It’s Easter. Buona Pasqua a tutti. I am supposed to say that, but my heart really isn’t in it. Alright, I admit it. I am not that into Easter. Gosh, I feel like an old curmudgeon when I say things like that. A couple of weeks back I posted that I wasn’t crazy about St. … Continue reading Holy Thursday, Good Friday, & Sorrento
Culture
Carlo Levi, Author of “Christ Stopped at Eboli”
Where do you live? Some place rural where the air is clean and you know your neighbors? Maybe you are an urban dweller, attracted to the excitement and diversity of a big city. Now, imagine all of that taken away. Imagine, someone from the government forcibly taking you to an unfamiliar place, far away from … Continue reading Carlo Levi, Author of “Christ Stopped at Eboli”
Nothing Against St. Patrick, but I’m Italian, give me The Feast of St. Joseph
Let me start by saying that I have no animosity towards the Irish. Even though my first wife was Irish, I hold no grudge against all of those from the Emerald Isle. I even think that Lucky Charms are magically delicious. However, I am not Irish even on St. Patrick’s Day. When I was a … Continue reading Nothing Against St. Patrick, but I’m Italian, give me The Feast of St. Joseph
Italians Don’t Speak Dialects. Or Do They?
Often you will hear people refer to the languages spoken in the various regions of Italy as dialects. Someone will say they speak the Florentine dialect or the Apulian dialect. I am currently reading the Neapolitan Novels, by Elena Ferrante, who frequently refers to characters using dialect. The reality is that the languages spoken in … Continue reading Italians Don’t Speak Dialects. Or Do They?
Anti-Italianism is Alive & Well
1891 Lynching of Italian Americans I was called a Guinea this week. I never had that happen before. I was also told that when the Nazis marched into Italy Hitler told them to not defecate (that was not the word he used) in the streets because he wanted to starve the Italians. That one was … Continue reading Anti-Italianism is Alive & Well
