Italy by site: March 27-April 2

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Italian Comfort Food ? Pacifist Fallout: Dario Fo’s TV & Gino the Chicken #149; Sergio Cammariere’s Heartfelt Jazz ? Italian practice: Cultural Literacy

Pacifist Fallout: Dario Fo’s TV & Gino the Chicken
Italy’s protest of the war in Iraq is quickly moving beyond peace marches — Nobel-prize winner Dario Fo with wife Franca Rame & son Jacopo have whipped together an antiwar drama with episodes that touch on censure and civilian casualties in war time. It’ll be broadcast Thursday 27 at 8:30 p.m. local time — from the official website as well as on regional TV channels and via satellite…Sure to cause a few waves…
www.francarame.it/tv.html#INTERNET

Cartoon Gino the Chicken, who became a a cult favorite mixing a classic Neapolitan song as the soundtrack to a cartoon about Bin Laden, is back with a vengeance for the Iraq war…Our latest favorite — "Che Bombola" — (What a Bomb!) Gino trying to outsmart the oxymoron of ‘intelligent’ bombs in Baghdad, set to the tune of Italian swing classic ‘Che Bambola’ (What a Doll!) by Fred Buscaglione…http://my-tv.virgilio.it/ginotv/ginoflash.jsp?IdArt=3710&sez=67&show=0

Italian Comfort Food
Taking the time to brew some Italian-style comfort food (pappa al pomodoro, zuppa di fagioli, acqua cotta) may be just the ticket — something nice to soothe before Spring really sets in…
www.mangiarebene.net/search/index.asp?qu=soups

Italian Comfort Food — the Cookbook

Sergio Cammariere’s Heartfelt Jazz
At best, there’s one artist from the San Remo songfest that you’d actually admit you listen to — he’s definitely it this year. The 40-year-old composer & musician just (rightfully) became a household name…Take a free listen to his smoky, elegant song stylings from the official site…
www.cammariere.it

Italian practice: Cultural Literacy
The latest edition of Italy’s most popular encyclopedia the Garzantina Universale just came out — here’s a long page with some of the new additions, useful, if nothing else to realize you have to say ‘Torre Gemelli" (Twin Towers) but can say ‘no global’ in English…
www.garzantilibri.it/articoli_main.php?sezione=Percorsi%20di%20lettura#testa

Italy by Numbers: History on Film

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Istituto Luce archives contain:
12,000 newsreels
4,700 documentaries
3 million photos
7 years to create online archive
infinite happiness for Italian film buffs/historians (est.)

Aficionados of Italy and Italian film have a reason to rejoice, even if they’ve had to postpone or cancel a trip to the Bel Paese. Istituto Luce, the country’s largest film and news archives now has enough free online material to keep you busy screening for months. From Michelangelo Antonioni’s documentary about Roman street sweepers (N.U. Nettezza Urbana) to historical footage of the gondola wedding procession of Count Edoardo Visconti di Modrone to Countess Arrivabene in 1931 it’s a slice of the history that even Italians haven’t had the chance to explore in depth until now.

Luce started out as a company making educational films in 1924 and was later co-opted by the fascist regime — but the collection ranges from a clip dated 1897 of King Umberto I to documentaries on today’s Italy. Users can explore by theme — books and related clips, a staff picked screening room for documentaries and a trip through Italy on the country’s changing landscapes — or use the search engine.

The site, unveiled after seven years of work, is sure to keep the curious busy — some 3,000 hours of the archives’ footage are available for viewing online in modem, ADSL and broadband formats, with another 2,000 hours to come online in the next few years. Registered users can send ecards and participate in the forum; footage is available for teaching or broadcast and a research service is also available.

?1999-2004 zoomata.com

Zoomata is the brainchild of a bilingualjournalist based in Italy who thinks out of the box. This brain is for hire.

Related resources:
www.archivioluce.com

Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present

Lost Ending to Federico Fellini Film Found

"Under Tuscan Sun" Gets Bizarre Hollywood Treatment

Italian Nuns Open Stress Clinic

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Harried Italians can now seek solace in a ‘stress clinic’ run by an order of Dominican nuns. The good sisters of Santa
Caterina da Siena in Turin have been ministering to the sick for about 130 years — but this is the first time a Catholic organization in Italy has branched out to treat one of the most modern of ailments.

