’s Focacceria,
named after Francesco’s father-in-
law , who devoted his life to teaching
his family the art of Sicilian cooking.
Opened in 1904 in the heart of what
was once Brooklyn’s Little Italy, the
place has remained much the same,
giving it a touch of retro “Made in
Sicily.” You can choose from differ-
ent specialties like antipasto rustico
(rustic appetizers) with a sun-dried
tomato base, grilled eggplant, and
caponata accompanied by warm
bread. Or even arancini, rice balls
full of meat and topped with ricotta
and tomato sauce. But the signature
dish is Palermo’s vastedde, a mix of
spleen, ricotta, and grated cacioca-
vallo cheese on a seeded Sicilian bun
that will make your mouth water. To
finish, fabulous cannoli with ricotta.
Download our
iPhone app
Brooklyn
Park Slope
Bella Gioia
209 4th Avenue
% (347) 223-4176
◗ bellagioianyc.com
cuisine authentic
atmosphere rustic
price $$$
● Bella Gioia is the ideal place to re-
cover your energy after jogging in
Park Slope with a wonderful Sicil-
ian dish prepared by the chef and
owner, Nico. His passion for cooking
was inspired and fostered by his par-
ents and grandparents in Sicily. Your
meal would be incomplete without
a plate of fresh pasta with sardines
and wild fennel or orecchiette with to-
mato sauce, eggplant, and Parmesan
cheese. For those who desire a lighter
meal, there is a tasty orange and fen-
nel salad. your lunch or dinner with a
delicious pistachio gelato, a digestive
walk through the historic streets of
this once Italian neighborhood pro-
vides the perfect end to a delicious
time at Bella Gioia.
Brooklyn
Gravesend
Joe’s of Avenue U
287 Avenue U
% (718) 449-9285
◗ http://joesofavenueu.com
cuisine traditional
atmosphere casual
price $$
● If you are looking for a place to eat
excellent Sicilian food, then Joe’s
of Avenue U is for you. A very wel-
coming tavola calda restaurant that
embodies the best of sicilianità (or
“Sicilian-ness”): with symbols and
images of the island that will make
you forget you’re in New York. A
glance behind the counter will un-
cover delicious dishes such as lasa-
gna with meatballs and linguine ai
frutti di mare (with mussels, clams,
cherry tomatoes, garlic), which you
could order along with an octopus
salad. Try the stuffed artichoke
and the meatballs seasoned with
walnuts, raisins, and pine nuts.
If you’re craving something more
substantial, you can try the involt-
ini: breaded veal cutlets rolled with
cheese and bacon, and pair it with
a nice glass of homemade red wine.
Dining Out ➜ Restaurants+Pizzerias+Wine Bars
Brooklyn
Bensonhurst
Il Colosseo
7704 18th Avenue
% (718) 234-3663
cuisine classic
atmosphere family
price $$$
● Although named after the famous
monument in the center of Rome, Il
Colosseo — located at the heart of
Cristoforo Colombo Boulevard — is
a Sicilian-owned family restaurant.
Always busy, it sports a large wood-
burning oven used to churn out
delicious pizzas. Il Colosseo offers
a variety of Italian specialties in-
cluding, obviously, a few signature
Sicilian dishes. We suggest getting
a plate of pasta with olive pesto and
ricotta. If you love fish, the grilled
octopus is highly recommended. For
dessert, do not hesitate to order the
panettone with almonds, especial-
ly around Christmas. Good Italian
wine values by the glass.
150,000 on Facebook
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 93
Staten Island
Enoteca Maria
27 Hyatt Street
% (718) 447-2777
◗ www.enotecamaria.com
cuisine authentic
atmosphere casual
price $$$
● Enjoy the ferry ride to Staten
Island and admire the sunset on
your way to a very special place:
l’Enoteca di Maria. Only a five-min-
ute walk from the ferry terminal,
this small restaurant allows you to
enjoy traditional cooking just like
your nonna used to make. What’s
even better is that there is a dif-
ferent Italian grandmother in the
kitchen each day of the week. Each
cook comes from a different part of
Italy and prepares specialties from
her own region. Nonna Nina, of Si-
cilian origin, will amaze you with
her lasagna or her pasta with grilled
eggplant. And what about trying a
typical Sicilian aromatic ragù with
rabbit meat?
Getting to...
(almost there:)
i-Italy Rocks!
SPONSORED CONTENT
“Sapori della nostra terra”
“Quality means excellence,
especially in food”: that’s
what young Italian-American
Giovanni Patti understood
from his father after
Italy - Sicily
spending years learning
how to create a successful
business, one of the few Sicilian
companies to consistently
attend New York’s “Summer
Fancy Food.” For roughly 5
years Patti has been importing
traditional Sicilian products into
the US, particularly into New
York. The company he works,
“Sapori della Nostra Terra,” acts
as an ambassador to Sicily’s
culinary tradition in the Big Apple. A few of his most famous products include
crunchy cannoli wafers filled with Sicilian sheep’s milk ricotta, exquisite
arancine and chickpea fritters. Not to mention their delectable cassata (Sicilian
sponge cake made with fruit, ricotta and marzipan). Patti’s winning brand has
brought the authenticity of Sicily’s small producers under one big tent.
Contact Giovanni Patti: pattigiov@hotmail.com | % (347) 440-7351
www.facebook.com/iitaly

