An Italian American Gazette of the Greater Washington DC Area

Archbishop Wuerl Rededicates Holy Rosary Church

Vol. 56 ▪ No. 9Washington D.C.

Canova: “Amore” ritorna in ItaliaCelebrato il 250.mo anniversario della nascita dello scultore

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Stranieri in Italia 2Intervista: Armando Vaccari 4 First Lady at NIAF luncheon 5Editorials 8History of the Lido Civic Club 9La Moda 10Cinema: “La sconosciuta” 10Books for your library 11

October 2007 $1.50

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Si celebra quest’anno il 250° anniversa-rio della nascita di Antonio Canova, nato a Possagno, nel Veneto, alle falde del Monte Grappa, il novembre del 1757.

La figura e l’opera del Canova, sono fa-mosissime e, forse proprio un pò per ques-to, vengono ancora viste dal pubblico in un’ottica, per dir così, scolastica e conven-zionale.

Si parla di freddezza, di imitazione de-gli antichi, di academia, mentre invece l’ispirazione classica, l’armonia, il perfetto senso delle proporzioni, nascono in ogni sua opera da “lungo studio e grande amore” per usare una espressione dantesca, e, come

The 32nd annual National Italian Ameri-can Foundation Gala, held on October 12, 2007, hosted some three thousand guests, representing a wide swath of Italian Ameri-can successes. Though President George Bush did not attend, for the seventh con-secutive year, he sent Laura Bush to be the keynote speaker at the luncheon held ear-lier that day. (For excerpts of her remarks, please turn to page 5.)

At the evening Gala, Maria Bartiromo, a CNBC anchor, served as master of ceremo-nies, dispensing awards to a glittering array of famous Italian Americans. Filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who is of Sicilian heritage, received the “Jack Valenti Award,” named for the late president of the Motion Picture Association of America, who played a key role in the creation of NIAF.

Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani was presented with the public service award for his work as Mayor of New York City. A spe-cial award was given to William Novelli, president of AARP, the lobbying organiza-tion for seniors. Novelli’s parents emigrated from Calascio in Abruzzo. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi also received a public service award, presented to her by Arizona governor Janet Napolitano. Pelosi, who was born in Baltimore, is the first woman, first

H.E. Donald W. Wuerl, S.T.D. Archbishop of Washington, D.C., delivered a homily at Holy Rosary Church in Italian and English. Please turn to page 6 for complete story.

Please turn to page 5

Mario R. Capecchi, distinguished profes-sor of human genetics and biology at the University of Utah’s Eccles Institute of Hu-man Genetics, is one of a trio of researchers who were awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The prize recog-nizes Capecchi’s pioneering development of “knockout mice” technology, a gene-target-ing technique that has allowed the creation of animal models for hundreds of human diseases, including the modeling of cancers in the mouse.

“It is a great honor to share this prize with Drs. Oliver Smithies and Martin Ev-ans,” said Capecchi, “We have been very fortunate in having a longstanding scientific friendship and in being able to profoundly contribute to each other’s work. This prize

is a tribute to our collective efforts.”The Nobel tops a long list of honors for

Capecchi, who, as a child, was forced to wander the streets of Italy after the Nazis took his mother to a concentration camp. Among other recognitions, he has received the Medal of Science, America’s highest award for lifetime achievement in scientific research.

Knockout technology makes possible de-tailed evaluation of the function of every mouse gene at any stage of development or in the adult. The technology not only has made possible the production of animal models for human disease, but it also is pro-viding researchers with insights into under-standing fundamental biological questions, including development of the brain in the embryo or its function in the adult.

Capecchi was born in 1937 in Verona, It-aly, of an American mother, Lucy Ramberg, who did not marry Capecchi’s father, an of-ficer in the Italian air force. Capecchi’s ear-liest memories are of the Nazis taking away his mother, a poet who had aligned herself with anti-Fascist intellectuals. Before leav-ing for the Dachau concentration camp, she sent her son to live with a poor family of farmers, giving them funds for his support. But the money ran out and he was forced to live on the streets for four years.

His mother was liberated by the Americans in 1945 and after a year of searching was reunited with her son. Together, they came to the U.S. to live with his uncle. Capecchi received a B.S. degree from Antioch Col-lege in 1961 and a Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard University in 1967. •

Mario Capecchi, Gene-Targeting Pioneer, Wins Nobelby Francesco Isgrò

Nobel prize winner Mario Capecchi

Italian-born researcher spent part of his youth as a street urchin

Californian, and first Italian American to hold the powerful position of House Speaker.

