Friday March 27, 2026
A FULL SPRING CALENDAR
Dear Members of Ciancia,
Last month we forgot to celebrate the achievements of our Italian and American athletes at the Winder Olympics in Milano. We also did not meet for lack of conveniently located hosts. Speaking of which, we are constantly looking for suitable hosts. Hosting Ciancia is easy, as it is a pot-luck event. All you need to provide is sufficient room for 40-50 people and picnic supplies. We are currently looking for hosts for the months of May, June and July 2026. Scroll down to contact us.
In the meantime, this month’s calendar has filled up with numerous event you may not want to miss. First on the calendar is a free movie, held on April 2, at Emory University. The Great Beauty has been hailed as one of the best movies of the last decade. It is not available on cable, DVD, or for downloading, so I hope you don’t miss it. Scroll below for time and location. Please, arrive early to this event!
Our April club meeting will be held at the house of one of our dearest longtime supporters: Jolene Cazzola. Scroll below for date, time and location. You should not miss this event. As I mentioned last month, this year we are paying more attention to our smaller conversation group that has been meeting at Three Peaches Café on alternate Sundays. Its popularity has been growing, as some of our new members are rather serious about practicing Italian conversation in a relaxed environment. For those of you who have not visited Three Peaches, this unique café sits right on the beltline by Piedmont Park. I hope you can join the conversation. For location, dates and time, CLICK HERE!
A reputable company has contacted us for an Italian resident chef to be put in charge of a large in-town new restaurant. For obvious corporate reasons, we cannot reveal the name of the group. But it is one of the highest in the sector. This could be a serious and well-paid long-term engagement, including prospective ownership.The requirements are simple: reeputation, stability, extensive experience as a chef, proven managerial abilities, visa, work permit or American Citizenship. Scroll down for additional information.
On this issue:
A great Italian Film at Emory
Our April Meeting
A new opportunity to practice your Italian
Looking for an Italian chef
A late report about the Olympic Games in Milano
Our remaining book library
All this and more… below!
A FILM AT EMORY: THE GREAT BEAUTY
The film The Great Beauty (Italian: La grande bellezza) is a 2013 art drama film co-written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. The film premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it was screened in competition for the Palme d’Or. It was shown at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, the 2013 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (winning Grand Prix), and at the 2013 Reykjavik European Film Festival. The film won Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, as well as the Golden Globe and the BAFTA award in the same category. This moviue is not available on DVD or for downloading, so this is a unique chance to see it.
This viewing is free – in Italian with English subtitles.
Thursday April 2, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM – please arrive early for not disturbing viewing.
Location: Carlos Museum, Ackerman Hall – Emory University.
We thank the amazing Simona Muratore, for this amazing stunt. Paolo Sorrentino’s film follows Jep – a writer drifting through Rome’s nights in search of something real. The film blends sharp humor with quiet melancholy as he faces the life he’s built. A vivid portrait of a city – and a man – suspended between beauty and emptiness. The film will be introduced by Achille Castaldo, Assistant Professore of Italian. Following the screening, a talk-back session will be led by Ruth Allen, Curator of Greek and Roman Art, and Giovanni Lovisetto, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History.
A NEW OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE YOUR ITALIAN
As many of you know, back in December 2024 we came up with an idea which had been prompted by umpteenth requests I received from our members over 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 open to anyone, our general club meetings often end up splitting in smaller groups that converse in various languages, including English. 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 are wedged between our regular monthly gatherings. Since this is a self-managed gathering, the participants may decide to schedule this group more often. Given that Atlanta’s traffic has become an ominous barrier for those traveling during rush hour, we scheduled these meetings off rush hours. 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 the best coffees and Italian gelato in Atlanta! We hope you like this idea. All dates below are effective, and you may pick any one:
Sunday, April 5, 2026
Sunday, April 12, 2026
Sunday, April 26, 2026
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location:
Three Peaches Gelato Coffee
985 B Monroe Drive NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
Parking Warning: Parking in 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.
LOOKING FOR AN ITALIAN CHEF
A well-established, reputable company has contacted us. They are looking for an Italian native (or second generation) resident chef to be put in charge of a large regional-cuisine restaurant. For privacy reasons, we cannot reveal our source. But it is a large and reputable group. This could be a serious and well-paid long-term engagement, which includees prospective ownership. The requirements are simple: stability, extensive experience as a chef, good managerial abilities, Visa, work permit or American Citizenship. Contact agpirrone@mindspring.com for leads.
