L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 3 annual festivity falling on March 8 becomes, now more than ever, an occasion to recognize and cel- ebrate women's outstanding con- tribution to the human and cul- tural progress. A mong s ome of the mos t influential and popular Italian women of all times are brilliant scientists, politicians, actresses, and entrepreneurs. This year, uncontested leader of any survey on the best representative of the Italian "girl power" is Italy's first female as tronaut S amantha Cristoforetti, currently on a mis- sion at the International Space Station. In her late 30s, she is a member of the Italian and European Space Agencies, and a captain of the Italian Air Force. From the outer space to parti- cle physics, since last January one the world's biggest experi- ments on particle collision has been led by Italian F abiola G ian otti, the firs t female Director-General of CERN. A P hD from the U nivers ity of Milan, she is also a member of the Italian Science Academy and of the Advisory Committee at Fermilab, Illinois. Traveling back in time, in 1986 the discovery of the nerve growth factor, made by an extra- ordinary Italian woman and neu- robiologist, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Rita Levi-Montalcini lost her assistant position at the U nivers ity of Turin during WWII, due to the enforcement of racial laws, and moved to the Washington University in St. Louis, where she worked for 30 years . S he als o s erved as a Senator for Life in Italy, and was the only Nobel laureate ever to celebrate a 100th birthday. Yet the first Italian woman to receive the prestigious honor, this time for Literature, was writer Grazia Deledda in 1926. W i t h i t s d i s t i n c t i v e upturned boat shape, smooth creaminess, and perfect combi- nation of chocolate and hazel- nut, Gianduiotto is immediate- ly recognizable. This chocolate and hazelnut culinary creation h a s b e e n a f a v o r i t e f o r 1 5 0 years now, and the sweet treat has not faltered in providing candy lovers everywhere with joy and delight. T h e f a m o u s n a m e o f t h e Italian chocolate can be linked back to the traditional carnival of Turin, capital of Piedmont, where it was known through- out history as the place where p e o p l e t o s s e d p i e c e s o f Gianduiotto to each other dur- ing the carnival. Originally named "givù", meaning "small d e l i c a c y " i n P i e d m o n t e s e , Gianduiotto changed its name in 1867 after a particular carni- val celebration where an actor dressed as "Gianduja", a mask f r o m t h e I t a l i a n C o m m e d i a dell'Arte that represents the classic Piedmontese, distrib- uted the new chocolate to the crowd for the first time. B e f o r e t h e c r e a t i o n o f G i a n d u i o t t o , d u r i n g Napoleon's reign, raw cocoa had severely become expen- sive and Napoleon had closed a l l i m p o r t s o f c o c o a f r o m England. Fortunately, hazel- nuts were easy to come by in Piedmont, and ultimately made for a more profitable substitute for cocoa. The official creation of Gianduiotto chocolate hap- p e n e d i n 1 8 6 5 i n T u r i n , b y Michele Prochet and Ernesto Alberto Caffarel, who crafted the Gianduja (cocoa and hazel- n u t ) m i x t u r e f o r t h e Gianduiotto treat. Another revelation about this chocolate sweet is that it was the first chocolate to be wrapped in foil. Caffarel was able to distribute the candy throughout Italy and the world, t h a n k s t o h i s r e v o l u t i o n a r y f o r m o f p a c k a g i n g . T h i s e x p l a i n s w h y G i a n d u i o t t o chocolates are now individual- ly wrapped in a tinfoil cover, typically gold or silver col- ored. T o d a y t h e G i a n d u i o t t o chocolate is produced world- wide, but the Caffarel industry is the only one to make 40 mil- l i o n a y e a r , m a k i n g i t a n Italian culinary excellence. It is bizarre to imagine, but if it were not for Napoleon, people a l l a r o u n d t h e w o r l d w o u l d never have Gianduiotto choco- late treats. Gianduiotto Chocolate Celebrates 150 Years Born in Sardinia to a middle- class family, she started writing at a very young age. Her prolific work in prose and poetry was based on the daily struggles of local peasants, inspiring her cri- tique of social customs. Cultural conventions were also defied by Italian physician Maria Montessori, who suffered gender discrimination but even- tually succeeded in graduating from the University of Rome in 1896. Her research focused on psychiatry and pediatrics, devel- oping an innovative educational method still employed in schools worldwide. The versatile talent of Italian women also emerges in arts and creative sectors, as well as in business and politics. Last year, the international film industry celebrated the 80th birthday of Sophia Loren, a timeless icon of elegance and determination who rose from the slums of Pozzuoli, Naples, to the red carpet of the Academy Awards (Best Actress in 1962). This gallery of fascinating portraits continues with leading figures the likes of Emma Marcegaglia - entrepreneur and first female president of the General Confederation of Italian Industry - or Miuccia Prada - fashion designer and one of the 100 most powerful women in the world. And many more could be mentioned, praised, and thanked for being such a source of inspi- ration and pride for Italy and for us all. Fabiola Gianotti BECKY ZEFERINO Emma Marcegaglia Continued from page 1

• Cover