L'Italo-Americano

PAGE 18 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012 Patrons of Italian Culture complete their 2012 Getty collaboration PAUL ROMANO CONTRIBUTOR Completing this years collabo- ration with the Getty became a 'very special' event reports Paul Romano, Patron President. On Sunday afternoon, Nov. 4, two dozen members of the PIC had the special privilege of not only experiencing the Getty Villa's monumental "Lion Attacking a Horse" , but to have Dr. Claire Lyons, Getty's Curator of Antiquities, personally lead the members thru an amazing two thousand year history of the exhibit. Prior to the tour, Dr. Lyons joined the members for a Villa café luncheon, where she provid- ed exciting glimpses into the exhibitions scheduled for 2013, and the importance of the ongo- ing collaborations between Italy and the Getty. Members asked her many questions about the process that led to the exhibition being brought to the Getty, and Dr. Lyons described their many months of discussions with the Capitoline Museum in Rome itself. The "Lion Attacking a Horse" has been called by some, ' a wit- century B.C., and was likely made in northern Greece or pre- sent day Turkey, following Alexander's invasion of the Persian empire. It was probably created as a commemorative monument to present the theme of political authority and battle- field ruthlessness to the popula- tion. In the second and first cen- Patron members gather at the Getty Villa Garden during their visit regarding the critical scientific study that would be involved prior to the actual completion of the restoration and the exhibition ness to history'. It is an emblem of triumph and defeat that dates back to the era of Alexander the Great, some time in the late 4th. turies B.C., Rome had extended its dominion over these regions and likely seized the work as booty and shipped it back to Rome. It was later discovered below the Palatine Hill where some scholars believe it was dis- played at the Circus Maximus until it was abandoned in 55 A.D. Archival documents place it at the Capitoline Hill in 1300, thus it serves as the earliest recorded antiquity there, and pre- dates the arrival of the famed bronze 'she-wolf' by more than 150 years. Admired greatly by Michelangelo (1475-1564) who Bunker Hill - John Fante's lost and surviving downtown "Los Angeles, give me some ALESSANDRA MASTROIANNI STAFF WRITER moved from Colorado to California in 1930; he started a number of different jobs while trying to get some attention on his writings. Success arrived in the Thirties with the short of you!" writes John Fante in Ask the Dust. "Los Angeles come to me the way I came to you, my feet over your streets, you pretty town I loved you so much, you sad flower in the sand, you pretty town!" The Italian-American writer Bandini moves through the streets of Bunker Hill, telling sto- ries of everyday life in a poor neighborhood populated mostly by immigrants, in a city that seems to be far away from the Hollywood lights, yet familiar and much loved. Bandini, like Fante, is trying to find his way to success. story Altar Boy, followed by the so called "Bandini saga", from the name of the protagonist: Wait until Spring, Bandini (1938), Ask the Dust (1939), Dreams from Bunker Hill (1982) and The Road to Los Angeles (1985). John Fante's alter ego Arturo Note to our Readers Without exception L'Italo- doing all possible to resolve this, by working with USPS and the US Postal Service Consumer Affairs and by filing a Americano is delivered on time to the Post Office by our mailing agent/press every Wednesday to be mailed out to our subscribers within several days. But we have become aware of delivery issues for certain areas in recent weeks (disrupted, delayed or possibly even missed delivery on the part of the USPS) and we apologize for any delivery issues you may have encountered. Please rest assured that we are pronounced it, "most marvelous", it continued to be restored by one of his students, Ruggero Bascapè (1580-1599) who re-created the horse's head, legs and tail, and the lions rear portions. The monument was moved to many different locations on the Capitoline after being replaced by the 'she-wolf' as the icon of Rome. It was last located in 1925, as a fountain ornament, in the gardens behind the Palazzo dei Conservatori. This year marks the first time in more than 2000 years it has been outside of Rome and readers are greatly encouraged to visit this magnifi- cent artistic creation before the exhibition closes on Feb. 4, 2013. where he lived and of which he wrote. Walk north to the Los Angeles problem with the USPS, we request your feedback and assis- tance to understand the extent of the delays. Please contact us with delivery issues by sending an email to linda@italoameri- cano with your name, complete address and details of the deliv- ery issue (usual arrival day of L'Italo-Americano or of any missed issue delivery), or call (626) 359-7715. Thank you for your patience Publication Watch for the areas affected. To help us better address this and understanding as we work to resolve this. top of the Angels Flight. The funicular once connected Hill Street and Olive Street to trans- port residents up and down the hill. Now, the hills no longer exist; the neighborhood was completely cleared in the Sixties due to a controversial project of redevelopment. But in 1996 the Angels Flight was rebuilt and it's now located between Hill Street and California Plaza. Take the funicular to reach the A picture of the Angels Flight before its dismantling, when it connected Hill Street and Olive Street neighborhood no longer exists, but some of the places described in those novels are still there. You can still walk through Bunker Hill and get lost in A hundred years later, that declared the corner of 5th & Grand John Fante Square. Here starts your tour, at the foot of the old Bunker Hill neighborhood Bandini's old city. In 2010, the City of L.A. Central Library, where every- thing started; here a young John Fante used to borrow books, and here, years later, Charles Bukowski discovered Ask the Dust, one of the novels he loved most. The library is also men- tioned in the novel. From here, you can walk to the Grand Central Market, located at 317 South Broadway, where John Fante used to buy groceries. Experience the atmos- phere of a crowded but friendly place, where you can still find those oranges the writer would sometimes get for free from the local farmers. Only for the most adventurous, the tour has another stop. At the King Edward Saloon, the last Skid Row bar, frequented by failed writer Arturo Bandini in fiction and by John Fante and Charles Bukowski in reality, you can finally toast to Fante's sto- ries of L.A. If you are ready to rediscover immigrants, Esotouric and On Bunker Hill have created a digi- tal map to a selection of loca- tions that played a significant role in the writer's life and work, and can be easily visited on foot. You can find it at http://johnfantesdowntown.not long.com. Wear comfortable shoes, be the lost city of Fante and of many other Italian careful while walking around the old Bunker Hill, and enjoy.

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