Articles by: Marina Melchionda

If you think it is impossible to bring together the best that Italy can offer you in terms of landscapes and historic and cultural sites, you are definitely wrong.

On June 4 Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò inaugurated the exhibit "Il Paesaggio Descritto  -  UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Italy", a collection of 44 shots of 44 different Italian UNESCO Heritage Sites by photographer Luca Capuano.

As many of you know, Italy is the country that hosts the largest number of UNESCO sites, might they be historical centers, natural parks, sea or mountain panoramas, monuments, or architectural landscapes. Luca Capuano traveled  throughout the  entire country, from the Dolomites in the North to the Aeolian Islands in Sicily, to portray  all of them through the lens of his reflex  camera. 

The original exhibit, first inaugurated in Villa d'Este in Tivoli (near Rome) on March 2010, featured over 530 pictures, a huge collection  from which the photographer and the curator of the exhibit,  Tommaso Gavioli,  selected  numerous samples to bring to New York  for the exhibition at the Casa.

The display, that will be on view through July 16, is the result of a collaboration between the Casa, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the Associazione Città e Siti Italiani UNESCO: "Casa Italiana found out about this exhibit on the website of the Italian national newspaper La Repubblica and immediately contacted us showing a deep interest in hosting it in its headquarters. Thanks to the collaboration between Elsa de Giovanni, who became the on-site coordinator of this NY edition, and Mr. Gavioli, we are here after only two months from the first inauguration in Tivoli", said Arianna Zanelli, Secretary General of the Associazione Città e Siti Italiani UNESCO.

Such an initiative  also has a symbolic meaning  for  her: "We must remember that New York itself hosts two UNESCO heritage sites, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, places that are traditionally part of the "Italian version" of the American dream and that have shaped in many ways the history of both these countries. This time we Italians are not coming as immigrants, but as ambassadors  of our national beauties that  somehow  represent 'the Italian dream' of many Americans".

From the Royal Palace with its gardens in Caserta to the "Sacri Monti' (Holy Mountains) in Lombardy and Piedmont; from the Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia to the  "trulli" in Alberobello, Apulia; from the Cilento Coast and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archeological sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula to the Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, the exhibit  takes  the visitor  on a virtual journey through the country. Its touristic value was further underlined by the presence of Riccardo Strano, the Director of the Italian Government Tourism Board in North America, on the day of the inauguration: the vivid colors of the pictures, the extraordinary combination of such different landscapes, left all of those attending enthusiastic about  a  possible visit to Italy  in the near future .

"The exhibit was first conceived for two different reasons: first, we wanted to produce an accurate documentation of the state of preservation of these UNESCO sites in Italy; second, we wanted to offer the public a comprehensive overview of this extraordinary country, that we have the duty to take care of and hand  over  to  future generations", stated Mrs. Zanelli when we asked about the origins of the initiative. "Since the experiment to display a smaller version of the exhibit is proving to be very succesful, we are encouraged to  take  it  on both  a  national and  an international tour, in cities and territories where there aren't such  large spaces as Villa d'Este in Tivoli". 

For Luca Capuano, selecting just 44 images out of the original 530 was a very delicate task that  inevitably changed or shaped the meaning of the exhibit.

He was introduced to Mrs. Zanelli and the UNESCO scientific committee in Italy by his friend Mr. Gavioli and, although he is mainly a photographer of architecture, he was immediately appreciated for some works he had already done in the Province of Ferrara, where the Association's headquarters are located.

We met him a few days before the inauguration and asked him about his commitment with  UNESCO. He told us about the fascinating way he carried  out  his appointment...

Why do you think the Associazione Città e Siti Italiani UNESCO selected you among all the photographers they were supposedly examinating?
They already knew me, my style and the works I had done before in the province of Ferrara.
They gave me great freedom in the way I could carry out  this job, the "cut" and the "point of view" from which I could take my pictures. This is not only an exhibit about the 44 UNESCO sites in Italy, but it is also about the way I look at them, and the language I use to introduce them to the public. This is why the exhibit is called "Il paesaggio descritto" (The landscape described): it is  more  a subjective than an objective representation.