●● KESTÈ & DON ANTONIO. TWO AUTHENTIC PIZZERIAS IN MANHATTAN
Neapolitan Pizza: A Life Passion
Roberto and Giorgia
Caporuscio with mentor
Antonio Starita are out to
conquer the US of A.
by L. A.
●● Three generations join
forces to champion authentic
Neapolitan pizza. We’re
referring to an increasingly
well-known trio in the gourmet
world: mother-and-father team
Roberto and Giorgia Caporuscio
and their mentor Don Antonio
Astarita, whose Pizzeria Starita
on via Materdei, one of the
oldest pizzerias in Naples, has
been in his family for three
generations. Not only is the
pizza special, but watching
how they work together, never
straying from the path of classic
cooking, is pure Naples.
Roberto & Giorgia
After a period working in the
cheese industry (about which
he knows every little detail),
Roberto shifted his attention to
the pizzaiolo metier. He trained
with some of the most talented
pizza-makers before relocating
to the United States, where he
has opened several popular
pizzerias, most recently in New
York. In 2009, he opened Kesté
Pizza & Vino and in 2012, with
his old friend Antonio Starita,
he opened Don Antonio by
Starita.
With his daughter Georgia
he has created a significant
generational link.
Like many young Italians,
Georgia came to New York in
2010 to study English. One day,
her father asked her to give
pizza-making a shot. “Why
don’t you try to play with the
dough,” he asked her, “see how
we make it?” What began as
a lark quickly turned serious.
Under the guidance of Don
Antonio, she became a rising
star in the field, earning the
Classical Pizza Champion title
94 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Dining Out ➜ Restaurants+Pizzerias+Wine Bars
in 2013 for her Montanara
Starita.
“I love pizza because it’s so
simple but so particular. It’s so
difficult to make yet so easy at
the same time,” Georgia tells
us. “Everyone eats pizza - rich
people, poor people, young and
old. Everyone.”
Enters Don Antonio
Starita is third-generation pizza
royalty. His family’s pizzeria
in Naples was featured in
Vittorio De Sica’s film L’Oro di
Napoli, in which Sofia Loren and
Don Antonio
309 W 50th St
% (646) 719-1043
◗ donantoniopizza.com
Giacomo Furia play a couple of
pizzaioli who crank out fried
pizza on credit—“eat today, pay
tomorrow.”
Starita has even served pizza to
Pope John Paul II. His “Pizza del
Papa” is one of the best-known
pizzas in the world. Don’t tell
this writer such recognitions
count for nothing.
Starita knows everything there
is to know about dough. In
Naples they say he has tomato
sauce coursing through his
veins. “Over all these years,
we have never strayed from
Kesté Pizza & Vino
271 Bleecker St
%kestepizzeria.com
(212) 243-1500◗
tradition, although we have
made some innovations as far
as flavor is concerned,” says
Starnita, adding, “The pizza
has retained its classic identity
as a full and tasty meal. It has
to remain rooted in popular
Neapolitan cuisine.”
His student is no slouch either.
Two styles, same guarantee
Currently, Caporuscio is US
President of the Association of
Neapolitan Pizza Makers. Just
try asking him to substitute
something on his bewilderingly
large pizza menu. “I’d rather
lose a client,” he says. “Our
pizzas are the product of a long
tradition. They don’t change.”
Two pizzerias, two styles, same
guarantee: real Neapolitan
pizza.
Kesté (meaning “this is it” in
Neapolitan) is located in the
heart of Greenwich Village.
It was the first authentic
Neapolitan pizzeria in New York
and sparked the Big Apple’s love
for “real” pizza.
Farther uptown is Don Antonio
by Starita. The joint has genuine
Neapolitan décor and a cocktail
list with an Italian twist. We
recommend the Bellini. It’s a
treat.
You can expect the best
of Naples’ best from both
pizzerias: doughy delights
including red pizzas, white
pizzas, fried pizzas, gluten-free
pizzas, stuffed pizzas, calzones,
and much more. If that weren’t
enough, the wood-fired oven is
custom-built from volcanic soil
and stone.
i-Italy recommends returning
frequently and trying
everything. But for starters,
don’t miss “La Montanara
Starita.” In our opinion, it’s the
dish that drives home the point:
innovation is best achieved
through tradition.
What’s for dessert, you ask?
Indulge in “La Pizza o gli
Angioletti alla Nutella” (small
‘angels’ with Nutella). You have
to taste it to believe it. ●●
A DYNASTY IS BORN
The father-daughter team of Roberto and Giorgia Caporuscio have won Best Pizza in New York an unprecedented
6 times between their two, New York-based pizzerias, Keste Pizza and Vino and Don Antonio by Starita.

kestepizzeria.com donantoniopizza.com
Ideas ❱❱ Style
FASHION, DESIGN & MORE
●● A CONVERSATION WITH ARCHITECT DAN MEIS
Stadio della Roma: A Glorious
Mix of Past, Present, and Future
Stadium Curva Sud Entry. Raised up on a plaza to accommodate 2 levels of parking, the grand stairs make for a dramatic entry to the stadium and surrounding activity.
Situated prominently facing the primary pedestrian pathways is the Curva Sud entrance, flanked on either side by main general admission and VIP entries.
The challenge of designing a
new home for A.S. Roma, one
of the most renowned soccer
teams in Italian history, has
fallen to American architect
Dan Meis. The real estate
investment should increase
the value of Rome’s southern
district Tor di Valle.
by Mila Tenaglia
●● If you’re interested in
Italian soccer and love the
eternal city, you now have yet
another reason to pack your
bags for Rome. A brand new
architectural project, expertly
96 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
fusing tradition and a futuristic
vision, is ready for construction.
The one and only Stadio della
Roma will be built in Rome’s Tor
di Valle district. In architect Dan
Meis’ words, “I was surprised
to learn that there was such
a large available site at Tor di
Valle. While not in the center
of Rome, it is almost halfway
between the airport and the city
on the main highway.”
Sports, Entertainment,
and Architecture
Dan Meis is a renowned
American architect with over
30 years of experience under
his belt. He is known as one
of the best architects in the
world, specializing in sports &
Dan Meis
entertainment. His works have
Photos: Courtesy of Meis Architects
been on display in Europe, the
The idea is
Middle East and, naturally, the
United States. He owns studios to transform
in Los Angeles and New York this area into an
that serve many locations
around the world.
entirely new sports,
Raised in a small city in entertainment,
Colorado, Meis quickly became shopping, and
enthralled with the world of
sports. He was also equally business district.
attracted to the physical look A new attraction
of stadiums, the symbolism in a city with some
attached to them and the way
spectators get swept up in a of the world’s most
game. “I was taken by how famous attractions.
passionate people are about The stadium is
stadiums and the teams who
occupy them. I love working envisioned to set a
around the world and having new bar for state of
the opportunity to engage in
the culture and passion of
the art, not just in
local fans.” Italy but globally.
Ideas ➜ Style
It would be impossible to design a stadium in Rome without
thinking about the powerfully iconic presence of the
Colosseum. We knew that a new stadium would draw comparison so
we wanted to make a respectful reference to it but in a very
contemporary way.
From the Colosseum to the
Stadium
When looking at designs for
the stadium it is hard not to
note its resemblance to the
Colosseum, the most important
Roman amphitheater and the
symbol of Rome itself. As Meis
puts it, “It would be impossible
to design a stadium in Rome
without thinking about the
powerfully iconic presence of the
Colosseum. We knew that a new
stadium would draw comparison
so we wanted to make a
respectful reference to it but in
a very contemporary way. Our
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 97
Dan Meis
solution was to ‘wrap’ a modern
steel and glass stadium with a
floating stone scrim of Travertine
that would be loosely based on
the rhythms and fenestration of
the Colosseum. The travertine
would be quarried from the very
same mountains that provided
the stone for the Colosseum. In
the end we hope we have created
something very contemporary
but that fits comfortably with the
iconic monuments of Rome.”
Transformative Architecture
“I have been traveling to Tuscany
on vacations with my family
every year for the last twenty,”
says Meis. “So I know Italy
and Rome very well.” But the
cultural research he conducted
while working out designs for
Stadio della Roma is not simply
the byproduct of his passion
for all things Italian; he is also
interested in Italian fans, whom
he admits cannot be easily placed
into a convenient socio-political
box. “Football fans are far more
passionate and knowledgeable
about their sport than any
other,” he says. “Americans do
not completely understand this
yet, but it is changing. I am quite
Stadium Interior Bowl
View of the pitch from Suite level,
looking toward the south end.  The
Curva Sud stands alone as its own
seating deck, a nearly continuous
wall of fans to intimidate opposing
teams.  On non-game days the Curva
Sud also serves as a 15,000 seat
venue for smaller concerts and other
performances and events.
sure this type of soccer will be
as popular in the U.S. as the NFL
someday.”
Tor di Valle may feel peripheral
now, but thanks to the Stadio,
it should soon become both a
sporting hub and an artistic
and cultural center operational
seven days a week. “The
idea is to transform this area
into an entirely new sports,
entertainment, shopping, and
business district,” says Meis.
“A new attraction in a city with
some of the world’s most famous
attractions. The stadium is
envisioned to set a new bar for
what’s state-of-the-art, not just in
Italy but globally.”
Stadio della Roma should be ready
for the 2018 season and we’re
hopeful it will pay proper homage
to “I Giallorossi” (The Yellow-
Reds) and the city of Rome. ●●
Stadium Exterior Plaza.
Intended to evoke one of Rome’s most
beloved and iconic landmarks, the
Colosseum, the design incorporates an
ultra-modern, steel and glass stadium,
wrapped in a stone “scrim”. This scrim,
a floating stone screen that envelops the
stadium is a dynamic contemporary
interpretation of the stone arches of the
famous arena. A translucent canopy
protects the entire seating bowl from
the elements.
 Ideas ➜ Style