“Grey’s Anatomy” actress Ellen Pompeo,

NIAF Gala Attracts Luminaries and Three Thousand Guests

di Anna Bujatti Justice Samuel Alito and Rudy Giuliani

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, patron saint of Church celebrated

seppe scrivere luminosamente Stendhal, Canova “ebbe il coraggio di non copiare i

greci” ma “di inventare una bellezza, come i greci avevano fatto”.

L’anniversario può dunque costi-tuire l’occasione per una rivisi-tazione, fuori da-gli schemi sco-

lastici, anche delle opere più famose dell’artista, e insieme per Henryk Lubomirski del Canova

FRANCESCO ISGRO

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Tax breaks for ‘bamboccioni’NEWS BRIEFS

Istat: gli stranieri in Italia sono 3 milioni

Rapporto italiani nel mondo 2007: una nuova sintesiLa Fondazione Migrantes ha presentato

recentamente il secondo “Rapporto Ital-iani nel mondo 2007” (464 pagine, edizioni Idos). Sono oltre 3,5 milioni (3.568.532) gli italiani che risiedono all’estero, un numero superiore ai cittadini stranieri che risiedono in Italia. Un’emigrazione che non è solo frutto di espatri avvenuti in passato ma che continua ai giorni nostri in-teressando giovani manager, lavoratori altamente quali-ficati, studenti e ricercatori, che aiutano l’Italia a essere a passo con le esigenze della globalizzazione. Sono questi alcuni dei dati che emergono. I cinquanta autori, che hanno curato i diversi capitoli, sono esperti dell’emigrazione itali-ana, prescelti tra studiosi, ricercatori, sin-dacalisti, missionari e rappresentanti delle comunità di italiani nel mondo.

Ad aprile 2007 i cittadini italiani residenti all’estero sono risultati quasi mezzo milione in più rispetto a un anno prima. Questo forte incremento è dovuto in gran parte ad un per-fezionamento dell’Anagrafe degli italiani residenti all’estero (Aire), che ha inserito,

in collaborazione con i Consolati, molte po-sizioni di connazionali prima sotto verifica, ma anche a nuovi espatriati, nuove nascite e nuove acquisizioni di cittadinanza.

Un’emigrazione prevalentemente con-centrata in Europa (2.043.998 presenze,

57,3% del totale) ed in Amer-ica (1.330.148, 34,3%), conta grandi paesi con mezzo mil-ione di presenze: Germania, Svizzera e Argentina. Il 18% dei connazionali agli esteri è costituito da ultrasessant-acinquenni, mentre è poco conosciuto che un altro 18% è costituito da minori, quasi ad attestare che si tratta di una presenza, che ha le radici nel passato, ma è protesa verso il futuro. Sono poi 100 mila

quanti nel tempo hanno acquisito la citta-dinanza italiana e diventeranno molto più numerosi perché sono migliaia le nuove domande. L’area degli oriundi è poi im-mensa, tra i 60 e i 70 milioni secondo stime, e questo spiega anche perché annualmente nel mondo vi siano 600 mila persone che frequentano corsi di italiano, la quarta lin-gua più studiata del mondo.

Nell’insieme si tratta di una rete preziosa, specialmente se imparerà ad utilizzarla con accortezza, per sostenere l’Italia nella diffi-cile sfida della competizione internazionale, tenuto anche conto che il valore delle nos-tre esportazioni ammonta a 327 miliardi di euro, e all’incirca dello stesso valore è il fat-turato delle imprese partecipate all’estero.

Partendo da una panoramica aggiornata sui flussi e sulle presenze all’estero, il Rap-porto della Fondazione Migrantes tratta sia gli aspetti socio-culturali e religiosi che quelli socio-economici, per soffermarsi nell’ultima parte su diversi approfondimenti tematici. •

Tel: 301-657-3960Fax: 301-657-3980

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4709 Montgomery LaneLower LevelBethesda, MD 20814 Parlo Italiano

Al 1° gennaio 2007 gli stranieri residenti in Italia sono poco meno di tre milioni, sec-ondo dati recenti di Istat, l’istituto di stati-sca aggiornati al primo gennaio 2007, con un incremento del 10,1% rispetto all’anno precedente. L’incremento relativo del 2006 è leggermente inferiore a quello registrato nell’anno precedente.