What is the point of view that you talk about? What kind of photographer are you?
My life is divided into two parts. My work as a professional photographer in the field of architecture for trade magazines and studios requires  me to use a language that is both  professional and commercial. My artistic projects, of which in most cases I am the first creator, allow me greater freedom of expression. Sometimes, as in this exhibit's case, these two aspects of my work cross: on one side these pictures document the reality as it is, on the other they are the fruit of a thoughtful consideration of what a "UNESCO heritage site" should represent. My conclusion is that the object of this preservation should be the identity of these places, that is the fruit of what they were when they were first created and of what they have become now, thus between past and present. In order to portray  this "identity" in my pictures I chose to remove all of the external contemporary elements that could distract the attention of the viewers, from the advertisement posters to the people walking by and the traffic. So there I was with very few spots that I could work with: using this lecture key made my work much harder, but it was the only way I thought I could carry it on properly

How long did it take you to take all those pictures?
It took me almost five months traveling up and down  Italy  by camper. I left from Florence in July and took my last shots in December. After two months of editing, we were ready for the inauguration in Tivoli for which we chose 10 to 20 images for each UNESCO site.

How did you manage to come down to one picture per site for the NY exhibit?
It was hard to chose which one to pick. I had to find another lecture key and I asked for the collaboration of the curator Mr. Tommaso Gavioli. We finally ended up giving more  emphasis  to my perspective than to the informative aspect of the project. So it is more a Luca Capuano than a UNESCO exhibit.

How does it feel to have your works presented to an American audience?
I think that we found in the Casa Italiana a great place for the exhibit: it has a consistent American audience that is very attentive to the Italian contemporary reality but, being committed to the spreading of the Italian culture, it is also deeply connected to the Italian community in New York. Its audience is extremely various and could thus be fascinated by it for cultural, historical or tourist reasons. The exhibit itself is accessible to an extremely large public that, according to their personal and cultural background, can respond to it in a different way.
Beauty is a universal concept, that can be interpreted in as many different ways as the people who  observe it. I am curious to see how the New York public will respond to the beauty I  have tried to introduce  to  them through my exhibit.

We invite all of you readers who happen to be in New York to visit the Casa Italiana this first half of summer. Whether you are an American fond for Italy, an Italian lonesome for his country of origins,  a passionate about photography or even a historian, we ensure you that you'll find a reason to fall in love with Luca Capuano's work

Il Paesaggio Descritto
  UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Italy

June 4 - July 16
(Monday - Friday, 10 am - 5 pm)

Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò at NYU
24 West 12th Street
New York, NY 10011
tel. (212) 998-8739
fax (212) 995-4012
[email protected]

Wall Street, the Andaz Hotel. On May 13, the financial center of New York and one of its most luxurious hotels hosted Letizia Moratti, the mayor of Milan, for a presentation of the city in all its fabulous aspects, from culture to fashion, from business to tourism. The aim of "Impresa Milano - Innovation and Passion" was to  present to  the American audience  the main efforts made by the city's government to enhance the economic, cultural, and social life of its inhabitants through a wide range of projects and consistent financial investments.

The public attending the presentation, hosted  on the ground floor of the tall skyscraper dominating the Financial District, was extremely various, both  as far as age and fields  of interest. Italian and American businessmen and students sat side by side with some of the highest representatives of the "Sistema Italia", the network of Italian and Italian-American public and private institutions and foundations based in the New York Area. Among them, the Consul General of Italy in New York Francesco Maria Talò with Deputy Consul Marco Alberti; the director of the Italian Government Tourism Board in North America Riccardo Strano; the President of the Italy-America  Chamber of Commerce Claudio Bozzo; and the President and Treasurer of CIIM New York (Confederation of Italian Entrepreneurs Worldwide) Tomaso Veneroso.

