L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano I t has been an usual, u n e x p e c t e d S p r i n g f o r t h e I t a l i a n - American commu- n i t y i n t h e B a y Area. Since the beginning of March, when Covid-19 start- ed spreading across the Unit- ed States, demanding busi- nesses to close down and people to shelter-in-place, life has changed for every- one. A lot. In those same first weeks, a l l I t a l i a n s a n d I t a l i a n - Americans living in the Bay Area looked at what hap- pened on the other side of the ocean and the emergency their families and friends were facing. For many, it almost felt like being able to foretell what would or could have happened a few months later in America. Hit by the quick change and up against uncertainty, the local community had to reorganize itself, while fol- lowing unfamiliar rules and embracing new habits. The whole world turned-around: relationships, work, personal o c c a s i o n s , r o u t i n e s , a n d events were no longer possi- ble in the way we were used to. Relationships would exist only over the phone or on the laptop screen; events became all-virtual with both guests and hosts joining from their o w n h o m e s ; e a t i n g a t favorite restaurants became an old memory; many start- ed spending time cooking (or learning how to) while leav- ing the delivery orders for special nights. Besides all these changes, opportunities to learn new things, cultivate unexplored passions, and tour places as never done before became just endless. Almost every day, somewhere on the inter- net, we could attend a special talk, listen to our favorite artist performing live, or simply watch a movie. At the s a m e t i m e , m a n y f o u n d themselves with extra time and decided to use it to help those in need and started to v o l u n t e e r . T h a n k s t o a l l these initiatives, the Italian- American community was able to build its own, unique resilience, by keeping it all t o g e t h e r , w h e r e n o b o d y would be left behind. Business owners had to change their offerings and, while most Italian restau- rants make the human con- n e c t i o n o n e o f t h e m o s t important values to offer to diners, they had to reinvent t h e m s e l v e s a n d u s e t h e internet and all its available channels to keep that rela- tion strong. That's why, for instance, alongside the to-go or deliv- e r y o r d e r s , e a s i l y m a d e t h r o u g h o n e o f t h e m o s t popular apps, many restau- rant owners decided to offer full menus for families stuck at home or started selling the ingredients of their most popular dishes so that every- one could try to make that delicious Italian dish them- selves. When it comes to food, Italians are hard to beat. In April, for instance, Viola Buitoni presented five half hour lunchtime virtual class- es on the everyday art of Italian cooking, all live on t h e I t a l i a n C u l t u r a l Institute's Instagram chan- nel. From weeknight pasta to Easter lunch, Viola called t h e s e r i e s #StayHomeAndCookItalian a n d s h a r e d o r i g i n a l a n d deeply personal dishes that cross the love for family and craft. Again on Social Media, a Facebook group became a must-join for food-lovers during phase 1 of shelter-in- p l a c e : C I B A , C u c i n a Italiana nella Bay Area, has become the virtual place for the newest generation of Italian immigrants to share dishes and secrets, exchange advice, post photos, and much more. What started as a group to find connections around Italian food ultimate- ly turned into a mobile app to download on your phone. As for cultural activities, t h e I s t i t u t o I t a l i a n o d i Cultura had to postpone almost all events planned for 2020. However, activities n e v e r r e a l l y s t o p p e d . Director Annamaria Di G i o r g i o a n d h e r t e a m kept delivering to the extent t h e y e x p a n d e d t h e i r p r o - g r a m m i n g . I n A p r i l , o n Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6pm to 7pm, children were able to call and listen live to the reading of fairy tales chosen for them from Gianni Rodari's book Favole al Telefono (Fairy Tales Over the Phone), read by Director Annamaria Di Giorgio and Roberta Abussi. As physical schools had to shut down and parents took the double burden of work- ing from home and keeping t h e i r c h i l d r e n b u s y , t h e Institute organized a series with Gaia Stella, an award- w i n n i n g i l l u s t r a t o r a n d author, specialized in picture books and novelty books for I t a l i a n a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l publishers. "Making Stuff with Gaia Stella" featured four activities for which chil- dren could become creative by using a printer, scissors, and glue. Design was and will also be at the center of the pro- g r a m m i n g f o r t h e n e x t months: Chiara Alessi, a journalist and curator in the f i e l d o f d e s i g n , c o n d u c t s mini-lessons on design by sharing stories about some of the most iconic products of Italian design. The first one was dedicated to the FIAT 500, a symbol of the post- war economic recovery and the great start to the Italian mechanical industry. Last but not least, viva il Cinema Italiano! CINE- DAY is a series featuring ten Italian contemporary movies available to the first 300 to register. The program runs u n t i l A u g u s t a n d m o r e details can be found on the Istituto Italiano di Cultura website. Another important piece o f t h i s s t r e n g t h a n d resilience building process is represented by volunteering: the Italian Community S e r v i c e s , t h e 1 9 1 6 - b o r n organization providing Bay Area Italian-American indi- viduals and families with trusted resources, had to drop all weekly socializing activities, presentations, con- certs, cultural events and catered meals. Yet, they were able to provide telephonic wellness checks to hundreds of community members, as well as run urgent errands for seniors and a two-weeks c a r e p a c k a g e d e l i v e r y t o bring fresh organic produce, informational materials on the pandemic, foods from Italy, and recipes. A n o t h e r i m p o r t a n t moment of generosity was represented by the donation c a m p a i g n #ItalyStayStrong run by the Embassy of Italy and Issnaf - Italian Scientists a n d S c h o l a r s o f N o r t h America Foundation. It sur- passed the half-million dollar goal and will support three I t a l i a n m e d i c a l / r e s e a r c h centers at the forefront in the fight versus coronavirus. While the community tries to keep a good, positive spir- it, hoping the emergency will b e o v e r s o o n , C o n s u l General Lorenzo Ortona a n d h i s t e a m h a v e b e e n working around the clock for months, helping those will- ing to return to Italy and making sure everyone gets the support they need. In addition to that, the synergy with Italian Ambassador i n W a s h i n g t o n , Armando Varricchio, has grown stronger: the June 4th's Italian Digital Town H a l l , t h a t h o s t e d e x p e r t s f r o m t h e W e s t C o a s t a n d H a w a i i t o d i s c u s s t h e progress made by scientists a n d d o c t o r s o n t h e f i g h t against Covid-19, was only one of the many webinars presented by the Embassy and the Consulate in the last weeks. These are just a few of the many examples of resilience, teamwork, creativity Italians have been showing during this pandemic. That's why, starting in two weeks, we will report the voices of the peo- ple who - day in, day out - are helping the community with small, yet meaningful a c t i o n s . D o n o t m i s s t h i s short series of articles in our next issues. SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY SERENA PERFETTO R e s i l i e n c e , t e a m w o r k , c r e a t i v i t y : t h e secret ingredients of the Italian-American community in the Bay Area during the 2020 pandemic Design in pajamas series (courtesy IIC)

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