L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano embodiment of the commu- n i t y a n d o f t e n c o n n e c t e d t h r o u g h k i n s h i p , l o v e , o r mutual dislike, to the main regional maschera – usually that from the capoluogo di regione. In true Commedia dell'Arte style, these local characters would often min- g l e o n s t a g e w i t h t h e i r Giandujas and Arlecchinos, e v e n i f , b a c k w h e n t h e s e reached the peak of their popularity, village maschere hadn't, likely, been created yet. Don't be surprised, then, if I tell you we can take a jour- n e y t h r o u g h o u r b e l o v e d Stivale following into the footsteps of its maschere: from North to South, they can be a perfect guide to its beauty and to the quirks of its people. In the northwestern corner of Italy, in the regions of Piemonte and Liguria, we encounter Gianduja from T u r i n a n d C a p i t a n Spaventa, from the Italian Riviera. The first is a good- hearted commoner with a penchant for good food and, a s y o u ' d e x p e c t f r o m a Piedmontese, for good wine. So much so, in fact, he is usu- ally represented holding a jug of it in his hand. Gianduja is p o s i t i v e a n d h a p p y , b u t absent-minded and prone to get himself into trouble. And, in case you're wondering, yes: gianduiotti, Turin's tradition- al chocolates, get their name from him. Capitan Spaventa, which translates funnily as Captain Scary, isn't scary at all, but rather full of himself: never to be found without his sword, he believes to be a tal- ented swordsman, but we rarely see him in action. In Bergamo, Lombardy, we meet famous Arlecchino and his friend Brighella. Both cunning, both servants, the first has an interesting origin story: when he was a child, he wanted to take part in a fancy dress ball at school, but his mama didn't have money enough to buy fabric and make him a full outfit. Family and friends ran t o t h e r e s c u e a n d gathered all the old fabric scraps they had at home: with them, mama Arlecchino made the famous multicolored outfit that was t o b e c o m e s y n o n y m w i t h C a r n e v a l e i t s e l f . Commedia dell'Arte was to give the colorful Bergamasco specific characteristics: he is lazy but smart and always ready to get himself into trou- ble. But, alas, fortune i s n e v e r o n h i s side, and he r e g u l a r l y ends up punished for his mischief. Meneghino from Milan is the opposite o f B r i g h e l l a a n d Arlecchino. He is wise and full of common sense, h i s f a v o r i t e p a s - time is to mock local aristocra- cy for its many vices. In Venezia, we finally shake hands w i t h c h a r m i n g Colombina, known as Arlecchino para- mour: pretty and s m a r t , s h e s e r v e s a l a d y w i t h w h o m she shares a love for gos- s i p a n d i n t r i g u e . S h e r e c e i v e s the unwanted attention of anoth- e r V e n e t i a n m a s c h e r a , old and stingy Pantalone, an incredibly wealthy mer- chant who flirts with every girl he meets, Colombina included, as we said. He is perennially accom- panied by a bag full of coins he keeps tied to his hip, coins he never ever spends! Beautiful and plea- sure-loving Modena, in Emilia Romagna, is home to S a n d r o n e , a c u n n i n g farmer of humble origins, w h o c a n ' t q u i t e s p e a k i n Italian properly. In spite of it, he fancies himself an intellec- tual and tries often to impress his peers with a flowery lingo he can't master, much to the a m u s e m e n t o f e v e r y o n e . Bologna la Dotta is where Dottor Balanzone lives. Tradition tells us he is either a medical doctor or a lawyer, and he certainly gets a kick from his position: just like Sandrone, he'd like to be con- sidered a man of culture, b u t t h e a d v i c e h e squanders right and l e f t t o e v e r y o n e i s rarely valuable. He is notorious for his bad L a t i n a n d h i s v e r b o s e a n d l e n g t h y speeches, which barely make any sense at all. Florence and Rome are our next two stops. Our guide in the streets of the city o f t h e M e d i c i s i s Stenterello, perhaps the maschera that most resem- bles the people of its region. He is a humble Florentine, unlucky but always ready to find a positive side in everything. Because la vita è bella, in the end, as anoth- er famous Toscano, Roberto B e n i g n i , w o u l d s a y . Rugantino, whom we meet in Rome, is a bit of a VIP: Romans love him, and with good reason. Dressed like an old-fashioned military man, he is not in the army at all, but a simple, benevolent man from Trastevere, who believes in justice and has a big heart. His only weakness? He is pretty lazy. His alter ego is feisty Meo Patacca, who has a penchant for starting fights and always carries a knife and a slingshot. Meo is a bit of a bully, really: better stay away from him. We're approaching the end of our trip, which now leads us to the Beautiful South of Italy. First stop: Napoli, of course, where we can finally b o w i n f r o n t o f t h e m o s t famous, most beloved of all maschere, Pulcinella. There is no other maschera in the country so deeply and quin- tessentially connected with t h e c i t y i t r e p r e s e n t s : Pulcinella è Napoli e Napoli è Pulcinella. Probably one of the oldest maschere in the country, Pulcinella is a lazy servant, always ready to find a stratagem to avoid working. In this, he is not that different from Arlecchino, but contrar- ily to him, Pulcinella always manages to get away with it. Always in Naples, we find what could be defined as a south- e r n B a l a n z o n e , Tartaglia: he is a dim lawyer, who can't speak proper- ly and thinks way too much of himself. Time to cross the Stretto di Messina to end our journey in Sicily. I don't know you, but I could do with a nice coffee and a brioche col tuppo and gelato. I am pretty sure that Beppe Nappa, the maschera sym- b o l o f t h e C a r n e v a l e i n Sciacca - the most famous in Sicily - could tell us where to find the best. He, just like Arlecchino and Pulcinella, is a lazy servant who tries in all w a y s t o a v o i d w o r k i n g . Unfortunately for him, he never manages. But today, we can help him out: come over here, Beppe! We'll talk to your master! Now, join us and show us where we can g e t t h e b e s t b r i o c h e c o l tuppo, gelato e caffè on the island! Continued from page 20 LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Balanzone, in a 19th century print (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons agreement. Author: unknown. License: Public Domain)

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