L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano O f c o u r s e , w e love being lazy a n d s o a k i n g up the sun by t h e s e a . O f c o u r s e , t h e r e i s n o t h i n g more refreshing and "zen" than a walk up our incredi- ble Alps. And I am not even g o i n g t o g e t s t a r t e d w i t h our città d'arte even though, to be frank, they do become a bit too hot sometimes, this time of the year. But Italy has still more to offer than all that, especially if you are up to taking a walk back into the past and revel- ing in ancient traditions and timeless atmospheres. Or if you'd like to do what the young and beautiful do: dust off your Chucks, your best vintage Nirvana t-shirt, and head down to a music festi- val, with a side of literature and good food. L e t ' s e x p l o r e t o g e t h e r what you could do this sum- mer in the Belpaese, espe- cially if you're up for some- thing alternative to the tra- ditional sun-sea-and sand or alpine vacation. … Dive into your teenage y e a r s a n d e n j o y a g o o d music festival S i n c e 2 0 0 9 , t h e Collisioni Festival has been a well-loved appoint- ment for all music and liter- ature enthusiasts around Italy. Great names of Italian and international music – Bob Dylan played Collisioni a few years back – take the stage for a varying number of days each year, surround- ed by the beautiful backdrop of the UNESCO-protected area of Langhe. From 2009 to 2021, the festival took place in the quaint village of B a r o l o , k n o w n f o r t h e eponymous wine, but this year things have gotten big- g e r a n d b e t t e r , w i t h t h e e v e n t t a k i n g p l a c e a t t h e arena of Piazza Medford, in Alba – yes, the town of white truffles and Crippa's three- M i c h e l i n - s t a r s P i a z z a D u o m o r e s t a u r a n t – t h a t can host twice as many peo- ple as the previous location. T h e g r e a t t h i n g a b o u t Collisioni is that there are also evenings dedicated to literature and that, because of the festival's location, you can also enjoy great food and wine while there. This y e a r , t h e f e s t i v a l r u n s through the whole month of July, with music events tak- ing place at the weekend. F o r m o r e i n f o , y o u c a n c h e c k o u t h t t p s : / / collisioni.it. Discover opera and the city of Romeo and Juliet at the Arena di Verona Summer is when operatic music goes outdoors with t h e V e r o n a O p e r a Season (and the Torre del Lago Puccini Festival, which this year runs from the 15th of July to the 27th of August in Torre del Lago). Every year, from June to August, the best opera singers per- f o r m i n t h i s a m a z i n g amphitheater, built by the R o m a n s i n 3 0 A D a n d k n o w n f o r i t s i n c r e d i b l e acoustics. A bit of trivia: the first opera represented at t h e a r e n a w a s G i u s e p p e Verdi's Aida, in 1913. This year, you can enjoy Bizet's Carmen, Puccini's Turandot, V e r d i ' s T r a v i a t a a n d N a b u c c o , b u t a l s o b a l l e t with Roberto Bolle and the best of Verdi's arias with Placido Domingo. A n d w h i l e y o u ' r e i n Verona, while not to take a look around town, following the Shakespearian lives of Romeo and Juliet? You can d i s c o v e r m o r e a b o u t t h e Arena di Verona opera sea- s o n a t : h t t p s : / / a r e n a d i - verona.it. Head to Venice for the m o s t t r a d i t i o n a l o f V e n e t i a n c e l e b r a t i o n s – b e s i d e s C a r n e v a l e , o f course! You don't need to travel far from Verona to enjoy the next event. Every year, on the third Sunday of July, V e n e z i a a n d i t s p e o p l e o b s e r v e t h e F e s t a d e l Redentore (the Feast of the Redeemer). It was cele- brated for the first time in 1576, as a thanksgiving for the end of a plague epidemic that had hit the city and, today, it features a breath- taking parade of boats in the Bacino di San Marco, at the heart of the lagoon. The d a y e n d s w i t h f i r e w o r k s , w h i c h l o c a l s a n d v i s i t o r s alike await while eating al f r e s c o , a l o n g t h e b a s i n ' s banks. W h a t m a k e s t h e f e a s t s p e c i a l i s h o w m u c h Venetians truly love it: this is the locals' celebration, much more than Carnevale is. This year, to comply with Covid-19 regulations, access t o t h e b a s i n a n d i t s s u r - rounding areas is regulated, so you need to get a ticket in advance. It's well worth it, though! I n R o m e , d o a s t h e Romans do and celebrate the Festa de Noantri How could we leave out our beautiful capital? Now, if you read or listen t o t h e I t a l i a n n e w s , y o u know Rome has been hav- i n g o n g o i n g i s s u e s w i t h waste disposal, which has negatively affected visitors' experiences of the city. We c a n o n l y h o p e f o r b e t t e r times, alas. That said, there are still so many amazing things to see and do in the Eternal C i t y , w e s h o u l d n ' t q u i t e cross it off our travel bucket l i s t . I f y o u w a n t t o e n j o y Rome at its most traditional, y o u s h o u l d t a k e p a r t i n t h e F e s t a d e N o a n t r i , which takes place every year in July. This religious feast dates back to 1535 when, tradition says, a statue of the Virgin Mary was miracu- lously found in the Tiber. Today, a 19th-century copy of the statue – the original is k e p t i n t h e C h i e s a d i Sant'Agata, in Trastevere – is paraded in holy proces- sion around Trastevere and on the TiberA by boat, from Ponte Sant'Angelo to Ponte G a r i b a l d i . A f t e r t h a t , i t ' s placed in the Chiesa di San Crisogono, where it remains for the whole duration of the festivities, which usually go on for a week. The holy procession for the Festa de Noantri (Photo: Giuseppemasci/Dreamstime) LUCA SIGNORINI LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Enjoying the summer, up and down the Belpaese The Redeemer Feast, in Venice, and its beautiful fireworks (Photo: Anna Om/Dreamstime)

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