tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68296774999193882302012-01-23T10:33:18.178-05:00Magna GRECEGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comBlogger5101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-64750351516178548822012-01-23T10:32:00.001-05:002012-01-23T10:33:18.187-05:00John Domini’s “A Tomb on the Periphery” – Sooo Not Saviano or SUNY Stony Brook!
Reprinted from SOUTH OF ROME–WEST OF ELLIS ISLAND
By TOM VERSO (January 20, 2012)
Of the many ideas explored in John Domini’s absolutely brilliant novel “A Tomb on the Periphery”, one of the lesser, albeit not insignificant, has to do with the Naples Camorra. However, given the enthusiasm surrounding the recent NYU Saviano talk, and i-Italy’s blanket coverage of the event, it seems Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-84210841243777573072012-01-22T18:17:00.001-05:002012-01-22T18:17:57.413-05:00The Heretical RadicalAntonio Gramsci of Sardinia
Antonio Gramsci
By Niccoló Graffio
“I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.” – Antonio Gramsci: Letter from Prison (December 19th, 1929)
Prior to the epiphany that launched me on my journey down the road of ethnic consciousness, I, like so many others, had been inculcated by the American public and private school systems (as Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-40654873119854796212012-01-20T09:56:00.000-05:002012-01-20T09:57:13.144-05:00The Great Restorer: Charles of Bourbon
b. January 20, 1716 – d. December 14, 1788
By Giovanni di Napoli
"Go forth and win: the most beautiful crown in Italy awaits you."
– Elizabeth Farnese to her son Charles of Bourbon,
The Bourbons of Naples by Harold Acton,
Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1957, pg. 17
Charles of Bourbon was born on January 20, 1716 in Madrid. He was the eldest child of the King of Spain–Philip V and his Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-37088484667941756672012-01-19T11:16:00.000-05:002012-01-19T11:17:19.926-05:00A Most Illustrious Corpse*Judge Paolo Borsellino Remembered
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
By Niccoló Graffio
“Times of heroism are generally times of terror.”– R. W. Emerson: Heroism, 1841
Paolo Borsellino was born in Piazza Magione, a middle-class neighborhood in the heart of the city of Palermo, Sicily on January 19, 1940. His parents, both pharmacists, were supporters of the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini and Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-29833791948143149672012-01-18T19:10:00.002-05:002012-01-18T20:02:40.461-05:00Myths, Legends and Folklore
The Myths, Legends and Folklore directory will be periodically updated so please remember to check back.
2011:
• Halloween, All Saint's Day and their Ancient Connection to Southern Italy October 28, 2011
• Santa Patrizia: Patroness of Naples Aug 25, 2011
• The 'Little Monk' — Exploring 'O Munaciello and His Variations Aug 6, 2011
• Viva San Pantaleone! July 27, 2011
• The 'Ndrezzata Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-45004462824504712242012-01-18T19:07:00.000-05:002012-01-18T20:00:57.702-05:00Ancient Peoples of Southern Italy
The Ancient Peoples of Southern Italy directory will be periodically updated so please remember to check back.
•
2011:
• In the Beginning: The Dawn of Humankind in Southern Italy December 2, 2011
2010:
• The Devil's Trail in Roccamonfina Park July 16, 2010Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-39195459986554019912012-01-14T10:20:00.000-05:002012-01-16T18:40:59.228-05:00The Unacknowledged PrejudiceAnti-Italian Sentiment in Modern America (A book review)
Anti-Italianism: Essays on a Prejudice (Italian and Italian American Studies) Edited by William J. Connell and Fred Gardaphé. U.S.A. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, 2010. 210 Pages.
Authors at the Italian American Museum's Anti-Italianism: Essays on a Prejudice book presentation. L-R: Professor Fred Gardaphé, Dr. Elizabeth G. Messina, Dr. Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-66537414672141821862012-01-11T01:05:00.002-05:002012-01-13T11:30:57.440-05:00Sixth Annual Sons of San Paolino Dinner Dance
San Paolino di Nola (Photo by New York Scugnizzo)
Sons of San Paolino present their Sixth Annual Dinner Dance
Friday — February 24th, 2012
8:00 PM — 1:00 AM
At The Fabulous Sand Castle Caterers
505 Franklin Avenue, Franklin Square, NY 11010
Valet Parking
Great Cocktail Hour
Entertainment
Top Shelf Open Bar
Viennese Table
Raffle Prizes
Dinner with a choice of 6 entrees
$85.00Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-30176242058104633812012-01-11T01:00:00.002-05:002012-01-13T11:31:36.176-05:00Author John Keahey Book Presentation at Sicilia Risturanti
Please come join us for John Keahey's book presentation, signing and dinner on January 13th at Sicilia Risturanti in Levittown, Long Island. You may purchase his new book: Seeking Sicily: A Cultural Journey Through Myth and Reality in the Heart of the Mediterranean (Thomas Dunne Books, 2011) at the restaurant or bring your own copy.
For more info visit http://siciliaristuranti.com/
Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-91241802258005810092012-01-08T18:47:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:32:44.758-05:00Before Fresco...Mosaic ("True Painting for Eternity") – Sicilian Majesty: Cefalu, Cappella Palatina, Monreale
Monreale Cathedral
Reprinted from SOUTH OF ROME–WEST OF ELLIS ISLAND
By TOM VERSO (January 5, 2012)
The Italian American literati love to play the southern-Italian ‘Organized Crime’ version of Hesse’s “Glass Bead Game”(constructing eloquent albeit reality-empty arguments); thereby keeping a denigrating criminal focus on the southern-Italian and southern-Italian American cultures. Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-91993571650795342042012-01-06T17:11:00.001-05:002012-01-17T18:55:50.366-05:00An Epiphany at the MetA look at 'The Renaissance Portrait: From Donatello to Bellini' and The Robert Lehman Collection
The Adoration of the Magi, Neapolitan School
All photos by New York Scugnizzo
By Giovanni di Napoli
I returned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art today to see its latest exhibit, The Renaissance Portrait: From Donatello to Bellini. In addition to viewing some of the finest examples of Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-1046789281022814582012-01-02T12:24:00.000-05:002012-01-14T11:10:12.582-05:00Arts and Culture
The Arts and Culture directory will be periodically updated so please remember to check back.
