ITALIAN EMBASSY CELEBRATION OF FESTA DELLA REPUBBLICA
On Tuesday, June 2, the Embassy of Italy hosted a reception in honor of the Festa della Repubblica, the Italian National Day. Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero, Mrs. Laura Denise Bisogniero and other officials, including Colonel Rodolfo Sganga, who attended the Society’s January 2015 meeting, warmly greeted invited guests, including a number of AMHS members, as they entered the Embassy.
An abundant buffet featured Italian products and specialties, and a wine bar offered some of Italy’s finest wines. One of the more popular stations was the gelato table. On display were several Italian automobiles, and a number of exhibits related to Expo 2015. It was an evening truly worthy of our Italian pride and heritage. The following is a message from the Ambassador on the occasion of Italian National Day (in Italian and English):
IN DUEMILA A FESTEGGIARE LA FESTA NAZIONALE A WASHINGTON
Washington, DC (3 giugno 2015) – Circa 2 mila ospiti hanno affollato ieri l’Ambasciata d’Italia a Washington per celebrare il 2 giugno, 69 anni dopo la nascita della Repubblica. Anniversario che segna “il ritrovamento della libertà e della democrazia” e il primo voto delle italiane, ha sottolineato l’Ambasciatore Claudio Bisogniero, citando il Presidente della Repubblica Mattarella e ricordando come questa fosse la prima festa nazionale presieduta dal nuovo Capo dello Stato.
L’amicizia con gli Stati Uniti, l’impegno comune per la stabilità internazionale e contro il terrorismo, la straordinaria opportunità di Expo Milano 2015 e l’auspicio per la conclusione del TTIP, area di libero scambio UE-USA, sono stati evidenziati dall’Ambasciatore.
Al centro del suo discorso, il ruolo degli italiani in America che hanno appena rinnovato i loro rappresentanti e dei 25 milioni di italo-americani fieri delle loro radici, ma anche ricorrenze quali il centenario della nostra entrata nella Grande Guerra che consentì di completare la riunificazione nazionale e i 70 anni della fine del Secondo Conflitto Mondiale, significativamente commemorati dal Presidente Renzi al cimitero militare americano di Firenze. Alla realizzazione dell’evento hanno contribuito numerose imprese italiane: Alcantara, B Cube, Beretta, Bracco, Calligaris, ENEL GP, Expert System, FCA, Ferrero, IGT, Lamborghini, Pirelli, Lights of Venice, Banfi, Bauli, Dallara, Prosciutto di Parma, Vini di Lombardia, Zonin.
Ad accogliere gli invitati, nel piazzale dell’Ambasciata, moto Ducati, modelli Fiat, Ferrari, Lamborghini e le auto della formula Indy costruite dall’italianissima Dallara. Per seguire l’Ambasciata su Twitter: @ItalyinUS Per seguire l’Ambasciatore su Twitter: @CBisogniero Per seguire l’Ambasciata su Facebook: ItalyinUS.org
25 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG!!
The Circolo della Briscola marked a big milestone on Sunday, April 19, 2015, as many members and friends gathered at Ristorante Positano to celebrate the beginning of the 25th year of the Circolo. AMHS members were among the winners and participants of this group, which meets monthly at Casa Italiana to play the Italian card games of briscola, tressette and scopa/scopone. 8 About 30 people came to socialize and have fun before getting down to the serious business of handing out the awards for the past year.
There was plenty of time for a glass of wine (or two or three) and conversation. There was a lot of catching-up to do and it was noted that there were a number of guests, including AMHS members Maddalena Borea, Ed and Rita Coyne, and John and Eileen Verna, who were there not as players themselves but to support their friends who were. Everyone enjoyed a delicious meal thanks to Luigi and Angelina Traettino, the owners of Positano’s, and their son Jimmy, who prepared the meal. Angelina said she taught Jimmy everything he knows, and we said “good job!!” By the way, Luigi (one of the players) and Angelina were going to their house near Venice in May to celebrate their 55 years of marriage - a well-deserved break for this hard-working couple!!
Enrico Davoli and his wife Jane came up from Florida so that Enrico could emcee the event once again. Enrico started off with a few heartfelt words about how the Circolo has endured over the years and how the purpose has always been to get together and have fun and enjoy some good food and wine and camaraderie—and, oh yes, play some cards too. The next order of business was the awarding of certificates and trophies. Before he handed out the awards, we decided it was time to officially crown Enrico as “Il Re della Briscola,” since he has owned that title for so many years. So, we gave him a big shiny crown, and wearing his new crown proudly, Enrico called out the name of the fifth place winner,
AMHS member Angelo Puglisi aka “The Shark,” who won a bottle of wine in the shape of a shark. Next was the fourth place winner, Tony Volpe, who won a deck of cards from his beloved hometown of Napoli. Then came number three, Joe Campagna, who also got a deck of cards from Napoli (because it was assumed that with a name like that, he must come from somewhere near there). The number two award went to AMHS member Vince Ciccone, who also won a bottle of wine from Abruzzo, where he grew up. Vince then said a few words about how much it has meant to him to get together with everyone over the years.
Then finally Enrico called on Bruno Tarabocchia, the new champion, to come up and collect his trophy. Bruno is a longtime player who excels at tressette but who obviously must be pretty good at briscola too. Bruno modestly attributed his win to “luck more than anything” and said he enjoys seeing his friends as much as the games themselves. Bruno comes from northern Italy, on an island near Croatia, and he has had an interesting life, to say the least—he was interned for a year and a half under the Tito regime. Everyone congratulated Bruno on his victory this year. Finally, Enrico gave out one last award, the Premio di Incoraggiamente which went to AMHS member Pino Cicala. Pino was surprised by this turn of events, since as Enrico noted, he has been a savvy player for years; however, he just missed some games this year, lowering his score. But he took it with good humor after he found out that along with the award, he won a book entitled “How to Cheat at Everything.”
