L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 8 Nov. 16, Sun. - Italian Movie Bowers Museum 1:30pm recep- tion/2:00pm screening of La Grande Bellezza - The Great Beauty. In Italian with English subtitles. Winner of both the Golden Globe and Academy Award. For information (714) 567- 3600 or www.bowers.org Nov. 18, Tues.-"Il volgare come lingua di cultura. Un nuovo para- digma indiziario"A lecture by Marco Sgarbi PH1-219 (5:00-7:45 PM) For more information contact Manuel.Romero@csulb.edu. Dec. 4, Thurs.-Italian Movie Night at the San Juan Capistrano Regency Theater (26762 Verdugo Street, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675). 6:00pm Happy Hour in Rick's Cafe 7:00pm scree- ning. In Italian with English subtitles. For information (949) 661- 3456. Dec. 7, Sun.- Families of Italian Lineage Christmas Gala at Mission Viejo Country Club. Appetizers, and Social Hour, 5-6. Dinner , 6 P.M. Fee: Members $45.00. Non-members $50.00. Music: Tony Ciaramitaro. For reservations: 949-363-5348 Dec. 11, Thurs. La Serata—Italian Conversation Evening. Italian Conversation Evening at Chapman University. The event will be held in Beckman Hall, 4th Floor Patio 7-8pm. Open to all who want to improve their language skills, learn about the Italian culture, speak with native speakers, and socialize with members of the local community and other students! For more in f ormation p leas e contact D r. F ederico P acchioni at pacchion@chapman.edu. Surfer Chris Del Moro and his Bella Vita For most of his life, profes- sional surfer Chris Del Moro h a s p r o b a b l y s p e n t a s m u c h time in the water as on land. When he was just three, while most kids were learning how to swim, he was riding his boogie board on the shores of both the Pacific and the Mediterranean; by the time he was a teen, he began to surf around the world. From Indonesia to California, Chris has parlayed his passion for surf into a sucessful career, and is widely known throughout t h e s u r f i n g c o m m u n i t y . B u t what is less known about this surfer with long golden dread- l o c k s a r e h i s I t a l i a n r o o t s , which go back to one of Italy's most beloved cities- Florence. At six years old, Chris began flying to Italy from Los Angeles in order to visit his father. Back then, such a trip would take nearly twenty hours, and entail three stopovers. Not an easy feat for an adult let alone for a child who suffered from motion sickness. But just as he tackled the ocean's waves, Chris, even at a young age, was brave and r e s o l u t e . T h e t r i p w a s w e l l worth it for he knew once he landed, he would be greeted by his father, his older sister and his grandparents. Years before, Chris' mother had gone overseas to study, and was smitten not only by Italy but with a handsome Florentine. The two married, but when their marriage ended, Chris and his mother flew back to the States. The worlds of his parents could not have been more diverse. California was a land of Orange groves, the Pacific Ocean, and Hollywood, while Italy was a world of cuisine, vineyards, art a n d h i s t o r y . B u t t h o u g h t h e places he so loved were so dif- ferent in nature, the one thing he held within him everywhere was his passion for the ocean and the joy of surfing. It was there on the water's edge, that t h i s y o u n g b o y f e l t m o s t a t home. Eventually, Chris also discovered a growing communi- ty of surfers in Italy. Here on the west coast, on any given day, from Laguna to M a l i b u , o n e c a n a l w a y s s e e d o z e n s o f t a n l i t h e f i g u r e s emerge from the waters on top of surfboards. Halfway around the world, in Italy, the vision of surfisti as they are called in Italian, was for the most part, an anomaly. That is until the sport founds its way into the hearts of Italy's surfing pioneers, a small g r o u p o f y o u n g m e n w h o , unlike everyone else, did not head to the ocean just to tan, swim, and eat gelato. Instead, their love for the water, and per- h a p s f o r t r y i n g s o m e t h i n g unique and unconventional pro- pelled a few good men to try their hand at surfing. In the early 1970s, at around the same time, Alessandro Forte