CIANCIA BULLETIN – APRIL 2024
ABOUT POLLEN… AND PASTA
Dear Members of Ciancia,
Spring is here, folks, dropping on cars, patios and roofs quantities of pollen that defy those spread around, in his time, by Giacomo Casanova. I already planted fresh herbs and begun attending the exterior of my house, clearing it from leaves, dust and dirt. This year, I have paid particular attention to these operations for I keep falling from ladders (apparently, a sport I practice at a very agonistic level). Clearly, I am easily distracted: twice a day I forget where I left my keys and my phone. Signs of ageing? Perhaps, since I can’t stand contemporary pop artists and I can only eat half a pizza – I used to wolf down an entire one, sometime two of them without issues. Fear not, I don’t need a walking cane yet, and I am not planning to retire, although I sleep progressively less than the balmy five hours I used to, since adolescence. I am an old dude folks, just pretending to be younger. Inside I have not stopped being a teenager, but my back knows better. This is not just for self-confession, it is for thanking all of you for giving me the motivation to continue this adventure that is now almost 30 years in its activity. Your enthusiasm and participation are what drives me to dig for relevant news regarding Italy, schedule new events, support and foster our Italian Film Festival and more… So, I hope I did not bore you with these revelations.
One great news this month is the formation of a new committee, which is meant to boost our ability to find sponsors and manage our annual Italian Film Festival in Atlanta, this year at its XIX edition. The new committee is composed by Enrico Cimador, Martina Albano, Chiara Marano, Patrick Dragosei and myself. This infusionof new blood is meant to bring impetus and better organization to what I deem to be the most important event of Italian culture in Atlanta. Of course, operating from Miami, our beloved Claudio Di Persia remains the president of Cinema Italy.
This image of Claudia Cardinale, is a hint to our April programs and to an undying national tradition… not to mention, the potential amazing effects of pasta on the body.
We are constantly looking for hosts, volunteers for our door reception, sponsors scouting and suggestions on activities, not to mention for our bulleting and website content. Please, feel free to reach out to me if you would like to host Ciancia or be part of our team. AGP
On this issue:
– Looking for Sponsors for our annual Italian Film Festival
– Our April Club Meeting
– A new opportunity to practice your Italian
– Pasta al Dente exhibit at the MoDA
– Il nostro campione e’ numero due!
– Andrea Mura’s great feat
– Matteo Mancuso sold out concerts
– Looking for hosts!
All this and more… below!
FOR THE DATE AND LOCATION OF OUR NEXT CLUB MEETING, CLICK HERE!
THE IFF IS LOOKING FOR SPONSORS!
Every Spring for the past 18 years, like clockwork Claudio di Persia and myself, Giancarlo Pirrone, held the Italian Film Festival at the Plaza Theatre. This year, with dwingling funds due to a slow weather-related participation to the Miami Italian Film Festival, we must resort to alternatives. Thanks to the availability of our super-active Simona Muratore together with Emory University’s Department of Italian Studies, this year we may be able host the Italian Film Festival at Emory’s White Hall. If we succeed, the movies will be FREE! However, we must secure about $5,000 in sponsorships before we give it a green light. We are currently looking for corporate sponsors to pay for the movie projection rights. Restaurants as well as enterprises and industries are our target. If you know of anyone in mind who would be willing to offer a sponsorship in exchange for great bull-target publicity, please, put them immediately in touch with me at agpirrone@mindspring.com.
A NEW OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE YOUR ITALIAN
As many of you know, last December we came up with an idea which has been prompted by umpteenth requests I received from our members during the years. It is about a place where smaller groups can get together on an ongoing basis for actual conversation in Italian. We never truly had such a place for quietly practicing Italian. Being as they are, open to anyone, our meetings often end up splitting in smaller groups that converse in various languages. The idea of gathering independently from our regular meeting to exclusively speak Italian is more conducive to learning. We decided that meeting at a cafè works best. Our monthly dates will be wedged between our regular monthly gatherings. Since this is a self-managed gathering, the participants may decide to schedule this group more often, as often as twice a month. Day and time of these meetings are crucial, given that Atlanta’s traffic has become an ominous barrier for those traveling during rush hour. I’ll be there to welcome and get the group going, though I would prefer that the group elected a leader and became fully autonomous. Unlike our regular meetings where we collect funds for our expenses, there is no door charge at these conversation meetings. Furthermore, this cafè serves some of tthe best coffees and italian gelato in Atlanta! We hope you like this idea. Both dates are effective, and you may pick one or both:
Sunday, April 14, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Three Peaches Gelato Coffee
985 B Monroe Drive NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
Parking Warning: Parking on the front lot is limited and security is tightly monitored by cameras. If you park and leave the lot, or go somewhere else after the meeting your car will likely be booted.
AL DENTE: THE DESIGN OF PASTA!