2012:
• The Unacknowledged Prejudice: Anti-Italian Sentiment in Modern America January 14, 2012
• An Epiphany at the Met: A look at 'The Renaissance Portrait: From Donatello to Bellini' and The Robert Lehman Collection January 6. 2012
2011:
• An Early Christmas Gift December 12, 2011
• Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-20322529434185908922012-01-01T13:18:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:37:37.612-05:00Innovating Naples: An Interview with Author John Domini
By Olivia Kate Cerrone
John Domini
A cultural dialogue remains relevant and enriched in the company of voices intent on cultivating new ground and means of expression. Great artists know this, even if their material might be viewed as abstract or even dangerous. Pulitzer Prize-nominated author, John Domini is a fierce and unique presence in contemporary fiction, one highly Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-75049484675728955442012-01-01T02:38:00.000-05:002012-01-13T11:39:12.535-05:00New Books for 2012
Some forthcoming titles that may be of interest to our readers. All are available for pre-order at Amazon.com
• Roger II and the Creation of the Kingdom of Sicily by Graham Loud
Manchester University Press
January 17, 2012
408 pages
• Italy's Lost Greece: Magna Graecia and the Making of Modern Archaeology (Greeks Overseas) by Giovanna Ceserani
Oxford University Press
February 7, Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-26331734021501157802012-01-01T02:29:00.000-05:002012-01-13T11:36:14.446-05:00Happy 2012!
Janus — god of beginnings, endings and thresholds. The month of January is named after him. Marble bust, Vatican (Courtesy of New York Scugnizzo)
Dear readers, Happy 2012! We here at Magna GRECE would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year. Thank you for your support and encouragement. I'm proud to say we're rapidly approaching 100,000 page views in just under three years. This is a Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-33031919636340235382011-12-31T17:26:00.000-05:002012-01-13T11:39:54.246-05:00Our Top Ten Posts of 2011
1 Preserving Living History: Interview with Oral Historian Anthony Ricio (Parts 1, 2, 3)
2 Diogenes Need Have Looked No Farther: The Biography of Giovanni Falcone
3 Remembering a Titan — Frank Frazetta
4 Thy Neighbor's Keeper: The Screams of Kitty Genovese Remembered
5 The Heretical Radical: Antonio Gramsci of Sardinia
6 Lessons from the Bella 'Mbrianna
7 Sacred Art From Abruzzo at the Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-42866411613829092452011-12-26T11:34:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:41:15.453-05:00The Eighth Wonder of the World
Frederick II Hohenstaufen King of Sicily; Holy Roman Emperor
Federico II di Svevia, Palazzo Reale, Napoli
(Photos by New York Scugnizzo)
By Niccolò Graffio
“It is very obvious, and no more than natural, for princes to desire to extend their dominions, and when they attempt nothing but what they are able to achieve they are applauded, at least not upbraided thereby; but when they are Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-35455069302459974032011-12-26T11:08:00.002-05:002012-01-13T11:41:47.821-05:00Saviano & Roubini – Do New York ... Literati love the ‘Shtick’
Reprinted from SOUTH OF ROME–WEST OF ELLIS ISLAND
By TOM VERSO (December 26, 2011)
In U.S. House of Representatives – “Financial Services Oversight and Investigations Committee” – hearings on December 15, 2011, very authoritative expert witnesses in sworn testimony stipulated: in a period of less than two days during October 2011, 1.2 billion dollars of customer money “disappeared” from MF Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-42351377477490314262011-12-25T13:42:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:42:51.586-05:00The Seeds of the Kingdom
Detail of Christ Crowning Roger II from the Church of La Martorana, Palermo
By Niccolò Graffio
“For God’s sake let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings.” - William Shakespeare: Richard II, Act III, Scene 2, 1595.
Walking along the streets of Palermo, Sicily, one gets the feeling of being in a nexus of worlds. Whether one gazes at the Teatro Massimo opera houseGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-54350157666566269162011-12-22T00:05:00.000-05:002012-01-13T11:43:31.359-05:00Happy Winter! (2011)
Photo by New York Scugnizzo
The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. The occasion signifies the coming increase of sunlight and the slow return of spring. In honor of this wondrous cycle I would like to share a poem by Cosimo Savastano (b. 1939 – Castel di Sangro, Abruzzo) from Dialect Poetry of Southern Italy: Texts and Criticism (A Trilingual Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-40867030375128464462011-12-21T15:07:00.000-05:002012-01-13T11:44:02.054-05:00Michael Parenti’s “The Assassination of Julius Caesar” – Review Part II: “...the good interred with their bones...”
Morte de Césare (Death of Caesar) by Vincenzo Camuccini, 1798
Reprinted from South of Rome–West of Ellis Island
By Tom Verso (December 20, 2011)
Southern-Italian Americans should know the history of Rome in far greater detail than is taught in schools and represented in mass media, both largely limited to mad emperors and berserk gladiators. Most importantly, southern-Italians Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-5434316292292458862011-12-15T00:03:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:45:18.642-05:00Titan of the South: Francesco Messina
Self Portrait
(Courtesy of thais.it)
By Giovanni di Napoli
Francesco Messina was born on December 15, 1900 in Linguaglossa, a small town near Catania, languishing in the shadow of Mount Etna. Like many other poor Southerners he grew up outside his native Sicily, residing wherever his family could find work.
Instead of making the arduous trip across the Atlantic to the UnitedGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-68948612775933856332011-12-13T01:35:00.000-05:002012-01-13T11:46:22.029-05:00A Look at Author Geraldine McCaughrean and her book 'Monacello – The Little Monk'
By Lucian
I’ve always been interested in the mythology and folklore of Europe, especially those with a connection to my direct ancestors. In a recent article titled “The ‘Little Monk’ – Exploring 'O Munaciello and His Many Variations” I mentioned children’s author Geraldine McCaughrean. Her book Monacello – The Little Monk, is based on the Neapolitan folk legend Munaciello. In that article Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-42985946296917639632011-12-13T00:50:00.000-05:002012-01-13T12:12:59.584-05:00Santa Lucia of Siracusa
Santa Lucia
(Photo by New York Scugnizzo)
By Giovanni di Napoli
December 13th is the feast day of Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy). According to the old Julian calendar this day marked the longest night of the year, or winter solstice, suggesting older, pre-Christian roots to her veneration. Patroness of the blind, her name derives from the Latin lux, which means light. Santa Lucia is also Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-62439196127144422372011-12-12T20:07:00.000-05:002012-01-13T11:49:16.776-05:00An Early Christmas Gift
Neapolitan Angel and placard
By Giovanni di Napoli
Over the weekend I partook in one of my favorite holiday traditions and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Angel Tree and Neapolitan Christmas crèche installation. As usual, the museum did a splendid job decorating the towering blue spruce with some of the most beautiful angel ornaments dating from eighteenth-century Naples.Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-56242226914621782822011-12-10T01:24:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:50:01.418-05:00The Best of a Bad Thing
Marshal of Italy, Giovanni Messe (Courtesy of Wikimedia)
By Niccolò Graffio
“A good general not only sees the way to victory; he also knows when victory is impossible.” – Polybius: Histories; I, c. 125 B.C.