Personal Shopper
Branding and rebranding made in Italy
by Stefano Celsi

2015 was the year of the iconic ‘80s designer logo comeback, We saw American
designers like Calvin Klein or DKNY back in fashion in a major way. There’s
nothing better than Italian powerhouses like Moschino and Valentino to take
center stage. Since Valentino Garavani retired in 2008, the brand has lived a
glowing second life, maintaining their classic, remarkable signature style, like
Rosso Valentino. The irreverent and controversial brand is remixing new trends
with classic Moschino must haves like denim luxury and its leather accessories. .

grew up surrounded by artists

Extraordinary
❝1❞ and, after graduating from the
prestigious Politecinco di Moda
Knitwear in Milan, moved first to Lon-
Ada don then to New York where
◗ adadivincenzo.com she had unique experiences
working for some of the
● Italians aren’t all about vintage and world’s best magazines and
old glam; they’ve also been known fashion houses. Ada since
to encouraging new de- decided to launch her
signers of note. own brand. With fall on
Like Ada di the way, there’s nothing
Vincenzo, better than a quality
who Italian-made knit to
keep you warm, like
the one pictured be-
low from this new
upcoming Ital-
ian designer. It’s
another made-
in-Italy must-
have.

❝ 2❞
Urban Femme
Fatale
Moschino
◗ moschino.com

● Only a year ago

Jeremy Scott took
his enfant ter-
rible street style to Milan’s Moschino
2
headquarters. This year’s fall/winter
collection is made for the rough and
tough urban woman who likes to play
with denim couture and gold-and-
1 leather goods. If it’s hard to miss the
giant Moschino logo on the goods, then
it’s impossible to miss the bright, ag-
gressive colors of the clothes.

98 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Ideas ➜ Style

3 ❝3❞
Italian gentleman
Etro
◗ etro.com/en_us/
● Veronica Etro defined her fall col-
lection with two words: “Controlled
Maximalism.” “[I] mixed a lot of
different materials in each piece,
creating a textural 3-D quality,”
she said. The beautiful suits are
tailored for the contemporary man
who’s not afraid to add sensibility
and new materials to his wardrobe,
honoring this Italian house’s ex-
traordinarily rich tradition.
Bauletto Forever
Luxurious, Feminine, Original
Prada ● Miuccia Prada is the ultimate fash-
◗ www.prada.com ion icon. This year the legendary
brand – first established in Milan in
1913 – has remixed and revisited a classic. It’s called the Prada Inside
bag and it’s the main bag being launched for the 2015 fall/winter
collection with its très feminine pastel colors. The main feature of
the Inside bag is its “bag-inside-the-bag” lined with Napa leather. The
bags themselves are made with leather, snake and crocodile skin. .

❝4❞
Romantic Flower Power
Valentino
◗ www.valentino.com

● Rome-based Valentino designers

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo
Piccioli are often inspired by their
Italian heritage. This collection’s
muses are none other than San-
3 dro Botticelli’s La primavera and
pop artist Giosetta Fioroni. These
oversized dresses with romantic
prints and a dash of boho chic are
remarkable.

4
❝5❞
Style on your shoulder
Valentino
◗ valentino.com thing Italians are bril-
liant matchmakers. And
● This season, backpacks have be- this Valentino back-
3 come a statement. This ’90’s fashion pack is a match
revival is not just a passing fashion made in heaven:
mood, it seems to have caught up luxurious de-
and keep expanding. In our fast- tails like butterfly
paced world, we have to carry our prints married
life around with us, making it hard with high quality
to be stylish and practical. Good Italian material.
We think it’s a
must—don’t
you agree?

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 99

Ideas ❱❱ Bookshelf
italIAN readS AND listenS

●● A CONVERSATION WITH RUTH BEN-GHIAT

Italy’s Skeleton in the Closet

New York University
Professor of Italian Studies
and History Ruth Ben-Ghiat
discusses her new book
Italian Fascism’s Empire
Cinema. This interview
aired on our TV show and is
now available online.

