L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 4 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS I t i s i m p o s s i b l e t o visit Naples and not see the thousands of ceramic and plastic images of Pulcinella in shop windows lining Via S p a c c a n a p o l i t h a t c u t s through Naples' historic cen- ter. A commedia dell'arte fig- ure, dating back to the six- teenth century, Pulcinella s e r v e d i n h i s i m p r o v i s e d roles as an everyman, assum- ing any role needed in the early Italian theater. In fact, some years ago, I reviewed i n t h i s c o l u m n T h e Punchinello Drawings by D o m e n i c o T i e p o l o . (Pulcinella is spelled vari- o u s l y ) . T i e p o l o d e p i c t s Pulcinella in his multiplicity of identities, fr om tail or , criminal, and aristocrat to artist and polenta cooker. But there is one Pulcinella identity that is rooted deeply in the history of Neapolitan culture: the lazzarone mac- cheroni eater. After a hiatus of over a year, we returned to Italy in April. After we visited our cousin in the Monte Sacro quarter in Rome, we walked t o t h e n e a r b y M e r c a t i n o Conca D'Oro, the local flea market. (Take metro line B to the Conca D'Oro stop). We wandered through the broad lanes of the market while examining the prolif- eration of piles of "antique" objects. On the way out, I stepped into one last shop, and there, in a vintage cor- ner cabinet, was a figurine of the renowned Pulcinella on one of the shelves. I asked the proprietor if I could examine it. When he placed it in my hand and I felt its weight, I knew that it was a rare piece. It was not the usual porcelain or plas- tic image, it was made out of metal. When I examined his posture, I knew for sure that I had to have it, that it was indeed special. As Car- ole's photograph illustrates, his head is thrown back as he lowers a finger full of maccheroni into his open mouth. The remainder of his repast is in the plate in his left hand. I tried not to betray my e x c i t e m e n t . T h i s w a s a moment for careful negotia- tions. After all, this was a flea market where fair mar- k e t v a l u e d o e s n o t e x i s t . After a few moments, I indi- cated that I might be inter- ested in purchasing it, of course, for the right price. He said a mere seven euros. Fast draw does not describe h o w q u i c k l y I p l a c e d m y euro on the counter. After I paid, the kindly proprietor was curious about my iden- tity. We had a pleasant con- versation covering my Ital- ian roots, including his as well. He was not originally a Romano. Continued to page 6 Pulcinella, maccheroni, and Naples' lazzaroni The title page of Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo's etching book about Pulcinella (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Agreement. Author: Google Art Project. License: Public Domain) KEN SCAMBRAY

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