Va ricordato che nel periodo 2002-2004 il forte aumento dei residenti stranieri era sta-to determinato in larga misura dall’ultimo provvedimento di regolarizzazione (leggi n. 189 del 30 luglio 2002, art. 33, e n. 222 del 9 ottobre 2002). Grazie ad esso, infatti, numer-osi immigrati già presenti in Italia avevano potuto regolarizzare la propria posizione e iscriversi successivamente in anagrafe.

Spiega l’Istat che la crescita della po-

polazione straniera residente in Italia -- 2.938.922 persone, di cui 1.473.073 maschi e 1.465.849 femmine -- è dovuta, anche nel 2006, all’aumento dei nati di cittadinanza straniera (figli di genitori entrambi stranieri residenti in Italia): il saldo naturale (differ-enza tra nascite e decessi) risulta in attivo per 54.318 unità. Il saldo migratorio con l’estero si attenua rispetto agli anni prec-edenti ma si mantiene elevato (+237.614 nel 2006 rispetto a +266.829 nel 2005).

Il saldo naturale della popolazione stra-niera in Italia, pur essendo nettamente più basso rispetto a quello migratorio, risulta particolarmente significativo se contrap-posto a quello della popolazione residente di cittadinanza italiana, negativo (-52.200 unità) nel 2006. •

Italy attempts to lure single men from family homesItalian Economics Minister Tommaso

Padoa-Schioppa has proposed a tax break to lure Italian men in their 30s who still live with their parents away from the fam-ily home. Politicians from across the polit-ical spectrum have berated him for calling these men ‘big babies,’ blaming the prob-lem on high rents and poor job prospects.

A whopping one-third of Italian men over 30 still live at home with their par-ents but now the Italian government is hop-ing to provide an incentive for these aging boys to grow up.

Italy’s Economics Minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa is offering what amounts to a $1,400 tax break over three years for young Italians who move away from home and rent instead. “We must send those we call ‘bamboccioni’ out of the house,” the minister told a Senate hearing on the 2008 draft budget.

But his comments have caused an uproar in Italy, according to Reuters, with politi-cians from both left and right rushing to defend the young Italian men who they say cannot be blamed for a stagnant economy

and soaring rents.“This absurd gaffe shows how he’s proba-

bly not clear how precarious is the situation afflicting an entire generation,” Franceso Caruso, a communist member of Romano Prodi’s coalition government told Reuters. Isabella Berolini of the right-wing Forza Ita-lia party urged Prodi to scold his minister for his “offensive” words, while trade union leader Guglielmo Epifani said that the sharp rise in the cost of living meant that the tax break would not be enough to help young Italians support themselves..

“While the lure of mamma’s cooking and a free laundry service may be keeping some 30-somethings in the parental home,” said Reuters, there are other factors beyond their control that make it difficult for them to leave. Many Italians only leave univer-sity in their late 20s and then have to scrape by on the meager wages from internships or short-term contracts, while those in their 50s and 60s hang on to the better jobs. Other factors are exorbitant rents and a bleak job market that also make it difficult for young Italians to afford their own place.•

RAI archives to be shared with American universitiesLetter of intent signed at Italian Embassy

On October 12, 2007, the Embassy of Ita-ly in Washington, RAI, the Italian National Television Network, and fifty-two American universities signed a Letter of Intent on the use of document archives owned by RAI and the Luce Institute for the teaching of the Italian language.

The Signature represents the culmination of a process which began in May 2006 on an experimental basis with six prestigious American universities; now it is extended to fifty-two additional universities.

This result has been possible in part thanks

to the rediscovery of the Italian language by an increasing and heterogeneous American public. In particular, the Italian language is becoming a more and more frequent choice for American students pursuing their aca-demic degrees.

According to a recent report by the Insti-tute of International Education, in 2006 the number of U.S. students who chose to study in Italy increased by 13%, making Italy the second top destination for studying abroad, second only to Great Britain. •

STRANIERI IN ITALIA(al 31 dicembre)

2002 1.549.373

2003 1.990.159

2004 2.402.157

2005 2.670.514

2006 2.938.922

Voce ItalIanaWashington D.C., October 2007 3

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Canova scolpì nel 1818 la statua di George Washington per il Campidoglio di Washington

La statua di George Washington del Canova

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la riscoperta di opere meno note o addirit-tura dimenticate. La Polonia, ad esempio, ha inviato a Possagno la squisita statua del principino polacco Henryk Lubomirski raf-figurato come “Amore” che non aveva mai lasciato la terra polacca da quando vi era gi-unta nel 1790.