The overworked, burned out or anxious can book an appointment in the ‘stress lab’ where, instead of prayer counseling, they’ll be looked over by a physician specialized in stress treatments. Once stressors are determined, patients will be given a personalized — and decidedly secular — treatment plan including techniques like autogenic training and progressive relaxation.

And what about the stress of religious life? "Nuns are also at risk for stress," said clinic director Sister Nicoletta. "But there’s also equilibrium and spiritual energy to help us get through it. For those of us who work in the clinic, there’s also a lot of gratification from helping the sick and we try to take care of ourselves through prayers and excercise."

The nuns will likely have a booming new sideline in the clinic, which already offers more traditional medical services. Italians, despite the happy-go-lucky stereotype, are ever more in need ways to manage the strain of everyday life — they currently pop more tranquilizers than Americans (1.9 million users in Italy compared to 1.3 million in the US), according to ISTAT and NIH data. Not surprisingly, in Italy the harried pace of life in Northern cities increases anxiety-controlling drug use, about 10% higher than for those living in Southern areas.?1999-2004 zoomata.com

Zoomata is the brainchild of a bilingualjournalist based in Italy who thinks out of the box. This brain is for hire.

Related resources:
Sex advice? Ask the nuns online

Open Cloisters Via Internet

Bed and Blessings Italy: A Guide to Convents and Monasteries Available for Overnight Lodging

Italians Save Michelangelo’s ‘Graffiti’

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With talent like Michelangelo’s, even graffiti becomes a priceless treasure.
Restoration efforts are underway in Florence to salvage wall sketches made by the Renaissance genius in a secret hideout where he took refuge from war in 1530.

The room remained a secret until art historian Paolo Dal Poggetto stumbled upon it in 1975. Experts were quick to realize the conditions presented a number of dangers to the preservation of the drawings and shored up the walls as best they could.

Some 20 years after the first restoration, the opening of the room to air and humidity led to leaching of mineral salts from the plaster and the drawings were at risk. Thanks to sponsors, restorers are busy getting rid of mold, stains and installing state-of-the-art dehumidifiers. Once safeguarded, officials say they will open the room to the general public.

From his work on the church, Michelangelo knew about the cave-like space under the New Sacristy apse in San Lorenzo. When Papal and imperial troops stormed the fallen Florentine republic in 1530, the artist asked the church prior to let him hide there. Michelangelo was on the run — charged with treason and ordered to be assassinated by the new Medici mayor of Florence — because of his work on fortifications for the Republic of Florence.

Overcome by boredom during the six-weeks spent in refuge, the 55-year old Michelangelo used charcoal to draw on the walls. His mind though, was still on work — in addition to a a self portrait and some caricatures he did preliminary drawings for the Sistine Chapel and statues for the New Sacristy. These doodles would prove helpful in the future — Pope Clement granted him pardon on the condition the artist agreed to complete the Medici chapel. He finished the work but would never return to Florence, even to see the statues put into place.

Michelangelo’s hideout will eventually be open to tourists — but until that happens, it’s still possible to catch a glimpse of it. Look for lights on below ground at the back of the church — near where the Maria Luisa Palatine Electress statue sits surrounded by a little lawn. ?1999-2004 zoomata.com

Zoomata is the brainchild of a bilingualjournalist based in Italy who thinks out of the box. This brain is for hire.
Related resources:

Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling

Restoring Michelangelo’s Moses: Finally Online

Web-wise March 20-27

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Italian Coverage of the War with Iraq ? Italian Cooking for Singles ? Berlusconi for your PC? Tracking down friends & relatives in Italy

Italian Coverage of the War with Iraq
If you’re looking follow events the way Italians will –or find out more what they think of it, here are the a few sources:

Special online edition of the Corriere della Sera:
www.corriere.it

www.repubblica.it/news/ired/ultimora/altre_n.html
Breaking events news ticker

www.cnnitalia.it/interactive/iraq/teatro_guerra/frameset.exclude.html
An overview in graphics of the war zone…

www.warnews.it
An alternative source, specialized in global conflicts

http://italy.indymedia.org/index.php?a=home
Italian branch of Indy media

In English:
news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&in=world&cat=italy
Wire stories from all the main sources about Italy…

www.italynews.com
Another source of breaking news in Italy…

 

