Articles by: Giulia Madron

Americans have their flag implanted on the moon, Italians have a cannolo. Antonella Barbera, Paolo Capasso and Fabio Leone, three amateur scientists from Enna (Sicily), launched a model cannolo, symbol of the Italian island, to space and into the atmosphere.

“Sicilian Space Program,” this was how they called the project, is the funniest scientific experiment that worked out perfectly, and at a cost of mere 350 euros.

“Sicily has always been a place of negative connotations, mafia and unemployment. We wanted to lift up Sicily in our own way,” said filmmaker Fabio Leone, who recorded the project with Antonella Barbera.

Thanks to a balloon filled with helium, a sicilian cannolo with ricotta cheese, topped with a glazed cherry (made by Laura Caccamo) was sent to the outer space. Not a real one, of course, but just a model of it. A real one couldn’t have survived such journey.

The piece had to weigh under 2 kilos to qualify for the easiest official permits required to fly to high altitude.

Moreover, the body of the craft was made out of an insulated ice-cream box, which protected the camera batteries from temperatures that dropped below -50 degrees Celsius.

The cream-stuffed pastry roll was assembled on the “Cannolo Transporter,” a home-made spacecraft fabricated with recycled materials and equipped also with two cameras and a GPS tracker.

The balloon, launched at the peak of the Rocca di Cerere nature park, rose almost 30,000 meters. Then, because of the lack of atmospheric pressure, it burst and glided on the hills near the village of Bompietro and was later recovered by the team who followed the GPS signal.

The whole mission was filmed by the two cameras, which captured the most incredible moments of this typical sicilian pastry making its majestic entry into the infinity of the universe!

.

Carnival is usually celebrated in countries of catholic tradition during the period right before Lent.

Its etymology comes probably from the latin “carnem levare,” which means “removing the meat,” indicating the observance of the catholic rule of abstaining oneself from eating meat during the 6 weeks before Easter. Traditionally, over 40 consecutive days, people were not allowed to consume rich foods – meat, dairy or sweets- nor alcoholic beverages.

Their consumption before Lent became over the years an annual celebration know, indeed, as the Carnival feast, in which every sort of queerness is permitted like, for instance, wear eccentric costumes, make funny jokes, eat, drink and just have a good time

In Italy we have always had a huge carnival tradition. We might not have the razzle-dazzle of Rio De Janeiro but trust me, we are as good as Brazilians when it comes to celebrate this festivity.

Every region of the Peninsula has its own way to celebrate this event and its own typical foods that go with the cheerful and happy spirit of such feast.

However, when you talk about Carnival in Italy,you immediately think about the Venice Carnival, in the Veneto region, whose origins go back a little after the year 1000 a.C.

Known for being one of the most antiques in the world, the Carnival of Venice goes down in history for its amazing masks and costumes, used traditionally by the nobility of the “Serenissima (as it was called the Republic of Venice)” who wanted to offer to the Venetians moments of entertainment and excessive party leveling off, through elegant masks, any kind of class inequality.

Original Venetian masks are made by hand by artisans whose techniques were transmitted from generation to generation and they are made using refined materials such as leather, porcelain and blown glass (a typical technique of this city.)

During a period of 10 days, through the “calli” of this beautiful city, you are continuously projected into a sort of theatrical representation of happiness and playfulness. Everyone is dressed up to celebrate the charm of a world made of balls, jokes of every kind, romantic and mysterious encounters and exclusive parties. Very typical of the Venetian Carnival is the “flight of the angel” in the famous San Marco Square, an event that every year attracts thousands of people from all over the globe.

Another Carnival feast is worth mentioning is the Viareggio Carnival, in Tuscany, one of the most appreciated Italian celebrations and more than 100 years old. This feast is renowned all over the world for its spectacular float parades, handmade by local artisans who dedicate months and months trying to build the most extraordinary one among the many colored and extravagant floats you can see “marching” in the streets during this period.

A historical turning point for the Carnival of Viareggio occurred in 1921 with the introduction of papier-mache which, much lighter and cheaper, replaced other heavy materials in the construction of the floats. This innovative material has permitted the building of colossal structures, with more daring designs and movements.

