L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 M erry Christmas, cari lettori! The year's favorite holiday is finally here, with its load of expectations, colorful packets, and presents to exchange; it's time for a much-needed break and for family traditions filled with memories, surrounded by the magic atmosphere of sparkly decorations, trees covered in ornaments, presepi and carols. We all need comfort, warmth, love. We all need carefree hugs and smiles, the very same smiles that face masks will likely keep on hiding for months to come. Two years after the beginning of the pandemic, we all want normality; we want those family parties filled with noise and relatives, we want dinners out with our friends, we want to meet people in busy bars, we want to walk in crowded streets and do window shopping. The Christmas holidays used to be dedicated to socializing, they used to satisfy our need to be with others. And that was more than a habit. We feel its absence, it's like we miss a vital vitamin in our body. We're holding on to go through yet another winter, long months of necessary - but heavy - restrictions. Another period It's time to turn the page, walking towards light and social renaissance From the Editor of forced solitude, of distanced relationships, of reduced and controlled contacts with others, of trips postponed in favor of much safer video calls. Because danger and infection are just around the corner and long shadows are cast over our freedom of movement. It was a long, tiring 2021, and now we are facing a new variant, even more contagious than the last. A year that's coming to an end, but, as you can see from the colors of our front page, we are hoping for a bright new one. We are hoping that things are soon going to improve and that, finally, a silvery light will shine on our lives. We want hope to return. We'd like to say goodbye to the past and turn the page, ready to look at the future with serenity and confidence again. Yet, we cannot forget how, in these past two years, we fought, resisted, and battled against the disease, how we showed strength and resilience. We must treasure what we learned, our adaptability, and what science managed to give us. Normality hasn't come back yet, nor has the world as we knew it, but we made many steps forward and more will be made because world research is working in the same direction and following the same aim. But we all must commit to doing our part, without exceptions, because one single face mask can make the difference; because with the vaccine, we protect ourselves and those around us. We should do the same for the environment. Climate change and pollution depend on the governments that represent us, but the way we behave, our priorities, our activism, and our commitment can make the difference, too. Basically, it all comes down to our actions as a community, to being an integrant, active, purposeful, united part of an entity interested in collective wellbeing. If this idea of group doesn't exist, if we don't personally contribute to the common good and we don't share the same goals together, then progress is unlikely. No one can understand this as well as we, members of the I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n f a m i l y , d o . W e u n d e r s t a n d o u r "togetherness" even if we come from different places and our heritage is colorful and varied – and time demonstrated it: we are different but we share the same roots, culture, language, traditions, and habits. Similar traits, that make us closer and make us feel "on the same side." That is, they make us feel we are going the same direction, not that we are together against someone else, because being welcoming, in the end, is natural to Italians. Our unity, our understanding that "there's strength in numbers," made us more solid when we recognized it: that was the moment we truly spread our wings. We created a network among all Italians, establishing connections and growing as a community. Therefore, we need to keep being together and "promote Italianness at 360 degrees," as A m b a s s a d o r Z a p p i a t o l d u s i n o u r i n t e r v i e w l a s t September. We need to keep flying, setting our talents free and giving them support: that's how we'll reach excellence, yet another quality typical of our Made in Italy. Let's keep steady and reach for the sky, cari lettori. These should be our goals for the new year: let's be bold and proud, let's trust our abilities, and be aware of our talent, of the beauty of our culture. This is our wish for the Italian- American community, to which we try to "give voice" with the same spirit and commitment the founders of L'Italo- Americano had more than a century ago. We want to promote the community, presenting its protagonists, stories, and changes. This is the meaning of the face on our front page, a contemporary portrait of The Girl with a Pearl Earring, Lady Gaga: brilliant talent, pride in our roots, love for our connection with Italy, and enthusiasm for our familiar and cultural heritage. This is the spirit we'll represent in 2022, wishing you light, wellbeing, and social renaissance. Buon Anno! Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS CONCORSO PER L'ASSUNZIONE DI UN IMPIEGATO A CONTRATTO ALL'ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI CULTURA DI SAN FRANCISCO Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italiana all'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano 610 West Foothill Blvd. Unit D, Monrovia, CA 91016 - Tel.: (626) 359-7715 PLEASE SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO P.O. BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian newspaper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Giudici SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTORS Catherine Accardi Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Chiara D'Alessio, Paula Reynolds, Nicoletta Curradi, GenerosoD'Agnese, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Alfonso Guerriero Jr., Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio © 2020 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano PO Box 6528 Altadena, CA 91003 Mail form and check to L'Italo-Americano, P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 Avviso di selezione per l'assunzione di un impiegato a contratto da adibire ai servizi di autista-commesso-centralista presso l'Istituto Italiano di Cultura di San Francisco. Le domande di ammissione alle prove dovranno pervenire entro le ore 12am (PST) del giorno 15 gennaio 2022. Il bando e' scaricabile dal sito www.iicsanfrancisco.esteri.it

• Cover