L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano T h e m o n u m e n t s we'll look at today a r e n o t y o u r usual bunch. For- g e t a b o u t t h e Colosseum and the David and don't let your mind fly to the beauties of Siena's Piazza del C a m p o o r Venice's calli. Today, we're going full weird to discover s o m e o f t h e s t r a n g e s t pieces of art around the country: impossible not to n o t i c e , t h e y i n h a b i t o u r s q u a r e s , c r o s s r o a d s , a n d , sometimes, industrial estates and may not be everyone's cup of tea. Are they ugly? Perhaps, but they often honor beloved products and traditions of their area: at least they have that! C a r l o M a z z e t t o ' s "Shoe" Located in one of Fossò's (Venice) squares, this giant heeled shoe received an interesting award: it's consid- ered one of the 20 ugliest monuments in the country, at least according to the people a t F i n e s t r e s u l l ' A r t e , a n online journal dedicated to classical, modern and con- temporary art. Apparently, it "should be a heeled pump, b u t i t l o o k s m o r e l i k e a s t e g o s a u r ' s s k e l e t o n o r a deformed old heater." Cer- tainly, it is … peculiar. But it was created to celebrate one of the area's most famous and time-honored industries, that of shoemaking, so we should at least recognize it wants to honor something nice. The salama da sugo monument I f y o u h a p p e n t o b e i n Madonna Boschi, Ferrara, y o u ' l l c e r t a i n l y n o t i c e a n interestingly shaped sculp- ture that vaguely resembles a UFO. In truth, it's a salama da sugo — a cold cut typical of the Ferrara province — on a plate, with a fork stuck in it. I n 2 0 1 7 , t h e m o n u m e n t won Il Monumentellum, a prize awarded by the radio s h o w I P r o v i n c i a l i t o t h e " s t r a n g e s t m o n u m e n t i n Italy." In the second place, another curious piece … The pisello nano mon- ument W e m o v e t o t h e S o u t h , more precisely to Zollino, in the Lecce province of Puglia. Here, the pisello nano, a variety of pea, is a traditional p r o d u c t o f t h e t e r r i t o r y , w h i c h c e r t a i n l y d e s e r v e d some attention. Well, consid- ering how eye-catching this sculpture is, we can say the mission was accomplished. What does it look like, you ask? Just like a giant light- b r o w n i s h o p e n p e a p o d . With peas inside. The "boobs fountain" Let's face it: only in Italy you could find a fountain shaped like a woman with red and white wine flowing from her breasts. If you want to see it, head to Palazzo Zig- noli, in Treviso, Veneto: here a copy of the 16th-century original welcomes visitors w i t h h e r s h a p e l y b r e a s t s spilling fresh water for all to drink. Yeah, I am sorry, no m o r e w i n e . T h e o r i g i n a l f o n t a n a d e l l e tette (forgive the language… but that's what it's called!), which was carved in Istrian stone in 1559, is today part of the Casa del Noal museum c o l l e c t i o n . I n i t s h e y d a y , when Treviso was part of the Republic of Venice, it would "serve" free red and white wine to all Trevigiani for three days when a new Doge took power in Venice. Milan's middle finger I t s o f f i c i a l n a m e i s L . O . V . E . , a n a c r o n y m of libertà, odio, vendetta, e t e r n i t à ( f r e e d o m , h a t e , revenge, eternity), but it's most commonly known as il dito, "the finger." Created by c o n t e m p o r a r y I t a l i a n artist Maurizio Cattelan in 2010, it is an 11-meter- high marble hand with all fingers severed but the mid- dle one. Result: the sculp- ture, which you can find in M i l a n ' s P i a z z a A f f a r i , famously known for being t h e s e a t o f I t a l y ' s s t o c k exchange, "gives the finger" to everyone. The power of today's art! Genoa's mortar and pestle Genoa is the birthplace of fantastic pesto, so it's not surprising to find, welcoming visitors from the green in the middle of a busy roundabout, a giant pestle and mortar. We are in Prà, the neighbor- hood in the Ligurian capital traditionally associated with pesto making. Named, quite aptly, the Terra del Basili- c o , t h e l a n d o f b a s i l , t h e sculpture may not be super- artistic but it shows the pride and glory of this area of town very well. The octopus fountain in Rapallo L e t ' s r e m a i n a l o n g t h e quaint Italian Riviera, but move slightly eastward from Genoa. In Rapallo, a town known for its sea and ele- g a n t , l i b e r t y - s t y l e v i l l a s , you'll find a fountain dedicat- ed to one of Italy's most deli- c i o u s s e a i n h a b i t a n t s , the octopus (my apologies to all vegetarians and vegans for the comment…). The rela- tively large fountain is locat- ed near the sea, just opposite Rapallo's own castle: you can't miss it, because at its center there's a giant octopus standing on its tentacles. To be honest with you, it gives me some serious Lovecraft's Cthulu vibes… Castelfranco Emilia 's tortellino Castelfranco Emilia, Mod- e n a , i s t h e b i r t h p l a c e of tortellini, or so its people say. True or not, we are at the heart of tortellino land here, and it's quite natural to have a monument dedicated to this symbol of the local terri- tory and of Italian cuisine. The Monumento al Tortelli- no, created by artist Gianni Ferrari, is at the center of a fountain in Piazza Aldo Moro and, with its three charac- ters, it wants to celebrate the birth of il tortellino. Back in t h e d a y , l e g e n d s s a y , t h e then-owner of the Osteria Corona in Castelfranco, had a penchant for voyeurism and the habit of spying on his f e m a l e g u e s t s w h e n t h e y were in their rooms. It seems that the goddess of Beauty herself, Venus, came to visit, and he found her belly but- ton so beautiful he created tortellini in its shape. That's w h y t h e M o n u m e n t o a l Tortellino in Castelfranco shows a beautiful woman, a man peeping and … a tortelli- no! GIULIA FRANCESCHINI The "Monumento al Tortellino" in Castelfranco Emilia (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons agreement. Photo: Sailko/CC BY-SA 3.0) Italy's most curious monuments LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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