It had been 54 years since the creation of the pseudo-nation of Italy by the intrigues of the Kingdom of Sardinia, “the Prussia of Italy” in 1861 when its amoral royals, the House of Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-44533799186909204672011-12-10T01:18:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:50:27.098-05:00Italian American Museum Presents The Neapolitan PresepioA Christmas Tradition That Endures in the Italian American Community by Anita Sanseverino and Lou Barrella
Anita Sanseverino at the IAM (Photo by New York Scugnizzo)
The Italian American Museum cordially invites you to attend a lecture and photo presentation on the Neapolitan Presepio.
This DVD based presentation by Anita Sanseverino and Lou Barrella explores the origins of the Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-5135044806700746472011-12-06T00:09:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:50:55.480-05:00Italy Bows to Northern Europeans – The Bourbons Avenged
Berlusconi (Italy) bows to the northern dominated European Union
Reprinted from SOUTH OF ROME–WEST OF ELLIS ISLAND
By TOM VERSO (December 3, 2011)
Now that the European Union has sent the Northern League’s favored Prime Minister Berlusconi pack’n, Northern Italians now know that Northern Europeans do not make a distinction between north and south Italy. There is no “Southern Question”, Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-67336932956483747172011-12-06T00:02:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:52:25.237-05:00The Pipes of the Mezzogiorno
Two Southern Italian Peasants
Playing the Bagpipes by John Frederick Lewis
By Giovanni di Napoli
The bagpipes are an ancient instrument, dating back thousands of years; they're even mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 4:21). Here in America we normally associate the bagpipes with the Irish and Scottish, who have a long and storied tradition with this wonderful instrument. However, many Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-78142174242219671072011-12-05T00:05:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:52:57.191-05:00Out of the Jaws of DefeatThe True Story of How One Man Turned a Disaster into a Victory
Marshal Armando Diaz of Italy
(Photo courtesy of corrieredelsud.it)
By Niccolò Graffio
“It is defeat that turns bone to flint; it is defeat that turns gristle to muscle; it is defeat that makes men invincible.” – H.W. Beecher: Royal Truths, 1862
When one in this country thinks of war, invariably the subject of World War II Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-49298193381708683012011-12-05T00:00:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:55:34.700-05:00Craco's Other Patron — San Nicola VescovoReprinted from the December 2011 Craco Society News Bulletin
San Nicola statue in Craco Peschiera
(Photo courtesy of the Craco Society)
Although San Nicola is not important to the Cracotan Christmas tradition, he is recognized world-wide as the basis for Santa Claus. In their great wisdom the Crachesi not only adopted San Vincenzo as a patron but also kept San Nicola Vescovo (Bishop) asGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-36433423493834083432011-12-02T11:24:00.001-05:002012-01-21T14:59:35.039-05:00In the BeginningThe Dawn of Humankind in Southern Italy
Neanderthal skull
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia)
By Niccolò Graffio
“The beginning is half of the whole.” – Plato: Laws; v. c. 360 BC
Articles I have written in the past on the history of Southern Italy have chiefly dealt with events surrounding the founding of the Kingdom of Sicily by King Roderigo II in 1130 AD and what followed. To truly Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-42441889702554900842011-12-02T00:02:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:56:43.439-05:00The Mustard Gas Disaster at Bari Harbor
By Lucian
World War II is without a doubt one of the most devastating events to affect humankind since the last ice age. The war and the conditions it caused killed close to 3% of the planet’s human population, mostly European, and finally ended with the use of atomic weapons against two Japanese cities. In most wars there are events that participating governments would rather people forgetGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-18108449450486525892011-12-01T23:44:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:57:48.888-05:00Preserving Our Past For The FutureReprinted from the December 2011 Craco Society News Bulletin
Members expressed strong feelings about preserving Cracotan history for their children and grandchildren during the Reunion. There were 10 suggestions given during a session which are being evaluated by the Board of Directors.
One recommendation that is already being addressed is preserving the Cracotan dialect. A Society Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-20706057466431446312011-12-01T06:11:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:57:16.901-05:00Tony Ardizzone Reads From The Whale ChaserThursday, December 8, 2011
6:00 PM — 7:30 PM
John D. Calandra Italian American Institute
25 West 43rd Street
17th floor, New York, New York
The Whale Chaser (Academy Chicago Publishers, 2010) is the story of Vince Sansone, the eldest child and only son in a large Italian-American family, who comes of age in 1960s Chicago. A constant disappointment to his embittered father, Vince finds Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-44814819821360759892011-12-01T06:08:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:58:25.833-05:00DecemberA poem by Michele Sovente
Photo by New York Scugnizzo
Reprinted from Dialect Poetry of Southern Italy: Texts and Criticism (A Trilingual Anthology) edited by Luigi Bonaffini, Legas, 1997, p.275.
Dicembre
Cora caruta ammiezo
'i ffoglie 'i dicembre
quanno addisegna 'u cielo
vie storte senza na ràreca.
Chello ca nun se rice
s' 'u pporta nu camje
ca 'ncoppa 'i pprete s' appenne.
Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-60467007005577506902011-11-25T00:05:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:58:45.791-05:00Michael Parenti’s “The Assassination of Julius Caesar” – A Review: Part I ‘Gentlemen’s History’ vs. ‘People’s History’Reprinted from South of Rome–West of Ellis Island
By Tom Verso (November 19, 2011)
Italian American scholars sitting in American university “Chairs of Wisdom” produce volumes of Chicago nostalgia histories and Florence art histories; yet hardly a whisper about the people south of Rome. The ‘modern’ let alone ‘ancient’ history of Southern Italy are not thought worthy subjects for university Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-83079977753832566532011-11-25T00:00:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:59:20.782-05:00Say Hello to Marilyn for MeThe “Yankee Clipper” Revisited
“Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
By Niccolò Graffio
Since I began writing for this blog, my articles have dealt mainly with famous indigenous inhabitants of Southern Italy/Sicily. It behooves me to mention, though, since the destruction of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1861, the majority of the members of our ethnos were born Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-17944327969689628762011-11-24T00:07:00.001-05:002012-01-13T12:00:22.640-05:00The Patriotic Gangster
Charles “Lucky” Luciano: One of the "Founding Fathers" of Modern Organized Crime
America’s Original "Dapper Don": Charles “Lucky” Luciano
By Niccolò Graffio
“Let me remember, when I find myself inclined to pity a criminal, that there is likewise a pity due to the country.” – Matthew Hale: History of the Pleas of the Crown, 1736
For as long as men have walked the earth there have been Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-20315384770247272412011-11-23T23:59:00.001-05:002012-01-13T12:00:55.982-05:00Just Opened: The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Annual Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche
Angel Tree detail
November 22, 2011–January 8, 2012
Medieval Sculpture Hall
The Museum continues a longstanding holiday tradition with the presentation of its Christmas tree, a favorite of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. A vivid eighteenth-century Neapolitan Nativity scene—embellished with a profuse array of diminutive, lifelike attendant figures and silk-robed angels Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-55737271926401968132011-11-18T00:03:00.001-05:002012-01-13T12:01:31.431-05:00Preserving Living History: Interview with Oral Historian and Photographer, Anthony V. Riccio
(Part Three)
By Olivia Kate Cerrone
Anthony V. Riccio
The social impact that Southern Italian American women have had in their communities is one that has largely gone unexamined and unrepresented until recently. Such voices are often lost or dismissed in the presence of the negative stereotypes of Italian American women that plague mainstream American media. The experiences and Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-32619994751466994692011-11-17T23:53:00.001-05:002012-01-13T12:05:29.419-05:00Napoli Underground Launches "iTour Na"
A New iPhone and iPad App For Touring Naples
Reprinted from Napoli Underground
Visiting and exploring Naples and its surrounding area has, for centuries, been a must for anyone who wants to increase their cultural knowledge and understanding of ancient history which remains alive, real and part of daily life in Bella Napoli. Since the fourteenth century some of the the best minds have Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-80671549466961312712011-11-15T23:50:00.001-05:002012-01-13T14:44:42.123-05:00Terroni e Polentoni, A Rare Opportunity
Pino Aprile
By Giovanni di Napoli
Last Thursday (Nov. 10, 2011) I attended the Terroni e Polentoni conference at St. John's University in Manhattan featuring Pino Aprile and Lorenzo Del Boca. Mr. Aprile, of course, is the celebrated author of Terroni, an impassioned look at the history of the South after Unification from a Pro-Southern perspective. A best seller in Italy (over 200,000 Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-59270344465808080912011-11-13T00:02:00.001-05:002012-01-13T12:06:30.895-05:00Siege of Gaeta (1860)
Francis II
By Giovanni di Napoli
"I do not know what the independence of Italy means. I only know the independence of Naples!"– Francis II on the idea of Italian unification
November 13th, 1860 marks the beginning of the Siege of Gaeta. Under the command of General Enrico Cialdini the Piedmontese forces sought to finish off the conquest of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies begun by Giuseppe Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-32321819400723368862011-11-11T23:49:00.001-05:002012-01-13T12:06:55.383-05:00Festa, Family and Food — Photos of Three Italian Festivals at the IAM
Detail of the Giglio tower (S. Paulinus)
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Trudeau
The Italian American Museum invites you to a Fulbright Project
Presentation of
Festa, Family and Food—
Photographs of Three
Italian Festivals by
Stephanie Trudeau
Commentary and a
Power Point Presentation
Reception to Follow
The Italian American Museum invites you to a Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-84951634015098348892011-11-05T16:00:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:07:22.484-05:00Preserving Living History: Interview with Oral Historian and Photographer, Anthony V. Riccio
(Part Two)
By Olivia Kate Cerrone
Anthony V. Riccio
Oral storytelling constitutes a dynamic embodiment of social history in its most honest, perhaps even rawest form. The act of telling and retelling serves not only to further shape what defines a people, but ensures also the passing of those experiences and traditions from one generation to the next. In this second of a three-part Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-18016685458500377082011-11-05T00:02:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:07:42.046-05:00Greek-Speaking Italians at UPenn
Penn Language Center and the Greek Ministry of Education are proud to present
GREEK-SPEAKING ITALIANS
Presentation on Thursday, November 10, 6:30 PM
Professor Dr. Angelyn Balodimos Bartolomei, Associate Professor of Education at North Park University will present to us her research of the Grico. The Griko people (sometimes spelled Grico, Greco and Grecanici) in Calabria are Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-77398214849455183082011-11-04T09:46:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:08:14.118-05:00Pino Aprile’s “Terroni”: All That Has Been Done To Ensure That The Italians of The South Became "Southerners"– a review
Reprinted from SOUTH OF ROME–WEST OF ELLIS ISLAND
By TOM VERSO (November 3, 2011)
The simultaneous publication of the “Roots and Branches” Chicago Italian American history, and the English translation of “Terroni” is a delicious juxtaposition of the “same’o same’o” nostalgic reminiscences with hopefully a ‘new historiography of the Italian American people’ – a history of our people and Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-69876150296498045032011-11-04T09:39:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:08:34.801-05:00Delirious Naples: For a Cultural, Intellectual and Urban History of the City of the SunHofstra University
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
November 16, 17, 18, 19, 2011
The conference is dedicated to staging an encounter -- at once critical and celebratory-- with historic and contemporary Naples and will explore all dimensions of Neapolitan culture from an interdisciplinary perspective. As a way of celebrating and learning from Naples and its rich culture, the Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-91115654495541709202011-11-04T00:00:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:09:34.325-05:00A Measure of Posterity
Gunnery Sgt. “Manila John” Basilone finally gets his due
Statue of Sgt. John Basilone by Philip Orlando
Raritan, New Jersey (Photo courtesy of John Stavola)
By Niccolò Graffio
“A brave man may fall but he cannot yield.” – Roman proverb
Two of the many fond memories I had of my childhood in Corona, Queens: 1) Growing up in a predominantly (Southern) Italian area 2) Playing “War” in the Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-22381838136982755742011-11-03T00:00:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:09:54.423-05:00Titan of the South: Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
By Niccolò Graffio
“You are a genius, Bellini, but you will pay for your great gift with a premature death. All the great geniuses die young, like Raphael and like Mozart.” – Heinrich Heine: to Bellini, at a dinner party, 1835.