by Stefano albertini

●● I have heard people refer

to “colonial cinema” but
there is no other book that
mentions “empire cinema.”
Why did you choose that term
as the title of your book?
Because I wanted to bring
attention to the dramatic
period from the invasion of
Ethiopia in 1935 until the
fall of the empire, a period
marked by the militarization
of society and propaganda.
The state supported cinema
and spawned this body of
work. So I wanted to set
it apart from the colonial
cinema of the pre-empire
period.
Was Mussolini very
interested in cinema? Did he
have direct control over the
directors?
At the beginning of the regime
Mussolini was not interested
in entertainment movies. He
founded the “Istituto Luce” for
documentaries and newsreels.
Gradually, he realized that this
was a mistake.
Was the popularity of foreign
films an object of concern to
Mussolini? And could this
be why he supported the
production of empire cinema?
Scan the QR code to watch this interview on your smartphone
Italian
Fascism’s
Empire
Cinema
Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Indiana
University
Press
➤ pages 420 ➤ $ 35
Well, Italians didn’t really want
to see Italian films as much
as American or even French
ones. So, after the invasion
of Ethiopia, the Fascist state
reorganized the cultural
bureaucracy, founded Cinecittà,
and gave Istituto Luce a new
home to combat American
cinema. They took distribution
away from American studios.
And, in retaliation, American
films withdrew from the Italian
market. This had a rather
ambivalent reception: some
worried about not having
enough Italian production.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat on i-Italy | TV
Your book states that 91%
of Italian entertainment at
that time consisted in going
to see movies. So not being
able to produce enough was a
legitimate concern.
But eventually, during WWII,
Italian cinema backed by the
state became very successful
and was one of the best selling
across the axis block. But they
had to get rid of American films
from Italian screens to achieve
that.
In your book you also mention
that there are other examples
of empire cinema. What would
you say is specifically Italian?
There is a lot of foreign influence
in these fascist propaganda
films. But there are certain
things that make them more
Italian, like the fact that women
are seldom on screen, even
when there is a love interest. The
focus is on male bonding, the
“military ethos.” Then there are
films about emigration, the great
drama of early 20th-century
Italy, the loss of millions of
Italians abroad. Declaring itself
an empire gave Italians a chance
to leave Brooklyn and Buenos
Aires, and come home, not to
Italy, where there was no work,
but to the colonies.
Which of these films was more
surprising or challenging to
you?
I would say the two films shot in
Somalia, about which nothing
is written. One, by Romolo
Marcellini, featured real soldiers
and very few actors. The other,
called Giungla Nera, starred a
French actor who made both the
Italian and the French versions
of the film and a Somali woman.
These films are a mix of
documentary and fiction with
subplots of love and war.

100 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Ideas ➜ Bookshelf

After the
invasion of
Ethiopia in October
1935, the state
reorganized the
cultural bureau-
cracy, founded
Cinecittà, and gave
Istituto Luce a new
home to combat
American cinema.
They took distribu-
tion away from
American studios.
And, in retaliation,
American films
withdrew from the
Italian market

You underline the fact that

in empire movies the line
between documentary and
feature films is blurred.

One of the things I argue

in my book is that empire
films became a site for
experimentation. Because you
have to show the colonies, you
want to convince people that Among the
Italy is making them flourish.
So there was a lot of emphasis
many
on getting direct footage, sure, examples of Italian
but also on emphasizing the
empire cinema there
glory of the Italian military
by showing real soldiers. Two are films about
generations of important Italian emigration, the great
directors worked on these films,
including people like Genini,
drama of early 20th-
Alessandrini and Cameroni, century Italy, the
and also Fellini, Rossellini and
loss of millions of
Antonioni. But afterward these
films were not remembered. Italians abroad.
Very rarely did directors speak Declaring itself an
about them, and this cinema
was put into the closet. Finding
empire gave Italians
the material for this book was a chance to leave
not easy. For instance, I realized
Brooklyn and
that one of the four storylines
of a 1942’s Benghazi had been Buenos Aires, and
removed by the Christian come home, not to
Democrats after the war
because it featured a prostitute.
Italy, where there
So I wrote to the archivists at was no work, but to
the Museo Nazionale di Torino,
the colonies. And
and they heroically managed
to find a copy of the complete this did happen, to a
film. ●● certain extent.

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 101

 Ideas ➜ Bookshelf

A Season in Florida will both frighten and enlighten. Di

Emanuele Pettener Grado stunned with her debut novel
Bordighera Press
➤ pages 154 ➤ $ 14.00 Frecce Tricolori 70% Acrylic 30% Wool portraying an un-

Acrobatic Colors in the Venice Sky usual love story and she is likely to find
great success with her newest, inven-
BOOK ● A Season tive novel.
In Florida is Eman- Frecce ● Frecce collects the first work in
uele Pettener’s Renato D’Agostin color by the Italian photographer
debut book of fic- Automatic Books Renato D’Agostin.
Dream Pools
tion in English. ➤ pages 132 ➤ $ 29 Frecce Tricolori (literally “Tricol-
Nico Maria Filigheddu and
Giovanni Maria Filigheddu
Prolific in Italian ored Arrows”), or the 313th Grup-
Skira
with three novels, po Addestramento Acrobatico, is ➤ pages 184 ➤ $ 68.00
he now offers a the aerobatic demonstration team
North American of the Italian air force. Every year BOOK ● T h i s
audience some of his delightfully in Jesolo Lido, a seaside resort book transports
funny, yet sober, short fiction, which near Venice, Frecce readers to the
nicely complements his previously Tricolori entertain breathtaking
published novels. Emanuele Pettener thousands of peo- Emerald Coast
teaches Italian language and litera- ple with colorful of Sardinia. The
ture at Florida Atlantic University; and eye-catching focus is on the
he has published numerous articles stunts. swimming pools
and short stories in Italy and in the that have be-
United States. come a funda-
Photographer Renato D’Agostin attended mental aspect of vacation homes
the show in August 2014 and created on the island. The pools range from
A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose a series of photographs depicting the those that are geometrically shaped
Luca Bracali acrobatic movements of the aircrafts, or free formed and are found in a va-
Mondadori their dense traces of smoke, an admiring audience, riety of settings along the Emerald
➤ pages 132 ➤ $ 22.00 and, most of all, the sky painted in green, white and red. Last March Coast. All the pools, even those that
Mc2gallery (Milan) presented a selection of prints from Frecce by look as if they are part of nature, are
BOOK ● In Luca Renato D’Agostin in occasion of Pulse New York Contemporary examples of incredible man-made
Bracali’s most re- Art Fair. architecture.
cent book of pho-
tographs, he ex- Renato D’Agostin was born in 1983. He started his career in photography in
plores the deeper Venice, Italy in 2001. The atmosphere of city life nourished his curiosity to capture
Gelato Messina:
beauty hidden life situations with the camera. For this, in 2002, he journeys through the capitals
The Recipes
Nick Palumbo
within the flower of Western Europe. After a period in Milan where he worked with the production
Hardie Grant Press
petals as he captures several different studio Maison Sabbatini, he moved overseas exploring photography in New York. ➤ pages 320 ➤ $ 29.95
varieties of flora. Beautiful enough on In the dynamic city life he had the chance to meet photographer Ralph Gibson
their own, these photographs, when and later on become his assistance. In 2007, he presented Metropolis at the Leica BOOK ● N i c k
presented in succession, create a Gallery in New York. Other exhibitions followed in The United States, Europe and Palumbo’s new
comprehensive collection of nature’s Asia in the years after. His works have been published in numerous books and gelato cookbook
simple elegance – a collection Bracali some of his prints have in the years become part of public collections such as The will inspire those
should feel proud of. Bracali photo- Library of Congress and The Phillips Collection in Washington DC, as well as the looking to create
graphed the majority of his work in Center for Creative Photography in Arizona and the Maison Europeenne de la their own cool,
the Barni’s Nurseries, a family-owned Photographie in Paris among others. Italian treat with
nursery founded in 1882, in Pistoia, basic recipes us-
Italy. He completed most of his work ing fresh ingredi-
between 2011 and 2012. ents. Readers will be surprised to see
recipes with non-traditional yogurt
and dairy bases. In addition to the
The Hollow Heart gelato recipes themselves, Palumbo
Viola Di Grado, Translated by
provides a helpful “basics” section
Antony Shugaar
Europa Editions that will help any gelato amateur
➤ pages 176 ➤ $ 16.00 make the classic Italian treat in their
own home. With recipes to help any
BOOK ● The Hol- home cook create gelato like the pro-
low Heart tells the fessionals, accompanied by beauti-
story of what fol- ful photographs, Palumbo is sure to
lows a suicide. Di delight any gelato aficionado with
Grado brings a vi- this book!
sion of life after
life. She writes of
the emotions of Download our
the dead—their in- iPhone app
credible longing and the sense of loss
that plagues them. Di Grado’s story