Italian Cooking for Singles
It’s no wonder just now Bel Paese sites are coming up with singleton-sized portions — though there are ever increasing one-person households, it does seem an invisible part of the population or at least one not known for cooking a lot…Here are some quick but good ideas for eating da solo — like a plate of bresaola, arugula and grapefruit or a hotpepper omlette…
www.buonissimo.org/ricettario.asp?rub=40

Berlusconi for your PC
Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has come under a lot of heat from the locals for his positions on war with Iraq — added fuel to the criticism over the festering conflict of interest and endless trials over his business dealings…Get your own pocket-sized Berlusca — a berlusclock, singing ecard, wall paper etc.
www.clarence.com/misc/berlustools

Tracking down Friends & Relatives in Italy
Lost the number of the cute woman on the train to Perugia or coordinates for your third cousins in Calabria? Try signing up for Italy’s free “lost connections” service. www.persidivista.it

American Criminals Take ”Mafia Lessons” in Italy

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zoomata.com staff
Members of the Mafia in America were sent across the pond to perfect the criminal trade from pros in Sicily, according to a turncoat don. Antonino Giuffr?, arrested in 2002, confirmed FBI reports that members of the Bonanno crime family in the US were sent to the province of Trapani for training.

The penitent mobster, describing these ‘Mafia Lessons’ sounds like something out of a Godfather movie: “They send them here to make good men of honor out of them, to practice — because,” according to Giuffr?, “In American they’ve lost the values, there’s no more respect.” He added that there’s nothing more dangerous than an ignorant mobster — one not properly schooled in the internal ethics and hierarchy necessary to carry out the racketeering, prostitution, illegal waste dumping and drug trade of the organization.

One of the hardest lessons of an effective criminal organization to teach the Americans? To shut up. Giuff? said the code of silence, or omert?, was alien to the garrulous Americans: “They just couldn’t stay quiet, they always talk too much.” The improvised professors of crime were Cosa Nostra dons who agreed to take in the Americans on a learning-by-doing tour of how things are done in the old continent.

The Sicilian Mafia may have to do more than offer master classes in crime to stay afloat — with the arrest of Giuff? cohort Salvatore Rinella March 7 another dent was made in the criminal organization. It’s part of a major push by Italian authorities who have arrested several people close to the reputed head of the Sicilian Mafia, Bernardo Provenzano — although the top boss, on the run for 40 years, still eludes them. There’s also an economic incentive for fighting crime — the Italian government estimates some 7.5 billion euro in lost income a year to the country’s southern regions. ?1999-2004 zoomata.com

Zoomata is the brainchild of a bilingualjournalist based in Italy who thinks out of the box. This brain is for hire.
Related resources:

Excellent Cadavers: The Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic

Mafia Town Becomes a Brand Name

Mafia Boss Gets Life Sentence, Thanks to Movie

Visiting Pisa’s Towers: Reservations

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After long months of enticing conversation with custodians at the bell tower for news, the online booking service for obligatory reservations of one of Italy’s most famous monuments has finally been launched.

Okay, so it’s a few months late and the cost (17 euro) is a bit higher than first estimated, but it’s worth it. A certain stamina is required for the 40-minute visit — tourists have to trek up 300 steps and sufferers of vertigo need not apply. Timing is also of the essence: reservations can only be made for the current two months and space is limited…

In English or Italian:
www.opapisa.it/boxoffice/index.html

Related resources:
The Tower of Pisa
Italy’s famous tower & how it got that famous lean…

‘Whoretown’ Board Game

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There’s no Park Place and there are no railroads to buy — but otherwise the board game created by a Italian prostitutes’ civil rights group about how women enter and stay in prostitution looks a lot like Monopoly.

At the roll of a dice, players in "Whoretown" find themselves a woman, most likely not of Italian nationality, faced with a series of difficult tasks — send her children to school, repay a debt, start a business, support a family. Along the way, instead of buying real estate or little plastic houses she’ll come up against police raids, gang wars, violent clients and depending on the outcome will earn or lose money. Who comes out on top? The player who manages to reach goals despite the perils — but the game’s end doesn’t necessarily liberate her from the sex trade.

