Category: Miscellaneous

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I have devoted a great deal of my life working to preserve our Italian heritage in the United States. Many of you have spent time and money doing the same but, in doing so, have we wasted our time, money, and energy? The odds are against us because we are not doing the things we should. How does an ethnic group insure its survival?

Italy today is not the same country your grandparents left, and it is true that many Italian-Americans are now highly acculturated and assimilated members of American society. We also agree that the language has been lost, and almost everything of Italy and things Italian. If there was the will, Italian-Americans could learn about Italy and her heritage. If we are able to get across to Italian-Americans that our Italian heritage is a treasure, we may have more success. We need to point out that Italian personal and family values and our way of interacting with relatives and friends is very enriching. By raising the consciousness of our intellectual heritage, they will come to value what Italy has contributed to the world!

I have always been amazed by the effect that Italy has had on the Italian-American tourist. It is a key to culture and identity, especially when contact is made with family and place. Italy is playing a formidable role in the world economy, politics, science, and arts in the present day.

I agree that our future depends upon social cohesion. We need to encourage more Italian-Americans, especially young people, to join Italian-American organizations. As members, they will have interaction with other individuals with shared values and personal identity. We must welcome the spouses who are not of Italian descent and encourage them to share both heritages with their children. Our Italian-American organizations must provide educational material for children of mixed antecedents. There must also be programs and events in our organizations for various socio-economic class positions.

Compete assimilation and the extinction of our Italian ethnicity has not yet taken place. We are in the twilight of ethnicity, and that is why it is so important to act today. We have some of the answers when we see the persistence of ethnicity in the United States. We notice a lingering attachment to Italy by third- and fourth-generation Italian-Americans. Why? One good reason is an authentic and deep understanding of things Italian, past and present.

We must raise the consciousness of Italian-Americans in light of being more educated. The affairs of a very modern Italy have appeal because Italy is contributing so much to modern life. Italian radio and television are now available in the United States, There are so many opportunities to keep in touch with Italy and with our families there.

— Prof./Cav. Philip J. DiNovo

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Recently I was paging through one of my favorite books Festivals and Folkways of Italy by Frances Toor. Toor (1890-1956) was an ethnologist who traveled through Italy shortly after World War II. She spent eight months in Italy experiencing and writing about the festivals, crafts, foods and trad

itions of the “peasant” Italians. She believed that the “richest” traditions and folk arts belonged to the poor.
In her book, Toor describes Neapolitans as intelligent, generous and capable of great friendship. She then notes how they are good workers but do not like working under bosses. As a result they try to eke out a living by selling something or working in their crowded bassi (one room apartments). Toor states that she saw little of the dolce far niente (sweet laziness) which Neapolitans are famous for. She offered the following story as an example of dolce far niente.
A fisherman asleep on the shore in the shade of his rowboat was awakened by a friend who said to him,”Wake up Giovanni, a big passenger ship with many foreigners has just come in!”
“What’s that got to do with me?” asked Giovanni, stretching lazily.
“Why, you ought to go out there with your boat and bring in passengers. You can make lots of money that way.”
“Then what?” replied Giovanni.
“Why, in time you can buy another boat and your son can help you.”
“Then what?” Giovanni queried again.
“Then you will be rich and you can rest!”
“But here I am resting already,” said Giovanni, as he turned over and went to sleep again.
Copies of Frances Toor’s book Festivals and Folkways of Italy (1953) can be purchased on the web for less than $5! It is a must read of Italian folklore.
Submitted by Paul Torna

Gabriele D’Annunzio

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A Christmas Adventure in Little Italy

It’s the day before Christmas, and Jimmy and his best friend—his dog, Blackie—are visiting Nonna, Jimmy’s grandma, in her neighborhood called Little Italy. Jimmy loves to visit with Nonna, especially when he can help her make biscotti. After they finish their baking, Jimmy, Nonna, and Blackie set out together on the wintry day to take packages of the freshly baked biscotti to St. Michael the Archangel Church, where the cookies will be given to poor families on Christmas Eve. But as they leave the church, a bus making a sudden stop startles Blackie, and the little dog runs off through the neighborhood. All too soon, Jimmy realizes that Blackie is lost. Even though Jimmy and Nonna search everywhere, the quickly falling snow covers up Blackie’s paw prints, making it impossible to follow him. Will Jimmy’s Christmas be a sad one without his best friend?

A Christmas Adventure in Little Italy is a heartwarming tale of a boy and his dog, set against the backdrop of a 1950s-era Italian neighborhood. The endearing and evocative images and child-friendly narrator’s voice will enchant young readers (and listeners), transporting them to a time gone by—a time of simple pleasures and special relationships. The inclusion of Nonna’s biscotti recipe at the end of the book—a real taste of Little Italy—is an added treat that children and adults alike will love. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Kathleen Muth Reading Center at Chapman University. For more information, please visit www.chapman.edu.

To buy the book from the author, go to <http://www.achristmasadventure.com/>. The book is also available through amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.

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October 6, 2012, the Amici Italiani Youth & Adult Dance Troupes of Rockford, Illinois, had the honor of being inducted into the Greater Rockford Italian American’s Hall Of Fame! Congratulations!!

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As the Ambassador of San Juan Capistrano’s Sister City Program, IFAFA Member Vicky Carabini had the idea of creating a festival that celebrates the art and culture of Italy, in the city of San Juan Capistrano, CA. Out of that idea was born Ferragosto in San Juan Capistrano, a non-profit, volunteer-staffed, family-friendly free event. Major event partners are the Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley, J. Serra Catholic High School, and the San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce. The event, focusing on Italian culture, crafts, and art, will next be offered in 2013. It will include Italian Street Painting in which the street becomes the canvas and pastels, the paint. One of the accomplishments of the organization was to raise funds to have the award-winning audio tour on the website for the Historic Mission San Juan Capistrano translated into Italian. You can listen to it at:

http://missionsjc.com/tours/audio.php

Sister City – Capestrano, Italy

San Juan Capistrano celebrates its Italian connection with its Sister City, Capestrano, located in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The two cities became officially ‘twinned’ on June 13, 2000. Since then, the two cities have had cultural and educational exchanges. Some of the activities have included vendors from Capestrano, Italy, participating in the Italian Celebration of the Swallow’s Return at the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano in March 2009, and, in October 2010, there was an educational exchange between the students at the Mission Parish School and the students in Capestrano. The City of San Juan Capistrano Sister City Program also coordinates a St. Joseph Day food drive for the local food bank, Fr. Serra’s Pantry; enters an Italian entry in the Annual Swallow’s Day Parade; and hosts Italian language classes twice a week at Vitos Restaurant located in the historic center of the city and monthly Italian movies at the newly renovated Regency Theater next to the train depot.

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Brush truffles very gently to clean them. Using a mandoline or truffle grater, slice truffles as thinly as possible into a bowl, pour in the olive oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow mixture to sit at room temperature for a few hours to infuse the truffle flavor into the olive oil. (If you cannot find fresh truffles, substitute ½ c truffle oil for this step, perhaps adding some porcini or other flavorful mushroom shavings, but it won’t be quite the same.)

Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Remove 2 tablespoons of the truffle olive oil (with no truffles) and heat it in a skillet with the garlic, gently cooking the garlic until softened. Do not burn the garlic. Remove from the heat and add the truffles with the rest of the olive oil. (Truffles should never be “cooked,” just gently warmed so that you don’t destroy their delicate flavor.)

When the spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to the truffle and olive oil along with a splash of the cooking water, and gently reheat over very low heat.  Serve with grated pecorino at the table.

Serves 4