Bi-annual Newsletter of Arba Sicula: An International Organization Promoting the Culture and Language of Sicily

Volume XVI

;

re are pleased to announce that preparations for the elev­

enth annual tour of Sicily are proceed­ing according to plan. While additional preparations are still being made at this time, we are announcing that the dates for the tour have been set tentatively for May 26th. We will depart on May 26 from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, and will spend a gloripus twelve days in Sicily, returning to New York on June 7, 2004.

As you can see from the preliminary itinerary that appears on p. 20 of this newsletter, we will visit the usual main points of interest on the island, such as Palermo, Segesta, Erice, Marsala, Agrigento, Siracusa, Catania and Taormina, and others that we have al­ternated on different years, such as an excursion to Mount Etna. But as you may have learned from reports after our previous tours, our tours basically are

Number 2

always new experiences that can be re­peated many times without becoming too blasé to appreciate the beauties be­fore you. It's probably due to the dif­ferent mix of the people who travel with us or because it is simply too exciting for us to realize that we are again in Sicily. I have done it ten times and I can tell you that I approach each tour with the same expectations as the first. I can also vouch for many of the other members who have come along two, three and even ten times! The club of

Continues on page 8

Winter 2004

Tota Ciiffaro

Ht!Mfc&flW*art^^

Table of Contents

4

Arba Sicula's Eleventh Anniversary Tour Announced 1 The Tenth Anniversary Tour a Great Success 1 The Greatest Love Affair, By Joseph Goss \ * 4 President of Sicily, Totò Cuffaro, at St. John's University 8 Sicilian Evening at St. John's 9 Ibla épuid Prize Winners at Carnegie Hall, By G. Proverizano 10 Blues? Dr: Joe to the Rescue, By G. Provenzano .11 Publishing In Sicily, By G. Provenzano „...! 12 BookReyiews.....................................i!.. /..., ,..,....,..... 14 Soul Train tickets On Painter Carlo Criscione, By, G Provenzano ...„...;. 17 Arba Sicula's Eleventh Tour of Sicily. (Itinerary) 20

This issue of Sicilia Parrà is com ing to you somewhat late. We

have been extremely busy with a num­ber of projects and we have had to de­lay its publication. A few of the main reasons for the delay have already reached you in the form of a 260 page anniversary issue of Arba Sicula which has received many accolades from our membership and the publication of an­other of our supplements entitled The Fig Cake Family by Bea Tusiani which was received with much delight by members. I have received many re­quests for additional copies. They are available at $6.00 each for those of you who want some extra copies to give out to your young relatives. So, while we extend our apologies for the delay, we want you to know we have not been idle.

At any rate, the things that have occurred since the publication of the previous newsletter which have not been reported to you are too important to let them fade away in our memory. One of them was the Tenth Anniver­sary Tour of Sicily. Other events that we have not reported and that will be addressed in this issue are the two won­derful meetings that took place at St. John's University on June 26* and on October 12* of last year.

In this space I will provide you with the highlights of our tenth Anniversary Tour which is still fresh in my memory in spite of the fact that a number of months have passed. I think, as I try to recall the many wonderful events that took place during the tour and compare

Continued on page 3

Sicilia Parrà

President's Message As we send this issue of Sicilia Parrà to the printer, I look back at a

number of things worthy of mention that occurred this year. First of all, we rejoice in the fact that our organization has celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary by publishing the largest and most impressive journal in its history: a 260-page journal that surpassed in number of pages the special issue we published for our twentieth anniversary. I am pleased with the response from our members about the solidity of its content and the schol­arship of every contribution. I am particularly gratified by the reaction to my article on whether Sicilian is a language or a dialect, which many of you found interesting. We, of course, have always known that Sicilian is a language and not a dialect, and we have never thought that a demonstra­tion was necessary. But the content of that article probably came as a surprise for many people and I am glad we made the statement loud and clear.

Another accomplishment that has met with members' approval was the publication of a delightful children's book by Bea Tusiani entitled The Fig Cake Family that was sent to all members as Supplement 8 of Arba Sicula. I want to express my gratitude to Mrs. Tusiani for her generosity in allowing us to distribute her book to all our members. Many of you still carry on the tradition of making "cucciddati" in your own families. The custom is probably dying out in Sicily, but we are keeping it alive in the new world. Such endeavors confirm that we are focused on the goals for which our organization was founded: to study, preserve and disseminate Sicilian language and culture.

We are about to complete another project that will be very welcome by all of you. As Arba Sicula, through the work J. Kirk Bonner and Joseph Bellestri, created the first comprehensive grammar of Sicilian and the first Sicilian-English-Sicilian dictionary, we are about to be first in pro­viding our members with a guide to The Sounds of Sicilian, a comprehen­sive guide to the pronunciation of Sicilian. The project includes a text of 36 interactive pages recorded on a CD, with an abundant selection of po­ems and dialogues spoken in Sicilian by native speakers. The aim of this project was to make it possible for members to begin reading the Sicilian texts published in Arba Sicula. The booklet and CD will be sent free to all members in good standing as Supplement 9 of Arba Sicula.

I want to mention two additional items that are important for Arba Sicula. This past December I traveled to Palermo for a Conference orga­nized by the COES and I presented the concept of establishing a Center for Sicilian Studies at St. John's University. The proposal seemed to cap­ture the imagination of the people present which included many members of the Sicilian Parliament who declared their support. We will see what will come out of it. The second event is planned for May 13-15 in Mazara del Vallo. It is a celebration of the Sicilian Autonomy Statute with many conferences focusing on the Sicilian language and ways of promoting its use and its survival.This will be a very important meeting for the future of Sicilian. I will, of course, report the outcomes to you in the next Sicilia Parrà.

1300 BC

Sicilia Parrà is the official newsletter of ARBA

SICULA, Inc., an international organization promoting the language and culture of Sicily. Unless other­wise indicated, unsigned articles are

by Gaetano Cipolla.

EDITOR Gaetano Cipolla

ASSISTANT EDITOR Giuseppe Provenzano

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Senior Citizens and Students $20

Regular subscriptions $25 Outside US and Institutions $25

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO ARBA SICULA and send them to:

Professor Gaetano Cipolla > Languages and Literatures Dept.

8000 Utopia Parkway St. John's University Jamaica, NY 11439

ARBA SICULA is a non-profit or­ganization. All contributions and sub­scriptions are tax deductible.

All members of ARBA SICULA in good standing automatically receive Sicilia Parrà, Arba Sicula, as well as supplements published by the organi­zation. Sicilia Parrà is published twice a year, in the Spring and in the Winter. For information and to submit materi­als for the newsletter, write to Dr. Gaetano Cipolla at the address above. Advertising rates for Sicilia Parrà are as follows: Full page $250 Half page $125 Quarter Page $75 Business Card $35

Sicilia Pana ISSN 8755-6987 Camera Ready Text by Legas

Sicilia Parrà

Continued from page 1

them to those of previous tours, the thing that stands out in my mind is the num­ber of receptions that were offered to our group by local dignitaries. I recall that one of our members made a com­ment to me in Cefalu after the reception held in the Mayor's office. Dr. Barry Kanzer told me that he had come to Sic-ily a number of times before and this was the first time that he had been wel­comed officially twice in two days. I replied that that was just the beginning and that many more receptions were waiting for him. And indeed there were many more. In every city we visited we were welcomed officially by the high­est representatives of the local govern­ments. In Palermo after the visit to the Parliament we were received with gra­cious hospitality by the Office of the President of the Province of Palermo who offered our group a delicious lunch and mementos of our visit. I never said anything to the group at the time, but I think I ought to mention it now because it gives an idea of the esteem that Arba Sicula commands on the island. We were running late and we were supposed to visit Palazzo Abbatellis, the Sicilian National Gallery, before it closed at noon. It was already 11:30 when we ar­rived at the Province office and we cer­tainly would never have arrived to the museum before it closed. When we re­alized this our guide Diana Mazza men­tioned the problem to our host who pro­ceeded to make a phone call to the Mu­seum. In our honor the Museum stayed open until we arrived. Such a thing is never done, Diana told me later.

In Agrigento we enjoyed a wonder­ful performance by local dancers pro­vided for us at no charge by Prof. Enzo Lauretta, whose book The Narrow Beach was published by Legas in col­laboration with Arba Sicula. The danc­ers performed wonderfully, but perhaps an even greater performance was given by our own member, Joann Persico-Smith, the St. John's Women's Volley­ball Coach, who when she was picked out of the audience and put on the spot reacted with such spirit and nonchalance that she stumped the performers at their own game.

The group at the Charleston restaurant in Mondello for the welcome dinner.

In Siracusa, the local Tourist Of­fice paid for the Greek tragedy perfor­mance for the entire group. In addition, we were entertained by the great group of singers known as the Canterini di Ortigia whom we had enjoyed at St. John's the year before. The members received a beautiful booklet by Maria Raudino entitled Amaru meli/Bitter Honey which I had translated into En­glish. That night Maria Raudino, Salvo Bottaro, an English teacher whose names escapes me, and myself recited parts of the poem in Sicilian, Italian and English to an attentive audience.

In Catania we were received in the "Sala degli Elefanti" by Mayor Scapagnini who gave Arba Sicula a beautiful silver reproduction of the symbol of Catania, "U Liotru d'argentu". The Mayor and I were in­terviewed by the local TV. That was not all, our group was regaled to a de­licious luncheon after the reception in one of the restaurants in Via Etnea. In Taormina, we were offered a wonder­ful dinner by the present mayor, Aurelio Turiano. I say present mayor because that evening we had two may­ors present at the dinner in our honor. Mario Bolognari and Aurelio Turiano. The dinner, which was cheered also by the presence of local entertainers, was

held on the main strip of Taormina at La Botte. Naturally every year we have been fortunate to be guests, all 45 of us, at my cousins' house in Francavilla. This year again we had the pleasure of spending a few hours basking in the wannth of Sicilian hospitality that my cousin Rosetta and Peppino Giamboi have provided without hesitation for the past ten years together with my other cousin Nunziatina Cipolla-Cagnone. That was not the end. That same night we traveled to the slopes of Mount Etna overlooking Catania, to have dinner in an eighteenth century palmento (wine­press) where our hosts, Marco Scapagnini and Giovanni Murabito en-

Eleanor of Aragon and a modern

close resemblance.