With those unintentionally prophetic words, the German-Jewish poet Heine (who was never known for his tact or his couth) cursed Bellini to an Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-35457630254523399472011-11-02T00:00:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:10:36.561-05:00All Soul's Day
Giuseppe Altobello
Campobasso, Molise
Nov. 4, 1869–Nov. 9, 1931
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
By Giuseppe Altobello
On every branch of every yellow tree
the fog has left a single tear behind
the sky's so dark today it's hard to see,
it wants to weep for all those in the ground.
A band of melancholy little sparrows
flew inside a heavy thicket all together
and brought their Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-84385316253036995982011-11-01T00:05:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:11:25.425-05:00AcquAria Pay Homage to the Sea at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
Michela Musolino
By Giovanni di Napoli
Last Thursday (October 27, 2011), I made my way through the cold rain to see AcquAria at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (24 West 12th Street) in Manhattan. Unable to attend their previous performance in Queens a few days earlier and missing the Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino show at Casa Italiana on October 3rd, I certainly didn't want to miss another Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-76965778554014954872011-10-28T00:28:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:12:23.425-05:00Halloween, All Saint’s Day and their Ancient Connection to Southern Italy
Le cocce priatorje (Photo by New York Scugnizzo)
By Lucian
In recent years Halloween celebrations have become more popular in Italy. Many places have ghost walks and children’s costume parties. At night restaurants, bars and clubs hold special Halloween events. All Saint's Day (Hallows) and All Soul's Day are still the primary celebrations and religious holidays at that time of year, but Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-64733611112404632812011-10-28T00:14:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:13:57.748-05:00The Lioness of the South: Michelina De Cesare
Michelina De Cesare
Oct. 28, 1841 — Aug. 30, 1868
By Giovanni di Napoli
“Oh difficulties to be endured, cries the coward, the feather-head, the shuttlecock, the faint-heart. The task is not impossible, though hard. The craven must stand aside. Ordinary, easy tasks are for the herd. Rare, heroic, and divine men overcome the difficulties of the way and force an immortal palm from necessity.Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-91731503608621415592011-10-25T00:09:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:14:43.639-05:00The Lessons of Abu Tabela
Paolo di Avitabile
Oct. 25, 1791—March 28, 1850
By Lucian
Paolo di Avitabile was born in Agerola, near Amalfi. He was a Neapolitan soldier who reached the rank of Lieutenant and was recommended for promotion and decoration by General Delaver after displaying great courage and being wounded twice during the siege of Gaeta. Unfortunately, in his case, the General was ignored and Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-3532431070390603342011-10-23T20:10:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:15:23.777-05:00The Emperor of PhiladelphiaNo man in the history of the City of Philadelphia was more loved, hated, admired, feared and despised than Mayor Francis L. Rizzo, Sr.
Francis Lazarro Rizzo Sr.
(Photo courtesy of www.phillytalkradioonline.com)
By Niccolò Graffio
“The streets of Philadelphia are safe. It’s only the people who make them unsafe.” – Frank. L. Rizzo
“The City of Brotherly Love” began as a settlement Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-87594110131997462552011-10-21T19:54:00.001-04:002012-01-13T12:16:01.193-05:00Concert: AcquaAria — Sempre AmMari
Mythical seascape, ceramic tiles from Sciacca, Sicily
(Photo courtesy of Olivia Kate Cerrone)
OCTOBER 27, 2011 (06:00 PM )
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
24 West 12th Street
New York, NY 10011
The band AcquAria are:
Michela Musolino, voice and percussion
Vincenzo Castellana, voice, percussion, Sicilian flutes, scacciapensieri, guitar
Arturo Martinez, guitar
Vito Galante, double Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-33644880971797660452011-10-21T01:25:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:16:23.132-05:00Gioacchino Longobardi Piano Recital
Friday
October 21, 2011
7:30 pm
First Presbyterian Church
400 Glen Street
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Performing works of:
Debussy, Chopin, Skriabin and Rachmaninoff
Admission: Free-Donation Appreciated
Reprinted from Neapolitan Music Society
Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-12063516722076462402011-10-21T01:06:00.001-04:002012-01-13T12:16:46.520-05:00Traditional Sicilian Songs to the SeaSaturday, October 22
3:00-5:00 p.m.
Queens Library at Bayside
214-20 Northern Blvd.
718-229-1834
Admission is free
Train: LIRR to Bayside
Bus: Q12, Q13, Q31
Michela Musolino and Vincenzo Castellana perform traditional Sicilian Songs to the Sea. The rich musical tradition of Sicily includes many songs that speak of the sea, sing its praises or are sung by those whose work connects them Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-69618062867649371202011-10-18T00:09:00.002-04:002012-01-13T12:17:32.303-05:00Fiaccolata di San Rocco, 2011
Viva San Rocco! Protector of Quaglietta
By Giovanni di Napoli
Last Saturday (October 15th), some friends and I headed to Astoria, Queens, to participate in the annual Fiaccolata di San Rocco, or candlelight procession, sponsored by the Societá Gioventú Quagliettana. Holding candles, the women and children sang traditional songs and prayers commemorating the death of their patron while the Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-58479374206194189242011-10-18T00:00:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:18:00.840-05:00Titan of the South: Luca fà-Presto
San Nicola in gloria (Photo by New York Scugnizzo)
By Giovanni di Napoli
[The following article was originally posted on October 18, 2009. I've since added photos of San Nicola in gloria (Museo Civico) from my recent visit to Naples, Saint Sebastian Cured by Saint Irene from the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Flight into Egypt (Metropolitan Museum of Art), which I inadvertently leftGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-23888917919159961722011-10-16T08:39:00.001-04:002012-01-13T12:18:22.968-05:00Sicily Travelers: L. Franchetti (Northern Italian Bourgeois) vs. Booker Taliaferro Washington (American born Slave)
Leopoldo Franchetti and Booker Taliaferro Washington
Reprinted from SOUTH OF ROME-WEST OF ELLIS ISLAND
By TOM VERSO (October 13, 2011)
When Leopoldo Franchetti, the rich and politically influential northern Italian, went to Sicily in 1876, he was looking for members of his socio-economic class – the bourgeoisie. Not seeing ‘his kind of people’, and more importantly the ‘Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-43494810496447311522011-10-15T01:53:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:18:52.045-05:00Terroni e PolentoniILICA Cultural Event 2011
Pino Aprile (Photo by New York Scugnizzo)
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
2pm-7pm
Conference featuring Pino Aprile and Lorenzo Del Boca
These renowned authors will discuss the 150 year Italian history which still divides the North from the South