and the Fracas Brothers, Alberto and Marco, became Italy's first surfers and surfboard makers. A little over a decade later, Chris Del Moro followed in their foot- steps "I was hooked at ten. The adventure of the sea, the deep connection and history of surf- ing, and the environment, it was not just a competitive sport for m e , " C h r i s t o l d m e . T o d a y , Chris continues to surf and pro- mote Bing Surfboards in Orange County and Etnies shoes whose world headquarters are located in Lake Forest. When Chris turned thirty, he longed for the country where he spent so much of his childhood. T h o u g h h i s g r a n d f a t h e r had passed on, Chris wanted to spend time with his Nonna who h a d b e e n d i a g n o s e d w i t h dementia. The fondest memo- ries he has of Italy often are with her. "Grandma taught me recipes, we went to the farmer's market together, selected pro- duce and cooked it" D e l M o r o ' s r o a d b a c k t o Italy would later become the subject of a recent film, Bella Vita. Directed by Jason Baffa and shot mainly in Tuscany, the film chronicles Chris' his trav- els on his vespa where he meets w i t h l o c a l a n d w e l l k n o w n artists and artisans, his friends s u c h a s s u r f e r a n d o w n e r o f Sunset Café, Nico Pinzauti, and the surf community at large. Unlike most sports that are so competitive and cut throat, the surfing culture in Italy, which continues to flourish, is a hum- ble and an enthusiastic one. It is also based on respect for other s u r f e r s a n d t h o s e w h o c a m e before them. Chris points out that while the first pioneers cre- ated the sport in Italy, the sec- ond generation "paved subcul- tures" while the third is produc- ing superstars such as surfers L e o n a r d o F i o r a v a n t i a n d Alessandro Ponzanelli. Th e b ig g es t ch allen g e f o r Italian surfers lies, of course, with the weather and the poor s u r f c o n d i t i o n s . S i n c e t h e Mediterranean is an enclosed body of water, the surfers do not e x p e r i e n c e " h e a v y " m o n s t e r w a v e s s u c h a s t h o s e f o u n d along the coasts of Australia and the Pacific. Though surfers do experience some good sized waves, the wait, however, is longer, and perhaps because of this lull, the surfers are able to create stronger bonds. In Italy, t h e y d o n o t d i f f e r e n t i a t e between American or Italian; there, they are all surfers. "Italian weather patterns are d y n a m i c a n d f a s t m o v i n g , " s a y s C h r i s i n t h e f i l m . O n e moment it can be "gale force winds with white caps…literal- ly an hour later, it could flat." But eventually the waves do come. As summer turns to fall, and the weather changes, the waves pick up. While Italians head for warmth, the surfers instead head the opposite direc- tion, don of their wetsuits, and race to the shore. There, on the w a t e r ' s c r e s t s , t h e f i l m captures the surfer's intricate f o o t w o r k , a t h l e t i c i s m , a n d sheer grace; shots that are often missed when filming surfers riding skyscraper sized waves. B u t i t i s n o t j u s t t h e s u r f where Chris' heart lies- it is indeed back in Florence, to his childhood, to his room at his grandparents. The combination o f s u r f , I t a l y , a n d e v e n h i s American friends who visit, h e l p e d t o c o n n e c t t h e t w o worlds which once seemed so far apart as a child. "I wanted to connect with my past. In the past I was little preoccupied with my career…I really see how important it is to connect with those dear to you." And it it that connection that i s t h e s o u l o f t h e f i l m . A s Chris' friend, surfer and wine producer, Piergiorgio Castellani said, "Though we may not be able to offer big waves…What Italy does offer is much more." That more is instead found in a day with family, of surfing that one wave after days of calm surface, of enjoying nature's beauty-these are the moments that indeed make up life, the good life, la bella vita at its finest. F o r m o r e , p l e a s e g o t o www.bellavitafilm.com GAYA LYNN Chris Del Moro. Photo copyrights: Bella Vita Movie LLC

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