The game based on the world’s oldest profession, to be launched in public March 22 to mark the 20-year anniversary of the group, was created to raise awareness about Italy’s prostitution problem. More than just a publicity stunt, the group plans to sell the game online at 34 euro.The Bel Paese’s sex market consists of an estimated 50,000-70,000 prostitutes, about 70% are illegal immigrants lured to the country with the promise of a job then forced into sex work, according to Eurispes data. The study reports almost half of all Italian men regularly frequent the so-called "fireflies" (lucciole), some 70% of these are married.

"Basically, it’s a learning tool," said Pia Covre cofounder of the organization."Because it lays bare the reality of prostitution and helps explain that life is often directed by random events. But it can also be fun, particularly in mixed company."

Embarrassing would-be johns into staying home has been the object of numerous schemes in recent years in Italy — including exorbitant fines, photographing clients and towing away cars parked in "suspect" zones. Most have created more brouhaha than change, because they conflict with Italy’s severe privacy law which, for example, doesn’t permit photographing drivers from the front for everyday traffic violations. In a concrete if controversial move, Northern League leader Umberto Bossi proposed government-regulated ‘Eros centers’ (apartments shared by a few prostitutes) last year that is still causing debate. ?1999-2004 zoomata.com

Zoomata is the brainchild of a bilingualjournalist based in Italy who thinks out of the box. This brain is for hire.

Italian Nationalism: A Work in Progress

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Italian patriotism: on the rise?

by Nicole Martinelli

Italy is still a nation very much in the making. It’s taken over 200 years to pin down the exact colors of the national flag — described recently in lay terms as brilliant grass green, milk white and tomato red.

And before a scientific committee examined the flags from Italy’s main government buildings to define the official colors? Flag makers used to just ‘play it by ear,’ which might explain why only about 60% of Italians recognized the tricolor instead of mistaking it for the national glories of Ireland, Hungary or Mexico.

Now, what has been taken for granted by Italians — the language, the food and even the national anthem — is getting bolstered and pinned down by a rare transversal group of politicians. Proposals are on the books for making Italian the official language, making the Mameli Hymn the official anthem (this apparently a long-forgotten oversight), teaching patriotism in schools and giving a ‘made in Italy’ seal of approval to international Italian restaurants.

Not all of these pro-Italy measures have been greeted favorably — from a lukewarm reception to a monument to the Lira (made from two million old coins) to the debate over whether Pinocchio — the truant, good-for-nothing liar — should become the symbol of Italian products abroad. It may be because the flurry of patriotic proposals comes at a time when Italians are probably more cohesive as a nation than they’ve ever been.

Following the unification of Italy in 1861, only about 20% of Bel Paese inhabitants spoke the same language — and the remark attributed to Massimo D’azeglio “We have made Italy. Now we only have to make Italians” couldn’t have been more true. Now, over 90% speak Italian as well as a local dialect — and seem to have buried the hatchet over centuries-old regional squabbling. When asked by Eurispes to define their relations with those from the lower half of Italy — over 70% of Northerners described them as ‘normal’ or ‘good’ and some 11% have an ‘excellent’ rapport.

When President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi performed the ribbon-cutting honors in Florence March 13 at the first national exhibit on the Italian language, he made another important statement. The exhibit at the Uffizi Gallery’s Reali Poste — which explores the roots of modern Italian as well as its intersections with foreign languages — is precisely the kind of horn-tooting celebration Italians strenuously avoid. It took 10 years to find enough interest and funds to put it together and may form the cornerstone of the first museum on the history of the Italian language. The curator, Professor Luca Serianni of Rome’s La Sapienza University, told zoomata that unawareness is often the underlying problem: “Italians are proud of their language, like they are of their culture, but without realizing it.”

This new celebration of all things Italian isn’t limited to law books or to the country’s positive traits. State broadcaster RAI recently had a successful run with a game/variety show centered on what could arguably be one of Italy’s worst faults: nepotism. On the prime time “I Raccomandati” (Recommended People) celebrities shamelessly plugged friends or family members trying to make it into show business — including politician Ignazio La Russa promoting a comedian friend, singer Tosca d’Aquino trying to get her mother into the spotlight and showgirl Adriana Volpe with a cousin performing celebrity imitations.
Whether the patriotism trend will turn Italians into a nation of flag wavers remains to be seen. Journalist and astute observer of the Italian character Beppe Severgnini commented, “It’s not entirely true that Italians aren’t patriotic, they do in fact tendto take a protective stance toward certain aspects of the Italian culture. What happens is that every nowand again an air of hysteria sweeps through the country and they make somelaws that really don’t have much impact.”@1999-2008 zoomata.com

Related resources:
Italy by Numbers: Forgetful Patriotism

Italy by Numbers: “I’d take it to the streets for…“

Italy’s Tricolor: a Grand Old Flag, but it Takes a Law to Make it Fly

Exhibit “Dove Suona il S?” at the Reali Poste, Uffizi Gallery until Sept. 30, 2003. Free.