Sicilia Parrà

listed the aid of five women who spe­cialize in old Sicilian specialties that one cannot find in restaurants and the group had an experience that is unlikely to be repeated. We had a marvelous dinner-after we had had a marvelous lunch— sitting next to 300-year old giant wine barrels next to the vats where people used to crush grapes with wooden san­dals or even barefoot in a kind of ritual shuffling to the tune of old Sicilian

chants. What could be better? At such time one wishes perhaps to have two stomachs to accommodate all the fla­vors and goodness that floats one's way.

Our tours have been so successful and so memorable that one can ask: "does it get any better?" My answer is that it cannot, but then... there is al­ways next year! V

Some of the group posing for a picture in Messina.

Repeat offenders.'

By Joseph Goss Two stories up, an older gentleman

with long white hair and splatters of white paint on his hands is leaning over his balcony watching the women walk around the tiny square below. The pi­azza he watches over is in the old sec­tion of Sciacca, and its where the great­est love affair in Sicilian folklore took place.

I remember this man during my nitial love affair with Sicily,

about nine years ago or about 3000 roses (more about the roses later.) I used to sit for hours in my rented room across the piazza, watching him paint his can­vases like he had done so for centuries. The historic buildings were unchanged for centuries, the occupants were only temporary, except for this man he be­longed here. His life and daily habits are so familiar- drinking from a bottom­less cup of espresso, working through early hours that are better the drunker the painter or older the moon (full moon tonight I might add.) This place is im­possibly romantic to me, the very es­sence of why I retuned to the land of my father. His gazed caught me as I stopped walking just beneath him. "Buongiorno", I shout. I wave sheep­ishly and nod, wishing I had not been so forward. Suddenly, a smile of rec­ognition lights up his face. "Ah! The American? Welcome back!" In an in­stant I belong, all is right with the world, this piazza, this man, my life.

Sciacca, my favorite city. It feels right to be back. It's hard not to love a place where lunch lasts for two hours, the food is fabulous and everything cen­ters around this ancient square. I left Sicily only to return years later. When I did return, my life resumed as if I never left. The legend now begins with the story of the roses.

It had been 180 days since passion, in the form of blood colored roses, ap­peared at my door in Sicily. The first red rose delivered three days after my return, was an intriguing surprise that brought a youthful smile to my face.

Sicilia Parrà

Filled with playful curiosity, my mind played games trying to guess who sent it and why all the Victorian anonym­ity? Somewhere between the third day and third week the daily rose brought with it a gentle anxiety. Though I que­ried the florist each morning on his rounds to my door, my inquires were met with no more than a smile. The smile assured me that the sender was an admirer and a man of means. I was flattered by his chivalry. At first I thought the roses were a last request from Poppa before he died; that they were his way of letting me know that he was always with me. 1 wanted that to be true because I was disenfranchised with men in general. No one could live up to the standard set by Poppa. I see photographs of myself in magazines and they never capture the me behind the face. I have found beauty to be an obstacle to true love; it brings out the most common men, with the most com­mon desires. And among women beauty often brings treachery, so given a choice between great beauty and wealth, one should take the wealth, beauty is a curse.

Forty-seven roses since the first, my heart filled with excitement when for the first time a note arrived with my morning flower. The note card was blank and signed: "pure and chaste from afar". How intriguing. I was captivated. "I must meet this man," I cried out un­expectedly, surprising myself. At last I read with my own two eyes what my heart knew from his first rose. From that day forward the gentle anxiety sur­rounding the rose mystery was replaced by a flutter in my heart. Looking for­ward to each morning, I waited for my rose to arrive and my heart to skip a beat. I knew this ritual would someday come to an end, but for now, and until that sad day I would enjoy the roman­tic yearnings deep in my mind. Indi­vidual roses now replaced the morning sunrise that marks the beginning of each day. Each month was composed of 30 roses and each year totaled 365. I re­fused to yield to the temptation of need­ing to know more about the sender. It was a gift and that was enough for me to know for the many years that fol­lowed. Like my artist neighbor, life in

Sciacca becomes a ritual. My rose would arrive on schedule. I placed it in a bud vase in the center of my apart­ment, so that it was the center of my world catching my attention continu­ously. My rose would welcome me on my return from lunch in the piazza.

To truly know about life in Sciacca or Sicily for that matter, is to fall in love with its artists, merchants, grandmoth­ers, proud feisty little dogs and to spend some time in its village squares. Bi­cycles take over the plaza as the local school is let out for lunch. People weave imaginary crosses from places of work to local stores to buy prosciutto and bread and then onto ho.me where the afternoon ritual is consummated. The entire village surrounds the open space of the square. Piazza living means meet­ing someone at the cafe at a designated time, sitting outside sipping coffee, rest­ing on a park bench at twilight, or just watching the alien world outside go by. This place is the essence of Italy, and I need it like I need air to breathe.

Though I try not to remember life before Italy, before Poppa rescued me, now and again memories of my adoles­cent years return like tormenting chides. Those thoughts always begin with the question "why" and these questions fill me with dread. 1 was a fourteen year-old girl who impulsively kissed another fourteen year-old girl on the lips, for the first time, in her bedroom. Not old enough to know why I did it or if it was right or wrong. I remember the kiss. I remember feeling petite and frail (I was always short and thin) and my friend next to me in bed a giant 7 inches taller than me at 67 inches. As fate would have it, my mother stormed into the room, saw us, and began cursing my deceased father's soul. The nine years since my father's death while on business in Italy had been 3000 days of intolerable loss for me. My mother, who was hard and mean long before my father's death, became harder and meaner still, till I no longer recognized her. I think in some measure, she blamed me for his death and when she cursed his memory it al­ways appeared directed toward me. Her coldness numbed my heart and dark­ened my soul. One moment my friend and I were lying in bed in an erotic ex­

periment and the next moment, my mother's eyes were violating my safety. She grabbed my hair and cast me down to the floor. My fingers found blood coming from the pain in my scalp as my terrified friend ran out, I remained cornered. I was in pain, I could no longer tell from where. It became dif­ficult to breathe; desperately I darted past her and out the door. She shouted at me from my bedroom window "you're a slut ", the neighbors would know my shame as well. The night was dark and moonless. The city streets seemed more like a forest, with mon­sters behind every tree. I left without a coat and it was mid-December. With­out a clear thought in my head, I hast­ily decided to go to the only refuge I had ever known- my Grandfather's house. I was Poppa's sunshine and he was my champion, serving the role of grandparent and father for me since my Dad's passing. He actually reminds me of my dad though he is my mother fa­ther. Doubts will always remain in my mind over the legitimacy of her birth. I made my way to the subway and 1 jumped the turnstile, feeling numb from the cold. The subway station stood si­lent, a downy quiet encapsulated me. I had always associated this silent cold with the comfort of Christmas time- it now seemed foreboding. I jumped in place to stay warm till the train arrived, it was so cold and anticipation of my grandfather's welcome sustained me. He was an outstanding man, neatly trimmed, successful, self-made. Kindly built with a soft wonderful Italian ac­cent. From the subway in Brooklyn at the corner of Avenue U and West Eighth Street, I was well on my way to fifty-third street in midtown Manhat­tan. Bleeding down my scalp and cry­ing, I felt more in control, I knew the strength of the arms awaiting me. In Poppa's eyes I could do no wrong. He loved me without reservation and made his affection for me clear among the rest of the family. My cousins who treated me badly when Poppa wasn't around envied his affection for me. Anticipat­ing Poppas dark eyes gazing at me, made the train ride seem endless. And the long period of darkness in the tun­nel before the Canal Street station

Sicilia Parrà 1

seemed unnaturally long. The heavy denim material of my jeans and shirt felt stiffened by the cold and when the train finally stopped at Canal Street, I anxiously wished I could bypass the next two stops. A huge homeless man came on the train at Canal Street stand­ing in front of me. We were alone in the car and I felt uncomfortable. I be­gan to rise to move when a loud echo resonated in my ears, it was followed by pulsating pain. He had struck me harder than I thought it was possible to be struck. I screamed. I cried. I pleaded with him to stop striking me. I offered no resistance, just pleas for him to stop as he beat me over and over. I recalled a hazy limpness at one point and I could not move at all. I felt my arm burn and it was bent back toward me, something else was burning against my side. In the midst of the confusion, I felt removed from my body and outside the sur­rounding pool of blood and echoes that no longer emanated from me. All that remained was the sound of my voice, on its own screaming "stop", without pause in my mind.

This brief moment in time, that one wonderful and forbidden kiss changed my life forever.

2

Sciacca's main square was built over a flat rock face that later

became a bustling Arab market in the middle ages, about the same time my family first came to live here (the town's arch still bears our sir name.) The two main and oldest buildings once served as offices for traders who con­trolled the wealth and in turn the power over the fisherman who predominate the village. The reminders of past in­vaders such as the Arabs, Greeks and Spanish were reshuffled into the most wonderful collage of each cultures sweetest fruit. Meant to showcase the beauty of this place, this piazza was a gathering place for kings and queens for several centuries. The remnants of Ro­man walls were discovered recently when an area was created for the newly fashionable hot springs that surround the town. Over a doorway, instead of the usual hanging plants and watchful residents a hand painted sign protested the springs and the recent influx of tour­

ists. The piazza is sacred and not to be messed with. In the center of the south side of he plaza is my apartment, two doors from the florist, who with the grin of the cat who got the mouse, opens my day with red petaled passion. Sciacca seem so removed from New York which at times is difficult to remember unless I close my eyes to find myself back there in the hospital.