St. Johns University
Saval Auditorium
Manhattan Campus
101 Murray St.
New York City
Moderator: Prof.Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-65131343158489110592011-10-15T00:20:00.001-04:002012-01-13T12:19:31.079-05:00Remembering a Hero
Salvo D'Acquisto
(Photo courtesy of Associazione Nazionale Carabinieri)
By Lucian
Salvo D'Acquisto was born in Naples on October 15th, 1920. In 1939, during the Fascist epoch, he voluntarily enlisted in the Carabinieri, which was at the time the first corps of the Italian army in addition to military/federal police (Gendarmerie).
A year later, shortly before the start of the Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-65132001923845778912011-10-13T00:16:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:20:39.064-05:00Columbus Day 2011 Retrospective
A look at the 67th Annual Columbus Day Parade on Fifth Avenue, NYC
Luca Sessa, Presidente Associazione Tre Sicilie, shows his true colors
(Photo by New York Scugnizzo)
By Giovanni di Napoli
Normally, I attend Manhattan's Annual Columbus Day Parade as a spectator, but this year I had the great privilege of marching with the East Harlem Giglio Society and the Sons of San Paolino di Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-45476942364273484222011-10-07T00:19:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:23:52.472-05:00Preserving Living History: Interview with Oral Historian and Photographer, Anthony V. Riccio
(Part One)
By Olivia Kate Cerrone
Anthony V. Riccio
History, as documented through the voices of those who have lived it, has become all too often a rare and underrepresented presence in contemporary Italian Americana. If we are to take ourselves seriously as a culture, it is imperative upon us to engage with those former generations who carried the language, folklore and heritage of Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-15155459111972387062011-10-06T20:54:00.001-04:002012-01-13T12:24:18.150-05:00Newark New Jersey's Feast of Saint Gerard (2011)
A historic look at the Feast of Saint Gerard
(Photo courtesy of sicilianculture.com)
Feast of Saint Gerard Maiella
October 13th–16th, 2011
St. Lucy's Church
National Shrine of St. Gerard
118 7th Avenue, Newark NJ 07104
(973) 803-4200
For more info please visit www.saintlucy.net/home.htmlGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-62003480276056274142011-10-04T00:16:00.001-04:002012-01-13T12:36:15.193-05:00Honoring Francesco Solimena, a Forgotten Baroque Master
Self-portrait, Francesco Solimena (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
By Giovanni di Napoli
"Painting possesses a truly divine power in that not only does it make the absent present (as they say of friendship), but it also represents the dead to the living many centuries later, so that they are recognized by spectators with pleasure and deep admiration for the artist." – Leon Battista Alberti (Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-20948973027446507092011-10-01T00:07:00.002-04:002012-01-13T12:36:47.419-05:00Italian Studies: Northern Italian “Ivory Towers” in the midst of Southern Italian Americana – Patterns of Italian Translations
Ivory Tower - Italian Studies Programs
Reprinted from SOUTH OF ROME-WEST OF ELLIS ISLAND
By TOM VERSO (September 27, 2011)
“Ivory Tower” – the time-honored symbol of intellectual and cultural aloofness, and distance from the masses, easily comes to mind when comparing American university Italian Studies Programs with the ‘reality’ of the history and culture of southern-Italian Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-3575160976969874252011-10-01T00:04:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:37:05.588-05:005th Annual Crachesi del Nord America Reunion
KEEP THE TRADITION ALIVE!
5th Annual Crachesi del Nord America Reunion
110th Anniversary San Vincenzo Martire
October 21-23, 2011
Brooklyn and Manhattan, NY
Celebrate 110 Years of San Vincenzo in America: While San Vincenzo has been celebrated in Craco since 1792, American Cracotans have been celebrating his feast day for 110 years when the Società S. Vincenzo Martire di Craco Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-85303571864351191272011-10-01T00:01:00.001-04:002012-01-13T12:37:30.281-05:00Sicilian Language and Culture Lessons in NYC (2011)
Wednesday, October 12 (7:00 PM — 10:00 PM)
ITALIAN CHARITIES OF AMERICA in Queens, located at 83-20 Queens Boulevard, Elmhurst, New York 11373.
The Sicilian Language in New York is pleased to announce open enrollment for our Third year of Sicilian language and culture lessons in New York City. Weekly Beginners Sicilian language classes will start on Wednesday October 12th at 7 PM at the Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-23511536981525742132011-09-29T12:03:00.001-04:002012-01-13T12:37:57.061-05:00Giglio Society of East Harlem to March in Annual Columbus Day ParadeGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-50489405524715455312011-09-27T00:00:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:38:19.759-05:00The Last Days of SeptemberThe "Four Days of Naples" Remembered
Scene from the siege of Naples (September, 1943)
By Niccolò Graffio
“See Naples and die.” (Vedi Napoli e poi muori) – Italian proverb (variously ascribed to Virgil, Goethe and Humboldt)
The city of Naples is one of the oldest, continually inhabited cities in all of Italy, if not Europe. Tradition has it Greek settlers from Euboea founded a colony Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-77584472936710803642011-09-23T23:12:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:38:43.321-05:00Cultural Demise: South of Rome and American Terroni – Piedmontista Then and Now (Silvana Patriarca, Nelson Moe, Italian Studies)
Reprinted from SOUTH OF ROME–WEST OF ELLIS ISLAND
By TOM VERSO (September 20, 2011)
“I will not invoke the REALITY behind [Piedmontese] representations [of the South]...” writes renowned Italian historian Silvana Patriarca. This incredibly pregnant clause is a conceptual vortex capturing the dialectics of Hegel’s “Master-Slave”, Gramsci’s “Cultural Hegemony” and Edward Said’s “Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-67863701016921066372011-09-23T22:47:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:39:51.731-05:00The Colossus of Watts
Sam Rodia – Designer and Builder of the Watts Towers
Sabato (“Sam” or “Simon”) Rodia
Photo courtesy of www.Wattstowers.us
“Art is a human activity consisting in this, that one man consciously, by means of certain external signs, hands on to others feelings he has lived through, and that other people are infected by these feelings, and also experience them.”