The presentation started with an overlook of Milan as  the business and financial capital  of  Italy.

The figures the mayor presented us strikingly  show  the dynamism and economical activism that have always characterized Milan. "Milan ranks among the top ten world economic centers with more than 280.000 firms specialized in a wide range of diversified industries. It is the city that attracts the highest number of foreign firms and the greatest percentage of FDI in the country.  We host about 25% of the headquarters of our national banks and more than 9,000 financial institutions. These and other factors bring our activity rate up to 70% for over 3 million residents and our GDP to 162 billion USD, 44,000 USD pro capita".

In order to support  further growth  in this sector, the municipality has recently invested over 10 million euros in five different incubators to encourage young entrepreuners and spin off companies to invest in the city. Daniela Jabes, responsable for the project and President of NAICONS,  commented on the success of the initiative: "With such  a  small amount of money we attracted 73 companies operating in the field of food, biotech & life science, and fashion. I am confident that the city will invest more in this initiative that has proven to be a winning one"

Milan's cultural life is outstanding  as well. The day before our meeting mayor Moratti had presented the "Museo del Novecento" (Museum of the XX century) at the Moma. It will be hosted at the Palazzo dell'Arengario starting next  autumn and will feature a number of collections of contemporary works of art. This is only one of the cultural initiatives promoted by the municipality. "Milan has a very rich cultural offer: 24 museums, 26 public libraries, 185 theatres, among which the world famous  opera  house "La Scala", and 335 cinemas. We also host the "Triennale", a  major event which began in the early 1930s that hosts collections and retrospectives on the most recent tendencies in the fields of architecture and design".  Milan has  also become one of the top  educational centers in Europe with 8 universities that offer prestigious Master and PhD programs and about 250,000 students. Its 80 research institutes, moreover, make it the Ital ian hub for hi-tech and bio-tech studies.

With  such a vivid cultural life ,  in 2008 the city was awarded the Universal Expo 2015,  whose theme is  "Feeding the Planet  -  Energy for Life". "As we expect more than 20 million visitors, and 150 visitor countries, and will invest about 15.8 billion  euros  in infrastructure, the expo will give work to about 70.000 people, with an estimated  turnover of 63 billion dollars. We see it as a great challenge but also as a huge opportunity for our economy and for the image of our city".

Following Mayor Moratti 's speech , the common feeling among the audience is that Milan is the modern capital of Italy, a symbol of re-birth, but also an example to follow for the other economic centers of the country, as Consul Talò underlined:"Milan and New York are so similar, they are both cities of opportunities. You investors, entrepreneurs, young talents that will shape our future sitting in the audience, look at it as an example to follow. Mayor Moratti has focused her mandate on education, without  which  any growth, economical or social as it might be, can be conceivable".

As he finished his speech, Consul Talò introduced us to Tomaso Veneroso, the President of the Confederation of Italian Entrepreneurs Worldwide.  He defined him as a "representative of the new Italian entrepreneurship",  and decorated  him  with the "Stella al Merito della Solidarietà Italiana" making him Knight of the Italian Republic on behalf of President Napoletano. 
We could not miss the occasion to interview him...

How important  is it for you to be recognized by the Italian government for the work you do through CIIM?
I look at it as a direct demonstration that Italian public institutions want to help young entrepreneurs like me living abroad in their effort to enhance the country's image and create new job opportunities. Personally I am focusing on creating new contacts , jobs , and educational opportunities for  Italian new-grads here in the US.

Do you have any particular advice for them, given your multi-year life experience in the US?
Not only must  they show great passion for what they do, but  they must also be willing to adapt their working methods and mentality to the new work environment they find here. They should have their aims very clear in their mind, and try to reach them with creativity, flexibility and fantasy. Finally, they should carry on their education to the highest level possible, work for a Masters or a PhD and acquire very specific skills that could make of them true assets in their job industry

Why should an American enterprise hire an Italian grad?
Italians first of all are incredibly multi-tasking, they can do several things at the same time and focus on all of them with the same attention.
Also, they are flexible, and are willing to accept jobs that maybe their American colleges would never do. This is because they have a 360 degrees education that gave them a number of skills useful in a wider range of fields, but also because unfortunately they had to perform  many kinds  of duties back in Italy, which were not always very satisfying...