Opening my eyes in Bellevue hos­pital, finding Poppa there, and myself without a care is a vivid image in my mind. No matter where I was and what I was doing, Poppa would take care of me. I.was happy. My mother's temper remained with her, across the dark and dirty East River. Poppa's deep dark eyes spoke to me without words. His warm hands cupped my face as he spoke and kissed my forehead, the smell of many cups of espresso on his breath; it is all I care to remember of my accident. I spent 6 months in the hospital. Lost a kidney and part of my liver, yet what hurts most is the jagged scars on my torso and back. It hurt my eyes to see the prune like monstrous lines of red and blue. Repeated bouts of anxiety became a new friend for life, this prompted Poppa to ban my mother from my life. I never did see her again (she was finally free of me) I was free of her. My father's curse was finally out

of her life. I never learned if she ever inquired about me, and at the risk of sounding cold I just- didn't- care.

When I left the hospital Poppa set me up in a beautiful apartment on Sev­enth Avenue and Fifty-Third Streets in Manhattan. It had been his apartment when Nonna (my grandmother) was alive. In time I would recreate the pot­ted tomato garden on the terrace. I would, with Poppa, restore the apart­ment to its royal splendor including the professional kitchen looking and its stainless steel appliances. I painted ev­ery room white, the walls, the ceiling, and the rugs as well were white. I fur­nished the living room with a flowered white couch- all was good. I became part of Poppa's every day life. He in­sisted that there be fresh semolina bread from Cuccio's bakery in Brooklyn de­livered to him, at no small cost, in Man­hattan every morning. Spending more time with Poppa then ever before al­lowed me to see how much of Italy was still in him. Having spent most of his life in America did not change his Sun­day dinner routine of pasta and sauce with meatballs and sausage. It also did not change his affection for the tradi­tional. Things like frozen dinners and instant coffee puzzled him. "Lucia why?" he would say with squinting eyes. How long does it take to make a

V3iB.m

Uiu-ti*. ìuvi h v ì:.;*A". sh it Mi.r;w!

The Fig Cake Family

Recently we sent you a copy of The Fig Cake Family by Bea Tusiani, as Supplement 8 to Arba Sicula. This delightful, little book written to pass along an ancient Sicilian Christmas tradition was received with enthusiasm. Many have written to ask for additional copies for their Sicilian friends and relatives. The book is available for $6.00 each plus $1.50 for P. & H. Send check to Legas P.O. Box 149, Mineola, NY 11501.

7 •

Sicilia Parrà

cup of coffee?" Sharing Poppa's life was at times like living in Italy. But his greatest heartache was rny mental state. The five years that followed after my accident were marked in increments by the number of psychiatric hospitaliza­tions. Poppa took me out of school be­fore my fifteenth birthday and hired the best tutors New York City could offer. Overtime my mental trauma became tolerable and my education far superior to any city, public or private school could provide. Rich in the arts and hu­manities, I spoke two languages flu­ently, had a working knowledge of fine art, music and literature and scored the maximum on every Board of Education exam required of me. Through my high school years, my second cousin Connie, an art student at a prestigious art school, made me the focus of her sculpting, painting and photography. She brought out the best of my cursed beauty and the artists loving hands helped me for­get the scars that I covered with bru­tally expensive cloths. Connie's art work in time became well acclaimed and my face gained some notoriety in the New York art community. Though accepted to Columbia University with scholarship, a host of fears and phobias, from the accident, kept me a prisoner in my home. Occasionally daytime hal­lucinations terrified me. I would wake up screaming almost night from night terrors. Many times I would page the doorman to come to my door to assist me under the guise of an overly tight lid on ajar of olives, just not to be alone. Poppa's arranged for his chauffeur to escort me for food and cloths shopping and I clung to his arm for dear life on the crowded and frightening city streets of New York. In my house I felt like a princess, a princess terrorized by a dragon that came each night with memories of Canal Street and fears I couldn't explain. The faces of people of Seventh Avenue often took the shape of devils in my mind. A mere pedes­trian stumbling on the sidewalk made me leap for cover as I grabbed and clawed at my escort's arm. A prisoner in my apartment, high above the streets of New York City, I never managed college. I went to work for Poppa in­stead. Under his employment I blos­

somed and developed into to a self-taught expert in international markets and commercial real estate. Poppa be­gan hinting to me that he wanted me to take control of his business when he died. I would get teary and walk away when he would even mention the idea of leaving my life. The accident had left me in poor health both mentally and physically, and the thoughts of life with­out him were thoughts of my death as well.

Poppa and I had dinner together twice a week, for the most part,

my life consisted of anxiously antici­pating dinner with him, only to wait in greater anticipation for the next time. I was bom in America but spent my pre­school years in Italy leaving me fluent in both Italian and English, this made me valuable to his business. I traveled with Poppa from New York City to Philly to Italy and many places in be­tween for years and years. Always at his side, he was a God to me and my gift to him was staying out of psychiat­ric hospitals. Each inpatient stay ripped at his soul and left age in his eyes and me with greater anxiety that I would be the death of him. In time, I did get bet­ter but more to keep Poppa well than to help myself. But he still grew old and one day when Poppa's love all but con­quered my illness, he passed away. He lived till 79 and when he died he took with him my heart, torn from my chest, never to be whole again. I remained in New York for several years to oversee the transition of a new management team for Poppa's business. And one day with nothing left for me in America and having escaped myself imposed prison, I returned to Italy- another 2000 roses had passed.

The Sunday family dinner tradition in Sciacca is an all day affair that fol­lows Saturdays visits to fruit and pork stores and other separate and distinct markets. Markets in the piazza dates back to the middle ages. Full of little shops and vendors with an classic Ital­ian garden on one end. This plaza with its majestic central statue and welcom­ing stone benches is where I walk ev­ery morning with my small white dog. With a newspaper under my arm in a slow relaxed saunter 1 would come here

each day to mingle with my fellow dog walkers, catch the morning light through the arcs of water bubbling in the fountain. My romantic nature in­clined me to believe that maybe some­one was watching me from a window nearby flunking how impossibly roman­tic my. life was, as I had thought of my neighbor the painter. Adding to the sur­real nature of my life, the mysterious roses continued ever day on returning to Sicily; frequently I doubted that my life was real and rather a pleasant hal­lucination.

On occasion, I would take leave to go and visit relatives in America, on my return the red passion resumed the first morning after my arrival. This was so like Poppa, I couldn't help but think that the flowers ritual was built into his will long before his death. In death as in life, he sustained me. Each morning I would run down the stairs to retrieve my flower, Giovanni the florist would say "a flower for a flower." At the end of the day, as life wound down in the pi­azza, I would turn back to go upstairs and my mind would return to thoughts of my champion. On occasion I would catch myself audibly cry out "Grazie Poppa", and to real for comfort, I would hear his reply " Dormi bene stasera, Lucia."

So many year later, my life and who I became, while living in this piazza would not be a tribute to him rescuing me, but a monument to a man capable of restoring life. My life in this town and Poppa's influence in how I lived are all there is to know about me. My life was restored to me better than be­fore the loss of innocence in New York. The pain made me. Who I am. My life, his love, it is my destiny to love both of these desperately.

Gazing out my window the glare of the sun off the statue means daytime has come to pass, and twilight is approach­ing its end. What more is there to say? All that remains of my early years is the broken sleep that this night is sure to bring and then to wait till the morn­ing breaks and my red rose arrives.

*** The story will continue in the next

issue of Sicilia Parrà V

8

Continued from page 1

repeaters is growing and 1 am thinking that one of these days we will just have to make a special tour just for them.

At any rate, we have managed to keep the price within a reasonable rate, in spite of the fact that the dollar has fallen by more than 20% against the Euro and that hotels and services are consequently more expensive. In fact, our price is much lower than that of commercial tours.

I have received many enquiries about the tour and there is a great deal of interest for it among our members as well among those who have simply heard about the tour from our members. With this is mind, I urge you to call me immediately at the University (718) 990-5203, when you receive the news­letter to let me know that you intend to come along. As usual we require a de­posit of $100.00 per person, made out to Arba Sicula to reserve a place for you. The price for the tour this year is $2,595.00 and includes air fare from New York, hotels, meals, except lunches—even though some lunches arc included—transportation, guides, etc... Should the dollar continue its de­cline against the Euro, we may have to make a small adjustment. But I will know that by the time you receive the newsletter. The single supplement is $370.00. And let us not forget the Air­port taxes which should be about $115.00. Those of you who want to bring a friend along who is not a mem­ber of Arba Sicula must know by now that everyone who goes on the tour lias to be a member. I insist on this point not because of the $20.00 or $25.00 membership fee, but because being a member creates common interests.

After I receive your deposits and we reach the minimum number of par­ticipants I will write you to provide ad­ditional information on the tour. We will accept a maximum of 40 people on the tour. As you know you can ex­tend your stay in Sicily or Italy, but I need to know the details when you send in your deposits or soon after that. Needless to say, you should buy travel cancellation insurance, that is, in case vou cannot travel because of illness. V

|n June 26, 2004, Arba Sicula 'organized a major event at­

tended by more than four hundred people highlighting Sicilian products and Sicilian culture. The event, which was cosponsored by the Region of Sic­ily, ARAS (Associazione Regionale Allevatori Siciliani), and Sole e Natura,

cilian chef from Catania who prepared everything "sur place" in the kitchen of the university. We had expected 250, but we accommodated about four hun­dred people all of whom enjoyed a marvelous Sicilian dinner which in­cluded four or five types of pasta, wine, and dessert at no charge.

