L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano Y e s , y o u r e a d i t r i g h t , t h e s t r a w b e r r y tree (or corbez- z o l o , a s i t ' s known in the Belpaese) is considered one of our coun- try's symbols. It all started with the words of poet Gio- vanni Pascoli, representa- tive of the Italian Decaden- tism, active between the end of the 19 th and the begin- ning of the 20 th century. Pascoli was the first to asso- c i a t e t h e s t r a w b e r r y t r e e with the Italian flag, making of it a symbol of national unity: in the ode Al Corbez- zolo, Pascoli cites the tale of Pallas, son of Evander, who lost his life in Italy to protect A e n e a s , a n c e s t o r o f t h e founders of Rome – at least a c c o r d i n g t o V i r g i l , o f c o u r s e . P a l l a s w a s , s o t o speak, the first to die for Italy, as he had sacrificed himself for the man whose descendants were to found Rome herself; his body was l a i d t o r e s t o n a b e d o f strawberry tree's branches, the white of their flowers, red of their fruits and green of their leaves recalling the colors of our very own flag. And that's how Pascoli m a d e o f c o r b e z z o l o t h e botanic equivalent of the tri- colore. The strawberry tree has the unique characteristic of bearing fruits and flowers at t h e s a m e t i m e c r e a t i n g , along with its deep-green leaves, the same chromatic c o n t r a s t o f o u r f l a g . C o r b e z z o l o , o r a r b u t u s unedo, is a typical evergreen of the Mediterranean scrub, which can reach five meters (or about 16 feet) in height. It is commonly used as an ornamental plant in parks and gardens, where it grows l u x u r i o u s l y e s p e c i a l l y i n sunny areas; just like the country it represents, the strawberry tree is hardy, and i t i s k n o w n t o s t a n d t h e strong winds typical of the Italian coastline particularly well. Its beautiful, bell-shaped flowers grow in groups and are as white as the snow of our Alps; its fruits are bright red and, beside being pret- t y , t h e y a r e a l s o e d i b l e . However, getting rid of their seeds is quite time-consum- ing, so they are most com- monly used to make jams and preserves, also in name of their high sugar content (about 20%). But don't be fooled by the "sugary" side of them: these sweet delica- cies are packed with sterols, flavonoids and vitamins, so they are pretty good for you, in the end. Its leaves are a common i n g r e d i e n t i n t r a d i t i o n a l herbal medicine, where they are utilized as an antiseptic, as well as to fight against u r i n a r y t r a c t i n f e c t i o n s . Thanks to its diuretic char- a c t e r i s t i c s , c o r b e z z o l o i s used to cleanse the body and is known to alleviate both abdominal pains and diar- rhea. Teas made with its dry leaves can help liver func- t i o n s , a n d s u p p o r t r e n a l activity. Some believe that corbezzolo tea can even help prevent cognitive aging! But the strawberry tree is also known for the aromatic, b a l s a m i c h o n e y d e r i v e d from its flowers. While it is c e r t a i n l y n o t a m o n g t h e most common varieties in t h e c o u n t r y – w e a r e a l l about wild flower or acacia honey in Italy, perhaps a tad o f c h e s t n u t h o n e y , i f y o u want to be fancy – it is nev- ertheless appreciated, espe- cially by connoisseurs, who love its bitterness and the way it goes perfectly with that of another famous sta- ple of the Italian kitchen, coffee. And in the kitchen, cor- bezzolo honey can be used to cook bitter-tasting vegeta- bles such as artichokes and chard, or as an addition to sweet cheeses. In Sardinia, corbezzolo honey is used to prepared a traditional type of torrone, the torrone al miele di corbezzolo. And this is how, following a p a t h u n f o l d i n g a m o n g poetry and mythology, histo- ry and dream, nature and t h e k i t c h e n , t h e h u m b l e strawberry tree, its beautiful flowers and precious leaves and fruits, became the sym- bol of our beloved country and of the flag that has been representing it for more that 150 years. While its status is not "official" (that is, it's not like our national anthem), the colorful corbezzolo adds poetic allure to the origins and history of our unified c o u n t r y , c o n n e c t i n g i t directly, through the words of Pascoli's, to the ancient h e r o i c w o r l d w e l o v e t o think we all come from. E very Italian of w o r k i n g a g e longs for their f e r i e ( f a i - r e e - ai). With ferie, we usually mean the paid rest days every worker is entitled to. We'd say "leave," "annual leave" or quite sim- ply "time off" in English, but the Italian ferie is almost always synonym with the idea of a vacation. The word comes from the late Latin word feria, which means "holiday day." Ferie is a very common word that comes in a variety o f s e n t e n c e s a n d e x p r e s - sions. For instance, you'd say prendere un giorno di ferie when you need a day off to do something impor- t a n t , a s i n H o p r e s o u n giorno di ferie per andare a fare un check up dal medico ("I've taken a day off to go to the doctor for a check- u p " ) . P r e n d e r e l e f e r i e always refers to the work context, a bit like "taking the day/week off" implies the idea of not working in English. More often than not, ferie i s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e Summer, and with sun-and- sand vacations: andare in ferie means "to go on holi- d a y , " a n d w h i l e t h i s c a n happen all year round, for s o m e r e a s o n s p e a k i n g o f ferie almost always conjures images of warm days and sun-drenched adventures. I f y o u h a v e I t a l i a n friends, you may have heard them saying they have to c o n s u m a r e d e l l e f e r i e , which happens when they have to take whatever days- o f f t h e y h a v e l e f t f o r t h e working year, or they'd lose any retribution. Allora, dove si va in ferie quest'estate? Where are we going on holiday this Summer? I miei amici Americani arrivano domani. Ho preso qualche giorno di ferie per stare con loro M y A m e r i c a n f r i e n d s arrive tomorrow. I've taken a couple of days off to stay with them Che abbronzatura! Sei stata in ferie? W h a t a t a n ! H a v e y o u been on holiday? LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Word of the Day: le ferie, Italy's favorite time of the year Italian Curiosities: did you know the strawberry tree is a symbol of the Italian Republic? The strawberry tree, with its red fruits, green leaves and white flowers recalls the colors of the Italian flag (Photo: Christian Weiß/Dreamstime) © Mykola Kravchenko | Dreamstime.com

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