Afterwards, Pino was heard to say “I’m going to go home and study this book.” Enrico singled out for special praise Dennis Santoli, who has done so much to keep the games organized and on track all year. He also gave a beautiful trophy to this writer for working on the briscola newsletter. Lastly, Enrico said AMHS member Joe Novello deserves everyone’s thanks for the delicious food he prepares for the monthly games, which is surely a big draw, since it was noted that attendance was way down the time Joe couldn’t come and the guys had to fend for themselves and order pizza. Joe was given a thank you card with a box of Baci Perugina. We would again like to congratulate the winners for fiscal year 2014-2015. The top 10 are (with AMHS members noted in bold):
1. Bruno Tarabocchia
2. Vince Ciccone
3. Joe Campagna
4. Tony Volpe
5. Angelo Puglisi
6. Antonio Bianchini
7. Giacomo Palumbo
8. Romeo Sabatini
9. Mario Ciccone
10. Ennio DiTullio
These soci are well known to all and we congratulate them all on their hard-won top spots. Un sacco di bravi!! Other AMHS members who are regulars of the Circolo include: Rocco Caniglia, Jeff Clark, Sal DiPilla, Nick Ferrante, and Deno Reed. Anyone who would like to join them to play (or learn to play) is invited to come to Casa Italiana at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month.
ALPINI – L’AQUILA 2015
From May 15-17, 2015, L’Aquila hosted the 88th annual “L’Adunata”, the annual manifestation of the Alpini. It was a special occasion for L’Aquila, since it was the first time that the province of Abruzzo was chosen for this event. Some 300,000 Alpini and friends descended on the city to celebrate and honor the special bond that L’Aquila holds with the Alpini: the establishment, in 1935, of the “Battaglione L’Aquila” (the L’Aquila Battalion). ANA (Associazione Nationale Alpini) chose L’Aquila for the ritual as a sign of solidarity following the disastrous earthquake in 2009 that struck L’Aquila and the surrounding area. The Alpini, through their mission of responding to natural disasters, were the first respondents whom came to the aid of Abruzzo.
Established in 1872, the Alpini are the oldest active mountain infantry in the world. Their original mission was to protect Italy's northern mountain border with France and Austria. In 9 1888 the Alpini deployed on their first mission abroad, in Africa, a continent where they returned on several occasions and during various wars of the Kingdom of Italy. They emerged during World War I (WWI) as they fought a threeyear campaign in the Alps against Austro-Hungarian Kaiserjäger and the German Alpenkorps in what has since become known as the “war in snow and ice”. During WWII, the Alpini fought alongside the Axis forces, mainly across the Eastern Front and in the Balkans campaigns.
L’Adunata is a festive occasion that I had the pleasure to attend in Trento, region of Trentino-Alto Adige, in 1990 when I was living in Geneva, Switzerland. L’Adunata was inaugurated in 1920 in Monte Ortigaro, Veneto, where a fierce battle took place during WWI against Austria. The L’Adunata was suspended during WWII and resumed in 1948 in Bassano del Grappo, a city with strong ties to the Alpini. In a salutary message to the Alpini by General Claudio Graziano, Chief of Defense for the Italian Armed Forces, he recalls with great affection the role played by the Battaglione L’Aquila in 2005, when he commanded the “Kabul Multinational Brigade in Afghanistan”.
The General concluded his message by saying “Nel rinnovare la profonda stima e gratitudine di tutti gli uomini e le donne delle Forze Armate, e mia personale, esprimo a tutti gli alpine e ai loro cari, i più fervidi e sentiti voti augurali. Viva L’Aquila! Viva l’Associazione Nazionale Alpini! Viva le Forze Armate! (“In renewing profound esteem and gratitude for all the men and women of the Armed Forces, and my personal esteem, express to all the Alpini and their loved ones, the most fervent and heart-felt wishes”). General Graziano is no stranger to the Society, having made a presentation in June 2003 on the role of the Italian Army in peace-keeping and humanitarian missions. At that time, General Graziano was the Army Attaché, Embassy of Italy.
WE LOVE EVERYTHING ITALIAN
Edvige and I, who reside at The Westminster at Lake Ridge, VA, an independent living community, continue with their dedication to the promotion of Italian language and culture when opportunities arise. This is the case with The Westminster. A number of residents, some of whom have traveled to Italy, approached us to organize classes in Italian, and we have done so. On Friday mornings, about 14 residents attend these classes and they love it. Lessons focus on conversation, with an added touch on some aspects of the rich Italian culture.
A recent highlight of this cultural experience was a tour of the Embassy of Italy, hosted by Professor Roberto Pennazzato, Director of the Office of Education on April 29. Dr. Pennazzato gave a brief overview of Italy’s political, economic, and social standing, among these trade peacekeeping missions, supporting cultural events, etc. According to Dr. Pennazzato’s presentation, Italy has a population of about 60 million; of that, 5 million are legal immigrants, and one million undocumented. High school education is obligatory and students can choose the college prep, technical or professional track. As a member of the European Union,
Italy embraces its policy promoting foreign languages; English is a popular choice. A big event this year in Italy is the Milan Expo 2015, from May 1 to October 31, featuring exhibits from 140 countries. The Expo is exploring the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” What a great time to visit Italy! The visit to the Embassy ended with an enjoyable, tasty lunch in their café, surrounded by walls decorated with enlarged photos of great Italian movie stars, such as Sofia Loren and Vittorio De Sica. On our return, we enjoyed the sights of the many embassies adorning Massachusetts Avenue. To add to the fun of these classes, we also take occasional outings to Italian restaurants, which also adds to the enjoyment of these classes.