102 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

Ideas ➜ Bookshelf

Leonardo: 1452-1519 eral guest artists. It’s so rich and varied

Edited by Pietro C. Marani and that it can serve as a complete playlist
Maria Teresa Fiorio
Skira
on its own and appeal to an even wider ITALIAN JAZZ
➤ pages 350 ➤ $ 60.00 audience.
Mr Sax (ophone)
BOOK ● Editors
P i e t ro M a ra n i Sanremo, Grande Amore
and Maria Teresa
Il Volo
Columbia/Sony
Fiorio created a
➤ $ 16.99
catalog of Leon-
ardo da Vinci’s music ● This trio of
entire works for young Italian sing-
the occasion of ers, Piero Barone,
the Milan Expo 2015. This edition uses Ignazio Boschetto,
twelve sections to illustrate funda- and Gianluca Gi-
mental themes of Leonardo’s artistic nobile, whose origi- by Enzo Capua
and scientific career. The final two nal blend of opera and pop has gained
sections concentrate on his famous international recognition in the past
masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, and how
his influence continues into this mod-
few years, came out with a new EP
on the occasion of their participation I n 1841 a Belgian musician based in Paris decided to invent a musi-
cal instrument which would possess a fuller, more vibrant sound
than the bass clarinet he usually played. The musician was Adolphe
ern time. It also contrasts Leonardo’s in the 2015 Sanremo Music Festival.
works with those of his predecessors It includes six covers of some of the Sax, and the instrument he patented in 1846 would from then on
for readers to fully grasp his contribu- best songs from past Sanremo Festival be named the “Saxophone.” Sax could never have imagined the suc-
tion to not only to the history of art, but editions, all adapted and rearranged, cess his instrument would have during the following decades, nor
also to science and technology. and one new original song, “Grande its eventual status as the symbol of a genre of music that did not
Amore,” with which they won this even exist during his time: jazz.
edition of the Festival. What makes the sound of the saxophone so indispensable in
A Walk in Roberto Bolle: jazz bands? One answer stands out above the rest: its sound most
Voyage Into Beauty closely resembles the human voice. The trumpet, the clarinet, the
Roberto Bolle, Photographed by D’Amore flute, and other wind instruments also possess some of this resem-
Luciano Romano & Fabrizio Ferri Claudio Baglioni blance, but the saxophone has something much more. Maybe it’s the
Rizzoli Columbia/Sony
➤ pages 160 ➤ $ 65.00 softness, or the lightness, or the sensuality of its sound. Or maybe
➤ $ 27.59
it’s the sound of grittiness and ruggedness that more accurately
BOOK ● This book ● A collection of encompasses all the diverse forms the human soul can take, be
showcases Roberto some of the great- they more feminine or masculine in nature. These sensations can
Bolle in some of est songs by the be experienced even by those who are not musically inclined. There
Italy’s most iconic renowned Italian is nothing more human, is there?
locations. Bolle, singer/songwriter, This tells us a lot about the defining features of jazz, a genre
principal dancer Claudio Baglioni. which brightly resonates with our everyday lives, even if we do not
of the American This album features always recognize it. This is a viewpoint – my own viewpoint – that
Ballet Theatre and thirty tracks by the could possibly merit further analysis, though perhaps this view is
guest artist at La Roman musician and singer, includ- the overarching theme of my articles here at i-Italy. At least I hope
Scala and the Royal Ballet, has become ing iconic ones like “Questo Piccolo that this is the case!
a great cultural ambassador of Italy to Grande Amore.” The essence of over There are in fact several types of saxophone differing from one
the world. His compelling performanc- forty years’ worth of successful songs another in timbre and range. Four types are normally used in jazz:
es have drawn a wider audience to the is encompassed in this two disc CD, soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. Each of these has been personi-
ballet. In this edition Bolle is shot in whose leading theme is love. fied by great musicians, several of them geniuses of their time, who
beautiful poses all across the country have elevated the quality of their respective sound categories. They
at famed locations such as St. Mark’s moved us, excited us, and in some instances made us cry, smile, or
Square, Venice.
Parole in Circolo dream. Their music touched us.
Marco Mengoni I would like to recall the names of some of the artists who morphed
Sony Music
the sound of their instruments into unforgettable tunes; tenor saxo-
➤ $ 22.99
Lorenzo 2015 CC phonists Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, altoists Charlie Parker
Jovanotti music ● A major and Paul Desmond, soprano artists Sidney Bechet, John Coltrane, and
Universal Music Steve Lacy, and baritone masters Gerry Mulligan and Serge Chaloff.
figure of Italian pop
$ 32.00
since he won X- Many other prominent saxophonists exist, of course, but the marks
MUSIC ● The lat- Factor Italy in 2009, left by these legends in the history of jazz are truly unforgettable.
est and thirteenth Marco Mengoni has And the Italians? We have many in both the past and present!
album by one of now released his Tenor players Max Ionata and Francesco Bearzetti, altoists Fran-
the very few – if third album, which includes his new cesco Cafiso and Rosario Giuliani, sopranos Stefano Di Battista and
not the only – Ital- hit single “Guerriero”(Warrior), an emo- Emanuele Cisi and baritones Carlo Actis Dato and Beppe Scardino.
ian pop star figure, tional song about vulnerability and the In no way do these Italian saxophonists dwarf their American coun-
Jovanotti (real name: Lorenzo Cheru- power of love. His sweet, melancholy terparts. Their musical language, filled with emotions and hues,
bini) includes thirty new songs, vari- songs touch upon issues that are both represents the spirit that constitutes humankind’s most noble trait.
ous genres ranging from rock - what personal and universal, such as the im- In this respect, Italians are definitely second to none.
he was originally known for - to pop, portance of image over essence in the
EDM, and even rap, and features sev- music business and society at large.

