L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano B e f o r e I w a s more seasoned i n t h e w a y s o f beloved Italy, I would pay only a p a s s i n g g l a n c e a t t h e small, mysterious shops that s a t m o d e s t l y u n d e r t h e s h a d o w o f a b l u e s i g n marked with a prominent letter T. An inquisitive peek i n s i d e b r o u g h t i n s t a n t curiosity: colors and shapes and rows and shelves of all things imaginable squeezed into what seemed the tiniest of places. I'd almost swear the same disgruntled-look- ing fellow was behind the counter of every single one. Fast forward a handful of years. I'd figured it out. That big white T, as common a cultural logo as the golden arches are in America, her- a l d e d o n e o f I t a l y ' s m o s t important incarnations of necessity – the tabacche- ria. They are legion, these small shops that sell tobac- co, of course, and an impres- sive list of other goods and services. You'll find one in the tiniest of villages; you'll find one on practically every corner in larger cities. While it's a fact that many Italians smoke, is there real- l y s u c h a g r e a t n e e d f o r t h a t m a n y t o b a c c o shops? Well, yes and no. We'll have to slip back in time a bit to tease out this ambigu- o u s a n s w e r , b e g i n n i n g with Cardinal Prospero S a n t a c r o c e ( 1 5 1 4 – 1589). While the presence of tobacco in Europe wasn't a new thing in the 1500s, it had not yet reached Italy. It was on one of Cardinal San- tacroce's journeys that he was introduced to a "botani- cal" full of curative powers (so it was believed): nico- tiana rustica. Believing he was doing a noble deed, the Cardinal carried seeds home t o I t a l y f o r c u l t i v a t i o n . Towards the end of the 16th century, this "cure" known as tobacco was being grown throughout Italy. Apothe- caries added the remedy to their array of medicinals; it caught on quickly and sky- rocketed in popularity. Over t i m e , m a n y a p o t h e c a r i e s e v o l v e d i n t o d e d i c a t e d tobacconists. Not prone to miss a profitable opportuni- ty, the government stepped in to tax and regulate the highly appreciated product. By the time Italy united as a Kingdom in 1861, tobacco a l o n g w i t h s a l t , a n o t h e r high-demand and valuable product, were fully regulat- ed. Sales were allowed only by tobacconists in specified shops, denoted by a large sign stating "Sali e Tabac- chi" (salts and tobaccos). E a r l y 2 0 t h - c e n t u r y s i g n s featured the addition of the star of the Italian Republic, b u t t h i s w a s e v e n t u a l l y replaced by the prominent white T against a dark back- ground that we see today. Even the "Sali e Tabacchi" w e r e k e p t , d e s p i t e s a l t ' s d e m o t i o n t o a n e v e r y d a y c o m m o d i t y . T r a d i t i o n reigns! Like savvy chameleons, tabacchi (short for tabac- cheria) found ways to rein- vent themselves as Italian society changed. To their credit, they made the best of Italy's penchant for govern- ment regulation. Why stand in the excruciatingly slow post office line for a postage stamp, or any other required government paperwork such as valori bollati (revenue stamps) or carta bolla- ta (official document paper) for birth or marriage certifi- cates, when you can pop into the corner tabacchi for the same? It's even possible to p i c k u p l e g a l d o c u m e n t s such as rental agreements, house contracts, and court requests in these humble shops, along with getting your bollo dell' automo- bile (car taxes) taken care of. All those unpleasantries aside, maybe Lady Luck will take pity as you choose the p e r f e c t b i g l i e t t o d e l lotto (lotto ticket), or per- haps sign up for the football pool — because your team will win! — with whatever euros are left. So much can be accomplished with never s e t t i n g f o o t o u t s i d e t h e neighborhood tabaccheria. The possibilities continue, however, within the walls of t h e s e c o m p a c t m a r k e t s . Found a ticket on the wind- shield after overextending your welcome in a blue-lined (paid) parking space? Pay the multe (fines) while you p u r c h a s e a f e w needed biglietti d'augu- r i ( g r e e t i n g c a r d s ) a t the tabacchi. And even if your car is impounded for said violation, no worries – you can buy a few bigliet- ti dell'autobus (bus tick- ets) here and arrive for aper- itivo in plenty of time. If a first-timer in Italy, a l i t t l e k n o w l e d g e a b o u t the tabacchi is a good thing – they are prolific and at least one need can probably be met there. For smokers, i t ' s n o t a b l e t h a t o n l y a tabaccheria can sell ciga- rettes and smoking-related products. Regulations also c u r t a i l c i g a r e t t e v e n d i n g m a c h i n e s t o s p e c i f i c a n d limited areas, mostly tabac- c h i s t o r e f r o n t s , b u t b e warned: one must carry a government-issued tessera sanitaria (health insur- ance card) as proof of age 18 or above to get the goods. For what they might lack in space, tabacchi make up for in goods, services, and character. It's as if 7-Eleven a n d t h e " C h e e r s " b a r g o t together. A friendly micro- climate exists here; the com- munity can gather to pick up a few things and take care of pending official business, but also to discover the lat- est local hear-say, find out h o w t h e a i l i n g n o n n a i s doing, debate lotto numbers, a n d c h a t a w h i l e w i t h t h e neighbors. It's not unusual to find a small coffee set-up and even a few bottles of spirits in many tabacchi, along with an assortment of snacks, toys, gifts, and trin- kets. The American "corner store" may indeed have Ital- ian roots! I'm reminded of Frank Sinatra's song "I Did It My Way" when it comes to Ital- ian regulations. Why yes, w e ' l l a b i d e b y t h e m , b u t y e s … w e ' l l d o i t o u r w a y . Thus goes the tabaccheria, the unpretentious shop filled with curiosities and govern- ment dictums, jovial greet- ing cards and vouchers with the promise of fortunes, the means to a bus ride, and the ease of obtaining one more p a c k … j u s t o n e m o r e . There's no match for these iconic stalwarts of Italian life and culture, and there's also no possibility of buying a match anywhere but within a tabacchi. Hats off to versa- tility and government regu- lations. PAULA REYNOLDS A vintage "sali e tabacchi" in Florence (Photo: Vvoevale/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS T is for tobacco…and then some: the Italian "tabaccheria"

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