The evening was a tremendous suc­cess not only for the great food served but also for the atmosphere of friend­ship and intimacy that is created when­ever Sicilians gather in one place. Pro­fessor Cipolla who was the master of

Gaetano Cipolla, Saverio La Grua and Salvatore Cuffaro

focused on the promotion of Sicilian cheeses and wines, was entitled "Sapori di Sicilia/Flavors of Sicily." It was held in Marillac Ten-ace at St. John's Uni­versity and it included not only a gen­erous sampling of three types of Sicil­ian cheeses and wines, but an abundant and delicious dinner prepared single-handedly by Domenico Privitera, a Si-

ceremony gave some background about Sicilian food. The show that preceded the dinner included poetry by our own Vice President Antonino Provenzano who recited some of the poems from his book Vinissi/I'dLove to Come and some of his new work. There were some presentations by the Sicilian dignitar­ies who accompanied the delegation, such as Saverio La Grua, a member of Parliament in Rome, and from repre­sentatives of the Italian Trade Commis­sion. When President Cuffaro arrived— he had landed at J.F. Kennedy airport and had come to the University directly from there-—he spoke very warmly of the affection that Sicilians in the United States have for their land of origin. "Si­cilians in America love Sicily probably more than the Sicilians living on Sic­ily," President Cuffaro said, as he ex-

9 Sicilia Parrà

Actor Gilberto Idonea and Gaetano Cipolla, reciting poetry.

pressed his desires for greater collabora­tion between all Sicilians. Mr. Cuffaro brought presents for Arba Sicula, such as a beautiful bronze medallion of Palermo and Sicilian flags. Prof. Cipolla reciprocated by giving the President and the other delegates who spoke large bronze reproductions of the Arba Sicula logo as mementoes of their visit.

After dinner, when everyone was well relaxed-120 bottles of Nero d'Avola were consumed during the evening— Gilberto Idonea, the actor/di­rector who starred in the film Malena, and who appears regularly on Italian TV, teamed up with Gaetano Cipolla to de­light the audience with very funny and poignant poems, recited in Sicilian by Gilberto and in English translation by Gaetano. Gilberto really brought the house down especially when he read some poems by our own late Vincenzo Ancona. The event could not have been more successful, confirming once again the great reputation of Arba Sicula for organizing highly entertaining and edu­cational encounters. Naturally many other people contributed to the success of the evening from both sides of the At­lantic. On the Sicilian side, our gratitude

goes to Armando Bronzino, Marco Scapagnini and Giovanni Murabito who were responsible for the concept of promoting Sicilian products through culture and on the American side, Enzo Carollo, Rosario Acquista and Angelo Bono who made it pos­sible for chef Privitera to perform the monumental task of feeding 400 people with just one assistant.

Our gratitude to our faithful and generous photographer Rocco Galatioto whose pictures for both events grace these pages.

| n October 12,2004, from 6:30 ' to 9:00, Arba Sicula held an­

other major event for its membership in collaboration with COES, (centro Orientamento Emigrati Siciliani), an organization with a long tradition for assisting Sicilian emigrants all over the world. This was the second event orga­nized in collaboration with the COES. The first was held on May 9* and con­sisted of a series of conferences by Si­cilian University professors on the Si­cilian Statute and the efforts being made to reform it. The event included also a fashion show by a Palermitan stylist modeled by St. John's students and per­formance by a Sicilian singer.

This time the conference focused on reacquiring Italian citizenship and on developing lines of communication be­tween the COES and Arba Sicula mem­bers. Caterina Piraino made a presen­tation in Italian on the procedures to be followed to reacquire Italian citizenship and left distributed applications for the purpose, A number of speakers came to the podium presided by Prof. Cipolla and spoke with warmth about the bonds of friendship between Sicilians living on the island and the many millions of Sicilians living abroad. Perhaps no one spoke more stirringly than Giovanni

Bn^p Caro/lo, Gaetano Cipolla and Emanuela ha Rocca

Sicilia Parrà 10

IWW'»™"»!''''*»'»»^^

Vice President Nino Provengano.

Tese who brought the house down by rejoicing in the warmth with which our members received the delegation. The presentations were interspersed with poetry recited by Professor Cipolla and by Antonino Provenzano. Finally, Dr. Emanuela La Rocca, the President of COES, delighted the audience by mak­ing her presentation entirely in Sicilian with a strong Palermitan accent. In ad­dition to highlighting the goals of her organization, Dr. La Rocca announced that through her organization Italian citizens had the possibility of staying in Sicily for up to two weeks with the Regional government paying up to % of the costs. Such trips include trans­portation and meals and usually take the visitor to one or two locations in Sicily, which act as bases for day trips. Arba Sicula, of course, organizes its own tour independently of the Region, but the

Attorney Giovanni Tese.

proposal is certainly one that we will consider. There are some restrictions but we will avail ourselves of the pro­posal in the future.

The festivities were finally con­cluded with a delicious meal prepared by the owner of the Antica Focacceria of Palermo who accompanied the del­egation and prepared great Sicilian spe­cialties in the San Domenico Restau­rant of New York and brought them to St. John's Marillac Terrace. This event attracted over 300 people and was the fourth in a year to be offered gratis to all our members and guests. Not a bad deal when you consider that dues to Arba Sicula are only $20 a year! V

Wisdom Through the Ages represents the essence of our forefa­thers' patrimony of wisdom and expe­rience. These linguistic jems are illus­trated and commented with thematically parallel proverbs and quotations of clas­sical and modern authors spanning a period of more than two millennia. The book contains a wealth of proverbs and sayings in English with their Italian equivalents: a book all Italian-Ameri­cans ought to have. It teaches the wis­dom of both worlds. ISBN 1881901440. 176 p. $14.00. See p. 19 to order.

'•"' i ^ySna^pJ

rtrt; J

ms

e By Giuseppe Provenzano

The Ibla Foundation is one of the greatest accomplishments of

Sicilian composer Salvatore Moltisanti. Founded fourteen years ago in the United States with the goal of provid­ing musicians around the world with a proper stage to showcase their talent, it is considered today as one of the trea­sures in the world of music and culture.

Since the inception of the Founda­tion, Dr. Salvatore Moltisanti has also supported the Ibla Grand Prize Inter­national Music Competition, a yearly event held in Ragusa in an atmosphere designed to encourage every form and aspect of music. This early summer

Salvatore Moltisanti

competition is responsible for bringing together artists from many countries and, along with them, a profound and innovative spirit to the Ragusa stage. The city transforms itself into a whirl­wind of wonderful music and brilliant creativity which generate a sense of in­ternational peace and brotherhood whilst nurturing the soul and spirit of participants.

The list of winners of this interna­tional competition, comprising every year many gifted and accomplished art-

11 Sicilia Parrà

ists, includes pianists, singers, compos­ers and instrumentalists. The last edition's laureates of the Ibla Grand Prize 2004 were Min Kyung Choi, pi­ano concerto, (S. Korea); Anna Rutkowska-Schock, piano concerto and pianist, (Poland); Vincenzo and Francesco Destefano, piano duo, (Italy); Soyeon In, piano solo, (S. Korea); Gesa Lucker, piano solo, (Germany); Riyoko Matsui, violin, (Japan); Aleksandra Szeredi, piano concerto, (Poland). One of the most important tenets at the Ibla Grand Prize Competition is that musi­cians are not judged against each other, but rather in reference to a standard of excellence to which each performer needs to stand up. The winners are then invited to perform in concerts sched­uled in various theatres in countries around the world such as Lincoln Cen­ter and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Tokyo Opera City Hall, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow as well as other prestigious venues in Canada, Europe, other American and Russian states.

Salvatore Moltisanti, who was born in Ragusa-Ibla and whom The New York Times defined in a recent article as "a romantic virtuoso," embodies the spirit of this competition. As a pianist he is internationally renowned as a major interpreter of composers Bela Bartòk and George Crumb, whose mu­sic he has performed often. Dr. Moltisanti has won the highly coveted Italian "Golden Laooconte Award" for career achievements, the Tullio Serafin International Award, the International Etruria Award, and several First Prize awards in various International Com­petitions, including the Bela Bartok In­ternational Piano Competition judged by Bartòk's own protege Gyorgy Sandor. Harris Goldsmith, who hailed Dr. Moltisanti's New York Carnegie Hall Recital debut by saying that "from the very considerable evidence of his unusual and challenging program, he is in every way a superior artist", best sums up his greatness.

Be sure you check the Ibla Foundation's web site (ww.ibla.org) for the next shows in the U.S. and abroad and if you live in the New York metro­politan area, don't miss the Carnegie Hall recital on April 11* 2005. V

Blues? Dr. Joe To

By Giuseppe Provenzano

Igrew up with this chap! The lazy own of Agrigento served as back­

ground for our youth, it was our stage. We both spoke English when hardly anyone else did in town and our dreams brought us far, to England, America, Australia, far away places where we felt we would fit better somehow. I had been born in America, actually, but Angelo had not. I never really asked him why he could speak English. For all I knew, it was in his blood. He played the piano and 1 the trumpet and together we would have some great time play­ing good, old American jazz. Our roads parted after high school graduation. In a town without a university, going to college frequently meant the end of high school relationships. I left to be­come an architect and a filmmaker, lived in England, New Zealand, Canada and then America, wondering from time to time about him whenever news would come to my ears that he had be­come an accomplished notary some­where in Italy.

