L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano I taly is famous for its saints: don't they say w e a r e a p e o p l e o f s a i n t s , s a i l o r s a n d p o e t s ? W h e n y o u t h i n k o f i t , m e d i e v a l pil- grims were the first tourists, you could almost say they inaugurated the long, suc- cessful era of Italian tourism themselves! There are specific itiner- aries all along the peninsula that ancient and modern pil- g r i m s f o l l o w : t h e m o s t famous is, perhaps, the Via Francigena, which con- nects Canterbury (UK), to Rome, but there are many ·others: along one of them, dedicated to Saint Thomas, y o u ' l l f i n d a v e r y s p e c i a l fountain, created to offer refreshment and a moment of rest to trekkers and pil- grims. "What's strange with that" – you may ask – " there is nothing special about a fountain along a trekking route!" And you would be right if it wasn't for the fact it isn't water that pours out of it, but wine. T h e C a m m i n o d i S a n Tommaso connects our capi- tal, Rome, to the Abruzzo town of Ortona, where the relics of Saint Thomas Apos- tle – kept in the cathedral – are worshiped. To say it in m o r e " b i b l i c a l " t e r m s , i t j o i n s t h e g r a v e s o f S a i n t Peter and Saint Thomas. The itinerary, which is divided into 16 sections and can be completed in 16 days, has b e e n p r o m o t e d a n d endorsed by a not-for-profit organization, led by Dina Cespa and Luigi Narcisi. It is t h a n k s t o t h e m t h a t t h e f o n t a n a d e l v i n o d i O r t o n a c a m e i n t o b e i n g . They were inspired by a sim- ilar one, that of the Botegas Irache that pilgrims can find in Estella, Navarra, along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Cespa and Nar- cisi's idea was immediately embraced by local winemak- er Nicola D'Auria, owner of one of the most prestigious wineries in Abruzzo, Canti- n a D o r a S a r c h e s e , w h i l e architect Rocco Valentini t o o k c a r e o f t h e f o u n t a i n project. The result is a foun- tain encased within a barrel large enough to contain a person, with a curious sen- tence engraved on its walls: " B e v i v i n o , c h e n o n s a i donde sei venuto, sii lieto p e r c h é s a i d o v e andrai," which we can trans- late as "Drink wine, because you don't know where you c a m e f r o m , b u t b e h a p p y b e c a u s e y o u k n o w w h e r e you're going." The fontana del vino in Ortona was inaugurated on the 9th of October 2016, on the day when, traditionally, the harvest of Montepul- c i a n o S t o r i c o N i t a e grapes ends. This isn't your r e g u l a r M o n t e p u l c i a n o g r a p e s , b u t a s p e c i a l l y selected variety of ancient origins, which the people at the Dora Sarchese winery h a v e b e e n g r o w i n g o n a small, dedicated vineyard. Since then, all pilgrims and travelers who happen to stay or pass through Caldari – a small hamlet part of the O r t o n a c o m m u n e - c a n e n j o y a n i c e g l a s s o f r e d from the fountain, all year round. This is an important characteristic, which makes it unique. You see, there are, in fact, other wine foun- tains in Italy (even though the one in Ortona was the first to open): one in Marino (Rome), one in Carosino (Taranto) and one in San Floriano di Collio (Gorizia), but they are only open on special occasions, usually when local religious feasts take place. The fontana del vino in Ortona, on the other hand, is open 12 months a year, 7 days a week, with the same opening hours as the winery. If you'd like to have more information about the foun- tain, you can check out the Dora Sarchese winery web- s i t e , a t h t t p s : / / w w w . dorasarchese.it/fontanadelv ino. If you are interested in the Cammino di San Tom- maso, check out the associ- ation's website at http:// camminodisantommaso.org W e l o v e to assag g i a r e (ahs-sah- djah-rai) stuff in Italy! And it couldn't be any different when you t h i n k h o w m u c h w e l o v e good food and wine, because assaggiare means "to taste" or " to try" something to eat, e s p e c i a l l y w h i l e y o u – o r someone else – is making it. Let's say you're making r a g ù a n d y o u r s i g n i f i c a n t other walks into the kitchen, y o u m a y a s k t h e m V u o i assaggiare? ("Do you want to try it?") but, if they are a buona forchetta, that is, if they enjoy good food, they would probably be the ones s a y i n g F a m m i a s s a g g i a - re! ("Let me try it!"). T h i s b e l o v e d v e r b appeared for the first time in our language in the 13th cen- t u r y , t h e u n i o n o f a d and saggiare, a verb itself d e r i v e d f r o m t h e L a t i n exigere, "to examine." Assaggiare is also used when we are trying out a dish or a drink for the first time: for instance, you may hear Italians say voglio assaggia- re la cucina thailandese ("I'd like to try Thai cuisine"). O f t e n , w e u s e t h e sentence non l'ho mai assag- giato ("I've never tried it"), when we are talking about s o m e t h i n g w e h a v e n e v e r eaten or come across at the dinner table. W e a l s o u s e t h e w o r d a s s a g g i a t o r e o r a s s a g - giatrice, that is, someone who tastes food or drink as a profession. Legends say that kings and important states- men always had one, to make sure their food wasn't poi- soned. But the best – and luckiest – of all assaggia- tori must have been those F e r r e r o ( o f N u t e l l a f a m e ) were looking for a bunch of years ago. Their duty? Tast- ing chocolate, of course! - Quando cucini mediori- entale, fammelo sapere: mi piacerebbe assaggiare - When you are making middle-eastern food, let me know! I'd like to try it. - Hai mai assaggiato il p o l l o a r r o s t o c h e f a m i a madre? - Have you ever tried my mother's roast chicken? - V o r r e i a s s a g g i a r e i l gelato al parmigiano e basil- ico! - I'd like to try parmesan and basil ice cream! LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Word of the day: assaggiare, Italy's favorite verb! Italian curiosities: did you know Italy has a wine fountain? A wine fountain, similar to the one in Ortona (Photo: Lmeleca/Dreamstime) © Frantic00 | Dreamstime.com

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