I hope you can join us at the MoDA this spring for Al Dente: The Design of Pasta, an exhibition that explores the world of one of Italy’s most beloved culinary treasures. Opening April 11, 2024, this exhibition explores the history, design, and culture of pasta. Dive into the history of pasta from ancient to contemporary times. Discover the artistry behind pasta’s many shapes, each designed to hold sauces in perfect harmony, enhancing flavors and textures. Al Dente also delves into the profound impact of pasta on Italian culture, shaping not just culinary practices but also social customs, art, and design. It further examines how pasta transcended Italian borders, weaving its way into the hearts and kitchens of people worldwide, becoming a symbol of shared experiences and universal enjoyment.
Visitors to this exhibition will be invited to explore:
• the design of traditional pasta shapes
• how mechanical and technical advancements have impacted the design of pasta
• the design of pasta advertising from the late 19th century to the present
• designer pasta, including shapes designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Philippe Starck
• the process by which Dan Pashman of Sporkful designed a brand new pasta shape, Cascatelli, released in 2021 after three years of research and development
• The future of pasta: Barilla is 3D printing pasta in new shapes to meet contemporary needs, while researchers are working on shape-shifting pasta meant to make packaging more efficient
We are planning a group visit to this exhibit on Saturday April 20, at 2:00 p.m. with a group discount on the tickets for all participants, aside from our presentation on the tradition of pasta. All you have to do is: show up at the door at 1:45 p.m. on that day. Address: 1315 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
SINNER E’ NUMERO DUE!
Continua l’ascesa del nostro campione italiano. Dopo una spettacolare semifinale nella quale ha demolito in “gigante russo” Danil Medvedev 6-1 6-2, e una finale dove ha concesso solo quattro games al bulgaro Dimitrov, quest’ultimo un atleta micidiale in grande risalita, lasciandolo alla rete con passanti impossibili, Jannick Sinner vince l’Open di Miami, Torneo Internazionale, salendo in classifica come numero due al mondo, addirittura davanti Carlos Alcaraz e direttamente dietro al numero uno, Novak Djokovic. Il tennis italiano si pone così alle vette del tennis mondiale, un traguardo mai raggiunto in questo sport dai grandi Pietrangeli e Panatta.
Congratulazioni, Jannik!
ANDREA MURA’S GREAT FEAT!
Nel silenzio stampa più assoluto, un italiano, sardo, Andrea Mura, ha portato a termine una impresa ciclopica. Dopo 120 giorni in mare sta concludendo il giro del mondo in solitaria, a vela, senza assistenza! il 17 di Marzo,. 2024 e’ arrivato a la Coruña con la sua barca “Vento di Sardegna”, vincendo la Global Solo Challenge 23/24, dopo aver superato difficoltà di tutti i tipi, riparato ogni tipo di guasto, aver passato notti insonni con onde di 9 metri e venti oltre i 40 nodi…ha navigato nell oceano indiano, nel pacifico e nell altlantico, passando dal capo di buona speranza e dal mitico capo horn! E sempre col sorriso! Grazie Andrea per aver portato l Italia nel gotha dei grandi navigatori! Ed i vergognosi media tutti zitti! Un grazie a Marco Negretti per la dritta!
MATTEO MANCUSO SOLD OUT US CONCERTS
I told you some time ago about this true phenomenon, coming from Palermo, Italy. Still in his twenties, Matteo has been hailed by guitarists of the level of Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin, as one of the best living guitarists in the world. Every concert in the U.S was SOLD OUT! Small surprise for a rising star of such level. Mattteo reportedly said: “I’m completely speechless, thank you so much everyone that came to the concerts, it was a blast playing for the first time in America, tomorrow we hit Sacramento, can’t wait to see you there.” You can find plentty of snippets of his prowess on his instrument on his official websitte: https://www.matteomancuso.net
OUR ITALIAN SOUL
Throughout past articles and essays, we have debated on this forum upon the nature of our passion for what is Italian, eventually honing it down to its unique lifestyle, conviviality, food, design, art and architecture, not to mention, the elegance of its language. Of course, this is just a shortlist, for Italy produces amazing cheeses and wines, not to mention incredible fashion and shoes. Italy holds spectacular artistic events and is filled with beautiful tourist towns and resorts. Personally, I hold that having an Italian soul is a bit more complex than nurturing a sense of admiration for it: it is cultivating the “other half” of our way of living, which is often missing in the American culture, so organized and productive and yet ,so obsessively focused on hard work, revenues and personal success, whether material or professional. It is quite interesting that the latter ingredients are missing from Italian life and that most Italians admire the United States for its focus and dedication to personal achievement. Bottom line: when you think of Italy, bear in mind that whatever piece of it you can add to your busy life will improve your mood and your lifespan, if not altogether the way you feel about yourself and others. In the next few months, I pledge to publish a few short essays on this subject. AGP.