Last summer, during a trip to visit some old friends, I found myself back in Agrigento. It was the same old, sleepy town, only busier and noisier, with people running and driving every­where with no time to spare, no place to park, ready for a quick complaint and never to stop for a moment. In a city that has not seen any major urban ex­pansion and where the population has been constant for the last quarter of a cen- ram» tury, it struck me as in- $$$$> credibly odd to see a '<Ì4*%J-L 'u... t life-style one normally associates with larger cities. It baffled my mind. 1 felt out of place for a few days. Maybe l l | | l i§ | f l I was blue, just won­dering about how one could feel nostalgic of New York so suddenly while on vacation in

beautiful Sicily, but that was until I came across an ad for a concert by many American stars, including the famous Dr. Joe.

I had never heard of Dr. Joe but, as it turns out, it was my old friend Angelo and it proved to be a perfect cure for my doldrums. That is how I learned who Doctor Joe was. What follows here is some history and background to share the greatness of this Sicilian profes­sional who reached the top singing the blues, because when you next travel to Sicily you might decide to indulge in one of the most extraordinary blues shows you'll ever see, especially on that side of the Ocean.

The "Doctor Joe Castellano Blues Band" began with an idea of its founder, band leader Angelo Castellano. Back in 1994 he had won a small amount of money playing the Enalotto State lot­tery and decided to invest it in one of his long-standing dreams: creating a great blues band. He assumed the stage name of Dr. Joe and from that moment he began to search for a sound quality envisioned as a quintessential mixture of blues, soul, jazz and gospel. When he returned to blues he had been largely enriched by that experimentation and was ready to embrace not only the strength of this art form but also its "paradoxical folly," as he calls it. Eleven members, chosen from among some of the most passionate musicians in the world, make up the band today, a solid group joined from time to time by other top performers making the en­semble a highly regarded, refined and talented group.

Today, besides traveling around the world with his band, Dr. Joe is also

Dr. Joe with Gordon Metz

E*Sf»i

.«Fr

uni m

Sicilia Parrà 12

known for being the mastermind be­hind one of the major international blues shows in the entire planet: the Agrigento Blues and Wine Soul Festi­val, making this ancient Greek colony one of the hottest spots during the Si­cilian summer. The festival can be syn­thesized as the fusion of music energy, great Sicilian wines and the perennial charm of Sicily. Unique and ambitious Angelo Castellano's brainchild is now in its third year and has earned the at­tention of many European and Ameri­can newspapers and specialized maga­zines who have hailed it ass the single most important music and wine event in the Mediterranean region.

The reason is quickly explained. The event attracts the most greatest blues stars. Mostri sacri such as leg­endary B.B.King and Roy Roberts, but also Joy Garrison, Charlie Mussel-white, Gordon Metz and Bobby Johnson, best known for their associa­tions with Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett and Tina Turner, have all performed as guest of the Dr. Joe's band. The band's last CD entitled My blues can 7 be still was reviewed by the prestigious music review Soulcorner, based in Paris, France, naming it one of the top 8 releases of 2003, alongside works by B.B.King, Albert King, Robert Cray, Bobby Bland and Betty Lavette.

Doctor Joe says that one of his best performances was in 1997: "I had seen a fantastic performance by Reverend Lee Brown who was on tour in Italy, so after the show I asked him if he would entertain the idea of playing with my band. He accepted. Months later, when the time came for us to play he showed up bringing with him the great

Massimo Faraò and, imagine my amazement, someone who had per­formed in the famous bands of Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, James Brown and Duke Ellington: His Majesty Bobby Durham! I was in a daze for days."

Dr. Joe says that sometimes it might be simpler to drop a name or two to give an idea of the level he has achieved because not too many people in Italy really understand the essence of blues , but he is really as shy as I remem­bered him from our childhood days. He told me his story filled with all those names because he knew I would un­derstand. Indeed, knowing their work and their in the industry, I was taking all this in stride as a symbol of his achievement, not of conceit. Confirma­tion arrived that afternoon. The tele­phone rang, he answered, a friend was calling from Turin: "Ciao Paolo, how are you? Grazie, what a pleasure to hear from you!" Later, he told me it was the great Paolo Conte who wanted to con­gratulate him for his latest song he had just heard called "Little prayer to the woods," a song written to raise aware­ness of the dying forests on the planet and funds to protect them. He won't say it in public but we can add that name to the list of people such as Eric Clapton, Matt Murphy, Steve Copper, Eddie Floyd and Rufus Thomas.with high regard for him.

Besides the English language Angelo had also something else in his blood: the gene of a true blues and soul singer. Judging by his rapid success, it can't be too long before Doctor Joe and his band make their debut in America, but if you wish to experience the magic atmosphere of a wonderful evening to­gether with good wine, Sicilian settings and the chance to hear blues greats such as Harriet Lewis, Lee Brown, Lucky Peterson and the great Roy Roberts, then Sicily is the place. The next Blues and Wine Festival (www.bluesandwine. com) will be held in Agrigento from the 18fh to the 24th of July while the Sicilian tour in the cities of Palermo, Catania and Syracuse begins July 26,h and ends July31sl. V

Publishing In Sicily By Giuseppe Provenzano

Spanning the Sicilian spectrum from art to free enterprise as we

do in every issue of Sicilia Parrà, it was only a matter of time before we also took a closer look to the publishing landscape in Sicily. In 2003, we touched upon it briefly when we introduced au­thor Gian Matteo Allone in volume 24 of Arba Sicula. In this issue we will present one of the most accomplished and active publishing houses in Sicily: Edizioni Antonino Sfameni, also known as EDAS.

Founded by Dr. Sfameni in 1970, this publishing house has been one of the most important reference points in the Island's publishing world. Based in Messina, it is one of the most assertive presences in the industry, with frequent book publications in various sectors. Born to satisfy the ever-increasing aca­demic needs of the local university, it has grown in the past 35 years to oc­cupy a leading role in publishing books of the highest quality and importance in the fields of art and science, as well as major professional journals. Dr. Sfameni tells us that great attention is paid to details and is quick point out the great emphasis placed on the his­torical and socio-anthropological as­pects of Sicily, without forgetting our Island's contextualization within the national Italian landscape. Sfameni's pride resides in the bimonthly "Rivista Giuridica della Scuola", a juridical re­view of education edited by the emi­nent Prof. Michele Salazar. The jour­nal has become a major point of refer­ence in Italian jurisprudence pertaining to educational legislation.

The vast Sfameni's catalog can be perused by visiting their web site (www.edas.it), but what could be bet­ter than to examine two books, fresh off the press, to see how Sfameni meets the high standards he set himself and those of an ever more demanding public. These two volumes focus on Messina like no other publication has done be­fore and represent two documents of great value and importance for every-

13 Sicilia Parrà

one, regardless of their city of origin: "Decorazioni floreali nell 'architettura Tardo Liberty a Messina " (Floral deco­ration in Messina's Late Art Nouveau Architecture) and "Immagini di Messina: 1857-1908" (Messina in Im­ages: 1857-1908).

Written by Rosella Schipani De Pasquale, director of the Department of Geography and Oceanography at the University of Messina, "Decorazioni floreali nell 'architettura tardo Liberty a Messina" is a thorough pictorial pre­sentation of Messina's old villas and palaces. The buildings are showcased in their full splendor carefully highlight­ing the most exquisite details worthy of the highest artistic consideration. As Messina was being rebuilt after the dev­astating earthquake of 1908, the recon­struction represented for the Liberty Style or Art Nouveau, as it was also known, the opportunity to develop more fully to the point that it represents the expression of the entire city. Floral de­tails and the works of well known ar­chitects such as Coppedé and Piacentini, who came from all over Italy during the 1920s, are well documented in this book that also intends to be a major tribute to the local Sicilian crafts­men of the time who worked on the re­construction. Comprised of color pho­tographs only, it represents an invalu­able collection where the mesmerizing images are paired with text content of poignant historic value and criticism, making this volume essential to recon­struct and document from each photo­graph the story of the city's renaissance. Descriptions, captions, contents are al-

reading of what has constituted the hu­man process in Messina not only in the human landscape but also in its urban fabric, a rich document of great histori­cal importance for the understanding of this complex Sicilian city. The aca­demic text is enriched by notable notes of criticism and sides this 224-page collection with both Italian and English text. This volumes sells for US$35.00 (shipping included).

Both volumes are made available to our readers by Editor Sfameni and can be ordered directly from their site. V

ways precise and appropriate, allowing the very knowledgeable efforts of the author to transpire; 193 pages of visual and written delight make of this book, written in Italian with a side English translation, a major publication. This volumes sells for US$50.00 (shipping included).Written by Franz Riccobono, "Immagini di Messina, 1857-1908" represents a photographic collection of images that afford us a chance to walk back in time to re-live a by-gone Messina, destroyed by the earthquake. The writings are free of cumbersome alliterations and the text flows easily aided by a large number of captions. This volume represents a collection of high quality, black and white photo­graphs of that period; sharp and beauti­fully framed photos mostly taken by the then legendary Messinese photographer Ledru Mauro. Accompanied by an in­telligent text full of artistic and histori­cal tidbits, we are able to navigate in a city that no longer exists as if we were there, and are able to come back to the Messina of today re-living the history of a city tiiat survived two major earth­quakes in 1783 and 1908. By reading this book we are given a fairy tail view of Messina, a testimony of past glory full of emotion and beauty: we walk with the author along the old city streets and are seemingly able to capture a glimpse of distant atmospheres and daily life not only filled with the people and customs of those days but also with art and architecture. This book is a new

Holistic Health Consultant

Herbalist- Nutritionist-Reiki Master,

Alternative Disease Protocol,

Cancer Specialist & Prevention

NJ Metro: 732-216-5672

Rome: (39) 320 856 7650

Michèle Renée Briguglio,

Make Your Sicilian Friends Happy!

Buy them a one-year subscrip­tion to Arba Sicula.

It only costs $20.00 if they are senior citizens, $25.00 for a

regular or foreign membership. Send us their names and ad­dresses and we will tell them

it's a gift from you. Your friends will truly appreci­

ate the gift.