How will the CIIM support their efforts in settling in New York?
We organize a meeting every second Thursday of the month at the Armani Restaurant on 5th Avenue. It's a great opportunity for estabilishing new contacts for them. We are also planning to open a new branch in Washington DC: we feel it is important to be active in the capital of the United States and represent and defend Made in Italy  to our best  ability .   

We finally finished our chat on the rooftop of the hotel, where Mayor Moratti and the other guests  were already  gathered  to enjoy the view of Manhattan in full spring.
A buffet of oysters, Italian prosecco, wines and cheeses, and a full bar of desserts  fairly represented the elegance, refinement, and luxury of Milan, Italy's New York.

Se il rito dello spezzare il pane ha inizialmente assunto un significato evangelico dettato dal Nuovo Testamento, oggi riscopre una sua vocazione laica e si esprime nel gesto della condivisione tra amici, parenti, e vicini, dei beni essenziali. Spezzare il pane vuol dire condivisione con i più sfortunati, i meno abbienti, o in senso più largo, con i "bisognosi" di beni materiali e non, considerati immancabili nella vita sociale, privata e culturale di un individuo o una famiglia. E' un gesto d'aiuto, ma soprattutto di amore. 

Maria Filice ne fa il titolo del suo libro, Breaking Bread in L'Aquila (Telos Press, 2010), un'opera che unisce le ricette della migliore tradizione culinaria italiana ed abruzzese ad un insieme di ricordi ed emozioni che la scrittrice italo-canadese ha vissuto in questa città. E' un omaggio alle vittime del terremoto del 6 Aprile 2009, persone che hanno accompagnato per lunghi anni i suoi numerosi viaggi in Italia e i momenti più importanti della sua storia d'amore con il defunto marito Paul Piccone, italo-americano orgoglioso nativo de L'Aquila. "Non voglio raccontarvi una storia triste. Celebro l'amore, la vita, e la cucina onorando la memoria di mio marito, delle vittime del terremoto e dei sopravvissuti che, anche se non sono ancora tornati alle loro dimore, continuano a parlare con amore di questi luoghi", dice l'autrice.

E' a L'Aquila, nella Trattoria San Biagio dei fratrelli Luciano ed Andrea, che Maria Filice ha scoperto diverso tempo fa il calore della tavola italiana, il piacere sia dell'ospite che dell'ospitato di sedere fianco a fianco e condividere i cibi preparati per l'occasione. Da allora il suo appartamento dell'East Village di New York ospita questa stessa atmosfera, la sua sala da pranzo non è mai vuota, sui fornelli della sua cucina si susseguono pentole e tegami delle forme più svariate e dai contenuti sempre nuovi: "Il nostro appartamento diventò un centro culinario e filosofico. All'inizio era solo Paul a cucinare ma presto, un pò riscoprendo le ricette calabresi che si cucinavano a casa dei miei, un pò ispirandomi ai nostri frequentissimi viaggi in Italia, anche io ho iniziato a dedicarmi di più alla cucina: mi piaceva creare, sperimentare, inventare... "

In Breaking Bread in L'Aquila Maria Filice raccoglie le sue ricette preferite ed offre preziosi e semplici consigli per chi si prepara ad offrire lauti pranzi e cene ad amici, colleghi, e parenti.  Le parole d'ordine? Conosci i tuoi ospiti, falli sentire a loro agio, e prepara sempre cibo in abbondanza così che possano gustarne in quantità.