Marjorie Taylor (Rome)

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Each month we introduce you to someone who has made the dream of picking up and moving to the Bel Paese a reality. In their own words they share the good parts, the bad parts and the just plain absurd moments of day-to-day life in Italy.
Looking to move to Italy?Try the reader-recommended Survivor Package Contact form

ID Card:
Marjorie Taylor, a Real Estate Broker from Manhattan, NY. I am also a licensed broker in the state of Florida. I am engaged to marry a wonderful Italian man from Venice, who is working in Rome. I have an adult daughter living in Florida.

How (or why) did you get here from there?
I came to Rome in Jan. 2001 to help my fianc? pack and move. He was in negotiation with a US company to open a new division. The job fell through, however, I stayed!

What role did language skills play in your experience?
Unfortunately, I had no language skills. I think learning the language is very important in feeling at home.

Your biggest challenge:
One of my biggest challenges has been driving in Rome. I thought I could handle it after living and driving in busy Manhattan. The drivers here make up their own rules. However, I have not given up!

What did you do to feel at home or adapt here?
I joined two organizations that are quite different from each other with varied and diverse memberships. The American Women?s Association (AWAR) provides a multiple number of social and cultural functions and has given me an excellent start in my new adventure. The second group I joined is the Hash House Harriers (HASH), a crazy running club comprised of members from all over the globe. These groups have helped me to connect to other ex pats here and learn from their experiences, and most importantly, make new friends.

What do you still have to get used to/learn?
The language. I?ve taken a few months of Italian lessons and find it challenging as well as frustrating to carry a conversation in Italian. I find this most exasperating because I am a person with a lot to say!

Compare an aspect of your home town (or other place you’ve lived) to current town.
Housing, is costly In Rome. A small two-bedroom apartment is difficult to find for less than 4 million Lire, monthly, in the center. It is time consuming and often difficult to locate an apartment just as it is in NYC. Some of my friends have had good luck by consulting bulletin boards of the various English language schools, bookstores and churches as well as the FAO and WFO of the UN. The public transportation is wonderful and inexpensive. You can get just about any where you want to by bus, tram or train. The only problem is that trains and trams do not operate 24 hours a day.

Latest pursuits:
Since I am not working, my latest pursuit is trying to fill my days with productive activities. After the busy lifestyle of a Manhattan Real Estate Broker, I find it a bit difficult with so much time on my hands. I would like to investigate what is involved with opening my own business here.

A preconceived notion about Italians/Italy that is not true:
That they are all short, my fianc? is 6?7!

A preconceived notion about Italians/Italy that is true:
That they are warm and friendly. They are also accepting and appreciative of us foreigners when we butcher their beautiful language. But the truest preconceived notion is that the men are very romantic and love women.

Your response to the following question: “I really want to live here, but I don’t speak Italian or have a job. What do you think?”
Unless you are a citizen of the European Community, finding a job is difficult without the necessary papers. You must apply for an entrance visa at your nearest Italian Consular Office in the US and wait until it has been granted. This process will take several weeks so do this well in advance. Additionally, start to learn the language. Although many Italians speak a little English, it is most helpful to acclimate if you learn the language first. (I wish I did!) At least enough to get along with your basic daily activities.

How would you sum up your Italian experience in a word (and why)?
Unbelievable! If you would have told me last year that I would be living in Rome, exploring Italy and Europe, learning a new culture and language, I would have declared you insane. However, I find it to be the most unbelievable and incredible experiences in my life. Even though my friends and family think I am nuts to give up my job and apartment, I feel quite fortunate for this unique opportunity.

Italy’s best kept secret (music, culture, food, way to get round things)
Outdoor festivals during the summer. There is something going on every evening here in Rome. Food, games, exhibits, all sorts of music from small local bands, to big name stars. A lot of them are free!