L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2024 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 S ummer is here, and what's better than enjoying a classic Italian ice cream? How about savor- ing it in Italy itself? L'Italo- Americano is excited to pre- sent the Dream of Puglia Sweepstake, offering you the chance for a dream trip. Pur- c h a s e a t i c k e t t o e n t e r t h e drawing for three prizes in our traditional lottery, supporting the publication of your beloved newspaper. This is your chance to ensure it reaches your home or phone on time. Subscriptions and donations are cru- cial to supporting each issue and continuing the mission started in 1908 by a newspaper founded to inform the newly arrived Italian immigrant community in California. As the How about a gelato in Italy? Take advantage of the "Dream of Puglia Sweepstake" From the Editor Italian-American community grew and blended into our multicultural society, it worked to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the United States. We are a non-profit organization, and every subscription, lottery tick- et purchased, or item bought in our marketplace (have you d i s c o v e r e d a l l t h e n e w o f f e r i n g s o n italoamericano.org/shop?) is invaluable! Now imagine holding the winning ticket: 8 magical days and 7 enchanting nights under the sky of Puglia, staying in a trullo, the iconic limestone structure rooted in peasant tradi- tion and a UNESCO heritage site since 1996. For just $12, you could experience the embrace of the thick limestone walls, cool in summer and warm in winter, under the whim- sical conical roof where each stone brick, the chianca, fits perfectly into a dry wall that forms these centuries-old hous- es. No mortar, no cement, just artisanal magic that has cre- ated a unique landscape in Alberobello, a few kilometers south of Bari, the capital of the region that forms the heel of Italy. Airfare is included, as is breakfast, and it might cost you just $25 if you buy three tickets or $50 for eight tickets (to increase your chances of winning, consider packages of 20, 50, or 80 tickets: all the information is on our website, www.italoamericano.org, by clicking on the banner "Win a trip to Puglia"). On September 13, the drawing will also award the second prize, a piece from the Gioielli Dop collec- tion created in Arezzo, Tuscany, where the art of gold- smithing has been passed down since the 14th century. The third prize is $300, which you might spend on a delicious dinner at a gourmet Italian restaurant. But since we're talking about food, let's get back to the ice cream featured in our cover story. In Italy, the ice cream business reached 3 billion euros in 2023, with an 11% increase in sales points. There are 39,000 points of sale nationwide, including over 9,300 gelaterias, 12,000 pastry shops, and about 18,000 bars offering artisanal ice cream. However, the industry, which overall (gelaterias, ingredients, machines, equipment, showcases) is worth over 4 billion euros and employs more than 100,000 people, does not fully convey the social value of ice cream. A sweet indulgence, a ritual, a good habit, and a "slow" pleasure to discover in the delicious flavors chosen at the counter before sitting at a café table to chat over a big cup of chocolate and cream with a friend, or strolling past shop windows slowly savoring a tasty and refreshing cone. Speaking of cones... we need to go back to 1903 to meet Italo Marchioni, a native of Belluno who emigrated to New York in the late 19th century. He applied to the U.S. Patent Office to patent the invention of a machine that produced cones, which was convenient for handling and shaping the dough into forms that were not widely used until then due to the difficulty of removing the delicate dough from molds. Like many other pastry chefs, he had been serving ice cream since 1896 in paper or cups, both impractical containers. At some point, he decided it was much better to use an edible cone and designed the machine that streamlined wafer pro- duction. Of course, there are competitors (after all, we need only go back to the Renaissance to find the first ice creams served in bread wafers, a method that spread to European courts when Catherine de' Medici moved to France) who also claim the invention, but Marchioni was undoubtedly the first to obtain the patent. This goes to show that even in the ice cream we enjoy without much thought, perhaps during our Italian vacations, there is a lot of history, much of Italy, and ingenious Italian-American innovation! Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS 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.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian news- paper in America, not to mention 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 CONTRIBUTOR 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 P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003

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