Sicilia Parrà 14

Book Reviews

Gaetano Cipolla, Siciliana: Essays on the Sicilian Ethos, Mineola, NY: Legas, 250 pp, with illustrations, $18.00.

Review by Antonio Pagano

G aetano Cipolla's work cer tainly needs no introduction

for the people reading these pages. For the last 20 years he has been the heart and soul of Arba Sicula and I am sure that readers in these many years have come to appreciate and admire his scholarship, his hard work and most of all his dedication to the ideals of this organization. His productivity is so amazing and of such consistently high quality that many people ask, as I of­ten do, how does he manage to do so many things so well? He teaches at a prestigious university, he is in charge of a publishing company and he runs Arba Sicula, producing its journals, newsletter, supplements, organizing many cultural events at St. John's Uni­versity and writing original and well re­searched books such as the one that's the subject of this review. I really do not know the answer, but if I were to venture a guess, I would say that it has to do with that Sicilian creativity that he often speaks about. In his case, how­ever, it is clear that he was endowed with more of it than others. He is blessed with talent and creativity, but most of all he is sharply focused and Arba Sicula, nay all Sicilians, greatly benefit from his efforts. I do not want to go overboard with my praise of Dr. Cipolla because I know he would not publish this review.

Some of you who have been mem­bers of Arba Sicula will undoubtedly recognize some essays in this book. A small number of them have been pub­lished in Arba Sicula in Sicilian and in English. There are 14 wide-ranging es­says in this 250-page book, whose aim is to present a picture of the island and its people from a number of perspec­tives. The book is divided in two parts. The first part is devoted to understand­ing Sicily and Sicilians by looking at

its tortured history and the many people who have contributed to shaping the Sicilian character. You will recognize the first essay because it was published in book form several years ago and it is sent to all new members of Arba Sicula. If you have not read What Makes a Si­cilian? when you joined, you should do so. It is essential reading for all Sicil­ians and Sicilian-Americans. It repre­sents a tantalizing fast read that leaves you with the desire to learn more, to go deeper into the subjects touched upon. It seems to me that Prof. Cipolla wrote the other essays because he needed to expand upon the subject matter. Thus, things mentioned in passing in that first chapter become authoritative essays that are as memorable as the first. The essay of Sicily and Greece, for example

" W • H r

which addresses the relationship be­tween the Greek colonies founded on Sicily and Greece points out that the ex­change of culture was not a one way street from Greece to Sicily and that the island contributed in no mean measure to what is known as Greek civilization. The essay on the Jews of Sicily, who played an important economic and in­tellectual role on the island until they were expelled in 1492, offers a fasci­nating account of a people whose his­tory was systematically buried. Equally fascinating is the essay on the Muslims' three hundred year long stay on the is­land which left a mark everywhere on its language, traditions, architecture and landscape. These essays are so engag­

ing, so well researched and so interest­ing that you are unable to put the book down once you start reading. The es­say on whether Sicilian is a language or a dialect is a study of Sicilian and its relationship with Tuscan as they vied for hegemony that only someone who has command of the intellectual history of Italy could write. This is an impor­tant statement, especially for members of Arba Sicula. The organization, as you know, was founded to study and pro­mote Sicilian Language and culture. One wonders why Prof. Cipolla waited so long to write it. It represents, in real­ity, the justification for the existence of Arba Sicula. In his presentation, Sicil­ian indeed emerges as a true language and the only reason for calling it a dia­lect is basically political. Another es­say that Sicilian-Americans of the sec­ond and third generations were hunger­ing for is "The Sounds of Sicilian" which will be issued as a CD as well. Arba Sicula members can rejoice be­cause now they can begin to read the Sicilian half of the journal.

The second part of the book witch deals with Sicilian literature with essays on Meli, Pirandello, Martoglio, Brancati, and Camilleri, addresses writ­ers and poets who share what Prof. Cipolla calls "sicelitude," a way of be­ing Sicilian. Though more scholarly, these essays are written in a very ac­cessible and highly legible style. Prof. Cipolla wants to communicate with his reader and he makes even difficult top­ics interesting and easy to understand. His long introduction to Giovanni Meli, the greatest poet who ever wrote in Si­cilian, is the best critical piece written on this poet. This should not come as a surprise. Having translated three of his books into English, Cipolla is clearly the leading authority on Meli in this country. But he has also translated Nino Martoglio and the piece on this Catanese poet is enlightening. Each of the essays has something highly origi­nal to offer and gives evidence of the breadth and scope of Prof. Cipolla's preparation and scholarship. The two essays on Pirandello alone are worth the price of the book.

This book is a compendium of the best work Prof. Cipolla has done on Si-

15 Sicilia Parrà

cilian literature and culture and will be a point of reference for anyone who has an interest in the subject. It is authori­tative, interesting and well written. In short, it is a book that all lovers of Sic­ily should have in their libraries. V

Paolo Aragona, L'ultima Calcara. Una storia di emigrazione, guerra e amore, Gangemi Editore, 2004.

Review by Mario Bolognari

nrhe Last Furnace: a Story of Emi A. gration, War and Love, was

published recently by Gangemi Editore with a preface by Turi Vasile. It's a re­construction of the events in the lives of a family written by the protagonist who returns to Montagnareale, a little town in the province of Messina, after 50 years to bury his mother. It's the story of many Sicilian families, indeed it is the story of Sicily passing through many disasters and renews itself in the memory of the emigrants. Through his tale, Aragona, who was born in Rome where he now teaches Catholic religion, wants to reacquire the historical and cultural roots of a community that no longer exists, but which remains in the memory of the younger generations who were bom out of it and are attracted by an inexpressible fascination The only way to express this fascination is through literature which allows the pos­sibility to give a meaning to the things of the past that will not return.

The Last Furnace which was in­spired by the profession of the author's father and grandfather who manufac­tured lime by cooking tones inside enormous furnaces, is the story of the hunger and simplicity of Sicily in the first half of the twentieth century, but it is also the story of the disillusionment of one who has seen that world based on respect, generosity and simplicity disappear without finding in the Italy of today new ethics, new values and new rules of behavior. Aragon reacts against this disillusionment taking ref­uge in the narrative, which becomes an open denunciation of the things that do not work in today's world. Emigration becomes a metaphor of the condition

of contemporary man: immersed in the social and economic reality of the city, but hanging on desperately to his roots. The anthropologist Lombardi Satriani defined it "a village in memory", that is, that opening in memory that allows everyone to remain connected with the rest of the community, not the and anonymous and disinterested one of contemporary man, but the one belong­ing to history and tradition where char­acter, events, things and ideas are never foreign.

In his preface, Turi Vasile writes: "The story of this fascinating novel

Paolo Aragona L ' U L T I M A C A L C A R A

takes place in Sicily, on the continent, in America, but the unity of place is Montagnareale, a little town four kms from Patti in the Messina province from whose heights the eye can command a large vista from the Nebrodi mountains to the Eolians, the wandering isles. All our characters will leave Montagnareale one by one without ever going far from it, Everyone, even the American cousin, is tied too the memory of the past. It was a memory that once stirred after a long time, transmits an inviolable hap­piness of which we were not aware them, distracted as we were by poverty and hunger. That period is finished. Today we eat better, but we love one another worse." Humanity as Levy-Strauss said already, is shutting itself inside a fortress whose windows are closed one by one by the fury of progress and homologation. Perhaps

today, in the culture of emigration, which has always appreciated diversi­ties understood as the capacity of each to be independent and not as a weapon to hate others and overcome them, we can find again in a way for all human­ity. A future made of yesterday and to­day, of here and elsewhere where the roots can be bridges toward others and walls of separation and hatred.

The saga of the protagonist's fam­ily contains also a search in the en­tanglement of sentiments and psycho­logical analysis. The decision to aban­don the town and emigrate, for ex­ample, is analyzed through an interest­ing introspection. "In reality—he writes in the retelling of the crucial phase of the departure—Peppino felt that rest­lessness inside of him. He wanted to stay forever in his hometown... but he could not give up even before he made the move. His father too had tried it. He had left for America... Peppino did not know what he was looking for, but he knew that he would have never found it staying where he was." Today per­haps, that restlessness can no longer be sated by leaving, but traveling through literature, in narrating the events that explain life.

Joseph Cione, Yearning to Breathe Free: An Immigrant's Journey", Bloomington, IN: Authors' House, 2004.

re reviewed Joseph Cione's first book in these pages last

year. The first book dealt with Mr. Cione's life in Sicily during the Fascist era and the through the Second World War. The present book, Yearning to Breathe Free, is a sequel and continues basically where the first one ended. This is the story of his American life that begins by recalling with clear memory the salient moments of his crossing of the Atlantic on a refurbished Liberty ship together with his mother and brother. Finally landing in New York harbor. Unlike the horrendous condi­tions that prevailed on such crossings in prior times, Mr. Cione's passage to America was not dramatic or unpleas­ant and it sets the tone for the entire

Sicilia Parrà 16

'AN MNIQftANrS JOURNEY'

JOSEPH CONE

book. I think it is Mr. Cione's attitude toward his life and what he has lived through that colors everything he says with a sense of acceptance, a tinge of satisfaction that things turned out all right for him and his family and that somehow the American dream materi­alized. Even when Mr. Cione is talking of dramatic events, like the assassina­tions of John Kennedy, or Martin Luther King or Bobby Kennedy, the un­derlying tone is not dramatic, display­ing a sense of distance that is the true measure of wisdom. Mr. Cione recalls the major events of the past fifty years, relating them to moments of his own life. Reading Mr. Cione's book is like taking a brief journey back in time and reliving it through his words, and un­cannily what he remembers is also what we remember. So many Sicilians can empathize with Mr. Cione's life story. It is a life guided by principles based on honesty, hard work, dedication to family and responsibility for one's ac­tions. Above all what shines forth out of this book is the tremendous feeling of devotion to the American dream. In the end, his profound love of this coun­try makes him write with greater pas­sion as he contemplates its wayward­ness. Mr. Cione reflects on a country that seems to have lost its way, at war both inside and out, lacking a common goal as divisive politics dominate. The book ends with a prayer to return to the values that made America a dream for all mankind, a beacon for freedom and justice, ideals we can all espouse. The book may be purchased by visiting the

site www.authorhouse. com. or calling (800) 839-8640. ISBN 1-4184-8288-9

Maria Bella Raudino, Amaru meli/Bit­ter Honey, translated by G. Cipolla, Siracusa: 2004.

