L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 3 The Riace Bronzes at the centre of a national controversy the presence of another bronze nearby and decided to call the police. A week later, on August 21st, Statue B was taken out of the water. Two days later it was the turn of Statue A. News spread around the world. Nine years later these sculptured master- pieces, a pair of life size statues of naked Greek warriors, were exhibited for the first time in Calabria, where they soon became the major attraction at the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria. These two beautiful statues, amazingly preserved consider- ing they are around 2500 years old, are kept in a perfect humidi- ty controlled environment to prevent any compromise to their mint condition. Their singularity is due to the fact that very few Greek bronze statues have survived intact to the present day; among them, these bronzes are perhaps the most beautiful. Experts are not sure of the exact story that lies behind the Riace Bronzes. Many questions are still waiting for an answer and probably will never find one: who are their creators, who are those por- trayed, where were they located in Antiquity and when? The mystery adds to their charm. The most popular theory is that they were created by two separate Greek artists about 30 years apart around the 5th cen- tury BC. Statue A is estimated to have been made between the year 460 and 450 BC, while Statue B around 430 and 420 BC. Some scientists believe that Statue A was the work of Myron, and that it portrays a warrior hero or god with a glori- ous look, conscious of his own beauty and power. Statue B is the creation of Alkamenes, a pupil of the legendary Phidias, and represents an older more mature warrior hero with a relaxed pose and a kind and gentle gaze. Other theories say that the Continued from page 1 Capri, Sorrento, and Amalfi have agreed to disagree on the birthplace of Limoncello. Its unique, inimitable flavor has become one of Italy's biggest culinary traditions in the world, with the global market for limoncello continuously expanding. From the sunny walks along the beach to the colorful citrus orchards of Capri and Amalfi to the cosmopolitan seaside and rich historical city center of Sorrento, you may not notice the tension between them. These places passionately con- tend for the paternity of limon- cello, all boasting of their indi- vidual histories of limoncello production dating back genera- tions. Limoncello was perhaps born in the early 1900's when Lady Maria Antonia Farace grew lemons and oranges to produce this liquor to serve her guests at her small boarding house in Capri. Her "nipote" opened a bar after World War II that specialized in his nonna's old limoncello recipe. In 1988, his son Massimo Canale opened a small hand- made production of limoncello, patenting the very first trade- mark "Limoncello". Thus, Capresi believe the paternity to be rightfully theirs. Still, Sorrento and Amalfi have age-old legends and tales about this citrusy liqueur. In Sorrento, there are many stories about important families during the early 1900's who would offer traditional limoncello to their distinguished guests. Many in Amalfi believe that the liqueur is linked to their well-known lemon cultivation, declaring their tradition of limoncello to be as old as their cultivation of lemons. There is no shortage of intriguing hypotheses about the origin of limoncello. Luckily, we can all agree that this tradi- tional liqueur has made a sig- nificant global impact, having travelled across the continents to far markets for decades. Sorrentini, Capresi, and Amalfitani can also agree that true limoncello must be pre- pared with Sorrento lemons. The peels of these lemons are rich with essential oils and boast a very decisive aroma and unique taste that defines limon- cello. They never contain addi- tives or coloring in order to maintain the purity. Sorrento lemons must be cultivated in the territory between Vico Equense, Massa Lubrense and Capri. These pre- cious lemons are harvested by hand to protect the lemons from directly contacting the ground. The harvest occurs from February to October, when the weather is warmer and more conducive to lemon growth. Then comes the 80-day manufacturing process. Once the highest quality lemons are selected, they are cleaned with hot water and brushed. The rinds are extracted and immersed in alcohol, where they rest at room temperature before being placed in the freezer. Once these lemons are macerated, the limoncello is ready to be served. Limoncello is a delightful digestive when served cold. Some prefer it at room temper- ature, mixed with tonic water or champagne. It is the perfect pairing with gelato and other sweets and desserts. While visiting Capri, Sorrento, and Amalfi won't help you determine the true birthplace of limoncello, you can at least try the three differ- ent versions to discover the subtle tastes and nuances that distinguish one version from another. Limoncello is incredibly delicious, agreed. JANe HusoN The Geneses of Limoncello two nudes originally formed part of a votive group in a large sanctuary. It is conjectured that the bronze sculptures may rep- resent Tydeus and Amphiaraus respectively, two warriors from the Seven Against Thebes mon- umental group in the polis of Argos. However, they may also be Athenian warriors from Delphi, part of the monument to the Marathon, or they may come from Olympia. They must have arrived near the Italian shore during the Roman occupation when the bronzes were being transported to Rome as booty. A storm could have overtaken their ship, and so they were lost and left at the bottom of the sea for 2500 years until Stefano Mariottini found them. Recently the President of the Lombardy region Roberto Maroni, and art critic Vittorio Sgarbi wrote to the Italian cul- ture minister Dario Franceschini asking for the two statues to be shipped from Calabria to Milan to be exhibited in the Italian Pavilion at the next Universal Exposition, EXPO 2015, for six months. They estimated the ticket sales will return €5 mil- lion and offered a third of the proceeds to Calabria region. Many experts are now debat- ing on whether even the slight- est movement could damage the 2,500 year-old-statues. It's a controversial debate, consider- ing their inestimable value. According to Maroni and Sgarbi, the Riace Bronzes' deli- cacy has been exaggerated over the years to keep them in Calabria, together with the tourism this generates. Meanwhile Franceschini has ordered an independent panel of experts to judge if the "trip" is too dangerous for the two Bronzes. But the main concern is that economic objectives are prevailing in a cultural policy with little regard for the welfare of the two Riace Bronzes. Riace bronzes, two warriors made in about 450BC that were discovered by a snorkeller 200 metres off the Calabrian coast in 1972

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