L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 2023 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 H a v e y o u e v e r w o n d e r e d what lies with- in a museum? Naturally, this is the question we all ask our- selves before any visit: what will I see? What are my expec- tations? Will there be some- thing beautiful or interesting? P e r h a p s w e ' v e a l r e a d y skimmed through a book or brochure and have some idea of what to expect, maybe even a planned route. However, the point often missed isn't in the first answer we all give our- selves. Certainly, a museum is a collection of rooms filled with various objects—be they paintings, archaeological artifacts, sculptures, photographs, design works, or tools and crafts. It's a journey to embark upon, a place to discover things. But Riding the magic carpet of Italy's museum network to discover our vast cultural heritage From the Editor the crux of the matter lies right there. We must all look beyond the surface, beyond the immediate visual impres- sions of each room, and ascend on a metaphorical magic car- pet. Beneath our gaze, captions, informational panels, and routes to follow will flow; we'll find display cases to observe, things that can surprise us, move us, make us think, or make us want to know more. Lift your gaze a little higher, and you'll see that a museum is not just a collection of items to know and store in our memory (and not only in that of our phone). It becomes an opportunity for enrichment, for iden- tity building, and for creating images that will leave an imprint, a trace, emotions within us. This is because every museum is far from a random prod- uct. It has been deliberately designed to tell a story or repre- sent someone. The curation behind it is a fascinating coming together of information that usually escapes the public eye. Visitors's gaze is often distracted by novelty; it chases every- thing on display, rests on what hangs on a wall, stands on a pedestal, or is tucked inside a lit showcase. Only if you ask that initial question in an attempt to grasp the meaning of the visit, and seek an overarching view, you can capture the essence of the project, even its intended emotional impact. In Naples, the new Caruso Museum clearly demonstrates the ambition behind every exhibition. Indeed, it offers a comprehensive narrative of the great tenor. Through objects and instruments, it describes who he was and what he did, his artistic legacy, and the man behind the singer who per- formed on the most renowned stages in the world. Assisted by technology, we soon realize that the museum aims to be primarily an immersive experience rather than a didactic one. An invitation to listen, see, touch, and personally expe- rience the Caruso who enchanted audiences. But we are only halfway through the story. We need to understand that the decision to honor this leading figure - as has already happened for Puccini, Verdi, or Pavarotti - by dedicating a museum and years of work to him, is a precise choice to fill a gap but also to add a missing piece to the identity puzzle of Naples and Italy. Caruso remains a name telling a part of our history and national identity. Beyond the celebratory aims of the character and far beyond the admission ticket we pay to see an Etruscan col- lection or the tools of Friuli's rural life, there is a cultural program that seeks to offer tools of knowledge to better appreciate the national territory and the personalities who have traversed its history. This is the point. "With the Caruso Museum, we celebrate the culmination of a major, interdisciplinary project we have been working on for some time, created through the collaboration and syn- ergy between institutions and numerous national and inter- national project partners," Massimo Osanna, the general director of the National Museums, said. This is precisely what lies inside any museum: a project where the final col- lection - what we see on display - is only the penultimate piece. The last piece is added by visitors with their personal experiences. The point is that, behind a museum, lies a much broader network of places celebrating artists, works, objects, history, events, and artistic expressions, but also tourist and territor- ial routes that, only when observed in an overall view, can fully show the intricate beauty and wealth of Italy's cultural heritage. Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italianaall'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano Please send correspondence to P.O. BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), www.italoameri- cano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian newspaper in America, not to men- tion the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Nittoli SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTORS Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Matt Walker, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Paula Reynolds, Teresa Di Fresco Nicoletta Curradi, Generoso D'Agnese, Jessica S. Levy, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Chuck Pecoraro, Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio, Luca Signorini, Giulia Franceschini © 2020 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano PO Box 6528 Altadena, CA 91003 P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003

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