L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano I n a r e c e n t a r t i c l e Catherine Sabino f r o m F o r b e s explored Italy in an alternative way: she looked at some of the coun- try's most popular destina- t i o n s a n d f o u n d l e s s e r - known but equally appealing o p t i o n s f o r a h o l i d a y , o r l o o k e d a t t h e m f r o m a n entirely different lens. L e t ' s t a k e V e n e z i a , f o r instance: instead of talking about its artistic and cultural appeal, Sabino wrote about its Lido and the private and p u b l i c b e a c h e s o f f e r i n g respite to visitors after a day of exploration. I mean, if it was good enough a destina- t i o n f o r A u d r e y H e p b u r n and Aristotle Onassis during the glamorous heyday of the 1 9 5 0 s a n d 1 9 6 0 s , w h y shouldn't it be for us? Other interesting choices were Lake Maggiore, with i t s m e s m e r i z i n g b l e n d o f Alpine and tropical land- scapes, selected as a refresh- i n g d e p a r t u r e f r o m t h e crowds of Lake Como, or the T u s c a n R i v i e r a , t o b e e x p l o r e d i n s t e a d o f t h e region's much more popular and iconic countryside. Sim- ilarly, Sabino suggested opt- ing for Liguria's Riviera di P o n e n t e — the one with San Remo — instead of liter- ary buffs' favorite Riviera di Levante, known for Porto Venere and Cinque Terre. The author concludes her trip with a visit to Cilento, i n C a m p a n i a , s e l e c t e d instead of the Amalfi Coast, f o r a q u i e t e r b u t j u s t a s charming vacation in the sun. S a b i n o ' s p i e c e g o t m e thinking: how many times do we take places for grant- ed? And how often do we think we know everything t h e r e i s t o k n o w a b o u t a place when in truth, we are only familiar with one single facet of its history and cul- ture? L e t u s t a k e M i l a n , f o r instance, a city known for its dynamic fashion and finance sectors but often underesti- mated when it comes to arts and history. Once the capital o f t h e W e s t e r n R o m a n Empire, Milan became even more central to the cultural development of the peninsu- la during the reigns of the Visconti and Sforza dynas- t i e s , w h o s e i n f l u e n c e i s immortalized in the city's breathtaking architecture a n d a r t i s t i c l a n d s c a p e . Thanks to the patronage of t h e s e p o w e r f u l f a m i l i e s , Milan became an important center of the Renaissance: it wasn't certainly by chance t h a t L e o n a r d o e n d e d u p here, leaving his mark in the C o n v e n t o f S a n t a M a r i a delle Grazie, where we can, still today, admire his Ulti- ma Cena. And we shouldn't forget the Pinacoteca di Brera, which hosts illustri- ous works by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Titian, among others, nor the city's con- t e m p o r a r y a r t i s t i c s c e n e , probably the most lively in Italy. Moving east from Milan, in the region where Western and Eastern Europe meet, Friuli Venezia-Giulia, we encounter Trieste. Known f o r i t s c o m m e r c i a l r o l e , especially as part of the Hab- sburg Empire, the city can also be explored through the lives and legacies of Umber- t o S a b a , I t a l o S v e v o , a n d James Joyce, three seminal authors of European litera- ture. Umberto Saba, born in Trieste in 1883, is especially k n o w n f o r h i s s i m p l e y e t emotionally profound poetry on love, solitude, and identi- ty. His connection with Tri- este deeply influenced his work, particularly Il Can- z o n i e r e ( T h e S o n g b o o k ) , which reflects his life and the city's evolving landscape over fifty years. Trieste's multicultural atmosphere and its port's stories became essential elements of inspi- ration for Saba, whose por- trait of Trieste brings togeth- e r t h e p e r s o n a l a n d t h e historical. Key locations, like his wet nurse's house in Via del Monte and the Antiquar- i a n B o o k s h o p i n V i a S a n Nicolò he frequented, both mentioned in his works, can still be visited today. T r i e s t e h a s b e e n t h e birthplace of another great Italian novelist, Italo Svevo. His work La Coscienza di Zeno (Zeno's Conscience), delves into psychoanalytic themes, reflecting both his complex relationship with his birthplace and the influ- e n c e o f J a m e s J o y c e , h i s friend and mentor, who also r e s i d e d i n T r i e s t e . A n d indeed, we couldn't speak about literary Trieste with- out mentioning him, James J o y c e . T h e m u l t i c u l t u r a l environment of the city con- tributed to the creation of Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and to the conception of his mas- terpiece, Ulysses. Trieste's cafe culture, diverse popu- lace, and its position as a cultural and political cross- r o a d s d e e p l y i n f l u e n c e d Joyce's work, particularly his exploration of identity and narrative innovation. There are still plenty of places in town with a deep connection to Joyce, from Piazza Ponte R o s s o , w h e r e h e f i r s t resided, to Via della Sanità, where his last home in Tri- este is located, as well as places like the Berlitz School and the Stella Polare cafe, w h e r e h e s t a r t e d w r i t i n g Finnegan's Wake. The city honors its literary giants with statues — Saba's in Via Dante, and Joyce's in Via Roma — that are central to literary tours, just like the M u s e o S v e v i a n o a n d t h e Joyce Museum, which also organizes yearly Bloomsday celebrations. Last but not least, let's take an alternative look at Florence, the capital of the Renaissance, which, howev- er, also has an important role in the world of fashion, offering a distinct perspec- tive alongside Milan. Home to iconic fashion houses like Gucci, established in 1921 by Guccio Gucci, and Salvatore Ferragamo, founded in 1927 b y S a l v a t o r e F e r r a g a m o himself, the city has a rich heritage in luxury fashion a n d i s a f o c a l p o i n t f o r i m p o r t a n t i n t e r n a t i o n a l events like Pitti Immagine, a l e a d i n g t r a d e s h o w f o r menswear and contempo- r a r y f a s h i o n t r e n d s . T h e biannual event, held at the historic Fortezza da Basso, draws a global audience of designers, buyers, and fash- ion aficionados. The city's f a s h i o n i d e n t i t y i s a l s o shaped by its thriving arti- sanal tradition, with work- shops and ateliers specializ- ing in leather, shoemaking, tailoring, and textile design. As you can see, Catherine S a b i n o m a d e a f a i r a n d interesting point: there is so much to explore and learn behind every single place we visit. It's up to us to discover t h e h i d d e n a n d l e s s e r - known and, who knows, per- haps discover more about ourselves while we are at it. The road less traveled: unveiling Italy's lesser- known treasures through an alternative lens CHIARA D'ALESSIO Milan is not only important for fashion and finance, but also for its rich history and art (Photo: Michal Bednarek/Dreamstime); bottom left, the Fortezza Da Basso in Florence, famous for its connection with fashion (Photo: Vitalii Bondalietov/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS

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