PROFESSOR BENEDETTI GIVES FASCINATING UPDATE ON L’AQUILA RESTORATION AND HER BOOK “UN PAESE DI CARTA”
For our fifth program of the year on September 18, 2016, we were very pleased to have as our speaker Professor Laura Benedetti who gave us a most interesting account of the “before and after” situation in L’Aquila, seven years after the tragic April 2009 earthquake devastated that city. Professor Benedetti, who is from L’Aquila and has returned there several times in recent years, gave us a fascinating perspective on the earthquake restoration efforts. Before our speaker gave her presentation, we enjoyed what everyone agreed was a delicious lunch catered by Osteria da Nino in Shirlington, Virginia. We had 77 guests for this event and judging by the comments we received afterwards, it was a big success. Professor Benedetti’s talk was arranged through AMHS President Emeritus Lucio D’Andrea who returned from a month-long European vacation just in time for the event.
Professor Benedetti was introduced by her friend AMHS Past President Omero Sabatini, who told us about the professor’s distinguished background as a scholar and teacher at Georgetown University and Harvard University who has won many awards both here and in Italy and who has written six books. Currently, she is a professor of Italian culture in the Department of Italian at Georgetown University and the author of a novel, “Un Paese di Carta,” which deals with the theme of emigration through the eyes of three generations of Abruzzese women, and the loss of identity. Her book is reviewed in the July-August edition of the Voce Italiana.
The professor was also the subject of an article in the October 2015 America Oggi on the occasion of her award of a gold medal by the Federazione delle Associazioni Abruzzesi (FAA). In addition to learning many interesting facts about L’Aquila, we also learned about the area where the latest devastating earthquake took place in central Italy on August 24. For example, did you know that until 1927, Amatrice, the epicenter of that earthquake, was part of Abruzzo? Also, there are amazing similarities in the two earthquakes. Each had roughly the same number of victims (about 300 people) and took place in almost the same exact time during the early morning hours (3:37 am in Amatrice vs. 3:32 am in L’Aquila) and the two cities are less than 40 kilometers apart.
Professor Benedetti showed us a number of “before and after” slides of L’Aquila which really brought home to us just how devastating that earthquake was. We could see the beauty of L’Aquila which she told us was a vibrant city with a university, symphony orchestra and cinema institute. But now, the enrollment at the Universitá dell’Aquila is down and young people have mostly left the city, which has had a ripple effect in that the cultural activities have declined and restaurants and bars have closed. However, she noted that the presence of 4,000 foreigners masks the departure of the young people to a certain extent. As far as the restoration efforts, Professor Benedetti elaborated on some of the efforts that have picked up since 2014. She explained that there is a controversial project known as C.A.S.E. which some fear gives too much emphasis to new construction and therefore overshadows the need for restoration.
Some of the steps to help the restoration process have been taken through partnering with outside institutions such as Georgetown University where Professor Benedetti teaches. She told us how she takes a group of students during the summer and gives seminars to even middle school students in the city. After talking about the situation in L’Aquila, Professor Benedetti segued into a brief discussion of her new book, “Un Paese di Carta.” The book is written in Italian but the author translated into English a couple of passages from the book and read them to us after explaining that the book examines the lives of three generations of Abruzzese women.
The book tells the story of the 18-year-old granddaughter who goes to Italy for the first time in 2011 in order to carry back the ashes of her grandmother to a resting place in her native land. For the first time, the granddaughter discovers that the mystery of her grandmother’s departure is linked to a tragic event in the town involving a killing by the Nazis in 1943. Professor Benedetti told us she wrote the book in only 6 or 7 months.
After the talk, she graciously signed copies of her book. At the end of the program, we raffled off two wonderful prizes - a Colavita food product gift obtained by Ennio DiTullio and a semester at the Casa Italiana Language School courtesy of Joe Lupo and Romeo Sabatini. Thanks to all those who bought raffle tickets, which added a tidy $210 to our scholarship fund. Special thanks to everyone who helped with hospitality – to set up, serve food, and clean up. We cannot do our meetings without your generous help and support.