This precious little book is a po etic retelling of the mythologi­

cal tale of Orpheus and Euridice writ­ten in Sicilian by Maria Bella Raudino, a poet from Siracusa whose work should be known to members of Arba Sicula. Maria Bella is also the President of the Turiddu Bella Foundation, an organization that promotes Sicilian lan­guage poetry symbolized by the poet Turiddu Bella. The little book is in bi­lingual format, that is Sicilian and En­glish on facing pages, with the English translation penned by Prof. Gaetano Cipolla. It is as I said a little gem of a book, written with such lyrical trans­port and touching images that we seem to relive the old story through fresh new eyes. The story of Orpheus and Euridice, of course, is well known. Orpheus was the great poet singer whose song could move stones who descended to Hades to try to rescue Euridice from death by playing for the god of the underworld. He succeeds in convincing Pluto to let Euridice return to life on condition that Orpheus not look back at her as they leave Hades. Orpheus disobeys the rule and Euridice returns to Hades forever. Woven into the fabric of the tale is the figure of the shepherd and honeymaker Aristeus who was in love with Euridice and was the cause of her death. She was bitten by a snake while trying to flee from Aristeus' pursuit. In essence this poem is about love and the sorrow of lost love.

The member of our tenth tour were fortunate to hear from excerpts of the this tale of lost love from the author herself, the translator and two other performers, each giving voice to sec­tions of the tale as though it were a drama. Needless to say the beauty of the language and the modernity of her interpretation captivated the audience. To give you an idea, I reprint the part where Orpheus has turned around to look at Euridice, losing her forever:

Already the perfumed air of the earth gave breath to hope. but the heart mad with desire, obliterating reason stopped his foosteps. He turned around and looking back, broke the covenant with the tyrant God. -Euridice, my soul, the darkness swallows you. The shade now made voice calls out

to Orpheus: What madness have you wrought? Eternal sleep is weighing down my lids again, taking our love away, breaking our hearts asunder. You have lost me forever. I return to the darkness to the coldness of death forever.

This elegant little book, which con­tains an introduction by Prof. Giuseppe Gulino, was published by Pungitopo and costs $6.00. Write to us and we will try to get copies for you.

Joseph F. Privitera, Canti siciliani, Mineola, New York: Legas, 2004. ISBN 1881901432, $8.00.

Joseph Privitera is certainly not a new name to members of Arba

Sicula. He is an accomplished author of many books, including two with Legas and Arba Sicula: The Sicilians and the more recent one, Sicilian: The Oldest Romance Language, both of which have garnered for this most pro­lific nonagenarian much praise. Dr. Privitera, who seems to thrive on work

17 Sicilia Parrà

and at 91 is still enthusiastic about a number of projects he intends to com­plete, is a lover of everything Sicilian and it would have been surprising if he were not also a poet. After all, we say that if you want to hear good poetry you should go to Sicily because the island holds the banner of victory. So Joseph Privitera, even though he was born in this country and is American by most standards, writes Sicilian poetry. He learned Sicilian from his parents in Brooklyn as he was growing up and the love of Sicily has never abandoned him.

He has been writing poems and songs in Sicilian for many years. And now as an act of love for his beloved Sicily he has published them with his own English translation. The poems are mostly about love, desire, every day occurrences, interspersed with more weighty subjects such as the last long poem entitled '"Un cantu di me stissu" which is a touching reconstruction of the emigrants' experience. That poem starts off with epic tones:

Sicilia, o Sicilia, terra di me patri,

'Un cantu di me stissu ma di tia e di l'America,

terra mia natali, ca mi detti zoccu tu 'un mi putisti dari.

and goes on to tell the story of how American society was woven out of the fabric of the emigrants' dreams. But as I said, love is one of the prevalent themes, its memories, the loss of loved ones, love made of ethereal longing and passion too, as in this short poem:

Lu sciu sciu ru ventu mi fa rammintari dda notti ri luna

na spiaggia. Caminavamu man'a manu.

Nni firmammu... Nni abbrazzammu... U sciu sciu ru ventu,

u profumu ru so sciatu basati frenetichi... na notti d'amuri.

Often the poem is a memory, a per­fume, a random thought that stimulates his fancy, but when you read them, the thought lingers on long after you've put the book down. W

Soul Train Tickets X On Painter Carlo Criscione By Giuseppe Provenzano

s an art critic and historian it ;an be difficult, sometimes, to

have to write about a painter whose works lay still on canvas awaiting a reply from the viewer. There is a pro­cess that goes on in one's head by which, as it unravels in one's mind spinning as if from a yam out of con­trol, it begins to touch certain points connecting them in such a way until a certain meaning arises. Not a rational meaning of course, but a rather subtle and tenuous thought that, like the thread of the yam itself, begins to float weightlessly and, as it wanders in space, images and forms begin to ap­pear. No labels therefore, no easy tags, the kind that immediately allow us to place anything and anyone in a given compartment, but rather tickets to an imaginary place where we are able to discover what the artist is trying to say from the depths of his soul.

Nature, landscapes, still lives, a few portraits populate the production of Criscione's work. A world that is clearly the one of his native places, dis­tinctly Sicilian and even more distinc­tive of southeastern Sicily. In the south­east of Sicily, the comer that looks onto

Carlo Criscione

the long Mediterranean swells that ar­rive from Byzantium, light is different than the rest of the Island, the sea as­sumes much more intense shades of blue; one tends to pause, transfixed, when staring at this sea. It seems big­ger in this part of the Island, rounder with the curvature of the earth more visible, deeper and then, as if by some mysterious workings the mind, one begins to talk to the sea and answers do come to the questions holding within them a message for the soul. Carlo Criscione, who was born in Ragusa in 1946, has spent his life in this comer of the world and it is only natural that this particular light and ar­tistic muse should fill his art.

We are not talking about a certain reading of Criscione's work, but rather of a mysterious quality of the land that he is able to capture and, in a single composition, to portray it faithfully even when he is painting an urban landscape without sea. One could say this is intuitive work, a native talent, as if he were a nai've painter; yet it is obvious from the colorful strokes that he is a mature artist. The composition betrays his knowledge of the masters and his teachers alike, the juxtaposition of colors and shapes talk of a mind at ease in the play of geometrical schemes. His vision and ability succeed in abstracting from the real the essence of things and in this process he arrives to a representation that is nothing other than an invitation to a place of medita­tion.

Sicilia Parrà 18

Even when the world appears fan­tastically transfixed, as critic Nunzio Zago once stated of Criscione's art, we still know at every given moment what is at stake when we look at some of his paintings. As we allow the eye to dive into the light and the sea of his paint­ings we pass beyond the apparent naivete of the artist and enter a realm in which we are one on one with na­ture; that nature that every Sicilian would be able to recognise because it is one with Sicilian life itself.

We recognize it as an invitation to go on a trip and that, indeed, Criscione is inviting us on a voyage where we know almost exactly what awaits us upon arrival. It is not surprising there­fore, that many of his paintings portray dissolving lines, forced perspectives leading to infinity, vanishing horizons, roads and railroads. They represent an emotional idiom about a pensive and meditative world, the one he lives in, the one he wants us to visit, which is the one we would find in Ragusa, of course, but also the universal world that makes us all who we are. A train jour­ney to the depths of the soul where ev­ery painting is nothing but a ticket to ride.

Carlo Criscione's painting will be on exhibition in New York in the au­tumn of 2005. For a preview or more information you can visit the artist's site at www.carlocriscione.com or con­tact our editorial office. V

: ;,

a»

» J m

mmà m$i,'Ji

filili

HPRBHM &MM

v$m&

m

Utt&rsxxlza

*AN IMMIGRANT'S JOURNEY"

JOSEPH CIONE

DO YOU WANT TO SEE WHERE YOUR ANCESTORS WERE BORN? Buy one of these beautiful color videos of SICILIAN TOWNS

(Titles and Duration in minutes) Province of Palermo: Alia (English Version) (45'); Bolognetta (38'); Carini (English Version) (45'); Castronovo Di Sicilia (45'); Chiusa Sclafani (50'); Cinisi (45'); Corleone (45'); Lercara Friddi (40'); Le Madonie (50'); Mezzojuso (English Version) (45'); Misilmeri (English Version) (45'); Montelepre (English Version) (45'); Petralia Soprana (55'); Petralia Sottana (45'.); Polizzi Generosa (45'); Prizzi (45'); Roccapalumba (45'); Sciara (45'); Termini Imerese (English Version) (45'); Terrasini (40'); Valledolmo (English Version) (45'); Vicari (45'). Province of Trapani: Alcamo (60'); Buseto Palizzolo (45 '); Campobello Di Mazara (35'); Castellammare Del Golfo (English Version) (45'); Castelvetrano (45'); Custonaci (38'); Erice (English Version) (45'); La Festa Di San Giuseppe A Dattilo (35'); II Museo Vivente Di Custonaci (15'); Nostra Patrona Di Castellammare Del Golfo (45'); Paceco (50'); Il Presepe Vivente Di Custonaci (46'); Salemi (45'); La Festa Di San Giuseppe A Salemi (30'); Selinunte (40'); H Territorio Di Erice (43'); Valderice (47'); La Via Crucis Di Buseto Palizzolo (30'); Vita (38'). Other Videos: Caltabellotta (34'); Enna (35').

