L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2025 L'Italo-Americano a n e r u p t i o n , l i f t e d t h e i r elderly parents onto their shoulders and carried them to safety; in some versions, t h e l a v a e v e n p a r t s t o l e t them pass. In the eyes of Catanese people, this tale always symbolized a local measure of duty and courage b u t , d e s p i t e i t s p r o f o u n d meaning, it isn't the only nar- rative tied to Catania's rela- tionship with Mount Etna: in P i a z z a D u o m o w e f i n d a famous lava-stone elephant, u Liotru, on a fountain base t o p p e d b y a n o b e l i s k . Medieval accounts link it to Heliodorus, later cast as a s o r c e r e r , a n d o v e r t i m e Catanesi saw the elephant as a p r o t e c t o r a g a i n s t E t n a . Adopted as the civic symbol in the 1200s, it still appears o n f l a g s a n d d o c u m e n t s today. Between the brothers and the elephant, Catania's legendary past wants to rep- resent the values, life, and – why not – mildly supersti- tious beliefs of people living under the most famous vol- cano in the world: family loy- alty, civic resolve, and a stone guardian facing Mount Etna itself. Perugia In the late 13th century, Perugia's leaders wanted a founding tale that matched the city's authority and deep Etruscan roots. They com- missioned the Latin poem Eulistea, which credits the civic seals and documents, and it never left. You can trace both sides of the story in a short walk: at the Porta P a l a t i n a , y o u s e e t h e Roman grid and brick towers that anchor the city's histori- cal origin, while in the streets around Piazza San Carlo, you c a n s p o t m e t a l f o u n t a i n spouts shaped like bull heads – the little torèt – and shop signs that repeat the animal. Some folk tales try to backfill the emblem with a bull-and- dragon duel or other stories, b u t t h e e s s e n t i a l p o i n t i s practical: the symbol links name, place, and identity in an instant. Catania Few cities are as culturally connected with a volcano as Catania is with Mount Etna, and its legends show it. One origin tale tells of the Pious B r o t h e r s A n a p i a s a n d Amphinomus who, during city to Euliste, a reworking o f t h e E t r u s c a n f i g u r e o f Aulestes who, according to the narrative, led settlers to the Umbrian hill and laid the f i r s t d e f e n s e s . T h e s t o r y served civic aims, namely adding rank and prestige to t h e t o w n , a t a t i m e w h e n communes competed for sta- tus. Today, you can read leg- end and evidence together in a few blocks: the Etruscan Arch (Arco Etrusco) and stretches of wall show the scale of ancient Etruscan Perugia, and the Pozzo Etr- usco points to the engineer- ing that supported life on the hilltop. Of course, Euliste's story does not replace that record; rather, it gives resi- dents a compact founder they can name, much as Siena names Senius and Aschius or Mantua points to Manto. Y o u m a y w o n d e r w h y these stories last. It's simple: they explain what people see. W o l v e s , b u l l s , e l e p h a n t s , names on plaques, and colors on shields; they turn archae- ology and scholarship into quick cues a passerby can decode. They also help cities teach newcomers what mat- ters locally: duty in Catania, R o m a n k i n s h i p i n S i e n a , poetic prestige in Mantua, civic shorthand in Turin, Etr- uscan pride in Perugia. Walk with the legends in mind, and the streets read back. f a m o u s p o e t w i t h a l a r g e s t a t u e , w h i l e t h e n a m e "Manto" recurs in local cul- ture and exhibitions. The set- ting helps the story land: Mantua sits inside a loop of the Mincio river that forms three lakes, an environment that felt "chosen" long before t h e m y t h s w e r e w r i t t e n down. Turin (Torino) Turin's bull is every- where, on street plaques, café windows, soccer team crests, so it is easy to assume the a n i m a l g a v e t h e c i t y i t s name. However, the Romans founded Augusta Taurino- rum among the Taurini, a l o c a l t r i b e , s o t h e n a m e points to people, not live- stock. The bull arrived later as a speaking symbol, a visu- a l p u n t h a t t u r n e d Taurini/Torino into a single, readable image. By the 14th century, the bull was fixed on I taly's best-known ori- g i n t a l e s b e l o n g t o Rome and, to a lesser extent, Naples. But m a n y o t h e r c i t i e s have their own legendary beginnings that shaped local symbols and identity. Look at a coat of arms, a statue in a piazza, or a festival banner, and you'll often find a found- ing tale hiding in plain sight. Five cities, Siena, Man- tua, Turin, Catania, and Perugia, offer a clear tour of how these stories work. Siena Siena ties its origins to Rome while claiming distinct founders. The legend says Senius and Aschius, sons of Remus, fled after their father's death and settled on Siena's hilltop, bringing with them the image of the she- wolf. The wolf became the city symbol, and the brothers' b l a c k a n d w h i t e h o r s e s explained the balzana, the half-black, half-white shield you see on flags and build- ings all over the town. Walk from Piazza del Campo to the Duomo, and you meet this story at every turn: columns topped with the wolf, shields in black and white on civic buildings, and contrada ban- ners that repeat and reinter- pret the palette. Archaeology p o i n t s t o E t r u s c a n a n d Roman layers rather than a single founding moment, but the legend gives residents and visitors a simple way to read what they see around them. Mantua (Mantova) Mantua's myth comes in two respected versions. In the Aeneid, Virgil names Ocnus as the city's founder; son of the seer Manto and the river Tiberinus, he gives the city its name to honor his mother. Dante, in Inferno XX, offers a slightly different v e r s i o n a n d h a s V i r g i l d e s c r i b e a c i t y t h a t r o s e where Manto settled, and was later named for her. The accounts differ in emphasis but agree that Mantua's roots run through a prophetic fig- ure and the city is happy to keep both threads alive. Piaz- za Virgiliana honors its most GIULIA FRANCESCHINI From she-wolves to bulls and elephants: the curious origin of five Italian cities The city of Siena. Its mythological origins are connected with those of Rome (Photo: Rigmanyi/Dreamstime). It was believed that Remus' sons (bottom right) founded the Tuscan town (Image created with DALL-E 2) The origins of Mantova (above) have been told by Virgil and Dante (Photo: Xbrchx/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES EVENTS

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