– Lyof N. Tolstoy: What is ArtGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-41678615778982568702011-09-23T00:04:00.003-04:002012-01-13T12:40:15.160-05:00Happy Autumn!
Photo by New York Scugnizzo
The fall Equinox has a deep spiritual meaning in Greco-Roman culture and was important around the world since prehistoric times. To celebrate the occasion and the season of Autumn I would like to share a poem by Luigi Antonio Trofa from Dialect Poetry of Southern Italy: Texts and Criticism (A Trilingual Anthology) edited by Luigi Bonaffini, Legas, 1997, p.142.
Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-35895041389597077532011-09-20T00:17:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:40:58.124-05:00A look at NYC's 85th Annual Feast of San GennaroA pictorial of Yesterday's (9/19/11) Feast of San Gannaro in New York City's Little Italy. The event is sponsored by Figli di San Gennaro, Inc. (Sons of San Gennaro), a non-for-profit community organization dedicated to keeping alive the spirit and faith of the early Neapolitan immigrants.
Statue of San Gennaro inside Most Precious Blood Church.
A historic standard graces the inside of Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-39235643536545714622011-09-20T00:05:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:41:27.604-05:00Sophia Loren – a Living Symbol of Art
Aphrodite of Cnidus (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
The late philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand defined art as “…a selective recreation of reality according to an artist’s metaphysical value-judgments.” Since early modern humans first appeared in Europe approx. 40,000 years ago, mankind has “selectively recreated reality” in numerous ways for many different purposes.
Many early civilizations, like Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-41310293047345434152011-09-19T00:31:00.003-04:002012-01-13T12:41:51.681-05:00Announcing the 2011 Raritan, New Jersey John Basilone Parade Weekend
John Basilone Statue (Photo by John Stavola)
Please visit the John Basilone Parade Web Site for more information.
Schedule
Friday, September 23rd
7 PM — Summerswing Orchestra: Playing music from the World War II Era at the Basilone Statue on Somerset Street in Raritan, NJ. After the concert there will be fireworks (Bring your own chair).
Saturday, September 24th
TBA — Fun Run: Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-43329762297748311642011-09-12T00:08:00.006-04:002012-01-13T12:42:34.231-05:00Fiction as Life: An Interview With Author Tony ArdizzoneBy Olivia Kate Cerrone
A culture thrives on its ability to engage with its past and the traditions that help inform its people of their identity. Novels and short stories serve as an unique art form, where history, language, religious and social traditions are woven together and essentially brought to life on the page. In the face of neighborhood and cultural dislocation, fiction writing Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-52268677754210002122011-09-12T00:01:00.003-04:002012-01-18T20:07:49.648-05:00Voices From Our Community
The views and opinions expressed in these interviews are solely those of the interviewees and do not necessarily represent those of Magna GRECE.
2012:
• Innovating Naples: An Interview with Author John Domini
2011:
• Preserving Living History: Interview with Oral Historian and Photographer, Anthony V. Riccio (Part Three)
• Preserving Living History: Interview with Oral Historian and Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-39672111851371330662011-09-11T19:34:00.001-04:002012-01-13T12:43:28.126-05:00A look at the Annual Procession of Maria S.S. Addolorata in Carroll Gardens, BrooklynThe annual procession in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows has been celebrated in Carroll Gardens since 1948. The event is sponsored by the Congrega Maria S.S. Addolorata.
Maria S.S. Addolorata
Members of the Congrega Maria S.S. Addolorata pose for a picture outside Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary — St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church
Fireworks kickoff the festivities
Balloons are Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-64871292254237173752011-09-11T00:13:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:43:51.767-05:00A look at the Fourth Annual Procession of Maria S.S. Addolorata in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
A pictorial of yesterday's (9/10/11) Fourth Annual Procession of Maria S.S. Addolorata at St. Athanasius Church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The event is sponsored by the Associazione Culturale Pugliese Figli Maria S.S. Addolorata.
Stephen LaRocca, President of the Saint Rocco Society of Potenza, makes an offering inside the beautiful St. Athanasius Church
These cuties were the life of theGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-68519388109797927292011-09-10T00:02:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:44:23.913-05:00The Reconquest of Otranto
The remains of the Martyrs of Otranto in the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Annunciata (Photo courtesy of Puglia per tutte le stagioni)
As Americans prepare to reaffirm their vow to "Never forget" the heinous attacks of September 11, 2001, we recall the horrifying assault on our ancestral homeland and it's valiant reconquest.