A BEAUTIFULLY FURNISHED APARTMENT
This ad is for the benefit of anyone of our members or a member’s friend, or a visitor who may be looking for an apartment ready to go. Short or long-term rental for $1,690 a month, not a weekly Airbnb. This posting is managed, free of charge, on behalf of Three Peaches Gelato, one of our sponsors. We have no financial affiliation with this rental. Located in peaceful sought-after Morningside, near Emory University, this fully furnished apartment is complete with everything, from linen and towels to washer and drier, kitchenware and a TV set. It is available starting May 1, 2026, to a responsible, single occupant – please, no pets or smokers. Those interested can email us at agpirrone@mindspring.com. For further images and a detailed description at the official posting, please, click here!
THE WINTER OLYMPICS
Last month the Winter Olympcs in Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo produced stunning results, the most amazing of which was Mikaela Shifrin winning the fastest downhill race, with a 1.7 seconds over the second classified – considered an unsurmontable wall in that particular specialty where athletes are separated by fractions of a second. This is after along absence from the scene, due to a nasty accident that shattered her leg’s bones. Speaking about will power and resilience.
This photo has become the symbol of the Games. It portrays our Italian athlete, Federica Brignone, as the Norwegiand and Swedish athletes bow in front of her. As for Mikaela, the respect of the fellow athletes is due to the enormity of her achievement, just 10 months after a serious accident prevented her not only from being competitive or winning a medal, but from participating at all. She is Gold on the Super G.
OUR REMAINING ITALIAN BOOK LIBRARY
As I announced last month, our book library has been distributed to members who are interested in Italian literature and ficltion. We have the last 50 titles, actually portrayed in this image, mostly narrative and traveling. They are all free. You can have as many as you like. They will be donated to Goodwill at the end of April. You may want to take advantage of this free opportunity.
If you would like to pick them up, please email us at: agpirrone@mindspring.com.
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 & Special Events
Stefano Grossi, IT Team, website design
Claudio Di Persia, Atlanta’s Italian Film Festival director
QUESTIONS, IDEAS, SUGGESTIONS, ARTICLES?
Most questions regarding the format of our meetings are answered on our website at www.ciancia.org. If you are trying to contact us for ideas, relevant subjects, forthcoming cultural events, hosting an event, advertising, or publishing relevant material and articles that are related to Italian culture, you may contact us at agpirrone@mindspring.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
THE LAST EMPEROR!
Il passare del tempo é inesorabile!
We just lost a monumental piece of the Italian culture. At age 93, the greatest designer of all, the incomparable Valentino is gone. With his departure we all lost something, even those who may not know of him. We lost the class and the restraint of Italian secular design – unless we can remember it. We lost the form but also the substance. We lost balance, elegance, discipline, sensuality!
Just as the great Giorgio Armani was for men’s fashion, Valentino dedicated his talent to women’s fashion. This is not just due toi the passing of time. We have been losing the Italian Genius for decades. Now it’s just vulgarity, hodge-podge, obviousness and excess. Loud is the new mantra. Valentino was the first to criticize Dolce & Gabbana as well as Versace for their questionable taste.
In his lifetime, Valentino was awarded numerous international prizes, too many to mention, together with being named by Jacques Chirac Chevalier “La Légion d’Honneur.” He owned penthouses in most capital cities, including London, Paris and New York, and was a fine collector of modern art. RIP
NICOLA PIETRANGELI
Born in Tunisi IN 1933 from a Russian mother and an Italian father, Pietrangeli made his international debut at the 1952 Italian Open. He then appeared in four men’s singles finals at Roland Garros, winning the title in 1959 and 1960, and finishing runner-up in 1961 and 1964. He also won the Roland Garros men’s doubles title in 1959. At Wimbledon, Pietrangeli was a single semifinalist in 1960 when he lost to Rod Laver in 5 sets. He won the Italian Open in 1957 and 1961 and was ranked World No. 3. After retiring as a player, Pietrangeli became Italy’s Davis Cup team captain and guided them to winning their first-ever Davis Cup in 1976. Together with Adriano Panatta and to our current champion Jannik Sinner, Pietrangeli remains a symbol of tennis in our nation. His name is forever engraved to the Italian annals of this sport. Nicola Pietrangeli passed away earlier, this December. R.I.P.
THE ICONIC BRIGITTE BARDOT
Born and raised in Paris, Brigitte Bardot was an aspiring ballerina during her childhood. She started her acting career in 1952 and achieved international recognition in 1957 for her role in And God Created Woman, catching the attention of many French intellectuals and earning her the nickname “sex kitten.” She was the subject of philosopher Simone de Beauvoir essay The Lolita Syndrome, which described her as a “locomotive of women’s history” and declare her the most liberated woman of France. She won a 1961 David di Donatello Best Foreign Actress Award her work in The Truth. Bardot later starred in Jean-Luc Godard film Le Mépris. She was married to the director Roger Vadim. French President Charles De Gaulle called Bardot “the French export as important as Renault cars”. Fiercely independent, in here retirement years, Bardot was an active animal rights activist and remains an icon of our Western culture. At age 91, she passed away today, December 28, 2025.
QUESTIONS, IDEAS, SUGGESTIONS, ARTICLES?
Most questions regarding the format of our meetings are answered on our website at www.ciancia.org. If you are trying to contact us for ideas, relevant subjects, forthcoming cultural events, hosting an event, advertising, or publishing relevant material and articles that are related to Italian culture, you may contact us at agpirrone@mindspring.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
MORE READINGS:
COFFEE MAY DEFINE A CULTURE
The ritual of coffee varies across all nations. Differences may be vast, depending on habits and traditions. Furthermore, landing as an Italian in the US, amplifies certain differences, not just in the preparation, but in the modalities of the ritual itself. Years ago, having become by dependence some kind of a coffee connoisseur, I wrote a treaty on it. More recently, I sent a revised copy to the publication “Il Newyorkese”. It was accepted, though the editor decided to publish it in two or three separate articles. Here is the link to the first section. L’articolo e scritto in italiano. Spero che vi piaccia leggerlo. Yours truly, Giancarlo Pirrone
PAYING TRIBUTE TO ICONIC ARTISTS
THE INIMITABLE ORNELLA VANONI
In an era in which from pop to secular music everything has been commercialized, Ornella Vanoni stands as an Italian national treasure. Starting from an acting career in theatre, the public just realized that the quality of her voice was off the charts. She started from interpreting songs by the great Luigi Tenco and Gino Paoli. “Senza Fine” was almost an anthem of Italian romanticism. Her production is vast with over 100 records, and hard to pin to one style. However, in my personal opinion nothing peaks what I deem as her absolute masterwork, a late collaboration with two geniuses of Brazilian samba, Vinicius De Moraes and Toquinho. Called “La voglia, la pazzia, l’incoscienza, l’allegria” it is a gem not to be missed. I hope you take a moment to listen to this track, “Samba della Rosa” where her “voce flautata” sores above the background voices. She was 42 years old at the time, though the voice you hear is that of a 20-year-old singer. Ornella just left us with wonderful memories. R.I.P.
CLAUDIA CARDINALE
Una delle nostre iconiche, più grandi attrici degli anni ‘60-‘80, ci ha lasciati. Nata a Tripoli, nel 1938, dopo essere stata notata da vari produttori al Festival di Venezia, nel 1958 Claudia Cardinale fu scelta per un ruolo accanto al grande Vittorio Gassman, seguito da Totò, Marcello Mastroianni e Renato Salvatori in Mario Monicelli’s internationally successful criminal comedy I Soliti Ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street), dove fece notare il suo grande talento.
Among her greatest roles she starred alongside Burt Lancaster in Visconti’s The Leopard (1963) (Il Gattopardo), portraying a village girl who married a progressive young aristocrat (Alain Delon) and played a film actress cast by a director (Marcello Mastroianni) in Federico Fellini’s 8½. Our Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, described her as “an extraordinary artist, an unforgettable heroine of Italian and international cinema. R.I.P.
IL RE DELLA MODA MASCHILE ITALIANA!
A grand master of Italian elegance (and restraint) is gone, leaving behind a tradition of spectacular fashion design. Masters like him, Valentino or Yves St.Laurent, are unique to a generation that has virtually disappeared, giving room to a strange kind of fusion, where baroque ostentatiousness seems to have grown pandemic – see the pastiche creations of Versace or Dolce & Gabbana. The Armani style is truly an Italian treasure of pure elegance, without fanfare, pretense or flare. He will never be forgotten. R.I.P.
THE SUNDANCE KING IS GONE!
Robert Redford’s acting career began in New York City, where he worked both on stage and in television. Soon he gained widespread fame with Redford found the niche he was seeking in George Roy Hill’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid(1969), scripted by William Goldman, in which he was paired for the first time with Paul Newman.
A landmark film for Redford was “All the President’s Men” in which Redford and Hoffman play Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, narrating the Watergate scandal.
Redford went on to become a filmmaker and fund the Sundance Film Festival, which became the largest festival for independent film makers in the US and abroad. His presence will be greatly missed.
THE GREATEST ITALIAN VOICE
Somebody asked me the other day who was the greatest Italian voice of all the times. No one forgets that we had Mirella Freni and Renata Tebaldi, but her question referred to our modern era. Anna Mazzini, in art known as Mina, was born in 1940. Her four-octave vocal range did not go unnoticed. In 1960 her cover of Gino Paoli “il Cielo in una Stanza” stunned the nation, with her suave interpretive level. Mina can easily slide her voice from shy to assertive, from comical to dramatic. The power and style of her voice are still unmatched as, compared to her, all other Italian singers sound to me like “cornacchie”. At her age, Mina still sings, although her voice reached a peak in the mid Sixties with three songs: “Un anno d’amore”, “E se domani” and “Se telefonando” – the last of which written by the Grand Master, Ennio Morricone. I could write a book about her. But it is far better taking you to two pieces that show the true athleticism of her voice: the first is “Brava”, which you can find anywhere on the internet. The second is an “impossible” piece, soundtrack for a movie: I sette uomini d’oro, written by Armando Trovajoli and played by a Jazz group at a breakneck speed. With the ease of a walk to the park, Mina playfully sings right along, as if she had a clarinet instead of her voice. This feat would have been unapproachable by any singer of her time. I hope you listen to this stunning clip! AGP
OLDER, RELEVANT POSTS:
ATLANTA IS THE SECOND MOST LIVABLE CITY IN THE US
A reputable British publication with its hand on the pulse of world economies, has ranked Georgia capital among “biggest movers up” on planet, scoring high on more than 30 factors related to culture, the climate, the environment, healthcare, infrastructure, education, and economic stability. We made strides with the addition and improvement of the Beltline as apublic space, although aside from iuts lush greenery, there is far more that qualifies our city as one of the most livable urban environments. . Click here for the article!
DON’T BURN THE PANCETTA!
DON’T BURN THE PANCETTA!.
For a long time, I have been asked about recipes of Italian cuisine.Most Italian recipes are family treasures, jealously held in secret by our mothers and grandmothers, passed on verbally, if ever, and never written. But, as I lived by myself since age eighteen, over the years I acquired an entire vocabulary of recipes and their secret ingredients, learning that the procedure is more important than the ingredients themselves. So, I decided to start from “pasta alla carbonara” a famous traditional recipe, alas occasionally “perverted” by “creative” wannabe chefs, with the addition of extraneous ingredients that have nothing to do with the classic recipe. It is worth noting that this particular recipe did not exist prior to 1945, when the American troops arrived in Italy to liberate the peninsula from fascism and the Germans. It has been argued that the American troops were missing their traditional breakfast of eggs and bacon, and that some chefs in Napoli and Roma decided to improvise a pasta that provided those flavors. It has not been confirmed.
The original recipe calls for Guanciale, which is hard to find and can be substituted with Pancetta. Please don’t use bacon instead: it is cut too thin and has a different smoky flavor. The first common error is to overcook the pancetta to the point of making it crispy. The second mistake is to leave in the pan the fat produced by the pancetta. Sop, here is how you do it:
* buy sufficient pancetta for the number of people you plan to feed (between 100-120 grams per person/ one pound for four to five.
* Dice-cut the pancetta and put it on a sauté pan. Cook to medium. Do not burn its edges
* In a separate pan, sauté with olive oil a gold or sweet onion that has also been diced; It should cook to be translucent, not yellow; when done, throw it into the pan with the pancetta and turn off the heat.
* In a separate bowl, whisk one egg per person and leave it alone
* In a separate pot, cook your pasta AL DENTE – the ideal shape is linguini or fettuccini (any organic Italian brand like Rummo, De Cecco or Voiello is best)
* Before you strain the pasta, collect about 2 cups of pasta water and set iot aside.
* Get a non-metallic large bowl (metal absorbs the heat) and IMMEDIATELY put the strained pasta in it. The original pot may work well. Don’t let the pasta get cold. Do it right away because the pasta contains the heat to cook the whisked eggs. If you wait even a minute, the eggs may remain too raw. Throw the eggs in the hot pasta and start stirring immediately, though gently. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT sauté the pasta and the ingredients on a pan, like many restaurant chefs do, or you will end up eating a frittata.
* As you stir the pasta, the bottom of the bowl will show you if there is any liquid left. Add a little leftover hot water, as the pasta keeps absorbing moisture. This is an exercise of balance. You have about 30 seconds to do this operation.
* Now you may combine the pancetta and onions into the pasta. NEVER, EVER, add crème, butter or other ingredients: they are pure and utter blasphemy!
* Grind fresh black pepper – it adds dimension and brings a perfume to it.
* DO NOT ADD ANY CHEESE YET or, if steered, it will clump up.
* Serve the pasta on the dishes. Only THEN you may grate fresh parmesan cheese on top of each dish as a topping – don’t steer the cheese!
* Last but not least, make sure everyone is already seated to eat. If you wait even 5 minutes (American style) this type of pasta will easily oxidate and get too hard.
ALWAYS cook for a person more than the number of your invitees. I guarantee that someone will go for seconds.
REMEMBER: the secret is in the preparation.
I hope you let me know how it goes.
Giancarlo Pirrone
QUESTIONS, IDEAS, SUGGESTIONS, ARTICLES?
Most questions regarding the format of our meetings are answered on our website at www.ciancia.org. If you are trying to contact us for ideas, relevant subjects, forthcoming cultural events, hosting an event, advertising, or publishing relevant material and articles that are related to Italian culture, you may contact us at agpirrone@outlook.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
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
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