www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 103

 Travel to Sicily with Loc’appart
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104 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org

●● A DIFFERENT WAY TO EXPLORE THE MOST FAMOUS OF THE ITALIAN ISLANDS
Baroque Sicily. When History
and Art Join Forces — and Win
With so many possible ways
to visit Sicily, we decided to
take you for a tour of
Sicilian cities in search of
baroque treasures.
by Dominique Fernandez *
Four baroque corners in
Palermo
Known throughout the world
for its rowdy vitality, Palermo is
also renowned for its marvelous
baroque architecture. It’s the
perfect place to start our trip,
focusing on four corners all
of which will surely take your
breath away.
The first sports marmi mischi
(colored or inlaid marble): a
sumptuous local specialty that
bears witness to the wealth and
politics of a few eighteenth-
century polychrome churches
that never cease to amaze.
One of the most beautiful is the
Chiesa del Gesù, set in the heart
of a working class neighborhood
and laden with marble inlays
of every color, numerous putti,
scantily clad figures, angels,
peacocks, winged dogs and
griffins clinging to pillars in
an lively blend of realism and
fantasy. Behind the altar, in the
recesses of the choir, the sculptor
Vitagliano recreated scenes from
the Old Testament taken from
the story of David. The statues
are set against a backdrop of
yellow and blue inlay and depict
three workaday commoners – a
miller, a vintner and a man
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 105
Tourism ❱❱ Sicily
Are you going to Italy SOON?
Entrance of the port of Messina, place of the mythical strait of Charybdis and Scylla
Sicily, a fascinating island that possesses two millennia of
history, an incredibly deep blue sea and stunning mountain
views, is home to a few major places of interest to visitors seeking
one thing in common: baroque architecture.
delivering bread – who stand in
sharp contrast to the church’s
theatrical pomp, naturalist motifs
in a lyrical setting.
Palazzo Gangi, our second
baroque corner, was made
famous by Visconti in his movie
Il Gattopardo (The Leopard).
A remnant of Palermo’s old
aristocracy, Palazzo Gangi is
the only family house of its
kind in such good condition,
thanks to the ingenious work
of the current owner, a woman
from Lyons who married Prince
Palermo.
Gangi. The princess offers
Cocchieri church, Madonna dell’Itria
private tours of the adjoining
* French writer of novels, essays and travel books. In 1982 he won the Prix Goncourt for his novel about Pier Paolo Pasolini and in
2007 he was elected a member of the Académie française. He taught in Naples at the French Institute, then Italian literature at the
University of Haute-Bretagne at Rennes.
halls she has restored bit by bit,
wall hanging by wall hanging,
trinket by trinket – repairing,
gluing, scrubbing and polishing
with admirable earnestness
and self-sacrifice. Rare cabinets,
chandeliers teeming with
branches, armchairs with gnarled
feet and intricate lace adorn
every room without a care for
how much it once cost – or will
cost in the future. The ballroom
and adjoining hall of mirrors
are among the most beautiful
antique remnants of a class
that has all but disappeared.
What impeccable taste! What
unpretentious beauty!

On the third corner we find
the three oratories decorated
by Giacomo Serpotta, a stucco
worker about whom little is
known. In fact, his talents never
made it off the island. Besides
his work on the Santo Spirito
Monastery in Agrigento, Serpotta
exclusively operated in Palermo,
where he was born in 1656 and
died in 1732. His body, buried in
the basement of the Chiesa di
San Matteo, disappeared when
the cemetery was removed.
Until recently, there had been no
mention of his work. For two and
a half centuries, he was forgotten,
confirming how little Sicilians
care to boast of their reputation.
Or should their silence be
attributed to indifference?
Contempt? Distaste for attention?
Sicilians, you might say, prefer
to stay in the shadows, where
their talents may remain intact,
intangible, sacred, like a diamond
in the depths of a mine.
Indeed inside Serpotta’s three
oratories you will discover the
work of a sculptor of striking
imagination and skill, whose
medium was not marble or
bronze but stucco. The artist’s
specialty was a snake or
lizard (serpiotta) that he would
sometimes carve into the corner
of his statues.
Serpotta’s world is entirely white,
and you’re not immediately
aware of it, given that the first
oratory he worked on, the
Rosario in San Domenico, houses
massive paintings by van Dyck,
Pietro Novelli and other famous
artists, which are embedded in
the walls and above the altar.
In the next chapel Serpotta
decorated, Santa Zita, a flurry of
white shapes fills the space. You
see nothing but white – life-size
female Virtues and playful putti
frolicking about like acrobats,
skipping, swaying, playing with
their mouths and genitals, among
garlands of roses, bunches of
fruit, and war trophies. But this
child-like space can’t muffle
the noise of war: the Battle of
Lepanto is rendered in admirable
detail in a large panel above
the entrance and between two
older boys—one, holding his
head high and staring insolently,
symbolizes the victor; the other,
in a turban, the defeated Turks.
The twelve alcoves along the
walls reveal the mysteries of
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Tourism ➜ Sicily
Sicilians, you
might say,
prefer to stay in the
shadows, where
their talents may
remain intact,
intangible, sacred,
like a diamond in the
depths of a mine
the Rosary. These miniature
theaters were fashioned with
exquisite precision and poetry.
Serpotta may have never set
foot off the island, but his deep
understanding of perspective
makes you wonder if his bas-
reliefs were borrowed from
Donatello. Shapes gradually
recede, creating a sense of depth.
The last oratory is in San
Lorenzo, adjacent to the church
of San Francesco d’Assisi, and
introduces a new kind of human
next to the serious Virtues
and whimsical babies, several
naked adolescents stretched out
or prone in poses redolent of
Michelangelo’s Ignudi or those by
Carracci in the Palazzo Farnese in
Rome. The total absence of adult
men among dozens of figures is
novel and mysterious; it’s a world
of white with only women and
children. When Serpotta was
fourteen years old, his father
was sent to the galleys and died
a slave. Does the color white,
combined with the absence of
virile characters, suggest a boy
who has erased his father from
his mind? Or is it a post-mortem
homage to the idealized criminal
according to the Sicilian code of
omertà?
Our fourth and last corner lies
at the opposite of this relatively
sober style. It is represented
by the over-the-top baroque of
Bagheria, a small town about ten
miles from Palermo.
Here, the Prince of Palagonia
topped the wall surrounding his
villa with extravagant “monsters”
that would startle Goethe, one
of the first visitors to see them.
Dwarfs riding lions, hunchbacks
donning large wigs, dragons
with donkey ears, bird-women,
fish-men, and oversized heads on
contorted bodies. If you attribute
them to the wild imaginings of Palermo. Piazza Armerina, alley of the old town.
the mentally insane, then you
Tourism ➜ Sicily