On September 10, 1481 Duke Alfonso of Calabria with his European Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-78502345436062231662011-09-09T20:35:00.001-04:002012-01-13T12:47:06.690-05:00A glimpse at the 8th Annual Black Madonna di Tindari Festival
Revelers dance the pizzica (Photo by New York Scugnizzo)
Last night in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin (September 8th), I briefly attended the 8th Annual Black Madonna di Tindari Festival in Manhattan's East Village. It was held at the Phoenix Bar (447 E 13th St.), a former storefront chapel dedicated to the Black Madonna established by Sicilian immigrants at the beginning of the Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-7634198314259093702011-09-09T00:10:00.004-04:002012-01-13T12:47:33.509-05:00NYC's 85th Annual Feast of San Gennaro
Photo by New York Scugnizzo
September 15-25, 2011
Most Precious Blood Church
109 Mulberry Street,
Little Italy, NYC
September 19th (Feast Day)
Blood Drive (10 AM - 4 PM)
In association with the American Red Cross at St. Patrick's Basilica Youth Center, 268 Mulberry Street (between Houston and Prince Streets). Call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit www.redcrossblood.org to schedule a donation Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-80757630966597738232011-09-06T00:13:00.006-04:002012-01-13T12:48:58.766-05:00Preserving Our History, A Capitalist Perspective
Endangered mosaics and frescoes at Pompeii
(Photos by New York Scugnizzo)
We have written before about the tragedy befalling the archeological treasures of Italy; and how the greed, corruption and misplaced loyalties within modern cosmopolitan society have contributed to their destruction. The damage to our cultural heritage has finally reached a point where it is having a negative impactGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-77458727608893201762011-09-05T00:08:00.002-04:002012-01-13T12:52:04.577-05:00Michael Parenti and Camille Paglia: The Ivy League vs. Southern-Italian American Culture
Reprinted from SOUTH OF ROME–WEST OF ELLIS ISLAND
TOM VERSO (August 29, 2011)
Michael Parenti and Camille Paglia are Yale PhDs respectively in the fields of political science and literature. They are also renowned writers and speakers. Yet, neither has obtained the crown jewel of academia – ‘Ivy League Professor’ – or professorships at any other major American university. Why is that – I Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-91459602968519022482011-09-05T00:02:00.003-04:002012-01-13T12:53:02.801-05:00Proclamazioni de FrancescoFrancesco II
On September 5, 1860, King Francis II of the Two Sicilies left Naples for Gaeta as the invading forces of Garibaldi approached the southern capital. Before leaving the King issued a final proclamation to his subjects:
"People of Naples:
Of all of the duties demanded of a monarch, those performed in times of adversity are the most difficult and solemn, and I intend to carry Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-78761970998836994162011-09-03T00:12:00.006-04:002012-01-13T12:53:26.776-05:00FESTA: An Exhibition of Italian American Festivals
Italian American Museum Presents
FESTA: An Exhibition of Italian American Festivals
by Robert Forlini
With Photographer's Talk and Reception
Photographer's talk will feature a Power Point presentation
About the Exhibit:
"The photographs in this exhibit represent the culmination of a four-year project conducted documenting the phenomenon of the Italian-American festa. The work explores Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-22053387981585154722011-09-03T00:09:00.000-04:002012-01-13T12:53:52.466-05:00The Procession & Feast of Maria SS. Addolorata, 2011
Scenes from past processions
Sunday, September 11, 2011
3:00 PM Procession and Feast
6:45 PM Fireworks and Mass
Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary — St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church
108 Carroll Street, Brooklyn New York
The Feast, Procession and Mass are the largest events in honor of Maria SS. Addolorata (Our Lady of Sorrows) held outside of Mola di Bari since 1948.
Sponsored by Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-61954249272049910242011-09-03T00:04:00.004-04:002012-01-13T12:54:23.301-05:00Saint A's 4th Annual Procession of Maria SS. Addolorata
Our Lady of Sorrows
Saturday, September 10, 2011
5:30 PM High Mass
followed by the Procession
Saint Athanasius Church
2154 61st Street, Brooklyn New York
Sponsored by Associazione Culturale Pugliese Figli Maria SS. Addolorata
Photo courtesy of lideamagazine.comGiovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-49151606070044420012011-09-01T00:07:00.007-04:002012-01-13T13:25:03.779-05:00To the Champion of Champions
Rocky Marciano the Undefeated
“The Brockton Blockbuster”
(Photo courtesy of listverse.com)
By Niccolò Graffio
“A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.” – Jack Dempsey
During the time our people have spent living here in America, a number of figures, both real and imagined, have risen from our ranks to achieve icon status. These figures in turn helped to inspire future Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-62465713090460818782011-08-25T00:00:00.009-04:002012-01-13T13:13:53.491-05:00Santa Patrizia: Patroness of Naples
Saint Patricia (1625) by Leonardo Carpentiero
Photo courtesy of Electra Napoli*
By Giovanni di Napoli
August 25th is the feast day of Santa Patrizia (Saint Patricia), patroness of Naples. Each year the faithful gather at the Chiesa di San Gregorio Armeno (Church of St. Gregory of Armenia) to venerate the saint and view the miraculous liquefaction of her coagulated blood. The church, Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-37899756719205404122011-08-24T00:02:00.002-04:002012-01-13T13:30:50.770-05:00The Legacy Of Our Buried Past
Vesuvius looming over the temple of Jupiter at Pompeii
(Photos courtesy of New York Scugnizzo)
The anniversary of the destruction of Pompeii reminded me of my visit to the ruins. It was easy to feel that greatness while walking among the stones of the ancient city, preserved for centuries by the deadly ash of Vesuvius. It also humbled me to behold the legacy of the eruption, a destructive Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-67600403263239659802011-08-21T19:38:00.011-04:002012-01-13T13:35:02.404-05:00A look at the 122nd Feast of Saint Rocco
Viva San Rocco! Stephen S. LaRocca (right),
President of Saint Rocco Society of Potenza, Inc.
Standard bearer leads the procession
Members of the Associazione Culturale Pugliese Figli Maria S.S. Addolorata (above)
and St Joseph's Society from Lodi New Jersey (below) joined in the celebration
The procession makes its way from the Church of St. Joseph
(5 Monroe Street, Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-60141580896680501722011-08-20T00:45:00.004-04:002012-01-13T13:36:06.652-05:00“Out of the Melting Pot” – The Southern-Italian American Renaissance...i-Italy.org – To Help or Not!
Reprinted from SOUTH OF ROME-WEST OF ELLIS ISLAND
TOM VERSO (August 11, 2011)
From Little Italy to Suburban "Melting Pot"
During the great post-1950s American urban emigration, children and grandchildren of pre-WW I European immigrants abandoned their ‘urban villages’ for the culturally amorphous and homogenous suburban ‘MELTING POTS’. Southern-Italian Americans, following this Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-12918459861227659092011-08-20T00:00:00.002-04:002012-01-13T13:37:49.201-05:00Titan of the South: Salvatore Quasimodo
Salvatore Quasimodo (Photo courtesy of Famous Poets and Poems)
“Little happy horses
with little golden stars for bells:
stop for awhile in my hometown
We have the freshest water if you are thirsty,
We have the best hay if you are hungry.
We love stony farmhouses,
where hard hands, in clay bowls,
give us drink like children.
Your marble springs are poisoned,
and your hay Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6829677499919388230.post-7902778257739767482011-08-17T23:23:00.011-04:002012-01-13T13:43:40.978-05:00Honoring the Great Caruso at the IAM
Cavaliere Ufficiale Aldo Mancusi at the IAM
Believe me when I tell you, if you are a music lover and were unable to attend the "Life and Times of Enrico Caruso" lecture at the Italian American Museum last Thursday (Aug. 11, 2011), you missed one heck of an evening.
First we were treated to a live performance by tenor Christopher Macchio, who sang the irresistibly romantic love-song, "Giovanni di Napolinoreply@blogger.com