L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY W hen w e think of where all roads lead, w e migh t think of Rome. There are, of course, any number of other outstanding città in Italy and one of those is Bologna, a city whose origins began, in part, as an Etruscan city. This would be why, on May 25, the San Francisco Istituto Italiano di Cultura hosted, in conjunction w ith the Municipality of Bologna and Cultura Italiana, a conference entitled "The F ounding and D evelopment of Etrus can, Roman and Medieval Cities-The Example of Bologna." Massimo Maracci, Director of Cultura Italian a, Italian Language School of Bologna, Italy, led a conversation with Mary Tolaro-Noyes, author of the book Bologna Reflections: An Uncommon Guide, and Lisa Pieraccini, Professor of Classics at UC Berkeley, about the devel- opmental elements of the Etruscan city. D irector M aracci s hared details of the event with L'Italo- Americano. "Director Barlera from IIC of S an F rancis co agreed to host the conference and the Mayor of Bologna sup- ported the event. The aim of the conference is to promote in San Francisco the school Cultura Italiana Bologna, which works to spread the Italian culture by teaching our beautiful lan- guage." Tell us more about Cultura Italiana. "Cultura Italiana is a school specializing in the diffusion of the Italian language and culture. It has organized language cours- es in Bologna since 1981. We collaborate with the University of Bologna and S iena, U niv ers ity of S tockholm, U pps ala, Bard Co llege and Keisen University of Tokyo and different American Universities: J ohns H opkins , S pring H ill College and College of the Holy Cros s . Cultura Italiana w el- comes 1,400 foreign adult stu- dents every year who stay in Bologna an average of four w eeks getting to know the Italian way of life and learn the language." Learn more about Cultura Italiana by visiting their website at http://www.cultur- aitaliana.eu. What are the special attrib- utes of Bologna and its rich history? "Those who come to Bologna are selected tourists because they have chosen a beautiful city, not yet discovered by mass touris m that invades Renaissance cities like Florence, Rome and Venice. Bologna has a medieval type of beauty, mys- tic and deep. The building of the school is Palazzo Pepoli, ancient castle which names the street 'Via Castiglione' (big castle). "In Bologna the firs t University of the Western world was born in 1088 (after Beijing, in China), and it still has a fun- damental place for knowledge. In history it's the most famous city in Italy for the quality of its food and way of life, besides its excellent museums." Could you elaborate on the Etru s can con n ection w ith Bologna? "Bologna is an Etruscan city. The Etruscan name was Felsina. Destroyed by the Celts, was rebuilt by the Romans with the name 'Bononia.' In the suburbs of Bologna, in V illanova di Castenaso, the first remains of the Estruscan natives were found who lived in the VIII century in the region of Bologna (Emilia Romagna), Tus cany, part of Lazio (the region of Rome, also an Etruscan city), and part of CATHERINE ACCARDI Foundation of the Etr uscan City – The Example of Bologna Campania. Close to Bologna there is the only Estruscan city in open air, K ainua (today Marzabotto). It's the only one because all the other Etruscan cities are covered by modern cities which were built on top of them." The conference included a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted the importance of Marzabotto. The PowerPoint is actually available online by going to http://www.culturaital- iana.eu/about/publications_and_ lectures. Professor Pieraccini described the evolution of the ancient Etruscan city and the ori- gin of modern day Bologna. The presentation illustrates that it is possible to see the organization of space, the organization of infrastructure (streets, water channels), the squares, the tem- ple and the "ara" (altar for sacri- fices ). Thos e w ho w alk in Bologna and in many Italian cities walk on places that used to be s acred. Beneath today's streets, there are Roman streets, under the Roman streets there are the Etruscan streets with their definite directions from the cos- mos. L 'Italo-Am er icano as ked s peak er and author, M ary Tolaro-Noyes, for her thoughts on Bologna's origins. "While preparing for this event I realized the importance of 'sacredness,' or spiritual energy as it applies to the foundation of the city we know as Bologna—the Etruscan, Roman, and Christian elements. I had dis covered during my res earch for the chapter "P ilgrimage" in my book Bologna Reflections that in the fourth century both the spiritual and civil structures that rescued the city w ere ow ed to the Catholic Church, and centered at the basilica of Santo Stefano. The following excerpt describes the spiritual energy that fascinat- ed me then and still does when- ever I enter the holy place: I am alw ays a pilgrim at Sancta Jerusalem Bononiensis, as the S anctuary of S anto Stefano is sometimes identified, a reverent traveler to this holy place where tranquility reigns. I ask myself why I, too, often wander here, drawn to the spot that has been a sacred site for millennia. I come to feel close to Bologna's spiritual center. Even now the Bolognesi consider it the holiest place in their city. I come here to contemplate the past and to feel connected to it. I come to refresh my spirit, to enjoy the silence that allows me to touch my own soul." (Pilgrimage, pgs.119-20) Conference participants (left to right) Professor Lisa Pieraccini, Professor Massimo Maracci & Mary Tolaro-Noyes. Photo: Catherine Accardi Italian Community Services provid Bay Area Italian-American seniors and famili with trusted rourc to help them live healthy, independent and productive liv. We are commied to honoring and prerving the Italian language and culture, with an emphasis on the strength and suort that com om family, community, education and goodwill. Casa Coloniale John F. Fugazi 678 Green Street San Francisco, CA 94133 415 •362 •6423 www.italiancs.com . . • Translation for seniors /new immigrants • Community service coordination • Information and referrals

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