Non manca un piccolo capitolo dedicato  ai vini, tutti strettamente abruzzesi: "I vini d'Abruzzo sono tanto versatili e aromatici quanto lo sono i prodotti locali e le ricette che ne derivano. Dai più asciutti rossi, bianchi e rosè, al dolce passito, la maggior parte derivano da una miscela di varietà di uva locale (Montepulciano, Trebiano, Pecorino, Passerina, Malvasia e Cococciola) ed internazionale (Chardonnay, Merlot, e Cabernet Sauvignon)". Per ogni pietanza c'è un vino da abbinare "perchè in Abruzzo, come in tutte le regioni d'Italia, le tradizioni enologica e culinaria hanno sempre influenzato l'un l'altra evolvendosi insieme".

Le ricette, suddivise per giorno della settimana, costituiscono il cuore dell'opera e sono divise in Antipasti, Primi Piatti, Secondi Piatti, Contorni, e Dolci. Tutte accompagnate da colorate e invitanti fotografie, catturano prima la vista e poi il palato, e si caratterizzano per essere estremamente semplici e raffinate allo stesso tempo, alla portata dei cuochi meno e più esperti.

Tra gli Antipasti primeggiano le insalate, che siano di mare o di terra, e i crostini e le bruschette condite con olio a crudo e verdure fresche di stagione, dai pomodori alle melenzane.

Tra i Primi troviamo ricette sostanziose come le orecchiette ai ceci, minestre di farro e di riso, pasta a forno con pomodori e capperi e pasta e fagioli, pietanze adattissime anche a fare da piatti unici soprattutto se arricchite da pancetta, ossobuco, o guanciale, come da tradizione locale.

I Secondi, prevalentemente di carne, eccezion fatta per il baccalà e il dentice al forno, si accompagnano a contorni di verdure e tuberi quali patate, carciofi e funghi preparati in padella, al forno, o alla griglia, e aromatizzati con erbe, spezie e condimenti abbinati e emulsionati secondo tradizione, o seguendo l'interpretazione dell'autrice.

Infine, largo spazio ai dolci: la crostata di albicocche, i biscotti e la torta di mele sono l'ideale per completare un pranzo in famiglia insieme a un buon liquore fatto in casa e un espresso stretto e piacevolmente amaro.

Maria Filice non ha mai vissuto in Italia ma ha capito il vero segreto della cucina italiana: la semplicità degli ingredienti e della cottura che ne rispetti l'originale sapore ed aroma. La sua è un'opera importante non solo perchè permette al lettore americano di conoscere l'autentica tradizione culinaria abruzzese, essendo il libro pubblicato per ora solo in inglese, ma soprattutto perchè diventa simbolo di un abbraccio di fratellanza e solidarietà nei confronti di un popolo devastato, ma non sconfitto, dal terremoto.

Tramite lei statunitensi ed abruzzesi condividono lo stessa esperienza emotiva, camminano per le stesse strade da ricostruire, e spezzano lo stesso pane seduti ad un'enorme tavola che unisce i confini dei due Paesi.

Breaking Bread in L'Aquila, pubblicato il 6 Aprile 2010,  è già un successo di critica e pubblico negli Stati Uniti e in altri Paesi anglofoni, recensito dal Corriere Canadese, il Library Journal, Shizuoka Gourmet e Life in Abruzzi. I cittadini abruzzesi, in segno di ringraziamento, conferiranno a Maria Filice un'onorificenza il 15 Maggio 2010 a Santo Stefano di Sassanio, in provincia de L'Aquila

After reaching the highest level of popularity in Italy, Lorenzo "Jovanotti" Cherubini is ready to conquer the US public with the launch of an all-American album, entitled "OYeah!". His North American tour, about to begin this week, will touch the greatest music centers of the United States and Canada, including Toronto, Montreal, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, and of course, New York!

New Yorkers already know Jovanotti very well; last year he came to the city twice. In February he presented his album "Safari", nominated for "Album of the Year" in Italy in 2008 with more than half a million copies sold. He then spent the entire summer in New York, gifting his fans with an avarage of one or two concerts a week, hosted at three historical clubs: Zebulon in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; Nublu in Alphabet City; and Joe's Pub, in Noho.

