L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano " You know Gabriele M u c c i n o ' s f i l m , T h e P u r s u i t o f Happyness, when W i l l S m i t h i s s o b e y o n d h a p p y t h a t g o e s dancing in the street? That's exactly what I did when I received the call from Far- nesina, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Even a f t e r s o m e t i m e , P i e t r o B e l l i n g h i e r i , V i c a r o f the Italian Consulate in L o s A n g e l e s s i n c e December 2019, cannot hold back his enthusiasm while he tells me and relives the emotion he felt on the day he was notified of his admission at the Foreign Ministry. The love for challenges and the desire to discover t h e w o r l d l e d t h i s y o u n g m a n , b o r n a n d r a i s e d i n Messina, Sicily, to become n o t o n l y t h e V i c a r o f t h e Consulate at the age of 33, but also the head of admini- stration and the consular coordinator of the Italian o f f i c e i n C a l i f o r n i a . " R e c e i v i n g t h a t c a l l w a s w o n d e r f u l , t h e r e w a s n o greater pride for me than being able to work abroad for my country." After graduating in Law and practicing as a lawyer, P i e t r o u n d e r s t o o d t h a t a legal career didn't suit his personality and, driven by his passion for traveling, he o b t a i n e d a n H o s p i t a l i t y Management Degree at the Luiss University of Rome. It's while doing an intern- s h i p a t t h e p r e s t i g i o u s W e s t i n P a l a c e H o t e l i n Milan that Pietro receives t h a t l i f e - c h a n g i n g p h o n e call. From Milan to Rome, and then from Rome to Los Angeles. "I have always had an international devotion. I s t a r t e d l e a r n i n g E n g l i s h when I was very young, and I have always traveled, not only for fun: I also volun- teered in Africa, in Rwanda, six years ago." Pietro, not long after y o u r f i r s t a s s i g n m e n t abroad the coronavirus shocked the world. How did you handle the situ- ation? Work-wise, it was very formative as I immediately had to face an emergency t h a t I h a d n e v e r e x p e r i - e n c e d b e f o r e , e s p e c i a l l y having to deal with many c o m p a t r i o t s h e r e ; i n t h e Consulate we also had to manage the voting opera- tions for the Italian referen- dum. What impression did the city make on you in t h e f i r s t m o n t h s y o u were able to experience it? I must say that it is very different from our cities so, as an Italian, I say that there are many differences. But C a l i f o r n i a a n d t h e s u r - roundings of Los Angeles offer a lot and I was able to safely visit many places in t h i s p e r i o d . L i v i n g i n C a l i f o r n i a o f f e r s y o u s o m a n y n a t u r a l b e a u t i e s : I had the opportunity to trav- el and get to know areas like Y o s e m i t e P a r k a n d o t h e r beautiful states like Utah and Nevada. W h a t d o y o u d o i n your free time? Sport is my life. I have always played team sports like football, basketball and I have been into swimming for many years. Her, I found a whole team of Italians and we used to play a tourna- ment at Pan Pacific Park, e i g h t - a - s i d e f o o t b a l l . S o hobbies in this pandemic phase have unfortunately turned into home exercises! W h a t a r e y o u r f a v o r i t e p l a c e s i n L o s Angeles? I like Will Rogers beach and, for hiking, my favorite p l a c e i s t h e L o s L i o n e s Trailhead. Los Angeles is a city that people associate to t h e f i l m i n d u s t r y . D o you like cinema? A lot. When I was in high school I also starred as the protagonist in a short film b y d i r e c t o r F r a n c e s c o Calogero. Even in Rome, I tried to approach that field, I did dubbing school and I even dubbed a small scene from a fantasy series. I am r e a l l y a f a n o f c i n e m a , choosing to work in this city w a s a l s o l i n k e d t o t h i s aspect. D o e s a n y m o v i e s come to mind while in the streets of the city? Yes, but especially out- side the city. I did a trip to J o s h u a T r e e a n d P i o n e e r T o w n , a n d o t h e r s i m i l a r places, and they reminded me of all the western set- t i n g s n o t o n l y o f S e r g i o Leone's films, but also of movies like True Grit, both the John Wayne's one and the more recent remake. W h a t d o y o u m i s s about Italy? I m i s s t h e l i f e s t y l e because in Italy, for some reason, it seems to be more relaxed, more serene. I used t o l i v e i n R o m e , a n d t h e most beautiful parts of the SILVIA GIUDICI country were very close and easy to reach, even by train; at the moment, however, I am really enjoying life in California. And how can I n o t m e n t i o n h o w I m i s s food! I'm definitely a good eater! Do you like cooking as well? I am a proud southerner: i n m y f a m i l y , w e a l w a y s gave cooking a big place. I like to reproduce not only the dishes of my Sicilian tra- dition but also those I dis- covered in Rome. I special- ize in primi piatti, and my forte is carbonara. W h a t ' s y o u r t a k e about Italian immigra- tion in LA? I only had a limited time t o g e t t o k n o w t h e m a n y Italians who live here, and the level of our Italian com- munity seemed quite high to me; not only the young peo- ple who come here to find the right path for their futu- re, but also the Italians who have been here for 20, 30 years. I have seen many suc- cess stories, for example the D r a g o b r o t h e r s w h o a r e from Galati, a village in the s a m e p r o v i n c e a s m i n e , Messina. Cons and pros of your Bellinghieri with Alessandro Del Piero (Photo courtesy of Pietro Bellinghieri) A chat with the Italian Vicar after his first year in Los Angeles Continued to page 20 LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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