L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano PAGE  16 THURS DAY,   AUGUS T  8,   2013 Hollywood Bowl summer concerts. Venice Beach – Italian woman on honeymoon Verdi is three times protagonist killed by hit-and-run Italian opera will light up Hollywood summer nights. Mark your calendar for a unique chance to see Giuseppe Verdi's works on stage at the Hollywood Bowl! The first appointment is scheduled for August 11 with "Aida". Gustavo Dudamel brings Verdi's beloved story of ill-fated lovers in ancient Egypt to the Bowl with a larger-than-life performance by the LA Phil, an internationally renowned cast and the L.A. Master Chorale. Moreover, by attending this concert you will contribute to benefiting the LA Phil Musicians Pension Fund. Dudamel returns on August 13 for a double appointment then with "Requiem". The father of the modern Italian novel and a hero to 19th-century Italian nationalists Alessandro Manzoni was venerated by Verdi for both his artistic talent and his moral force. When Manzoni died, Verdi could not bring himself to attend the funeral. But eventual- ly he decided to honor Manzoni with a Requiem Mass, a monumental piece with all the dramatic power and expressive lyricism Gustavo Dudamel to conduct Verdi at the Hollywood Bowl of Verdi's operas. "Only a genius could have written such a work," Brahms said. The concert will run on August 13 and August 15. Up on the Hollywood hills, you'll experience opera as you have never seen it before. Program and tickets at http://www.hollywoodbowl.com It was Saturday afternoon when a blue Dodge suddenly ran down the crowd along the Venice Beach boardwalk. The area is packed every day with residents and tourists strolling and shopping, who are even more numerous at that time of the day, when many get there to enjoy sunset. Among them, a young Italian woman, Alice Gruppioni. Security cameras show a man getting into his car and driving towards the crowd, hitting a group of people. Nathan Campbell, 35, original from Colorado, kills Alice. She was visiting Los Angeles with her husband Christian Casadei, who is injured and is now recovering in hospital. The couple lived in Bologna, where they got married only a few days ago. This was their honeymoon, which was supposed to continue in Tahiti, but ended up tragically instead. "It is an obnoxious and vile act" said Consul General of Italy Alice and her husband Christian in the US, before the tragedy Giuseppe Perrone, who visited Casadei in his hospital room. "This individual destroyed a life full of promises, right in its happiest moment, when Alice was about to start a new life with the person she loved." Alice was a general manager for the family business; her father, Valerio Gruppioni, was formerly president of the Bologna soccer team. Besides her, eleven more people where injured. Campbell is now in custody of the Los Angeles Police Department. It is still unclear whether he was under the effect of drugs or alcohol, or if this was the intentional act of an insane person. we care for our customers. If they can't find a certain item here, we try to find it for them. And we are always honest with them: when they put something on, we tell the truth about how it fits them. We really want our clientele to be satisfied and to look good. This is something that people can actually feel, and appreciate. And in the near future you are going to please your customers even more… That's right. We have two main sales every year: one is the Anniversary Sale, which is usually in May, and the other is our Summer Clearance Sale, which will take place at the end of this month with discounts between 50-70%. We would like to provide our customers with the best deals and the perfect clothes. This is what makes us happy, since we love our job and our clients. A few years ago I retired, but it only lasted a couple of months: I missed my customers too much. Mark Piscitelli's Recipe for Success sIlVIA sIMoNeTTI Located in the very heart of Pasadena, the Playhouse District, Mark Piscitelli's men's boutique has been welcoming its customers since 1991. By offering them a vast collection of European-style manufactured and tailor-made clothes, it represents an outstanding example of Italians' best qualities, dedication and love for their work. The owner, Mr. Piscitelli, was born in Naples and lived in Argentina for many years before moving to the U.S. Just a few weeks prior to the boutique's big Summer Clearance Sale, we met him and kindly asked him to share with us the recipe of his enduring success in the fashion business. Mr. Piscitelli, how long have you been working in this field? I have been doing this for "quite a few years", since 1962. The boutique opened in 1976 in West Hollywood but, as many things were changing in that part of the city, we moved it to Pasadena in 1991. Over 35 years is a very long time. What is the secret of your success? We need to be unique because we are a small boutique. People can find here things they can't find anywhere else. Basically, we design or choose our own styles of shirts, and we also work with Italian manufacturers when it Mark Piscitelli comes to sweaters and knits, as well as suits, jackets and pants. This certainly makes you special, but is it enough to compete against big retail companies or the economic crisis? What makes the real difference is our service, and the way

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