L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 9 The Oregon Tuscans Turn 20 C arvlin Hall in southeast Portland was abuzz. The people were proclaiming; they were toasting; they were laughing; they were conversing in two languages. Their Tuscan Association of Oregon turned 20 on April 17. I n a s e n s e , " t h e y " a r e h e : Carlo Ilio Mannocci, the octoge- narian godfather of the Oregon Tuscans. Originally from a vil- lage outside Lucca, he was back there visiting in 1995 when a friend in the international Tuscan o r g a n i z a t i o n , L u c c h e s i N e l Mondo asked him, tongue-in- cheek, "So, why don't you have a Tuscan club in Oregon?" " I t w a s l i k e a c h a l l e n g e , " recalled Carlo. "That's easy to say, but it's not like you can just make a new Tuscan association!" Still, the retired soldier treated the challenge like an order from high command. He enlisted the help of a newspaper columnist in Portland to gauge interest in a Tuscan club. Inquiries came in and Mannocci began organizing. At the same time, in West Virginia, Bob Rossi was also organizing - in his case, labor unions. Rossi eventually moved to Salem, Oregon – coincidental- ly, where Mannocci lived – to continue in the labor movement. Rossi spent more than 30 years advocating for workers' rights. Once he retired, he brought that same sense of purpose to a new pursuit: his Italian heritage. "I never had the space nor the time in my life to be Italian, except when I worked in the fur industry; then I was in an all- I t a l i a n f a c t o r y , " s a i d R o s s i . "Now that I have the time, I real- ize I missed my roots and my cultural make up." Both men were in the church h a l l , c e l e b r a t i n g t h e T u s c a n Association – its first member and its newest member. In fact, Rossi had driven Mannocci and his wife, Shirley, the hour up to Portland for the party. Association President Jimmie Moglia presented Mannocci with a plaque commemorating his 20 years of service to the club. The honoree reflected on the club's accomplishments, chief among them the establishment of an annual Festa della Befana. He also noted that over the years more than 20 young Americans of Tuscan descent have studied language and culture for a month in Viareggio or Siena, thanks to the club's sponsorship. A video was shown featuring congratulations from four of the V i a r e g g i o s c h o l a r s , t w o o f whom go all the way back to 1996. They reflected on their e x p e r i e n c e s i n t h e p r o g r a m s h a p e d t h e m i n l a t e r l i f e : a Broadway playwright; a profes- s o r o f I t a l i a n a t G o n z a g a University and University of Oklahoma; an advertising execu- t i v e l i v i n g i n S e o u l ; a n d a P o r t l a n d m o t h e r w h o v o l u n - teered at the Winter Olympics in Turin. Over 20 years, the Tuscan Association has known multiple homes and elected five presi- dents. Its educational and cultur- al slant has meant that dozens of lectures, films, concerts and pre- sentations have taken place. "I never expected us to have the success we've had over the years. But we've always been able to maintain good attendance for our monthly Sunday after- noon meetings, even with all the distractions of our busy lives," said Mannocci. "I'm an optimist because the State of Oregon just renewed my driver's license u n t i l N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 1 ( w h e n he'll turn 90). So, I hope to see all of you in 2021 for our 25 th anniversary!" Mannocci is a realist, too. Keeping the club relevant in the face of evolving social and com- munication networks is an ongo- ing challenge. "When I came over here to the U.S. (in 1954), to communicate with my mother back in Italy I had to write a let- ter and it took two weeks to reach her," he recalled. "Now you have social media. Today I can call my sister in Italy instant- l y u s i n g S k y p e . A n d w i t h Facebook, I can talk with people from my hometown and it's like a newspaper – it's constant and up to date." Rossi sees opportunity. "The energy that creates the social media I think also creates a real hunger, because people get dis- connected. I think there is a human need for connection. And human connection is still face- to-face." "I love coming to meetings and I love hearing Carlo because h e i s a n i n c r e d i b l e m e n t o r , " Rossi continued. "I love hearing the members around the table because it's like being with my family at dinner. You'll never have that kind of interaction with social media. That's the beauty of organizations like this: real human contact. Mannocci noted, "There are many Italians or people of Italian extraction who ignore Italy until they reach the "magic age" of 55 or 60. Then all of a sudden they say, 'Hey, I'm Italian! I want to find my roots.' That will be what keeps the association going in the future. That and so many people who travel to Italy and become admirers of Italy or Tuscany. They come back and want to learn more." Rossi has reached that magic age. "Someone said to me when I was a kid, 'If you want to be a good Italian, first be a good human being.' I think that's right. The first thing I did when I retired was write an 80-page memoir about being Italian, and that helped me get here to the Tuscan Association." The association is something o f a n e n i g m a : t h e s e O r e g o n Tuscans, largely, aren't Tuscan at all. The members' ancestries c o m e f r o m a l l a c r o s s I t a l y . Some members aren't Italian whatsoever. Is this a problem for the club? Not for its founder. "That doesn't bother me at all because the most important thing is that they love Tuscany and Italy – and I use those terms s o m e w h a t i n t e r c h a n g e a b l y , because it is the Italian culture they love. That is the important t h i n g t o m e , " M a n n o c c i explained. T o w a r d t h e e n d o f t h e anniversary party, Mannocci stepped to the podium for a few final words. The Tuscan club godfather got emotional - mem- bers know that Mannocci can get e m o t i o n a l w i t h a m i c i n h i s hand. Barely getting through his final thanks, the crowd applaud- ed enthusiastically. From the Rossi's and Moglia's, through the Perino's and Carrucci's, to even the Johnson's and Kane's, they all celebrated their Tuscan Association … and their favorite Tuscan. Current President Jimmie Moglia presents Carlo Mannocci with an award commemorating his twenty years of dedication to the Tuscan Association of Oregon PORTLAND ITALIAN COMMUNITY KEN KANE I wish I could use my hands and body language to explain the emotions, warmth and eye opening experience that Luca Vullo, a young Italian filmmak- er, conveyed to a large crowd of s pons ors and friends of the Italian Cultural Association of Portland. Luca Vullo, producer and director of the documentary "La Voce Del Corpo", guided us into the world of Italian body language, and taught us how Italians communicate with their body. The event took place S unday 17th, 2016 at Caffè Umbria during the opening spon- sors' party of the second annual Italian Film Festival USA of Portland, Oregon held by the Italian Cultural Association of Portland (ACIP). A deaf and mute man negoti- ating the price of vegetables at the market, a secret courtship during the mass, two men cheat- ing while playing cards, facial expressions, gestures, dance like movements of the body – these are all examples of Luca Vullo's unforgettable lesson of what can be communicated by "La Voce del Corpo" (the Voice of the Body). The event featured several speakers including the Italian H onorary Cons ul A ndrea Bartoloni, Silvia Boero from the Italian Language Department at Portland State University, and the P res ident of the A CIP , Pasquale Madeddu. The partici- pants enjoyed a variety of Italian delicacies prepared by Caffè U mbria, paired w ith Italian wines donated by Zancanella Imports. The atmosphere was made vibrant by the music per- formed by the duo S mokey Partisans, whose singer leader Andrea Algieri one of the emer- gent Italian composers in the USA. Luca Vullo Presents "La Voce Del Corpo" at the Italian Film Festival in Portland DOMENICO TUPONE Director and Film maker, Luca Vullo shared his love of Italian body language at the opening of the Italian film Festival USA in Portland

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