Palermo. Oratory Santa Cita. Stucco of Giacomo Serpotta

“Sicilitude” is
a permanent
state of anxiety.
What has best
represented Sicily
since the end of
antiquity are not the
columns you see on
the temples, the
tiered seats in the
theaters or the
grandeur of the
ruins, but rather art
that express a lust
for life, the direct
result of a tragic and
turbulent history
and the constant
threat of violence
from the earth and
below the earth – the
island’s erratic
earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions. Noto. Oval nave of Santa Chiara church

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fail to grasp the Mediterranean
mindset. Like a Pirandello
character, the “mad” prince was
fully aware of what he was doing.
Humor and ridicule were to
blame, not mental illness. Indeed,
chances are he commissioned
these statues to tarnish the image
of a Sicily forever bound by the
cult of restraint and reason.
Bagheria’s brand of baroque
is merely an exaggeration of
a quintessential island trait: a
tendency to defy Greek clichés
and impatiently dispel a myth
that had reduced the island to a
subject of academic investigation.
On the contrary, what has best
represented Sicily since the end
of antiquity are not the columns
you see on the temples, the
tiered seats in the theaters or
the grandeur of the ruins, but
rather art that express a lust for
life, the direct result of a tragic
and turbulent history and the
constant threat of violence from
the earth and below the earth –
the island’s erratic earthquakes
and volcanic eruptions.
“Sicilitude” is a permanent state
of anxiety.
Mount Etna beckons. Lava, basalt,
blackened prisms, black lava
flows, heaps of carbonized ash,
clouds of black smoke, random
craters formed by ice melt: the
world as it was, a telluric jumble.
It’s not uncommon to emerge
from the slag heaps and see a
shrub suddenly burst into flames,
reclaimed by the fire underneath
the surface. How can you
maintain your composure or your
bourgeois lifestyle when you can’t
even trust the earth your house
stands on? It’s as if the notion of
saving for the future, planning
ahead, meeting obligations and
building a career did not exist in
Sicily. What’s the point when at
any minute it could all go up in
smoke?
Catania
The provinces of Catania, Ragusa
and Syracuse were devastated
by the 1693 earthquake. Catania
was almost entirely rebuilt out
of Etna’s lava and rock, which
explains the city’s strange black
hue. A rational urban plan
was drawn up. Streets were
designed to intersect at right
angles (or almost) and, unlike the
labyrinth that is Palermo, hold
very few surprises. The austere
108 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Tourism ➜ Sicily
After the
devastating
earthquake of 1693,
many southern
Sicilian towns were
reconstructed. Since
baroque was the
fashion of the day
the area was rebuilt
in what what we now
refer to as Sicilian
baroque, which is
quite different from
Roman or even
Palermitan baroque.
A less sumptuous,
more country, more
earthy baroque. No
marble or gold but a
soft, golden-colored
stone ingeniously
dispensed.
monuments are baroque, which
was the style of the day. Around
1730, the city’s authorities called
on the architect Giovanni Battista
Vaccarini, a native of Catania Syracuse. Front of the Duomo (cathedral)
who trained in Rome. He brought
the noble and grand Roman style
to Sicily and extinguished any
local imagination. His greatest
works are the city hall and
the facade of the cathedral in
Catania’s Piazza del Duomo.
There is something about them
that is regular and cold, a curious
blend of puritanism and the
baroque, further underscored by
the juxtaposition of white stone
and black lava.
Catania is home to less officious
but infinitely more delightful
places and monuments. Near
the port, the facade of Palazzo
Biscari is laden with herms, putti
and copious floral decorations.
Inside the palace, the ballroom,
which has an uneven, arched
ceiling decorated with stucco
and painted with extravagant
volutes, is punctuated by an oval
opening that draws the eye to a
cupola with an allegoric fresco.
The Via dei Crociferi is “short but
infinitely beautiful,” according
to writer Vitaliano Brancati.
Covered in gates and chains,
Modica. Lateral portal of San Giorgio church
San Giuliano, San Francesco
Tourism ➜ Sicily
Surrounded by
water, Ortygia
– the former heart of
Syracuse, a white
oasis in the sea, a
kind of lagoon – is the
most beautiful city in
Sicily. All of the
island’s history can
be read in the
cathedral, originally
a Greek temple
dedicated to the
goddess Athena
Syracuse. Statue of Santa
Lucia carried in procession
in the cathedral.
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 109
Borgia, San Benedetto and the
other churches lining this street
evoke a past where devotion,
intrigue and gluttony (the pastries
and ice cream in Catania are divine!)
come together powerfully and
harmoniously. There are also
sumptuous railings on the
balcony overhanging the splendid
doorway on the facade of Palazzo
Valle. The railings were enlarged
to accommodate women’s
panniered dresses (fashion
in Sicily was still dictated by
Spanish pomp and circumstance).
Too opulent and exuberant for
Rome, the curves and counter-
curves of the palace’s gallery
make it one of the most beautiful
balconies in all of Sicily. Lastly,
the gigantic proportions and
abundance of diamond shaped
bossages, caryatids, putti and
floral patterns swallowing up the
windows and balconies of the
monastery and church of San
Nicolò are as ostentatious as any
monastery in Mexico.
Southeast Sicily
The southeastern towns of
Noto, Modica, Ragusa, and Scicli
were also destroyed in 1693.
Noto, razed to the ground, was
reconstructed at a new site
several miles away, marking
the beginning of the area’s
reconstruction. Since baroque
was the fashion of the day –
though no one knew it as such
– the area was rebuilt in the
baroque style. As a result, the
group of towns that were rebuilt
exemplifies what we now refer
to as Sicilian baroque, which
is quite different from Roman
or even Palermitan baroque.
A less sumptuous, more
country, more earthy baroque.
No marble or gold but a soft,
golden-colored stone ingeniously
dispensed. The architect
Rosario Gagliardi (like Serpotta,
an unknown) used the slope
of the land to form the facades
of the Chiesa di San Giorgio
in Modica, the Chiesa di San
Giorgio in Ragusa, and open-
air theaters that used the sun
as a spotlight. Noto, or Netum,
was built from the ground
up. It is the most successfully
reconstructed city and the
most spectacular surprise in
all of Sicily. Built into the side
of a hill, the city boasts a main
street flanked by honey-hued
limestone religious buildings all
facing the same direction. The
first is the conventional Chiesa
di San Francesco, which sits
atop an immense staircase with
three landings. Then there is
the cathedral, whose staircase
is equally monumental. A bit
farther along, Rosario Gagliardi’s
Chiesa di San Domenico has a
convex facade with two orders
and columns. The portal has a
broken pediment and a semi-
circular crown between two
broken half-pediments. The
street runs east to west and,
in the late afternoon, the sun
illuminates the gold limestone
and accentuates the churches’
angles, creating a lyrical,
solar parade unlike anything
else you’ll see in Europe. It is,
however, pointless to go inside
these churches. Contrary to
what you’d find in Palermo,
their interiors are bare, cold,
unexciting. They are all about
the profane pleasure of the
spectacle, not somber devotion.
The decor created by the curves
and counter curves, ceremonious
staircases, added archways,
pilasters and capitals of these
facades would seem extravagant
if it were not for the soft and
sensual color of the stone. As for
Noto’s Villadorata princes, their
only claim to fame is the over
ornate anthropomorphic and
zoomorphic corbels found under
the six balconies of their palace.
Syracuse
Finally we arrive in Syracuse.
Surrounded by water, Ortygia
– the former heart of the city, a
white oasis in the sea, a kind of
lagoon – is the most beautiful city
in Sicily. The island’s history can
be read in the cathedral. In the
beginning, it was a Greek temple
dedicated to the goddess Athena.
When it was transformed into a
Christian basilica, the powerful
Doric columns were integrated
into the new structure and are
still visible from both inside and
out. In 1728, a superb baroque
facade was added by Palermo
architect Andrea Palma. A facade
with two orders is joined by
opulent volutes and adorned with
columns and statues ingeniously
detached from the wall, which
create a sense of depth. The
miracle is how these three styles
are reunited so vibrantly and
harmoniously. In front of this
impressive aggregate building
is a white piazza paved in white
flagstones and flanked by white
palaces and coffee shops where
you can order white almond milk,
the nectar of the gods. (The best
almond milk is served at Minerva,
a bar to the left of the cathedral.)
At the back of the piazza, in the
small ultra baroque church of
Santa Lucia, with its pot-bellied
iron balconies, hangs the Burial of
Saint Lucy, Caravaggio’s famous
work painted in Syracuse. The
two giant gravediggers in the
foreground create a perfectly
baroque disproportion in this
powerful, tragic scene. ●●

●● WHAT TO EAT WHEN YOU GET THERE
Three Sicilian Gourmet Treasures
A unique experience of the
senses will set your mind
traveling back to the past.
by Ambra McCoy
●● Cultural identity and the
mingling of different races mark
Sicily both present and past. After
generations of intermingling, the
island has become the center of
the Mediterranean diet, combining
a heritage built on customs,
rituals, hospitality, production
techniques and, obviously, recipes.
Sicilian gastronomy is inextricably
linked to the presence of Siculians,
Phoenicians, Byzantines, Greeks,
Romans, Carthaginians, Arabs, the
French, the Spanish, and many,
many others. Several of its most
famous dishes are the product of
this historical medley of peoples
and ethnicities. Here are just some
of the dishes you must try should
you find yourself traveling to Sicily.
Cassata
The origins of this world-
renowned dessert stretch back
to Arab rule between the 9th
and 11th centuries, which saw
the introduction of cane sugar,
lemons, bitter orange, citron,
mandarins and almonds.
Combined with sheep’s-milk
ricotta—a traditional local
product—these new foodstuffs
gave rise to the first cassata.
Originally, cassata was made
with stuffed pastry dough and
baked in an oven. During the
Norman period, pastry dough
was replaced with a dough
made with almond flour and
sugar. Rather than baked, it was
served cold. The Spanish later
introduced chocolate from their
colonies in South America. The
Baroque era added the final
touch: candied fruit. Today you
can find several variations of
cassata, with pistachios, pine
nuts, cinnamon, maraschino
cherries or orange blossom water.
Around Palermo, you can still
find baked cassata.
110 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org
Tourism ➜ Sicily
Cannolo
The name refers to the river canes
around which the dough used
to be rolled. There are those who
contend that the name goes back
to Cicero, who was the Quaestor
of Lilybaeum (now Marsala) from
76 to 75 B.C., but what appears
indisputable is that the dessert
was first created in the town of
Caltanissetta. For some people,
cannolo was invented by nuns
living in a cloistered convent, who
began with the ancient Roman
recipe later developed by the
Arabs. For others, it was invented Cannolo
by a group of women in a harem
run by a local Arab, and its
characteristic shape is a vaguely
phallic symbol. Whatever the
case, the dessert owes its fame
to the pastry shops in Palermo
and Messina, who are also
responsible for the dark cream
filling variation, made with ricotta
and chocolate. The traditional
white stuffing is made with sifted
and sugared sheep’s-milk ricotta.
Candied fruit or chocolate can be
added later. Finally, the dessert is
dusted with powdered sugar.
Cassata
Caponata
Scattered throughout the
Mediterranean, this traditional
vegetable dish in a sweet-and-
sour sauce is today generally
served as a side dish or appetizer.
However, it was originally an
entrée served with bread. The
basic ingredients are eggplant,
green or white olives, onions,
celery, capers, tomatoes, oil, salt,
vinegar and sugar.
One popular theory suggests
the word ‘caponata’ comes from
‘capone,’ the name in some
parts of Sicily for mahi-mahi,
a type of fish consumed by the Caponata
aristocracy in a sweet-and-sour
sauce. Unable to afford such
an expensive fish, the masses industry family from Palermo basil and toasted pine nuts and
substituted it with the more began producing caponata on an almonds, but if you’re traveling
reasonably priced eggplant. And industrial scale, conserving it in between Messina, Catania,
that is the recipe that has come handmade tin cans and shipping Agrigento and Palermo, you can
down to us today. Immigration it abroad, primarily to the United taste various versions of the
is to thank for caponata’s States, where Sicilian immigrants dish. Each variation is linked to
global fame. At the end of the were hankering for the taste of the history and tradition of its
19th century, an old canning home. Some variations call for respective city. ●●
 THINK OUTSIDE
T H E B OT T L E
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