vica il messaggio fall 2009 issue 082409

8/14/2019 VICA Il Messaggio Fall 2009 Issue 082409

1/8

Volume 11 Issue 3

Fall September 2009

VICA Board MembersContact these peopel for information or help for any

VICA activities:

President Adele Dienno 802-862-2595

Vice-Presidents Don Catalano: 802 660-

8914/Barbara Guiduli 802-862-4200

Secretary Carol Usher 802-863-2487

Treasurer Audry Rini 802-878-0990

Board Ann Arms, Julie Bonanno, Barbara Butler,

Adrienne Donohue, Franco Gatti, Barbara Marden,

Nancy Specht, David Usher

Il Messaggio Editors

Please submit content for the newsletter toCarol & David Usher: 802 863-2487 or

[email protected]

Membership Anyone wanting to join VICA can do so

by calling Carol Usher at 802 863-2487

for an application. Membership is $15.

annually for individuals, $25. for fami-

lies.

VICA Websitewww.vtitalians.com

I l M e s s a g g i oV e r m o n t I t a l i a n C u l t u r a l A s s o c i a t i o nP . O . B o x 3 1 5 5B u r l i n g t o n V T 0 5 4 0 8

I l M e s s a gg i o

Inside this issue:

Summer Picnic 2

VICAs New Leadership 3

Italian in Elementary School 4

Italian Language Studies 5

Poem by Franco Gatti 6

Calendar of Events 7

Members Heritage: Caserta 8

An organization dedicated topromoting and preserving Italian

culture in Vermont

Back to School !

With emotions extending the full range,kids are going back to school for another

year!

I wanted to know what "going back toschool" meant for Italian kids and their fami-lies, though, so I checked out some blogsrather than hitting the statistics. As in the US,there are positives, negatives, and complica-tions. I certainly can't cover the subject ex-tensively in one short introductory compila-tion of impressions I picked up from theinternet -nor can I as an American speak forthe Italians who have "been there and donethat," so I urge you who have actually goneto school in Italy to respond to the editorswith your own snippets of remembrances ofthe impact that Italy's educational system hadon you.

Education begins in Italy with the option ofgovernment-subsidized daycare centers forages six-months to two years called asili nidi- literally meaning "nest asylums." Contraryto the negative connotation that an "asylum"might have on our American minds, there isgreat diligence to provide the best of care.Every child goes through a period ofinseri-mento ("insertion"), attending two hours the

first day, three the second etc.- always with aparent standing by in case of a melt-down.

Next isscuola materna (kindergarten) - a

wonderful thing that every parent has theright, though not an obligation, to send theirchildren free of charge for three years untilthey begin the first of five grades in Scuuolaelementare ("elementary school").

Scuola materna has traditionally been seen asa way to socialize children outside the familyfor short periods of the day. With the numberof working moms increasing in Italy, how-ever, the school day is often lengthened to afull day, makingscuola materna a very highquality, state-sponsored daycare. The workingmom has also created another change in theItalian system. Usually, school hours wereorganized so that children went home forlunchtime, often for the rest of the day. Thetradition of family togetherness around thetable is a strong foundation of Italian culture.However, city governments have stepped in to

provide school lunch programs where bothparents work outside the home - a real changeand emotional challenge for many parentswho grew up with close family ties aroundfood.

(Continued on Page 4)
http://www.vtitalians.com/http://www.vtitalians.com/


2/8

How many times might you have heard that expressionfrom parents not wanting to be given "a song and a dance"from a kid using an excuse not to do something? Well,about 50 VICA members, family and friends didn't needany excuse to join in on the song and the dance facilitatedby the talents of Celest DiPietropaolo and Marie DiCocco,who came as guests to the June 28 th VICA picnic at Oak-ledge Park in Burlington. The couple is in the process oftransferring their residence to the Montpelier area and are

eager to be assimilated into the Vermont Italian communityas resource folks who have studied authentic song anddance among the villages of Italy.

The fun of the picnic also included games of bocce onOakledge's newest bocce courts, a wine auction, kidsmaking gelato with the help of Adele Dienno, swimming,ball-playing, and of course, definitely last but not least,ENJOYING ALL THE FANTASTIC FOOD ANDWINE everyone brought to share, family-style!

The annual VICA picnic is also the traditional gatheringwhere new officers and board members of VICA are

elected every two years. This year we voted. See the newslate of officers, board, and committee members listed onthe opposite page. Congratulations to them.

I l M e s s a g g i oPage 2

Dont Give Me a Song and a Dance......unless its at a picnic with Celest DiPietropaolo and Marie DiCocco

Ferragostoby M. Galatola Durante Augusto in Italia fa moltocaldo. Quegli che possono vanno allemontagne od alle spiaggie che sono ap-

erte e non troppo lontano. Rimangano

soltanto qualche lavoratore e turisti

stranieri. La tradizione di lasciare lecitta' esisteva dai tempi antiche. Il nome Ferragosto e'derivato da ' feriae Augusti', cioe' le feste del Imperatore Augustus. Caesar Augustus fu il fondatore del Impero

Romano. Piu tardi La Chiesa Catolica ha introdotto la

festa dell Assunzione di Maria Virgine al quindici di

augusto. Ora, in questi giorni, italiani dovunque nelmundo festegiavano Ferragosto, inoltre al quindicid'augosto, al qualsiasi giorni desiderano. Nel Bronx

di Nueva York al Arthur Avenue Ferragosto e' celebrato

nella prima settimana di settembre.

Protecting ItalysBeachesItalian beaches likethis one in Fran-covilla on the Adri-atic are full of vaca-tioners during theFerragosto holidays.This year, according

to a news story in NIAF's News Monthly, 227 Italian beaches were awarded Blue Flags, identifying them ashaving the highest quality in water, facilities and environ-mental education. That number represents 12 more thanlast year's tally, indicating a rise of local commitment to protecting the environment which attracts thousands of

vacationers to its shores. (photo by Usher)


3/8

I l M e s s a g g i o

New VICA Officers & BoardUnanimously Elected into Office at the VICA Annual Picnic on 6-28-09

Term of Office: Two Years, June 2009 - June 2011

OFFICERS:

President: Adele DiennoVice Presidents: Don Catalano & Barbara Guiduli

Secretary: Carol Usher /Treasurer: Audry Rini

Some newly elected members at the Picnic ( from left ) :Barbara Marden ( with daughter ) ,Carol Usher,AdrienneDonohue, Adele Dienno (with dog ) , Barbara Guiduli,

and Nancy Specht

BOARD:

Ann Arms, Barbara Butler, Adele Dienno, Adrienne Donohue, Franco Gatti, Barbara Guiduli, Barbara Marden, Audry

Rini, Nancy Specht, Carol Usher, David Usher

COMMITTEE CHAIRS:

Amici Scheduling .Ann Arms & Barbara Butler

Archivist ...Adrienne Donohue

Editors,II Messagio..Carol and David Usher

Events Publicist ..Nancy Specht

Hospitality Chair/Special Events and Activities Coordinator.Barbara Marden

Membership Coordinator ...Carol Usher

Il Messagio Distribution ....Susan Hardin

Movie Coordinator/Language Instructor......Franco Gatti

Webmaster.....Julie Bonanno

Page 3


4/8

Back to School! (continued from Page 1)

"Homework" for kids once they reach scuola media("middle school") seems to challenge parents as much asthe kids themselves. If you are thinking that the usual

concept of homework in America as the teacher givingextra practice at home for work the children have beenstudying in class, then you might be wrong. Accordingto some reports, children are given something entirelynew at home which often requires hours of help from parents to absorb. Poveri genitori!Homework is alsooften assigned for vacations, increasing the angst offamilies trying to relax with time off from work. For par-ents who work full-time with little or no time off, somecities offer the children two weeks at colonie estive("summer camps") at public properties at the seaside, inthe mountains, or on the lakes, using a sliding scale fee

so that even low-income families can participate.

At the end of elementary, middle, and high school, eve-ryone has to take an exam, both written and oral. Italy isbig on exams. The middle school exam determines whatsort of high school you would go to (if any). The type ofhigh school you go to then determines the kind of uni-versity you might attend. The high school system itself isquite complex, with numerous choices. A huge factorthat turned up on some of the internet blogs was the is-sue of cheating, which apparently is more common thanwe would like to think, with little attention by authorities

to interfere with it. Apparently, the use of the cell phoneis a big factor, with kids often going to the bathroom andcalling for outside help!

But the upshot of any good educational system can besummed up in a quote from Arturo Graf, a late 19th-century Italian poet, critic, and educator. He said: "Greatis the teacher who, teaching little, sparks in the student ahuge desire to learn." With all the effort of producing thebest educational systems, and with all the inevitable pros

and cons that go along with them, Grafs sentiment canbe the best indicator of a job well-done.

Italian in elementary school? Si! In Vermont? Si, certo!

Why?Perche no? At the Robinson Elementary Schoolin Starksboro, more than 100 students from 1st through

6th

grades have had a taste of the Italian language andculture for the past four years.

Working in conjunction with the school-based ForeignLanguage Committee at Robinson School, VICA member Nicole Librandi secured grant funds for the pro-gram from several sources, including NIAF and theItalian Consulate in Boston. Italian was taught duringthe regular school day, after school and in a summercamp setting through games, music, songs, rhymes,

storytelling and cooking, thus enriching the studentsexposure to a culture which fascinated them. VICAmember Francesca Merrill was one of the teachers who

was enthusiastically received by both students andstaff, who described the sessions as lively,

engaging, and contagious.

Dr. Carlo Cipollone of the Boston Consulate, who vis-ited the schools Italian group, was also favorably im-pressed. He is now interested in extending some of thefunds available from the Consulate for broadening theinfluence of the Italian culture to some VICA projects

in the near future.

Robinson students learning about bocce with Aimee

Motta and Barb Ouimette

P a g e 4 I l M e s s a g g i o

Italian in Elementary SchoolAs experienced and reported by Nicole Librandi

Bocce Balls:

Early Romans were among the first people to play bocce.They used coconuts from Africa, instead of the balls nowthrown at a smaller target ball. The first Italian bocceleague was created in 1947. Italy often plays in the BocceWorld Championship, which has been held every year

since 1947.

Home

Home is where the heart is. This couldnt be a moreappropriate expression for an Italian who has a strongregional pride and a profound emotional attachment to

his own or his familys birthplace or ancestral village.Italians even have a word for it: campanilismo, de-

rived from the word campanile (bell tower).


5/8

P a g e 5 I l M e s s a g g i o

More on the Italian Language...Adventure with Italian Names

...with Bill Tortolano

Enjoy a witty, funny, and sometimes sad journey with Bill ashe describes the changes made in Italian family names, op-era names, and those that were changed because of preju-dice. By the end of the evening your Italian vocabularyshould be increased and your sense of humor tickled - justfrom discovering tidbits of information from words you useevery day. Wed, Oct 21, 7-9pm, Community Room, FletcherFree Library, Burlington.

VICA Awards a ScholarshipThanks to a matching contribution by a member of VICA,our group gave a generous $200 scholarship award to theScuola Italiana at Middlebury College this summer for a stu-

dent who demonstrated strong interest in the cultural ties be-

tween America and Italy. In this way, we further our club's

goal of enhancing the influence of the Italian culture with our

own.

In exchange, the Director of the Scuola Italiana, Dr. Antonio

Vitti, graciously welcomes VICA members to attend films and

conferences held during the summer months sponsored by the

Scuola. A schedule of these events can be viewed on line at the

Middlebury College website. (www.middlebury.edu)

Young Travelers Can Win Trip to ItalyAlitalia is sponsoring a young traveler's writing contest "in

the spirit of discovery and learning" ... of Italy, of course!

The contest is open to those between the ages of 8 and 14

who have made, or will make, a transatlantic flight on Alitalia

or Air One originating in the US between the dates of June

24, 2009 and September 9, 2009.

The grand prize is a trip to Italy for the youngster and two

legal guardians. The essays of ten of the writers will be se-lected for publication on Alitalia.com and receive multiple

gift items, including sweatshirts, caps, tote bags and a $100

voucher towards a future Alitalia flight.

The deadline for the essays is September 15, 2009. Guide-

lines are detailed on theirwebsite at http://www.alitalia.com/US_EN/special_offers/youngwriters_offer.asp . (If you don'thave web connections and are interested, contact CarolUsher, 802-863-2487)

Student Connections With theLocal Community by Nicole LibrandiOnPrimo Maggio last spring, 5thand 6thgrade Rob-inson Elementary School students of Italian had the

chance to ''walk in the footsteps" of a group of Ital-

ian children from Lawrence, Massachusetts who, in

1912, were brought to Barre in order to be kept safe

from the violence of the textile workers' strike. TheRobinson students were met at the Old Labor Hall

by Docent Joe1en Mulvaney of the Barre Historical

Society, who guided them through the "living his-

tory" of Barre at the Hall and in downtown Barre.

The students' encounter with living history continued

with meeting Katherine Paterson, award-winning au-thor of "Bread and Roses, Too", visiting the sculptingstudio of Jerry Williams, experiencing quarrying and

stoneworking at Rock of Ages, and touring Hope

Cemetery with Carrara-born sculptor Giuliano Cecchi-

nelli.

The day's events culminated two years of

study of the Italian language and culture with

classroom teacher Peg Brakeley and Italian

teacher Francesca Creta Merrill.

Robinson students and teachers at the

Barre Socialist Labor Hall
http://www.middlebury.edu/http://www.alitalia.com/us_EN/special_offers/youngwriters_offer.asphttp://www.alitalia.com/us_EN/special_offers/youngwriters_offer.asphttp://www.middlebury.edu/


6/8

Page I l M e s s a g g i o

Sulla soglia del tramonto innevato

passando senza sosta

paesi ignari e sconosciuti,guardo le case sulle alture

le fattorie seminate nelle valli.

Guardo le case ai bordi delle stradedei villaggi che si preparano al riposo.

Guardo e vedogente serena che si appresta

a scambiarsi un segno di calore,un sorriso,

intorno alla tavola del cibo.

Ora il sole e tramontato,il buio in prima fila,

le luci delle case

annebbiate dai fari dei motori,

forte e il desiderio di abitarein una di quelle finestre illuminate

e invidio il caldo focolareprivo com e

del viaggiare le mie ansie.

At the threshold / of a snow-mantled sunset / cutting across the silent villages, / I watch the houses on the hills, the farmsseeded in the valleys. / I watch the houses along the road / of villages who prepare to rest./ I watch and see serene people /

preparing to exchange / a warm sign, / a smile, / around the table of the food. / Now the sun has settled down, / the dark is infront row,/ the light of the houses / fogged by the headlights, / strong is the desire / to live inside one of those / warm lighted

windows / and for a while to set aside / the anxieties of the road.

Nota: Per noi che viviamo in questa regione del Vermont, sopprattutto la I89 Nord simbolizza il ritorno

a casa, dopo una vacanza o un lungo viaggio sulla costa ed oltre. Questo e ancora piu vero in inverno,quando non vediamo l ora di raggiungere il tepore della casa e i nostri cari familiari. La poesia Inter-

state 89 North e stata scritta dopo un viaggio alquanto pericoloso mentre ritornavo dall aeroporto diBoston. Il felice ritorno a casa da un viaggio irto di pericoli, nel gelo e nel buio della notte e una sensa-

zione ancestrale molto sentita dagli Italiani, dove la casa e i familiari che vi abitano, viene espressa con

un bellissimo termine il focolare.

Focolare quindi non significa solo il luogo dove si cucina o si accende il fuoco nel camino, ma si es-

pande fino ad includere il sicuro e confortevole nucleo familiare.

Interstate 89 North (Inverno) 2006

By Franco Gatti


7/8

I l M e s s a g g i oPage 7

Check

Out

Fall

2009

Dates

Calendar of Events: Fall 2009Upcoming VICA Events

Wed, Sept 16: Amici Luncheon at Toscanos, Richmond,11:30am,reservations

(contact Ann Arms 802-863-5155 or Barbara Butler 802-863-6897)

Wed, Oct 21.Tortolanos Adventure With Italian Names, Community Room, Fletcher Free Library,

Burlington, 7-9pm

(contact Barbara Guiduli 802-862-4200)

Sun, Nov. 1: Coffee Socialfrom 2-5pm at the home of member Adrienne Donohue

545 So. Prospect St, Unit 15, Burlington

(contact Adrienne 802-862-5153)

Fri, Nov. 27:Italian Film Nightat 6:30pm at the Deborah Rawson MemorialLibrary in Jericho (film TBA)

(contact Franco 802-899-3869)

On-going VICA events

Italian Conversation Classes: 2nd and 4thWednesdays, St. Michaels College,

St. Edmonds Hall, Room 101, 7-9 pm

(contact Franco Gatti, 802-899-3869)

Italian Movie Night: quarterly at Deborah Rawson Memorial Library in Jericho

(see schedule above)(contact Franco 802-899-3869)

Amici Luncheons: Monthly at various venues (see schedule above)

(contact Ann Arms 802-863-5155 or Barbara Butler 802-863-6897)

Community events

Roxy Theater, Burlington: VerdisRigoletto, Sun, Sept.6, 11am

(contact:802-864-FILM)

VT Philharmonic Opera Night, Oct 17, 7:30pm, St.Johnsbury School; Oct 18, 3:30pm

Barre Opera House (featuring winners from the Bel Canto Institute)

(contact: 802-244-6828 or www.vermontphilharmonic.org)

NIAF Washington DC Convention and Gala: Oct 23-24, 2009, with speakers,

entertainment, food and wine tastings, documentaries, awards

(see www.niaf.org/ for more information)

"Strega Nona": Main Stage Flynn, Sun, Jan 10, 2010 at 3pm. A musical based on Tomie De-

Paolos book, Strega Nona.

(tix contact: 802-863-5966 orwww.flynntix.org)
http://www.flynntix.org/http://www.flynntix.org/http://www.flynntix.org/


8/8

I l M e s s a g g i oV e r m o n t I t a l i a nC u l t u r a l A s s o c i a t i o nP . O . B o x 3 1 5 5B u r l i n g t o n V T 0 5 4 0 8

gardens from which they mayview the extent of the manysculptures, waterfalls, lakes andflowers, as well as the veryfamous English garden. TheRoyal Palace with its gardens islisted as a UNESCO World

Heritage Site.

The old town (Caserta Vec-chia), founded by the Lombardsin the 8th century, lies on hills 3

miles northeast of the moderncity, which was a village knownas Torre belonging to the Caet-ani family of Sermoneta untilthe construction of the RoyalPalace.In the ItalianRisorgi-mento (movement for politicalunity), the Battle of the Vol-turno (1860), in which the na-tionalist leaderGiuseppe Gari-

Americans, is the Versaillesof Italy (La Piccola Ver-

sailles nel Regno di Napoli)in a county-side surrounded

by huge ranches that produce

unparalleled mozzarella.

The last great building ofthe Italian baroque, it wascommissioned by Charles IVand designed by southernItalys greatest architect,

Luigi Vanvitelli. Althoughyou can't visit each of its1200 rooms, the ones you cansee are extravagant and ex-quisite. The 116 steps of themain foyer, carved from onegigantic block of marble, lead

to the rooms that can be seen.

Small buses take touristsaround the 2-mile stretch of

baldi defeated the Neapolitanforces, was fought around Ca-serta. In World War II theRoyal Palace served for a timeas the headquarters of the Al-lied command, and the surren-der of the German army in Italywas signed there on April 29,1945. More recently, it has beenthe set for several famous mov-ies such as Star Warsand Mis-

sion Impossible III.

WHO WE ARE :To better acquaint you with who we are on a personal level, this featured section of Il Messaggio is reservedfor either a short autobiographical portrait of a VICA member or of a place in Italy from which one of our members

families emigrated. This issue is dedicated to Caserta.

In Campania, the region

of Italy that boasts Naplesas its capital and renownedfor the Amalfi Coast, Sor-rento, the ancient city ofPompei, and the island ofCapri, the city ofCasertais probably best known forits Royal Palace. Situated

just east of Naples, the1200-room palace, visited

by more Italians than

NOTE: Anytime you wantto switch between an elec-tronic or a hard copy ofIlMessaggio, please let editorknow. ([email protected] 802-863-2487)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_gardenhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/88265/Caetani-familyhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/88265/Caetani-familyhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225978/Giuseppe-Garibaldihttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225978/Giuseppe-Garibaldihttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/648813/World-War-IIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Warshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Warshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Impossible_IIIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Impossible_IIIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Impossible_IIIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Impossible_IIIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Impossible_IIIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Warshttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/648813/World-War-IIhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225978/Giuseppe-Garibaldihttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225978/Giuseppe-Garibaldihttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/88265/Caetani-familyhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/88265/Caetani-familyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_garden

vica il messaggio fall 2009 issue 082409

Documents