Each VHS/NTSC or DVD costs $40.0» (including shipping For Video. Books, and Genealogical Research

Email to infoigjsicilwideo.it or write to GIOVANNI MONTANTI Via G Marconi, 39 - Casa Santa - Erice - 91100 Trapani (Italy)

Phone 011-394)923-552841 / CelLPh. 011-39-336869953 For> further details visit the web site www.sicllwideo.it

19 Sicilia Parrà

TOUR ESCORT & RESEARCH IN SICILY For those of you who dream of

discovering'the land of -your:Aiieies-tors ànrlplàttitp teav^to Italy? Ijcair escort you andi research your family

together with you.in the town of your family's origin: My Services include

family history research as well as escórted:tpùrs to towns of origin in Sicily^ Search for relatives is also

attempted. Contact: Emilio Terrazzino via Taojfflìina 1; 92100 Agrigento

Sicily ITjfe^hòne: 011/39/922-414893; Cell phone: 011/39/349-762-3936; Website: htip://www.Mediatel.

itìpublìc/emilio. http://genealogypro.com/

eterrazzino.html or Google Search term: Emilio Terrazzino.

The Arba Sicula Lapel Pins are now available

To order your pin, send $5.00 to Arba Sicula

c/o Gaetano Cipolla St. John's University Jamaica, NY 11439

1300 0B

SICILIAN BOOKS SALE

Become a member of Arba Sicula and take a 20% discount on these books.

Arba §i,c.ula SubscriptiQn- (Includes Arba Sicula & Sicilia Pana) , $25 •'GvjCipolla,;Sip^'S's^s;S>ii ^Siciiiàn'Bthopa (NEW) $18 R V a r à ^ ^ s k ò i ^ ^ ^ ., ~$14 J . Privitera, C^;spiiara";(NEW) ^..^A...,,.......;....^.».... $ 8 RTuaianvThe HgCake Family (NEW)". ....... $ 6 J. Privitela, Sicilian: the Ò ì d ^ ; $12 A. Russo, The English-Italian Lejdcaì^Cbnvrit^^jpì^?;........;.....;....., $18 C. Lombardo, Altavilla Sicily: Memories of i Happy Cnttdhbqd, 160 p................... $14 G. Meli, Don Chisciotti and Sanciu Panza, TransL by G Cipolla,.. ;.......;;.„........... $18 C. Messina, A Sicilian Martyr in Nagasaki, 106 .\.....L.:^^.M.r..^....^..,^.,:.<.:.iy.i.„ $12 D. Eannello, Sicily: Where Love Is, 228 pp. L........i.,..;..:.....;;v„..:.:-.. .;..il;.i :!V..,\™j;-§t-4:: •• J. K. Bonner, Introduction to Sicilian Grammar, 224 pp .-. I. .......i....iv^.;$18 R. Menighetti & E Nicastro, History of Autonomous Sicily, 348 pp. „.. $18 R. Porcelli, A Sicilian Shakespeare: a Sicilian/English Edition ........;.. $ 8 J. Privitera, The Sicilians, Ì80 pages.NEW ..'......„.„,... $14 L. Bonaffini, Dialect Poetry of Nortthcm & Central Italy, 670 pp. Trilingual ™ $32 L Bonaffini, Dialect Poetry of Southern Italy, 514 pp. Trilingual $32 B; Monreale, Sicily: The Hallowed Land, A Memoir 218 pp $16 C. Cusumano, The Last Cannoli, A Novel, 240 pp $19 L. Bonaffini, Via Terra: Anthology of Italian Dialect Poetry, 290 pp. ; $24 G. Basile, Sicilian Cuisine through History and Legend, 48 pp $ 6 j . Vitiello, Labyrinths and Volcanoes: Windings through Sicily, 120 pp. $12 C. Decaro, Sicily, the Trampled Paradise, Revisited. 148 pp '. $12 O. Claypble, Sicilian Erotica, (bilingual anthology of erotic poems) 196 pp. $10 G. Quatriglio, AThousand Years in Sicily: from Arabs to Bourbons. 240 pp $16 A. Provenzano, Vinissi... I'd Love to Come ... (Sicilian/English) $16 J, Navone, The Land and Spirit of Italy, (English) 2nd Ed. 218 pp. Special Sale ... $10 H. Barbera, Medieval Sicily: the First Absolute State (in Englisn),152 pp. '. $12 The Poetry of Nino Martoglio (Sicilian/English)transl. by G. Cipolla, 304 pp $10 V. Ancona, Malidittu la lingua/Damned Language (Sicilian tapes), 212 pp. $16 G. Meli, Moral Fables and Other Poems (Sic/English), 212 pp. $16 G. Cipolla, What Makes a Sicilian? (English) 32 pp. $ 3 G. Cipolla, What Italy Has Given to the World (English) 32 pp $ 3 G. Cipolla, A Lupa (opera libretto in Sicilian), 32 pp. $ 8

Subtotal

NY State Residents, please add 8.25% Deduct 20%

add $2.50 for first and .50 cents per each additional book for P. & H. Total

Name

Address City, State and Zip Code

Please make checks payable to LEGAS and mail to:

Maps of Italy and Sicily Each Region, Each Province, Major Cities and Resort Areas

Regions correspond to U.S. States. Provinces correspond to U.S. Counties. Province maps are the largest scale in distribution. We'll assist in locating hard-to-find towns

$9.25 each map plus shipping and handling of $2.00 for 1st map, plus $1.50 for each additional map. California residents add 8.25% sales tax (10% discount to Arba Sicula Subscribers)

Http://www.lnltaly .com/ad s/maps.htm Also: Italian Flags, Books about Italy, Italian Party Decorations

http://www.lnltaly.com/ads/cat.htm Http://www.InItaly.com/gene/flags.htm

Write to: OUR HERITAGE 2694 E. Garvey Ave S #150, West Covina, CA 91791-2113

Dealer Enquiries Invited

Sicilia Parrà 20

Arba Sicula's Eleventh Tour of Sicily: May 26 to June 7, 2005 This is the preliminary itinerary for our eleventh anniversary tour of Sicily. Some of the details are still being worked

out and may vary a bit. By the time you receive the newsletter the plans and the price will have been finalized. Flights to and from Italy are from last year's tour and may change. The price is tentatively set at $2,595.00 plus $ 115.00 for the Airport taxes, all inclusive of airfare, hotels, transportation, and meals, except lunches etc. The single supplement is $370.00. Please send a $ 100.00 deposit per person immediately. Final payment must be received by April 15. Call Prof. Cipolla at (718) 990 5203 to reserve a place. Act quickly because interest for our tour is high.

May 26- Thursday DAY 1 - Departure from JFK Airport, New York. Alitalia, AZ 611 to Rome, departing at 7:25 PM. May 27- Friday DAY 2 - Connect with AZ 1779 in Rome, departing at 11:15 AM for Palermo. Arrive at the airport at

12:00 and transfer to our Hotel Astoria Palace Balance of day at leisure. Welcome dinner at the Charleston Restaurant. May 28- Saturday. DAY 3 - Morning guided tour of Palermo including the Cathedral, the Palatine Chapel and the

Cathedral of Monreale. Visit Palazzo Abbatellis in the afternoon. Dinner at Hotel with Sicilian guests, all local members of Arba Sicula.

May 29- Sunday DAY 4 - Morning guided excursion to Cefalu. Visit Cathedral. After lunch we return to Palermo. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner at our hotel.

May 30- Monday DAY 5 - Palermo to Trapani. We will visit the Temple of Segesta on the way to Erice and Marsala, for a wine tasting excursion. We will have lunch near the island of Motia, Marsala. Dinner at our Hotel Baglio Oneto.

June 31- Tuesday DAY 6 -Trapani to Agrigento. After visiting the Valley of the Temples we will have lunch by the beach and check into our hotel. Afternoon at leisure. *Hotel Kaos or Grand Hotel dei Templi

June 1- Wednesday DAY 7 - In the Morning we will drive to Erma then to Piazza Armerina to see the mosaics in the Villa Romana del Casale. Then we will drive to Siracusa. Dinner at our Hotel Palace.

June 2- Thursday DAY 8 - Morning guided tour of the archaeological sites of Siracusa. Lunch at our Hotel. In the afternoon we will visit the Madonna delle lagrime Sanctuary before proceeding the Greek theatre to see a Greek tragedy.

June 3- Friday DAY 9 - Morning drive to Taormina. Visit Taormina and its Greek-Roman theatre. Check in to Hotel. Free afternoon for shopping in Taormina. Dinner at our hotel. Hotel Naxos Beach in Giardini- Naxos.

June 4- Saturday DAY 10 - Morning Excursion to Mt. Etna. Return to Taormina, Afternoon at leisure. June 5-Sunday Day 11 - Excursion to Francavilla di Sicilia and the Alcantara Canyon. Reception in Francavilla.

Afternoon at leisure. June 6- Monday DAY 12 - Morning drive to Catania to visit the Cathedral and the other major sights of the City.

Check in to our Hotel in Catania for the last night on Sicily. Farewell dinner at a local restaurant. June 7- Tuesday DAY 13 - Transfer to Catania airport for return flight to Rome, AZ 1746 departing at 1:45 PM, and

to New York, Alitalia, AZ 608 departing at 4:35 PM which will arrive at J. F. Kennedy at 7.50 PM.

t f t&sftgsfl jarefeteiaff i i f l^^

Department of Languages and Literatures St. John's University 8000 Utopia Parkway Jamaica, New York 11439

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

PAID JAMAICA, NY PERMIT NÒ 52