L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS If you are an advanced Italian learner, I recommend y o u t o r e a d V i a g g i o i n Italia written in 1983 by Guido Ceronetti, a 20th- century poet and philoso- pher from Turin who found alternatives to the codified touristic and literary modes of representing Italy. With a suitcase full of books, he traveled as a hobo by train and by bus through minor cities, writing notes about the most inaccessible Italy revealed by his satirical gaze. Also, watch travel docu- m e n t a r i e s . A s t h e g l o b a l pandemic continues to affect everyday life, the PBS series c a l l e d D r e a m O f I t a l y w r i t t e n b y t r a v e l e x p e r t Kathy McCabe bring some well-needed cheer during these difficult times. Not to be missed are the monumental Rai TV shows Q u e s t a N o s t r a I t a l i a s c r i p t e d b y n o v e l i s t a n d journalist Guido Piovene ( 1 9 0 7 - 1 9 7 4 ) w h o p a r t l y based the iconic series on his travel book Viaggio In Italia published in 1957. A promi- nent figure in post-war trav- el literature, Piovene trav- eled around the country for three years in the mid-fifties. The result was a love letter to Italy that was experienc- ing an economic miracle, the Italian economic boom, a p e r i o d o f m o m e n t o u s change in both society and culture. The complete series is available on RaiPlay. You are still able to find online many other quality videos of Italian destina- t i o n s . W a t c h i n g s o m e o f them will provide familiarity w i t h t h e p l a c e s o f y o u r dreams and bestow useful information on what has to b e s e e n w h e n t r a v e l i n g there. Then prepare a wish list of the places you want to visit. Don't be left unpre- pared. Reading the L'Italo- Americano will help you to have clear ideas. Don't miss i t s n e w a n d p a s t i s s u e s . Access to its unique archival materials, a rich resource for Italy's lovers. Also, movies will give you the travel bug. Under the Tuscan sun (2003) will lift your mood. A cheerful com- edy-drama set in Cortona, n e a r A r e z z o , i s a b o u t a divorcée rediscovering her- self on a tour of Tuscany, where she ends up falling in l o v e w i t h a r a m s h a c k l e h o u s e a n d b u y s i t o n a whim. Make sure not to miss o u t o n R o b e r t o Rosselini's searing Rome O p e n C i t y ( R o m a C i t t à Aperta), a masterpiece of Neorealism shot in 1945 a few months after the city's liberation from Nazi occupa- tion. You may also dream about Italy while watching Luchino's Visconti's The Leopard (1963) based on the 1958 historical novel Il Gattopardo by Sicilian nove- l i s t G i u s e p p e T o m a s i d i Lampedusa. Devoting some of your t i m e i n s e l f - i s o l a t i o n t o study the Italian language m a k e s s e n s e . A n o n l i n e course is a natural place to start your journey to Italy that will be possible before too long. So be prepared for that moment. In the mean- time, play travel games with your family. Quiz the name o f a c i t y , t h e n s t u d y t h e maps. It is wonderful to dis- cover unknown towns and borghi. And don't forget to listen to Italian songs, learn them by heart and sing them w h i l e y o u a r e c o o k i n g o r showering. I t a l y i s a g a t h e r i n g o f piquant characters and sur- prises. I hope you can be m e s m e r i z e d a g a i n b y i t s uniqueness, heterogeneity and richness, just like travel writer Henry Vollam Canova M o r t o n i n t h e e a r l y ' 6 0 when in his A Traveller in Italy observed: "One of my first impressions was that the Milanese walk twice as f a s t a s t h e R o m a n s , a n d w h i l e w a l k i n g , c a n t e l l a story or pass on a piece of scandal without stopping and blocking the pavement. The sound of the voices was d i f f e r e n t . T h e M i l a n e s e speak a more measured, less i m p e t u o u s I t a l i a n ; a n d I noticed everywhere several fair-haired women. Perhaps a T e u t o n i c s t r a i n i n t h e Milanese is responsible for those fair heads; if not, I recalled how noted Milan and Venice were during the Renaissance for hair washes, bleaches and dyes. In one of her letters, Isabella d'Este wrote to her Milanese broth- er-in-law, Ludovico Sforza, asking how he managed to change the color of his hair so quick." Continued from page 4 Sun drenched piazzas, breathtaking art and charming traditions: Italy from South to North! (Photos: Dreamstime)

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