"OYeah" is the fruit of the experience at "SoleLuna NY Lab", as it features a collection of some of his summer performances with his "fellow travellers" Saturnino Celani (Bass), Riccardo Onori (Guitar), and some of his new New York friends, including Gil Oliveira (Drums), Meia Noite and Gilmar Gomes (Percussion), Charles Blenzing (Keyboards and Piano), Christos Rafalides (Vibraphone and Marimba), Zeb "The Spy" from Cairo (Oud). Italian musician Mauro Pagani  and Jason Jackson joined him as well on one of these succesful events.

This American debut album is divided into two CDs. On the first one, Lorenzo sings some of his  latest pieces, such as "L'Ombelico del Mondo" (The bellybutton of the world), "Serenata Rap" (Rap Serenade), "Piove" (It's raining), and Safari, "Dove ho visto te" (Where I saw you), and "Punto" (Stop); the latter three songs are from the album "Safari". He also improvises a song in English, "I wanna be starting something", and pays tribute to classic Italian music with "Parlami d'amore Mariù", a 1932 song originally interpreted by Vittorio De Sica in the movie "Gli uomini, che mascalzoni..." (Men, those rascals...).

On the second CD, in contrast, we find re-arrengements of three songs Lorenzo particularly loves: "Buonasera Signorina" (Good Evening, Misses) by Adriano Celentano; "Lontano Lontano" (Far, Far Away) by Luigi Tenco; and "Staying Alive" by the Bee Gees.

The album is a perfect musical portrait of the atmosphere felt during his performances in New York, when the extreme heat of those summer nights did not stop him or his public from dancing, jumping, and singing for more than two hours non-stop. As we participated in some of those concerts, we too could not refrain from being part of the party that now we can relive  in our living rooms and garages, or through our iPods on the subway thanks to "OYeah!"

During his summer stay Lorenzo became loved among the American crowd that, as time passed by, started to increasingly frequent the clubs where he performed. His participation in a number of American national TV and radio shows, and the articles written about him in American newspapers and magazines, helped spread his popularity throughout the country.

As a result his growing popularity, Lorenzo will make a special stop during his tour at Harvard on April 27; the prestigious university has invited him to give a conference on the theme  of "Music and Human Rights". It will be the first time that an Italian singer will cross Harvard's doors, and Jovanotti will take the occasion to explain to hundreds of students the relationship between popular music and the promotion and defense of Human Rights.

Lorenzo has always publicly fought in defense of the weakest people, both through his music and his recording company "Collettivo Soleluna", which promotes projects of various entities in Third and Firth world countries. Among his most popular songs that dedicated to this theme, "Il quinto mondo" (The fifth world), and "La Vita Vale" (Life has a value), both are included on this thirteenth album, "Il Quinto Mondo", released in 2002.

As he has lately publicly stated, Jovanotti's commitment to this cause is not diminishing, and will continue to be expressed through his music.

Lorenzo is currently working on a new album, the 17th in his more than 20 year long career, but he is taking a break to come here and present us with another few evenings of 100% fun.

If you live in NYC or its surrounding areas, participate in i-Italy's contest. "What would you do if you met Jovanotti?": send your answer by April 21 to [email protected] and give yourself a chance to win two tickets for his performance at Webster Hall.

If you don't live in the New York area, here is the full calendar of his upcoming American tour. Find the closest city to you, pick your date, and enjoy!

Jovanotti & Soleluna NY LAB North American Tour 2010 (East Coast/Mid West leg):

 
Thursday, April 22, 2010 Washington DC 9:30 Club
Saturday, April 24, 2010 New York, NY Webster Hall
Sunday April 25, 2010 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live
Wednesday April 28, 2010 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
Saturday May 1, 2010 Montreal, QC L'Astral
Tuesday May 4, 2010 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace
Thursday May 6, 2010 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall