NEXT SOCIETY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
JANUARY 26, 2013 GENERAL SOCIETY MEETING: THE LIFE AND POETRY OF GABRIELE D’ANNUNZIO
by Nancy DeSanti,
AMHS Board member On Sunday, January 26, 2014, Professor Roberto Severino will give a presentation on "The Life and Poetry of Gabriele D'Annunzio”. D'Annunzio, who was born in Pescara, Abruzzo, is considered to be one of Abruzzo – and Italy’s - most famous writers. Professor Severino will tell us about D'Annunzio's poetry, as well as the life and times of this fascinating man. Roberto Severino is Professor Emeritus, Department of Italian, Georgetown University and President Emeritus, American University of Rome. See the flyer elsewhere in the Notiziario for additional details and a reservation form for the meeting. Please be sure to join us, and reserve early!
WINE TASTING IS HUGE SUCCESS
by Nancy DeSanti
The wine-tasting event on Sunday, December 1, 2013, turned out to be one of the most successful AMHS events ever. About 137 members and their friends came, and $1,800 was raised for the scholarship fund. And it’s safe to say nobody went home hungry or thirsty. But before all the merriment began, Romeo Sabatini, AMHS webmaster and scholarship committee chairman, gave a very interesting talk on winemaking in ancient Italy. He explained the categories of wine in ancient times—the imperial wines (top of the line, for the emperors), the patrician wines (pretty good wines, for those with money), and then the slave wines (bottom of the barrel, sometimes tasting like vinegar, for those with no money). In ancient times, sweet wines were preferred, and sometimes honey was mixed in. After Romeo’s informative presentation, we were looking forward to the wine tasting, but first it was time to serve the food.
Ah, the food!! Much credit must go to Joe and Joann Novello. The day before, while Joann was preparing the 70 pounds of root vegetables late into the night, Joe was busy readying the 17 pork shoulders (143 pounds!!). Joann helped him prepare the spices to insert in the porchetta for the marinade. Joe has been making the porchetta for family and friends for about 4 years, with a recipe he “reverseengineered” himself (Joe is an engineer, and that’s what they do!!). Joe notes that he was born on a farm so hard work was the norm, but he says the fact that so many people had a great time made all the hard work worth it. The carving of the porchetta was handled by Nick Ferrante, who also donated the fresh rosemary, and Rocco Caniglia. Next came the moment everyone was waiting for, when Romeo introduced the winemakers: Osvaldo Barsi, Tony D’Onofrio, Jim Gearing, Bill Leali, Cesare Mariggio, Sabatino Marigliano, John Paul Maye, Nick Ferrante, Joe Novello, Tony Ricci, Joe Ruzzi, Romeo Sabatini, Dominic Santini and Mike Stempihar. Each of the wines was superb, and there was even a chance to taste homemade grappa and limoncello.
The outstanding success of the event was due to the efforts of many people, including hospitality committee chair Lynn Sorbara, Peter Bell, Deno Reed, Edvige D’Andrea, Grace and Francesca Orfila and Sarah Scott. We were pleased to have Washington Post food writer Bonnie Benwick with us, especially since she wrote such a nice article last spring mentioning Joe Novello and the Washington winemakers. It should be noted that at the beginning of the meeting, Father Ezio Marchetto said the prayer and then went on to make some heartfelt remarks about Joe Grano, a dear friend to many in the Society who passed away recently. God bless you, Joe, and may you rest in peace.