L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 9 Luca Dorigatti and the Trentini by the Bay N othing is as important to an Italian as their family, "La F amiglia". We Italians define our family not only in the traditional sense, but also extend it to the community which encompasses our daily lives. In San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, there is a little known group of Italian expatri- ates from the northern Italian region of Trentino who found a second home and family in the Cir colo T r entino of San Francisco. This Circolo was originally founded in 1980 by the President of the Association T r entini nel Mondo Bruno Fronza, during a visit to the Bay Area. He then sowed the seeds of what is now an active, lively, and committed club of almost 200 affiliates. The members of this special Circolo are spread out in many areas of Northern California: S onoma, S an Francisco, Stockton, Richmond, Palo Alto, and Santa Cruz to name but a few. They meet three times a year to celebrate their origins and traditions, while also promoting social participation among fellow countrymen and migrants from the Trentino region. On December 3 rd they w ill all gather at the Italian Athletic Club in Stockton for their traditional Christmas party which will be dedicated to a very s pecial compatriot: Cons ul General Mauro Battocchi. The annual event will be a fantastic opportunity to strengthen the bond among the Trentini in the Bay. 2015 is an exceptional year for them: it marks the 35 th annivers ary of the Circolo Trentino of San Francisco. Last May, to celebrate this important miles tone, they organized a Cruise on the San Francisco Bay leaving from Alameda which attracted close to one hundred attendees, and welcomed some of the newest members. N ot only has the Circolo Trentino reached this significant goal, but at the beginning of the year they congratulated their own Luca Dorigatti, Trustee of the Circolo, as the new U.S. Representative (consultore) to the Province of Trento and local coordinator to the Association Trentini nel Mondo. Luca shared with us his exciting experience as a Trentino immigrant. Luca, when did you move to the Bay Area from your home in Trentino? I moved to the Bay Area at the end of 1991, so that will make it already 24 years that I have been living in California! What was your first experi- ence with the Circolo Trentino of San Francisco? One of the founders of the Circo lo w as F ather Efrem Trettel, originally from Predazzo, but later based with his family in Caldonazzo before entering a F rancis can F riar Convent in Tione at a young age. F ather Efrem, as he is known, was a mainstay in San Francisco for many generations of Italian immigrants thanks to his radio and television broad- cast. One of his programs was also broadcast in Trento via radio; my mom used to listen to it every Sunday while preparing to go to Church. Once I moved to the Bay Area she asked me many times to vis it F ather Efrem, w hich I finally did thanks to some visiting friends in the spring of 1993. Since then, not only have we become close friends, he officiated at my wedding, and even baptized both of my children. Naturally, I got involved w ith the Circolo Trentino of San Francisco that used to meet at his place several times a year. So all in all, I have been associated with the Circolo for close to 23 years. I have served as General Secretary for 6 years during which we hosted a Convention of all the North A merican, Canadian, and Mexican Trentino Clubs, and now I am part of the Board of Directors. What are the main goals of the Circolo? The Circolo strives to pre- serve, promote, and enjoy our culture and heritage. We are all from a region of Italy which was invad ed by foreigners many times, yet we have a very strong identity and bond w ith our native land that is hard to explain, unless you are familiar w ith it. O ur core group and many founders of the Circolo are retired, so now we are work- ing hard trying to attract second and third generations to join the Club by promoting different pro- grams and various activities. Living in such a busy area does not make it easy for us with all the different choices available now ad ays , yet w e find it extremely important to keep the connection with our native land alive. You have been appointed U .S . rep res en tative to th e Province of Trento and local coord in ator to th e As s ociaz ion e Tr en tin i n el Mondo. What specific tasks does it entail? U .S . Cons ultor e for the Autonomous Province of Trento is a bit of an institutional, formal title. I bas ically repres ent Trentino just like an Ambassador would do for a Country, except Trentino is only an Autonomous Province. I promote all programs decided by the emigration office, such youth exchange, scholar- ships, meetings and online lan- guage studies (we have an online Italian study class promoted by the Province!) and, when neces- s ary, I formally repres ent Trentino in official ceremonies. As for Coordinator for the Association Trentini nel Mondo, it is a new position that has been created to better connect their offices with the Circolo Trentino all over the U.S. There are cur- rently 21 coordinators who oper- ate statewide, mostly on the East. Some are located in fairly remote areas that had immigrants from Trentino looking for work quite some time ago. By creating such a role, Trentini nel Mondo is really trying to stay connected to the people who left our land long ago and are now well established in their new environment. I would define this position as a bit more operational and less for- mal than Consultore, yet very stimulating and challenging. Info: www.trentinisanfrancis- co.org SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY BIANCA FRIUNDI Members of the Circolo Trentino at the 2015 Festa della Repubblica at the St.Francis Yatch Club: Rinaldo Cis, Davide Carmeci, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Italy's Consul General Mauro Battocchi, Circolo Trentino's President Giuseppina Piasente Alvarez, Luca Dorigatti. Photo credit: Rinald Cis Luca Dorigatti at his home during the 2013 Circolo Trentino Board Meeting. Photo credit: Roger Ecker

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