L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 3 A journey among the greatest a n d o l d e s t c a f f è l e t t e r a r i i n Rome reveals how they have been an active part of the best of the Eternal City culture and his- tory. Located in the popular Via Condotti, between the Spanish Steps and Trinità dei Monti, Antico Caffè Greco used to have - a m o n g o t h e r c u s t o m e r s - kings, queens, maharajah, writ- ers, poets, composers, actors, and singers. Its antique marbles tables have been used by famous writers and poets, often inspired by the Dolce Vita romana, for their stories and poems. This cafe officially opened in 1760, and its customers may have run into Gogol, Wagner, Goethe, C a s a n o v a , S t e n d h a l , w h o enjoyed its 300 artworks and the w o r l d ' s l a r g e s t p r i v a t e a r t g a l l e r y o p e n t o t h e p u b l i c . Today the cafe has four rooms, among which is the stunning Sala Venezia. In 1765, Giovani Battista Piranesi had the idea of decorating this room to evoke a special atmosphere in a place used mainly for entertainment, drinking, and cards. Piranesi p a i n t e d s o m e h i e r o g l y p h i c s , p y r a m i d s , a n d s t a t u e s o f Egyptian divinities. Forty years later, Carl Philipp Fohr wanted to add something more, in order to celebrate friendship. He came up with sketches and portrait s t u d i e s o f O v e r b e c k , K o c h , Reinhart, Veit, Cornelius, Horny and other artists. Unfortunately, he never completed the project due to his unfortunate death in the Tiber river. Close to Piazza del Popolo, is located the well known Caffé Rosati, built in the early 1900s, chosen by intellectuals wishing to escape the trendy cafes along Via Veneto. Among its most famous visitors, there was the Roman poet Trilussa, who was said to be attracted by the deli- cious pastries produced by the cafe at that time. In the '50s, writers and artists –lacking cal- e n d a r a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n s technology - used to meet there without preset appointments. It was easy for them to show up to meet Flaiano and Moravia, to find and discuss with them new ideas. Right opposite Caffè Rosati, Caffè Canova started soon after World War II. Mainly visited by middle-class people, Federico Fellini loved to spend time there t h i n k i n g o f h i s n e x t m o v i e . Those attending the "Mass of the Artists", at nearby Santa P i n o D a n i e l e ( b o r n i n Naples on March 19 th , 1955), one of the most beloved Italian singer-songwriters and self- taught guitarist, died of a heart attack at age 59 on January 4 th , on route from his house in t h e T u s c a n c o u n t r y s i d e towards S. Eugenio Hospital in R o m e . O n e o f h i s b r o t h e r s declared that the singer only trusted his head physician in the capital and, probably, if he had been treated at the local hospital he would have been still be alive. The funeral took place in Rome on Wednesday. and Naples' Mayor Luigi de Magistris requested to hoist flags at half-mast on city build- ings, proclaiming a mourning day for the singer. Pino Daniele was born to a w o r k i n g - c l a s s f a m i l y a n d raised in a slum of Naples. In h i g h s c h o o l h e s t u d i e d a c c o u n t i n g , b u t h a d s o o n a c a l l i n g f o r m u s i c . H i s a c c l a i m e d d e b u t o n s t a g e o c c u r r e d i n 1 9 7 7 w i t h t h e album Terra Mia, a successful mix of Neapolitan tradition and blues. I n 1 9 8 0 , P i n o D a n i e l e r e a c h e d t h e a p e x , w h e n h i s band performed at the open- ing of the historic concert of Bob Marley in Milan. With time, the singer enlarged his repertoire to different sounds from other areas of the globe, f o r m i n g a L a t i n - A m e r i c a n b a n d f e a t u r i n g J u a n P a b l o T o r r e s , A d a l b e r t o L a r a a n d Nanà Vasconcelos, or with the album Bonne Soirée (1987) inspired by Arabic music. It deserves a separate chap- ter, Pino's score for Neapolitan a c t o r / d i r e c t o r M a s s i m o Troisi's films, from Starting F r o m T h r e e ( 1 9 8 1 ) t o I thought it was love, but it was a barouche (1991). F r o m h i s h u m b l e b e g i n - n i n g s , P i n o D a n i e l e s h i f t e d from a success to the other, collaborating with musical leg- ends the likes of Eric Clapton, Richie Havens, Pat Metheny and Chick Corea. More recent- ly, in September 2009, he had t h e p r i v i l e g e t o b e t h e f i r s t Italian artist invited on stage at t h e A p o l l o T h e a t r e i n N e w Y o r k , t h e r e a l t e m p l e o f American soul, followed in 2010 by the singer's perfor- m a n c e a t t h e p r e s t i g i o u s Crossroad Guitar Festival in Bridgeview, south of Chicago, Illinois. The beating blues hear t of Neapolitan Pino Daniele tragically "arrests" M a r i a d i M o n t e s a n t o , a l s o couldn't help but stop by after- wards for a coffee or aperitif at the outdoor tables. The Caffè Aragno has been in operation from 1886. In 1955 t h e n a m e w a s c h a n g e d t o Alemagna and then, in 1977, to Roma Corso. The cafe is locat- e d i n V i a d e l C o r s o , i n t h e Palazzo Marignoli. It became famous in the early decades of the 20th century. Some artists used to stop by so often, the Italian painter Amerigo Bartoli made a group portrait with all those considered friends of the cafe. The painting, dated 1930, i s n o w e x h i b i t e d a t t h e National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. With the passage of time, the historical caffè letterari have been followed by other new experiments, such as Lettere Caffè, founded in October 1999 by the editors of the monthly magazine "Letters". This is a new philosophy in the heart of Trastevere, close to the concept o f t h e l i t e r a r y c a f é o f t h e C e n t r a l E u r o p e a n t r a d i t i o n , open to cultural proposals from young and old artists, where people don't just discuss liter- ary ideas but share their musi- cal, visual, and theatrical pro- jects. It's a terrific opportunity for all the artists who have a tough time making money from their creative work. Caffè Canova started soon after World War II VALERIO VIALE Continued from page 1 Caffè Lettere, founded in 1999, is a new experiment

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