L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES M a y i s a month rich in events, r e f l e c - tions, and remembrance. Traditionally dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, it is also known as the month of roses and the fragrance of spring flowers. It brings with it longer days, as the hours of l i g h t b e g i n t o o u t n u m b e r those of darkness. In Sicily, and especially in Palermo, May is also the month devot- ed to the "Saint of the Impos- sible," Saint Rita of Cascia – deeply beloved and widely invoked. Expectant mothers often turn to her for protec- tion during pregnancy and childbirth, praying for the gift of a healthy child. With such associations, May could easily seem like the most beautiful and serene month of the year. And yet, this month also carries the weight of difficult anniversaries. It marks forty- seven years – it was 1978 – since the murder of Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades. T h e C h r i s t i a n D e m o c r a t leader had been kidnapped and held for fifty-five days, during which negotiations for his release came to nothing. On May 9, his lifeless body was discovered, following an anonymous phone tip, in the t r u n k o f a r e d R e n a u l t 4 parked on Via Michelangelo Caetani, in the heart of Rome. A m o n g t h e f i r s t o n t h e scene was Carmelo Pecora, a young cadet with the Public Security force from Enna, who had been called to Rome from Sicily just for that day. It was the patrol car he was traveling in that escorted the ambulance carrying Moro's b o d y t o t h e I n s t i t u t e o f Forensic Medicine. A s h e m a d e h i s w a y t o Rome, Pecora heard on the radio of another killing — this t i m e i n h i s o w n r e g i o n . Giuseppe Impastato, known to all as Peppino, had been m u r d e r e d b y t h e m a f i a . Though born into a family with strong mafia ties, he had refused any association with that world. Instead, together with a group of friends, he f o u n d e d R a d i o O u t , f r o m which he openly and relent- lessly denounced the local boss, Gaetano Badalamenti, whom he mockingly nick- named "Tano Seduto" –"Sit- ting Tano," a twist on Sitting Bull. Badalamenti ordered his assassination, staging it to appear as a suicide: Pep - pino's body was left on the railway tracks of the Paler- mo-Trapani line. It would take until 2001 for a criminal court to formally identify the m a n w h o c a r r i e d o u t t h e murder — though the killing had already been recognized as a mafia hit back in 1984, following investigations led by magistrate Rocco Chinni- ci. Chinnici himself would later be killed by the same criminal organization, when a car bomb exploded outside his home. Vito Palazzolo, the man who executed Impastato, was sentenced to thirty years in prison. Nearly a quarter-cen- t u r y a f t e r t h e m u r d e r , i n 2002, Gaetano Badalamenti was finally convicted and sentenced to life imprison- ment. But May is not marked o n l y b y s o r r o w o r t r a g i c e v e n t s . A m o n g t h e m a n y happenings that take place in Palermo during this month, one of the most beloved – as in years past – is the historic Targa Florio, now in its 109th edition. It is the oldest open-road car race in the world, a legendary competi- t i o n t h a t b r o u g h t l a s t i n g fame to many great drivers, from Tazio Nuvolari to Enzo Ferrari, and Palermo's own Nino Vaccarella, to name just a f e w o f t h e m o s t i c o n i c . Once again this year, begin- ning on May 8, competitors paraded and raced through Palermo and along the clas- sic circuit route, chasing vic- t o r y i n w h a t r e m a i n s t h e most coveted race among motorsport enthusiasts. And in honor of those who made racing their life's pas- sion, we remember a Sicilian d r i v e r f r o m A l i a , i n t h e province of Palermo, who divided his life between his hometown and Los Angeles. There, fans, journalists, and fellow drivers knew him sim- ply as "Dio" – God – because his real surname, Dioguardi, proved too difficult to pro- nounce or remember. Ten years ago, on May 11, 2015, Nick Dioguardi, known to all as Dio, left behind the racetracks he loved, his vin- tage cars – he was a devoted collector – and the winding mountain roads that lead from Palermo to Alia. The roar of his Lotus still echoes in memory, along with one lingering regret: never hav- ing had the chance to com- pete in the classic Targa Flo- r i o , t a k i n g p a r t o n l y i n a special historical edition. Leaving the world of rac- ing behind – though still in the realm of awards and hon- ors – we also note that on M a y 7 , t h e D a v i d d i Donatello Awards were held at Cinecittà in Rome, in S t u d i o 5 , o n c e t h e m o s t beloved working space of Federico Fellini. This year marked the 70th edition of t h e a w a r d s . G i u s e p p e "Peppuccio" Tornatore, the Sicilian director from Bagheria, in the province of Palermo, and Oscar winner f o r B e s t F o r e i g n F i l m i n 1990, received the inaugural Special David, a newly cre- ated honor, of which he is the first recipient. For Italian c i n e m a , t h e D a v i d d i Donatello is a highly presti- gious accolade, widely seen as our own version of the A c a d e m y A w a r d s , a n d C i n e c i t t à , i n m a n y w a y s , remains our Hollywood. Remaining in the arts – this time the theatre – we also mark the passing, on May 2, at the age of 85, of Alessandro Quasimodo, actor and son of Nobel laure- ate Salvatore Quasimodo, the Sicilian poet from Modi- ca whose verses, and out- standing translations of the Greek lyricists, left a pro- found mark on Italian litera- ture. And finally, this 2025 has brought a momentous loss for the Catholic world: the death of Pope Francis. He passed away on April 21, and by May 8 – fittingly, a day dedicated to the Virgin Mary – the throne of Saint Peter h a d a l r e a d y f o u n d a n e w occupant: Robert Francis Prevost, American by birth but with both French and Italian roots. He has chosen to assume the papal name Leo XIV. A learned pontiff, he speaks seven languages, including fluent Latin. On that same day – May 8, though in 2006 – he visit- ed Palermo. Later, on Sep- tember 1, 2024, he travelled to Syracuse to pray and pay homage to the Madonna delle Lacrime. It was the seventy-first anniversary of the weeping of the Virgin, and he had been invited to preside over the final day of the celebrations by Archbish- o p M o n s i g n o r F r a n c e s c o Lomanto. E x a c t l y n i n e t e e n y e a r s earlier, on the same date as his election to the papacy, L e o X I V h a d v i s i t e d t h e Augustinian community a s p r i o r , m e e t i n g w i t h parishioners of the Church of Santa Maria La Reale, at the Rocca di Mezzomon- reale. Many faithful remem- ber that day with deep emo- tion and joy, and some even interpret this coincidence as a kind of sign, a divine fore- shadowing of things to come. He also visited the Mis- sion of Hope and Chari- t y , f o u n d e d b y B i a g i o C o n t e , w h e r e h e s a t a n d s h a r e d a m e a l w i t h t h e guests, once again offering his presence and solidarity to those in need. It was another act that quietly foreshad- owed the spirit of the apos- tolic mission he now carries forward, one that the global Christian community will witness from this day on. A vintage car during the Targa Florio (Photo: Bob Cullinan/Shutterstock) May in Sicily: embracing the past, celebrating faith, welcoming the new TERESA DI FRESCO

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