L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D ear readers, with this unprecedent- ed, in our lifetime, worldwide pande- mic and recent US Capitol insurrection, where rioters overran police barricades and laid siege to the building, I thought I would begin with a simpler times story and a bit of humor: " S i g n o r i n a , " h e m u r - mured in what he believed was his most dulcet tones, "never have I seen such a beautiful face." Maria, annoyed with this display of impudence and patent falsehood, responded in a voice as chilly as the snows of winter: "I cannot say the same about you." " O f c o u r s e y o u c o u l d , " retorted Vittorio, stung by the summary rejection, "if you were as great a liar as I!" *** Weight Watchers would have gone broke. Big Babes were beautiful to my father and his male "paesani" who, coming from small towns or villages, were lucky to get three square meals a day of "pane e cipolla" (bread and onions) if their father was "Morto in guerra" (died in war) or was unemployed. I remember my father and his m a l e " p a e s a n i " a t C o n e y Island appreciatively com- menting "che belle cosce" (what beautiful thighs) as gals in bathing suits walked by. Today those same gals would be in tears if some insensitive clod would com- ment on her thunder thigh. *** Fear of Flying was com- mon among the old "paesa- n i , " b u t s i n c e i t w a s n ' t " m a c h o " t o a d m i t i t , t h e Italian Line, provided the best cover. Those splendid ocean liners, built and oper- ated by the Italian Line from 1932 to 1977, were a glorious p e r i o d , f o r c r o s s i n g t h e Atlantic in style. When I sug- gested to my father that we "fly to Italy," his reply was "Why would I fly to Italy in "una tomba volante" (flying tomb) when I can enjoy all t h e g r a c e s o f G o d , i n a n Italian Floating Palace, relax for eight to ten days, and live like a King? Then he would describe the luxuries to be f o u n d a b o a r d t h e I t a l i a n Liners, gleaned from Italian Line Brochures and a "pae- sani" or two, that at one time may have been employed in some capacity by the Italian Line. The "abbondanza" of luxu- ry, thick rugs, velvet drapes, a movie theater, library, ball- room, swimming pool was budget off-limits to Papà and his "paesani," who usually traveled "tourist class" (third class), but he was just proud that these "floating palaces" were Italian and viewed the p i c t u r e s i n I t a l i a n L i n e B r o c h u r e s a s a n I t a l i a n Works of Art. T h e " C o n t e Biancamano" three decks high, first class ball room with a fireplace on one end a n d G l i d e d D o m e C e n t e r Section, was a favorite. *** "Aria Nativa" (native air) in the 1920s and 1930s was the popular panacea "pae- sani" physicians practicing in "Little Italy's" throughout the United States, prescribed for p a t i e n t s w i t h n e b u l o u s female problems or for their pale offspring who, they com- plained, had poor appetites and lacked "rosy cheeks". This bit of medical mythol- ogy actually seemed to work, if for no other reason than the l a d y l e f t b e h i n d s t r e s s f u l demands, duties and dealing daily with her spouse, and received the "royal" treat- ment in her Italian family, happy to see her again. And, if accompanied by a "bambi- no," lavishing love and atten- tion were bestowed on him until the "roses" in his cheeks actually bloomed. All in all, this bit of dubious diagnosing was a win-win situation for all the players including, the steamship companies. Then, transatlantic travel for civil- ians stopped and World War II began. Soon, I heard my mother and her friends talk- ing in Italian about "Maria di Boston" (she lived in Boston) b e i n g t r a p p e d i n t h e Basilicata region of Italy for t h e d u r a t i o n o f t h e w a r because she had gone to Italy with her young son Freddy, a s s h e t h o u g h t h e r " A r i a Nativa" would help her son's asthma and bring color to his Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. pale cheeks. *** I was reminded of this bit of folk medicine when I read t h e b o o k " T r a p p e d i n Tuscany" by Tullio Bertini, p u b l i s h e d b y t h e D a n t e University Press in Boston in 1930. He was the only child of Nello and Ada Bertini, immi- grants from the village of Diecimo in the Lucca region of Italy. Tullio accompanied his parents to Italy for a short vacation, as his father was depressed at unexpectedly losing his job as a chef in B o s t o n ' s W a r m u t h ' s Restaurant. shortly after a r r i v i n g i n D i e c i m o , i n August 1939, his father Nello had a life threatening heart attack. He was confined to bed for the next two years. Meanwhile, World War II erupted in Europe and nine years old Tullio, who had left Boston after completing the third grade in Massachusetts, found himself "trapped" in Italy and forced to live under Fascist and Nazi rule. For a while, he managed to attend Italian school and became involved in village life. In September 1944 Tullio and his family were liberated by the "Buffalo Soldiers," the 92nd Infantry Division of the US Fifth Army, which was comprised entirely of Black Soldiers. *** ITALIAN TELEVISION KSCI CANALE 18. Presentano: Maria Cristina Heller e Franco Brescia Teleitalia in onda tutte le Domeniche alle ore 13 o 1:00pm Siamo collegati con i satelliti DISHNET e DIRECTV, SPECTRUM E TUTTI I CAVI DEL SUD CALIFORNIA Per Informazioni e Pubblicita` telefonate a (818) 260-9318 Cell: (818) 288-2518

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