Besides the carnival traditions we can find traveling through the Peninsula (and that would need a much longer article if I had to mention them all) there is more genuine, popular and childish to celebrate Carnival.

It consists in simpler games and jokes that people use to do outdoors like, for example, suds battles or throw confetti and streamers in the streets. All these are the perfect occasion for children and adults to have fun and enjoy the joyful atmosphere of this kind of popular tradition.

But do not forget to eat since it’s the last chance, before Lent, to have every kind of delicacies: “frittelle,” “frappe” or “crostoli” or “chiacchere” and castagnole  (as they have different names depending on the region). And don’t worry if you are not able to start a diet after eating all these gluttonies, if you follow the tradition, you will have to, no matter what!

We all know there has always been a bit of rivalry between Italians and the French. We fought over Tunisia, we fought over Nice and Corsica. And most of the time Italians lost to the French, who then went back home with many of our beautiful treasures.

Revenge began in 2006 when Italy won the FIFA World Cup during the final match against the “baguette eaters.”

Now we hope to win another fight and bring Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa back home. Italians always thought that the painting belonged to their country, but never said it officially. However, an American did. And guess who? The famous Hollywood star and Italy lover George Clooney, who also owns a villa near Lake Como where he spends most of his leisure time.

During a press conference in Rome to present his new movie “The Monuments Men,” the 52-year old actor and director suggested that France should return to Italy the famous Italian masterpiece, currently part of the permanent collection at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The Mona Lisa, acquired by France’s King Francis I around the first half of the XVI century, is considered one of the most important and wonderful paintings in the world.

Has Clooney been inspired by his own film? After all, “The Monuments Men” is based on a true story about a band of artists, curators and architects hired by the US during the wining period of the war to recover cultural treasures stolen by the Nazis. Apparently, Clooney demonstrates a certain hidden revolutionary spirit after filming “The Monuments Men.” Indeed, a few days before the Mona Lisa comment, he and his co-star Matt Demon caused a scandal in London by stating that England should return the famous Elgin Marbles currently displayed at the British Museum, to Greece.

“Someone urgently needs to restore George Clooney’s marbles,” said London Mayor Boris Johnson to the Daily Telegraph in response to Clooney's comments.“He should stuff the Hollywood script and stick to history,” he continued.

Well, at least Clooney said what everyone, except maybe for the French, think! Let’s bring back the Mona Lisa to Italy, and the Elgin Marbles to Greece, and then, dear George, WHAT'S NEXT?

Successful debut as a movie director for Valeria Golino, who will arrive in New York  on March 7th, for the premiere of her feature film “Honey (Miele)” at the Elinor Bulim Munroe Film Center at Lincoln Center.

Based on Mario Covachic’s novel, A Nome Tuo, “Honey” tells the story of Irene, a 30 year old woman who decided, under the pseudonym Honey, to help terminally-ill people die with dignity by giving them a drug she gets during her trips to Mexico. One day, she supplies the fatal substance to a “new client,” a 60 year old healthy woman who just thought she had lived enough and wanted to die. Such encounter will call into question all of Irene’s beliefs, whom, from that point on, will become involved in an intense and moving relationship that will change her life forever.

Valeria Golino’s “Honey” brings to the surface the delicate debate on Euthanasia, a practice that in Italy is considered illegal. However, during several interviews, Director Golino explained that her intention wasn’t to question whether assisted suicide is right or wrong. Instead, she wanted to recount the drama and the pain that people go through when they ask others to help them die.
A 96 minutes of film during which the spectators will ask themselves how to face death. 
In other words, Golino invites us to be aware of the existence of many tragic situations that are considered social taboos that we often ignore or want to avoid.

Valeria Golino's debut feature stars Jasmine Trinca (The Son's Room, The Best of Youth) as well as an Italian stage actor Carlo Cecchi. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard where it received a special mention from the Ecumenical Jury. It also screened at the Venice Film Festival. It is the 2nd film in the Cinema Made In Italy Series (following Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Great Beauty”), a program that provides marketing and distribution support to 5 Italian films in the US created by the Instituto Luce-Cinecittà, the Italian Trade Commission and Emerging Pictures.