L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 3 The Italian spirit of discovery: to the New World and beyond to Asia and Africa, exploring new territories and establishing contacts with other civilizations. Besides ambition or necessity, they were driven by an undeni- able fascination with the unknown. Among the most famous Italian sailors and explorers of all times is Marco Polo. A native of Venice, he followed in his father's footsteps - a merchant trading with the Near East - and traveled extensively to Asia and China in the late 13 th century, recording his exotic experiences in the popular Book of the Marvels of the World. Allegedly, his chronicles influenced Christopher Columbus and con- tributed to the development of European cartography. In the 14 th century, although the usual routes had become unsafe due to political instability in Asia, both business and reli- gious travels increased, as many Italian missionaries headed to the Far East to spread Catholicism. This paved the way for the great endeavor that the Italian American community proudly celebrates every year on Columbus Day. Setting aside the debate on the benefits and evils of western imperialism, as a matter of fact history radically changed when a Genoese sailor named Christopher Columbus embarked on an epic journey at sea. In the service of the Spanish monarchy, which supported him with ships and crewmen, he found a new westward route across the Atlantic Ocean to reach the East Indies - or so he thought. Instead of Asia as he had intended, Columbus reached a previously unknown continent, which he visited four times between 1492 and 1504. After him, other Italian explorers landed in the "new world": Giovanni Caboto, who discovered Canada in 1497, and Amerigo Vespucci, who finally identified those territories and Continued from page 1 The Hollywood Walk of Fame is well known throughout the world but not many people know who was behind the scenes creating the famous pink stars that catch our eye as we walk down Hollywood Boulevard. The man with care- ful attention to details was Bill Paternostro. Whenever the vari- ous artists, whether from a tele- vision, movie, or singing back- ground, featured on the Walk of Fame gained recognition because of their own talents, Paternostro essentially "cement- ed" their fame forever. Paternostro's process for making each star was never an easy one but could be done within just a few days. He would begin by taking a plain, pink star and basically start from scratch by chipping the empty star away. Then he would outline the star's name with brass letters, including a symbol that signified what specific tal- ent made each celebrity famous such as a movie projector to represent the art of film. The pouring of the pink concrete was the final step before sealing the polished star that tourists, and locals, would eventually take pictures of and post on the Internet to share with their fam- ily and friends. It would seem that Bill Paternostro deserved his own Hollywood star on the Walk of Fame and although this is true, he never made one for himself. Even when tourists would ask if they could buy stars with their own names on it, Paternostro refused. An artistic man with respect and dedication to his craft, Paternostro was truly humble. He was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as having rarely attended the unveilings of his stars except for Sylvester Stallone, Dolly Parton, and Julie Andrews. Paternostro may not have an official star but he is certainly a celebrity in his own right. The Italian-American community of Los Angeles can proudly make their way through the Hollywood Walk of Fame knowing that the studded, pink stars they are walking upon were created by Italian- American hands. Bill Paternostro's legacy will never chip away as people from all across the globe will come and witness the wonder of Hollywood. Hollywood Walk of Fame Italian Style inhabitants as not Asian. Following his revelation, an updated world map was outlined in 1507, including the newly dis- covered land – Central America – that was named after him. A few years later, Giovanni da Verrazzano from Florence was the first modern European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America, followed by Enrico Tonti in the 17 th century and Giacomo Beltrami in the 18 th . The former was born in Campania region, and explored Ontario, Illinois, and Louisiana; the latter navigated the Mississippi river up to its head. The exploration era continued until the mid-1890s, boosted by European nations' desire to expand their economic influence through productive colonies in America, Asia, and Africa. More recently, travels have focused on extreme destinations such as the polar region and outer space. Once again, Italy has risen to the challenge with explorers and astronauts the likes of Umberto Nobile, who was the first to fly across the North Pole in his airship; Michele Pontrandolfo, the only professional polar explorer In Italy at present; Umberto Guidoni, the first European on board the International Space Station; Luca Parmitano, the first Italian to take part in a spacewalk; and the first Italian woman in space, Samantha Cristoforetti. Umberto Nobile is primarily remembered for having piloted the airship Norge that was the first aircraft both to reach the North Pole, and to cross the polar ice cap Samantha Cristoforetti became Italy's first woman astronaut STEphANIE FRuSTAcI Bill Paternostro has produced nearly 400 of the stars of the Walk of Fame since taking his first stroll down Hollywood Boulevard in the early 1970s

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