L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r R e a d e r s , " T o o t ! T o o t ! " - That's me, tooting m y o w n h o r n . I began writing for L'Italo-Americano in mid 1977, forty two years ago. As 2019 b e g i n s l e t m e p a s s o n s o m e good advice and January jot- tings to you. Advice for the New Year: N o b o d y c a n g o b a c k a n d start a new beginning, but any- one can start today and make a new ending. Astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth (1962) passed away in Decem- b e r 2 0 1 6 a t a g e 9 5 . T h i s reminds me once again that the accomplishments of our modern day astronauts and their voyage was undertaken with the back- up of thousands, both in person- nel, technology and money. "To me the real pioneers of travel are our fathers and mothers and our grandparents who left their isolated and obscure villages to begin a journey to what was, for them, like another planet. To a world thousands of miles away, they set out with no money and the added burden of not being able to read or speaking one of the world's most difficult lan- guages." The fact that we are here, lit- erate and able to read our copy of L'Italo-Americano, founded i n 1 9 0 8 , r e p r e s e n t s a n O l d World dream fulfilled and hon- ored. By supporting the efforts of our Italian-American press and our Italian cultural groups we can help assure that our chil- dren will never forget what our modern day media has ignored, neglected or distorted, and that is the history and brilliance of Italian gifts to the civilization of the world. *** Capital of Culture in 2019 is the ancient City of Matera in the Basilicata Regione of Italy (in 1932 the Fascist government r e n a m e d t h e r e g i o n L u c a n i a after the first inhabitants, the L u c a n i , b u t a f t e r t h e w a r i n 1948, it reverted back to Basili- cata). Many Italo-Americans have never heard of either Mat- era or Basilicata, but since my paternal roots are deep in the heart of this region, in the town of Pomarico, province di Mat- era, I will give you a brief back- story. Incidentally, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has roots in Basilicata: his paternal grand- father was born in Bernalda and in 2004, in order to generate a little tourism for the town, he purchased and converted a 19th century palazzo into a nine- room luxury hotel called Palaz- z o M a r g h e r i t a . I f y o u v i s i t B e r n a l d a a n d c a n ' t s c o r e a room, you should be able to find a seat at the family Cinecit- tà Bar. Matera, a pre-historic city of about 60,000 people, is perched o n t o p o f a r o c k y p l a t e a u i n Basilicata's interior.The true jewel of la Regione, it has been anointed European Capital of Culture this year, and there will be special exhibitions and festi- v a l s i n t h e c i t y a n d n e a r b y towns all year long, hoping to attract more tourists to a place that has been around for over 8000 years and has long been a favorite of filmmakers shooting Biblical epics. Readers of a certain age will also remember Basilicata, then called Lucania, as the place the Fascisti shipped their dissidents. Carlo Levi, a writer, painter, doctor and dissident, published a m e m o i r o f h i s e x i l e t h e r e , C h r i s t s t o p p e d a t E b o l i , i n 1945.  In 1993, UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization) added Matera to the list of its World H e r i t a g e s i t e s . T o d a y t h o s e P a l e o l i t h i c c a v e s , t h e S a s s i , home until the mid 50s to fami- lies and farm animals, have been repurposed into luxury hotels, boutiques and cafés. 10 Km away, is the Centro di Geodesia Spaziale. If you or your friends are c o m i n g t o M a t e r a i n 2 0 1 9 , remember that all of the little towns nearby, including Mon- tescaglioso, Miglionico, Irsima, G r o t t o l e , T r i c a r i c o , a n d m y father Vincenzo's hometown of Pomarico, are planning special events to welcome you all in addition to their local architec- tural or artistic capolavori. One event I know is planned, is a s p e c i a l V i v a l d i c o n c e r t a n d exhibit, because Antonio Vival- di's maternal grandfather Camil- l o C a l i c c h i o , w a s b o r n i n P o m a r i c o , w h e r e h e u s e d t o work as a tailor. When an epi- demic of influenza decimated h i s c u s t o m e r b a s e , h e l e f t Pomarico, per ragioni di lavoro. At the 10th Pomarico Vivaldi Festival in 2018, a hardcover fumetto-style book with texts by Sergio Pizzilli, president of the Associazione Culturale per le C e l e b r a z i o n i V i v a l d i a n e d i Pomarico and disegni by Gen- naro Scandiffio was unveiled and was a big hit. If you find yourself in Pomarico, go to the Municipio (City Hall) and men- tio n th a t M a r ia G lo r ia , d e ll' Italo-Americano, California, sent you: they will gladly give you a copia gratuita, a free copy. Matera, capital of culture 2019

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