MORE ON SLOW FOOD…
“Quando il mondo classico sarà esaurito, quando saranno morti tutti i contadini e tutti gli artigiani, quando l’industria avrà reso inarrestabile il ciclo della produzione e del consumo, allora la nostra storia sarà finita”. Pier Paolo Pasolini
This alarming quote is meant to introduce the subject of our most recent conversation. At our recent January meeting, our hostess Dontata DeFilippi illustrated to an attentive crowd some of the issues affecting our food and health. Much like climate change, slow food has become a mainstream subject of conversation. However, I must underline that this is not just about sitting a lunch and eating slowly… it is about eating organic, switching to a healthy diet; it is about avoiding preservatives and chemicals; it is about what is in-season, rather than artificially grown all-year-round; it is also about food waste in the kitchen and in the production system, indeed about opposing industrialized food production with something far more meaningful and nourishing; ultimately, it may all be about longevity and common diseases – you can trust an entire generation of Italian grandparents on this one! Those of you who are interested in learning more about this subject may start from reading our editorial section on Ciancia Website
THE AMAZING ROBERTO BOLLE
Roberto Bolle, è un’opera d’arte vivente!
“La danza è libertà di espressione, quando si balla non si è mai soli”. Roberto Bolle scopre da giovanissimo la sua passione per la danza. All’età di 12 anni decide di partecipare alle audizioni per entrare nella Scuola di Ballo del Teatro alla Scala. Dopo averle superate si trasferisce a Milano per iniziare a frequentare i corsi.
Durante una esibizione, Roberto Bolle viene notato da Rudolf Nureyev che lo vuole per il ruolo di Tadzio in Morte a Venezia, spettacolo che avrebbe portato all’Arena di Verona. La Scala però ostacola il giovane Bolle a causa della sua giovane età ma quell’incontro segnerà la sua svolta. A soli vent’anni Roberto debutta come protagonista nel ruolo di Romeo. Per questo ruolo verrà promosso sul campo Primo Ballerino da Elisabetta Terabust.Appena ventiduenne, Roberto si esibisce per la prima volta al cospetto della famiglia reale inglese. Dal 1999 Roberto Bolle è nominato Goodwill Ambassador dell’UNICEF. Nel corso della sua carriera ha ballato in tutti i teatri più importanti del mondo: Mariinskij, Bolsjoj, Opéra e Metropolitan Opera House. Nel 2008 inizia ad uscire dai teatri e diventa l’ideatore del Roberto Bolle and Friends. Nel 2009 è nominato Principal Dancer presso l’ABT, primo ballerino italiano ad essere insignito di questo titolo contemporaneamente a quello di étoile della Scala di Milano. Eccovene un video!
BRIEFLY, IN ENGLISH: Many of you may not be aware that we have a stunning classical dancer. Born on March 26, 1975 in Casale Monferrato, Roberto Bolle is currently a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and (stella) a principal dancer étoile aat out La Scala Ballet. Bolle also dances regularly as a guest artist with the world’s leading companies, including the Royal Ballet, The Bolshoi, and the Paris Opera ballet. His stunning physique and artistry places him at the level of superstars as Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov. For more on his history and performances you may want to watch this video.
LOOKING FOR HOSTS
Ciancia gatherings are fun and an easy way to practice Italian! However, they require the support of our members. If you have room in your house for 30-40 people and are willing to host one of our gatherings, please, contact us at agpirrone@mindspring.com We will help you with the set up, even with cleaning. Given that our most recent meetings are potluck gatherings, you don’t have to provide but one dish, some picnic supplies and a couple of starter bottles of wine. We would gladly handle the rest. We are currently looking for hosts for May, June and July 2024.
Here is our current team:
Arturo Giancarlo Pirrone, President
Dawn Ilardi, meeting and door coordinator
Alessio Medda – Committee Planning and Special Events
Stefano Grossi, IT Team, website design
Claudio Di Persia, Atlanta’s Italian Film Festival director
Myriam Hysa, welcoming team and door coordinator
A BUCOLIC FOOTHOLD IN TUSCANY!
Have you ever dreamed of owning a house in Italy? Well, this may be your chance. We just learned that two of our members are selling a beautiful home in Tuscany, all for an amount that would barely buy a garage in the U.S. John and Gabriella Mulholland are steady members of our club and we simply mean to help them reaching their goal. You may want to start from viewing the property images at this site,then contact John directly for more specific details at: jmulholland45@aol.com. It is our duty to inform you that our club has no financial involvement with this transaction. This ad is just a pass-thru for two wonderful members of our organization, and or for the benefit of a dreamer!
È ITALIANA LA VINCITRICE DEL MONDIALE WINDSURFER!
Bruna Ferracane, nata a Marsala e tesserata al Albaria Windsurfing Club di Palermo, dopo aver portato a casa la medaglia d’argento nella specialità dello slalom, si è aggiudicata il giorno successivo anche il primo posto nella prestigiosa e combattuta “course-race” (regata di flotta). Bruna Ferracane ha battuto le due temibilie e fortissime campionesse statunitensi Lanee Beashel e Sarah Kenny, conquistando due secondi posti ed un primo nell’ultima e decisiva giornata di regate. Ancora congratulazioni dunque a Bruna, ennesimo orgoglio nazionale,che porta a casa un importante risultato che valorizza a livello globale l’Italia e la Sicilia.
PLEASE, STOP MISPRONOUNCING IT… IF YOU CAN
I am well aware that I still mispronounce some English words. I’d rather take someone’s correction than continue with my errors, for on my side I have long let slide that Americans cannot correctly pronounce the word ballet or the car maker brand Porsche, correctly pronounced [balé] and [Porsch], instead of “Baley” or “Porchya.” In this department, the Italian language is subject to gross mispronunciations that make us native speaker laugh, even if we may endure a bout of unawareness. Since this is a language club, it is my duty to inform you that a native Italian will look down at an American tourist who visited the beautiful island of Capri when he or she or he says: I have been to Caprì. For, it is Càpri, folks, not Caprì. The accent falls on the vowel “a”. If you care sounding worldly, please, take a mental note of it. Likewise, Sorrento is a word with two “r” and Siena is with one “n”. Two particularly difficult ones for Americans are Pistacchio (correctly pronounced: pistakkio) and Bruschetta (correctly pronounced: brusketta). Portabella does not exist in Italian: it is “portobello” mushrooms or funghi portobello. And prosciutto is pronounced: pruh-shoo-ttow. Trust me, these few words will make you sound like a true connoisseur! AGP
ITALIAN GELATO IS HERE!
Wondered about the difference between icacream and gelato? You them nust visit this new venue and try these amazing varieties, Strawberry Rose, Molasses-Pecan, Black Velvet Chocolate, Earl Grey, Pear, Wild Berries and the etherial Celery and Lemon-Basil.
The owner, Kendra Bauser, was trained in Italy, by maestro Peppe Cuti, an international authority in the field. She then developed her own varieties and recently opened this new venua by Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Beltline. Three Peaches Gelato also offer numerous varieties of organic coffee’ directly imported from Costa Rica. All products are vegan and and dairy free.
THREE PEACHES GELATO
985 B Monroe Drive NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-228-8107
WHAT ABOUT REAL TENORS?
We live in an era in which even secular music is commercialized, imitated and falsified. True opera connoisseurs must roll their eyes, not to mention wear ear plugs at most restaurants, when they hear half voice “tenors” with a pretense, like the ubiquitous and candy-coated Bocelli (davvero sdolcinato e inascoltabile) who is internationally hailed as a big star by crowds that know next to nothing about Opera. I am not saying that he cannot sing: he certainly has talent. He is just not a tenor. I would like to counter such trend of musical misinformation by celebrating the life of a real tenor voice, Luciano Pavarotti, probably one of the best ever born. In “A guide to the life and times of the world’s most famous opera singer” you will learn about his long career. If you then want to hear what a voice of a real tenor can do, listen to his masterful interpretation of Puccini’s aria Nessun Dorma. You may want to spare yourself the comparison. There is simply none!
UN ENOLOGO ITALIANO E’ IL NUMERO UNO!
Non crediate che voglia per forza fare i complimenti ai siciliani… o abbia preferenze campaniliste. Io amo indistintamente tutti gli italiani – esclusi i politici. Ma questo successo di Alessio Planeta va davvero citato in quanto rappresenta una vittoria italiana in un campo in cui sappiamo bene di essere primi nel mondo con vini spettacolari come il Barbaresco,il Brunello e il Barolo. Il titolo dell’articolo (click on the link below) non lascia dubbi: “Il miglior enologo del mondo è italiano e ci racconta come c’è riuscito!” Eccovi l’articolo!
A MONUMENTAL TRIBUTE TO A GRAND MASTER!
On our last “Dinner and a Movie” we showed “Ennio” a masterwork by Giuseppe Tornatore, biographing the life and of musical genius and grand master, Ennio Morricone – see the following article below. A few days after the event one of the attendees, John Mulholland, a person more adept to classical music, responded with a beautiful and poignant letter that I fancy to publish on our article section for your enjoyment.
If you are interested in this reading, click here!
Giuseppe Tornatore created another masterwork. This time, more than a movie, it is a documentary about the inspiring work of our musical genius Ennio Morricone. His name is known in the world for countless movie scores that left a deep mark on all of those who listened to his music. Ennio Morricone was able to intertwine in a rather intricate manner the narrative and the images to the music, to the point that some watchers remember the music better than the movie itself. Some themes are so inspiring that they sound divine, elegiac, as if his hand was guided by a higher hand, as happened with the main theme for La Conquista del West. Some scores are so innovative that they forever changed the history of cinema, like the soundtrack of Per un Pugno di Dollari (a fistful of dollars). Known for Cinema Paradiso and other masterworks, Tornatore’s narrative is historically accurate, not to mention densely poetic and emotional. Morricone appears in person in most interviews. This movie is a must see! We hope to show it again soon.
LA LINGUA ITALIANA: EVOLUZIONE O CONTAMINAZIONE?
Cari amici italiani e italianisti, lettori di Ciancia,
L’immagine che vi propongo e’ sarcastica e si rivolge sopratutto ai politici d’oggigiorno che non sanno cosa sia un libro di letteratura. Ma é da diverso tempo che non scrivo in madrelingua e spero che questo articolo possa marcare un mio ritorno all’editoria. Sono certo che, come nel mio caso, anche voi abbiate osservato l’evoluzione che la lingua parlata ha subito nel tempo, particolarmente, nei grandi cambiamenti apportati alla lingua italiana dall’introduzione di neologismi e termini esterofili, a partire dalle abbreviazioni e le tipiche espressioni dei volanti e veloci sistemi di comunicazione odierni. Putroppo, per far si che il lessico corrente faccia spazio ai neologismi, qualche espressione deve pur mettersi da parte. In questo senso, almeno per quel che riguarda il lessico generazionale, siamo tutti soggetti a mode passeggere. Partendo dal mondo dell’Internet – in questo articolo disserto sull’evoluzione della nostra lingua madre, ai vantaggi come agli orrori della modernizzazione dei sistemi di comunicazione. Se vi interessasse leggere l’intero articolo Vi rimando al seguente collegamento. AGP
LA PIU’ BELLA DI TUTTE!
Un belga, dalla Germania, ha scritto:
“L’ Italia è come quella tipa che ha più talento di tutti, perché è nata bella, più bella di tutte. È quella più ingegnosa, che si inventa mille cose, perché è piena di risorse. Sa discutere di storia, di mare, di montagne, sa di cibo, di buon vino, di dialetti, di pittori, di scultori, di scrittori, di eccellenze nella scienza, non c’è niente che non sa.
E quando questa tipa bella e talentuosa inciampa e cade, la platea delle sfigate esulta. È la rabbia delle povere gelose, quelle al buio, perché lei è comunque bella anche quando cade a terra. L’Italia è una tipa con stivale tacco 12, che nessuna sa portare meglio di lei…solo il tempo di rialzarsi.”
Celebrating great Italian talents:
UN GRANDE DELL’AUTOMOBILISMO
Si è spento l’altro ieri mattina, all’età di 88 anni, all’ospedale Civico di Palermo il tre volte vincitore della Targa Florio Nino Vaccarella, per tutti il “Preside volante”, un’autentica leggenda dell’automobilismo mondiale che ha legato il suo nome agli anni d’oro della Ferrari. Con il cavallino rampante di Maranello ha partecipato a gare storiche come la 24h di Le Mans, vincendola nel 1964 in coppia con Jean Guichet a bordo della mitica Ferrari 275P. Nello stesso anno ha vinto, sempre a bordo della Ferrari, la 12 ore di Sebring e la mille chilometri del Nurburgring, in coppia con Scarfiotti.
TASSE IN ITALIA
In molti sono stati a chiedermi di scrivere in italiano su questo sito. Visto che siamo in tema con le iscrizioni all’AIRE, vi accontento subito con un parallelo. L’immagine che vi propongo oggi non è apposta per criticare l’Italia, quanto piuttosto per mettere in prospettiva il sistema di tassazione vigente negli Stati Uniti. Qui si paga una tassa sul reddito (income tax) rapportata agli introiti del contribuente, tassa che va dal 18% AL 34%. Si paga inoltre una tassa sulla plusvalenza (capital gains) che si realizza quando si rivendono strumenti come titoli, azioni, o proprietà immobiliari ad un prezzo maggiore del costo di acquisto. Inoltre si paga una imposta sulle vendite (sales tax) che si applica ad acquisti fatti all’interno di uno stato – ogni stato applica un tasso differente. Ma non è tutto. Al contrario dell’Italia dove addirittura il reddito e’ presunto e le detrazioni (deductions) sono rare, complesse e difficili da applicare, qui negli Stati Uniti, da un business i puo’ dedurtre tutto querlloi che vi si relaziona: software, stamps, traveling, courses, gasoline, parking fees, administrative costs, tax return costs, improvements to property, relpairr, losses, and more, much more. Sarebbe inopportuno per me condividere qui il mio reddito imponibile, ma consentitemi di dichiarare che nel 2020 ho pagato, dopo tutte le detrazioni, un’imposta sul reddito del 3,5% in relazione al mio reddito per lo stesso anno. Questo tasso sarebbe inaudito in Italia dove il sistema di tassazione riesce ad estrarre quasi il 70% degli introiti di un lavoratore. Non c’è da stupirsi se molti italiani decidono di evadere le tasse. Pertanto, questo brevissimo articolo è semplicemente per richiamare la Vostra attenzione su paragoni che spesso dimentichiamo di fare fra economie differenti. Lascio a voi il giudizio finale. AGP
OUR BOOK LIBRARY IS READY!
Wake up, folks! Our library is full of essays, fiction and narrative titles, as well as dictionaries and language manuals, all available for pick up for free. Pick up a book at our next meeting or schedule an appointment by sending a message to agpirrone@outlook.com. Here is an actual picture of some of the titles available. We have five times this much… The subjects range from grammar and language manuals, to narrative, from literature to history and from “romanzi” to “biografie”. The best thing you can do is to browse the titles yourself. Please, do not worry if you don’t have books you can swap. We are glad to give our books away. Of course, you are welcome to return them when you are done. AGP
25 THINGS THAT MAKE YOU ITALIAN
Italy has been hailed abroad for its beautiful landscape, architecture, art, music, literature, fashion, cuisine, wines and more, including our unique lifestyle which is clearly prone to enjoy life more than one’s achievement in the workplace. Our friend and prolific writer Beppe Severgnini posted a few ew days ago on his Facebook page “50 things that make you Italian”. For your amusement, we are posting the first page with twentyfive of the fifty reasons. We will post the remaining ones next month.
VERSO UN’ANTICA, NUOVA PROSPETTIVA: IN ITALIANO
Sono in molti a domandarmi perché io non scriva in italiano. Spesso decido di far così principalmente per rispetto a chi si avvicina al nostro club, timidamente, da un’altra lingua. In realta’ nutro un profondo amore per la nostra lingua madre. Pertanto, oggi vi propongo un articolo che, nella temperie geo-politica che attraversa l’Europa in questo momento, per non dire della controversa congiuntura del Brexit UK, propone una differente prospettiva linguistica ed etimologica riguardante un tempo in cui l’Europa ecclesiastica, accademica e letteraria parlava una lingua unificata: il latino. Chiaramente, l’articolo e’ in italiano. Click here!
L’ITALIANO SUPERA IL FRANCESE
Questa notizia e’ del tutto inaspettata. It is a fact that the French beat the Italians with their amazing cheeses, though Italians have no competition for their amazing wines. Italian are also allegedly better lovers, though the latter is a much-debated deed, yet to be proven… However, this statistic on Italian language surpassing French comes at a surprise, even for those who would defend Italy against all nationalistic comparisons. This indicates that the Italian language is on the rise. Adesso e’ la quarta lingua piu’ studiata al mondo. Click here: per l’articolo sul Sole 24 Ore
WHY LEARNING ANOTHER LANGUAGE?
Today I’d like to offer you my perspective on this important question. Learning a language exerts one’s mind, keeping it sharp and younger. Studying a language broadens one’s knowledge implicitly by inducing the understanding of different customs and lifestyles. Some say that learning another language improves our own native language. In Art Rosenberg’s words, “learning another language opens doors to worlds beyond and also deep within oneself.” It is a proven fact that, remaining confined within the boundaries of a single language is not only a cultural limitation, but it also limits access to other ways of thinking and diverse philosophies. Understanding others is ultimately knowing oneself. By remaining confined within your native language, both abroad and at home, you may miss out on an authentic cultural experience because you couldn’t join in. Our world is way too complex and various to be sampled in a single tongue or a singular way of living: the precincts of a single language bias reality, if even distort it. Speaking for myself, multilingualism has enabled me to escape the cultural biases and limitations of my native island, Sicily, not to mention Italy and Europe. As Art Rosenberg remarked on the NY Times (March 27), “even Western culture, as a whole, cannot be appreciated through a single lens, much less lead to the understanding of the lives of those with whom we do not share common means of communication. Then what does it matter if one prefers a life surrounded by a wall?” I shall leave the rest of this discourse to such poignant words of self-confinement. AGP
É SARDO IL MIGLIOR VINO ROSSO D’ITALIA
Verona 2019. Il Serranu 2015 delle Cantine Tani di Monti è il miglior vino rosso d’italia. È il numero uno tra tutti i vini in gara al concorso enologico internazionale di Vinitaly 2019, selezionati dalla guida 5 Star Wines. È un vino IGT, indicazione geografica tipica, e ha ottenuto 95 centesimi. Un risultato eccezionale, soprattutto se si considera che il Serranu ha sbaragliato vini internazionali di grande blasone: dai Baroli agli Amarone, ai SuperTuscan. «Non ce lo aspettavamo – ha commentato Tonino Tani, patron della cantina di Monti insieme alle figlie – ma eravamo felici due anni fa, quando la stessa etichetta ha avuto 90 centesimi. A maggior ragione siamo raggianti ora che ha ottenuto il miglior punteggio tra i vini italiani». Il Serranu è un uvaggio di Cannonau, Muristellu e una piccola quantità di Merlot. La cantina sarda più premiata a Vinitaly 2019 è invece la Tenuta L’Ariosa, dei fratelli Rau di Sassari, che porta a casa tre riconoscimenti: per Assolo 2018, Pedrastella 2018 e Galatea 2018 per aver ottenuto punteggi superiori ai 90 centesimi.
VOLETE RIDERE?
Ho trovato una chicca divertente per voi! In questa immagine, ogni Stato Europeo è colorato con la bandiera dello Stato che viene preso in giro di più in quel Paese. La fFrancia, neache a dirlo, ha la Germania. La spagna prende in giro il Portogallo e viceversa.Cosiu’ pure l’Inghilterra con l’Irlanda e la Grecia con la Turchia. Notate che l’Italia è l’unica nazione europea che si prende in giro da sola. Gli argomenti non mancano di certo oggigiorno. Coincidenze direte? Non credo davvero. AGP
POSTS FROM PRIOR MONTHS:
CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT TOURISM:
Dear members of Ciancia, I am sure that you love to travel, visit new places or regions of the world which are inherently attractive. Lately, my traveling has been far more imaginary than real. I read, I probe on pages of the Internet, on magazines and new books, I talk to friends, all while I keep compiling an ever growing bucket lists of things I want to do before I am too old… In doing so, from time to time, right from my chair, I stumble into unorthodox points of view which are worth sharing. It is the case today. My friend Gianni Losi, came up with interesting affirmations about tourism, after reading an article I am hereby sharing with this lovely audience. What triggered my attention? His comments reminded me of a slight discomfort I felt every time I traveled as a tourist – quite rarely. In fact, most of my trips, if not all of them, have been characterized by a deep desire to steep myself into different cultures, insteads of remaining as a foreign, external observer. I will not add more to this, as I would like for you to read the bold excerpt below – of course in Italian:
“Perché ai turisti, dei luoghi che visitano, non interessa nulla. Il viaggio del turista non è un movimento di apertura, al contrario, è impermeabile a tutto, soprattutto all’altro da sé che incontra sul cammino. Non interessa loro, perché il turista cerca di replicare la propria comfort zone quotidiana in ogni luogo che visita, pronto anche a deturparlo piuttosto che essere al sicuro. Non è un caso che il momento culminante del viaggio non sia più l’esperienza stessa del muoversi, né lo scoprire o il conoscere, ma la rappresentazione del proprio viaggio. È quella che conta ormai, la sua condivisione.” Gianni Losi
To his affirmations I replied as follows: “ho sempre sospettato la superficiale motivazione del turismo per se, come una forma di collezionismo di tipo edonista. Quando, da giovane, mi sono recato al Cairo, a Londra, a Parigi, a Trujillo, o La Havana, ho affittato regolarmente un appartamentino o una cameretta da quattro soldi e ho provato ad immergermi nella loro cultura – prolungando la mia permanenza fino a mesi interi, sebbene rimanendo (e’ chiaro) sempre uno straniero curioso di osservare le cose secondo una prospettiva asimmetrica.”
Incidentally, Gianni had just read the following article, which I recommend to all our Italian-speaking readers. Click here!
ECHOES FROM ITALY
I have not tackled any serious subject in a while. My editorial this month is about the advent of the opinion of the common man’s versus the opinion of those who have steeped themselves in book-reading, essays, reliable analyses and reports. I do not want to sound like a snobbish classist here, but the advent of the blogs, short messaging and various other channels of the now gargantuan cyberspace information highway has, in my opinion, bypassed true, factual documentation, studies, scholarship, let alone on simply getting proper, balanced and objective information before one expresses one’s opinion in a public arena. Eco called such an entropic cultural space “the rhizome”, much like a potato or a ginger root, growing ever larger, unable to look at itself from outside.
I hope that the image I have chosen humors you. It caught my attention among thousands of images I scroll daily on my personal nighttime search for small gems in the rough. Umberto Eco was certainly one of our best writers, a well-known academician, philosopher and linguist – truly an arc of science and history – before he even wrote his first novel “The Name of the Rose”. I happened to briefly meet him in person in 1973, in one of his trips to Palermo to the legendary Savant Garde Group. Later on, I heard his lectures at Columbia University and I can tell you that he had a rather unique character, able to swiftly shift from theory to current social trends, and from straight humor to academic gravitas. For the record, Eco owned over 100,000 books, making my 5,000 book-library look like a rookie’s den, which, at my age, humbles me to bits.
The message on this picture clearly points out to a modern phenomenon: humans showing off as experts in every subject – an army of “tuttologi”, as we sarcastically define them in Italy. I shouldn’t even be discussing the merit of Eco’s affirmation if not for my precocious participation to the intellectual and political life of Italy, when it was led by encyclopedic experts with decades of studies in their curricula.
Back to the future, born as a social platform, Facebook soon became the primary source of personal opinion, well above its initial “I want to show you who I am” page. It is no longer the most popular one, as, thanks to the White House, Twitter has largely surpassed any opinion blog both in hyperboles and catching butterflies. Forget the extremism and polarization of supporter’s and partisan’s blogs. They are unreadable! Combined, all these phenomena create a fog of information where the reliable sources – like PBS or well-written magazines – are juxtaposed to pure fiction like Fox News, a.k.a. entertainment information. We all have friends who love expressing opinions on every day events. The point I am trying to make today is about the validity of unfounded public pronouncement and its designation as something of significance, vis-à-vis expert’s observations and reasoning based on verifiable facts. Instead, we feed on presumptions and assumptions, not to mention prejudice.
Now, you are entitled to laugh at my naivete’ on these broad-brush affirmations. You may legitimately say that what appears as “real” to a person can vary broadly and may appear as “fiction” to another. You may also sustain that even an idiot is entitled to his/her opinion. Yet the fabrication of facts, being an ancient practice in history, from Caligula to Hitler, has infiltrated science, statistics and polls to the point that today truth can be the reverse of truth and vice-versa. I am referring here to the traditional “smoke in one’s eyes” which millions of unsubstantiated opinions cause, numbing us to the point we can no longer retrieve the underlying truth.
This is how major corporations are making stellar profits to the expense of the planet, often by poisoning us like the classic example of the wicked Monsanto Corporation, slowly inching to owning our nation, a giant monster whose poisonous by-products are found EVERYWHERE. The same fog helps Israelis to pillage and steal land from the Palestinians, and yet still being presented as an ethical model of humanity. Allow me here to romanticizing the past, as long gone are the gentlemen’s heydays of Prime Minister Rabin and Yasser Arafat shaking hands for a peace treaty. As you can see, I am leaving the current US presidencyalone, as it does not need my help in publicly disclosing its glorious and theatrical unhinged intemperance. Rest assured that mine is no attempt to political propaganda. Whether your stand on the left or on the right of the isle, at Ciancia we will always respect and embrace your opinion, acumen and political stand. But, before you may counter me with your political comments, you may want to consider that my humanitarian formation, unlike our professorial Umberto Eco, is not of a leftist stamp. My arsenal of ideas about society is rather broad and I have firm republican principles in my compass. I would even dare stating that my ideas about the management of a country are rather conservative, though my vision remains progressive. After all, I have seen Italy being stolen and corrupted by two generations of unethical politicians, some of whom barely spoke Italian. It has been a sad spectacle. On a positive note, I would like to remind you that, in the Italian peninsula, we debate about politics at the bar, every morning, while sipping our second espresso. Debating ideas is a national sport.
Back to the subject of this totally improvised editorial, I am fully aware that what today we label as “factual” and “real” has been overturned by modern politics and media in a fictional theatre in which facts are fabricated and reality could be easily confused with say, “reality shows” which are fabricated set ups as removed from true situations as a set can be. Need a proof? Imagine a well-fed crew filming a couple of “so called” survivors in the wild, eating a Burger King whopper, French fries and bubbly, icy coke, while filming actors who have not eaten in 15 days, but worms, moss, algae and filthy water. You see that the paradox is not just comical, it is plain ridiculous. I have been dreaming about stepping a few feet away and including in the episode the chubby crew. That would start resembling a real situation. Modern politics are identical: what you see is not what you get.
But the issue of expert’s opinion, is inherently of political nature. Let me give you an example. We all agree that, in order to operate complex machines, such as airline carriers, or even cranes and excavators, one needs experienced pilots and operators. Now, this basic logic seems lost when we move to the political arena. The speed by which we process information is also critical and adds a layer of complexity. Journalists rush in, in order to be the first posting a specific news. As a result, the reported information is often half-baked and not fully digested. The blogs reach us even before the media, or the newspapers – yes, I am talking about those old clunky pieces of paper where some real writers and journalists often harbor. It is widely accepted that, in order to get a decent idea of what is going on today, one needs to resort to periodicals, such as The Economist, The NewYorker, Harper’s magazine, Time magazine, and other such media, where the information is presented in a more organic and subject driven manner, thus offering a perspective of WHERE a specific event may take place in this immense and ever-growing library of history, where it takes 45 minutes, not 45 seconds, to read a story through. But, hey, this is the modern world, and I am not attempting to warn you against the flood of semi-digested information. I am just trying to instill some wise caution. Thank you for kindly reading my perfect nonsense. AGP
20 RULES ITALIANS WILL NEVER BREAK
Speaking of coffee, are you in the mood for humouring yourself? Do you wonder what distinguishes Italians? What make them behave in a certain way? What is “acceptable” versus what is not? Here is, for instance, why Italian espresso does not come in 100 varieties, or meatballs are never served with pasta. This one is by the brilliantly funny “Marco in a Box.” Click here!
WHO MAKES CIANCIA POSSIBLE?
Ciancia is brought to you by a Steering Committee of outstanding, dedicated and accomplished professionals, each one bringing to the table amazing expertise in communication and event production. This is entirely a team of volunteers, all strong believers in the great rewards of social interaction, intellectual curiosity, diversity, and cultural engagement. We admit new committee members on a regular basis. If you think that you have the drive and the time to take over one of the numerous responsibilities that make Ciancia possible, please step forward at one of our meetings.
Here is our current roster:
Arturo Giancarlo Pirrone, President
Alessio Medda – Planning and Special Events
Piero Tarantelli, sponsors and host coordinator
Stefano Grossi, IT Team, website design
Tiffani Passaro – event coordinator, welcoming team
Gino DiGioia, editing and cultural contributor