In questa occasione si sono svolte varie interessanti manifestazioni nel paese natale amatissimo dall’artista, molte delle quali ambientate nella gipsoteca, adiacente alla sua casa natale.

La gipsoteca raccoglie tutti i gessi delle statue del Canova che egli, sempre attentis-simo alle varie fasi di preparazione e di doc-umentazione del suo lavoro faceva eseguire, curandoli personalmente con estrema cura, al compimento di ognuna delle sue opere.

Conserva dunque anche il gesso di una statua che ai lettori di Voce Italiana dovreb-be essere particolarmente cara, la statua di George Washington che Canova scolpì nel 1818 per il Campidoglio di Washington, ivi inaugurata nel 1821 alla Rotonda di Raleigh e distrutta in seguito a un incendio che dev-astò il Campidoglio nel 1831.

La statua di George Washington fu scolpi-ta da Canova nel 1818 per invito di Thomas Jefferson, proprio lui, l’autore della Dichi-arazione di Indipendenza del 1776, ormai ritiratosi dalla vita pubblica. L’incarico fu comunicato a Canova dal Console ameri-cano a Livorno, Thomas Appleton. Si trat-tava di una iniziativa presa dal Senato e dalla Camera dei Comuni del North Caro-lina nel 1815, e Thomas Jefferson aveva fatto personalmente il nome di Canova come dell’artista che meglio di altri avrebbe saputo interpretare il carattere, più ancora delle fattezze fisiche, del grande condottiero e statista americano.

Antonio Canova era allora al culmine della sua fama e tuttavia si impegnava come sempre nella preparazione di ogni opera con estrema accuratezza. Durante l’elaborazione

del lavoro, egli volle leggere La guerra d’indipendenza americana di Carlo Botta (pubblicata nel 1809) e poté dichiarare in piena coscienza, umana prima ancora che artistica, scrivendo una lettera a commento del suo lavoro: “l’ho fatto volentieri, per-ché [Washington] è un galantuomo.” Con meditata scelta, Canova decise di raffigura-re Washington non al colmo della sua gloria militare, ma subito dopo, cioè alla fine della guerra di indipendenza, nel 1783, mentre firma la lettera di dimissioni.

Washington sarà nominato nel marzo 1789 primo Presidente degli Stati Uniti,

ma Canova preferisce raffigurarlo nel mo-mento in cui egli depone le armi e si ritira dalla scena, pago della missione compiuta. Ed é in questa scelta un riflesso del carattere

dello stesso Canova, schivo ed alieno da successi mondani, tutto assorbito nel suo lavoro, nella certezza della sua arte.

La figura morale, più che militare e guerresca, di Washington aveva infatti attratto lo scultore che, dal canto suo, aveva dato più volte prova di indipen-denza nei confronti degli aspetti pub-blici, esteriori, della fama e del potere. Ricevendo un invito di Caterina di Russia alla sua corte, Canova esprime-va così, in una lettera privata, il senso del suo rifiuto: “io non voglio vivere con più lusso né lavorar meno, bensì li-bero e lontano dalle infinite brighe che porta l’essere ad una corte.”

La statua raffigura Washington nei panni di un condottiero dell’antica Roma, seduto,con la spada ai suoi piedi, mentre incide su una tavoletta, con espressione pensosa, il testo della

sua lettera di dimissioni. Spira dalla sua figura un’aura di austerità e di consapev-olezza che non ha niente di esteriore, ma è tutta concentrata nell’espressione assorta del volto e nel misurato e sereno disporsi del corpo del guerriero in riposo.

E la statua, che purtroppo non possiamo più vedere nel marmo originario, ci sembra confermare l’intuizione che ebbe, nel suo Panegirico ad Antonio Canova (1810) lo scrittore Pietro Giordani: “lo diresti da una Provvidenza pietosa collocato sul doppio confine della memoria e della immaginazi-one umana, a congiungere due spazi infiniti, richiamando a noi i passati secoli, e facendo dei nostri tempi ritratto ai tempi avvenire”.

La statua di Washington appartiene all’ultimo periodo della creatività cano-viana. Nello stesso anno in cui Canova scolpì la statua di Washington, egli veniva progettando il Tempio, la Chiesa parrocchi-ale (dove giacciono le sue spoglie), Tempio che egli volle donare ai suoi compaesani di Possagno dove dal 1820 si ritirò.

Antonio Canova morì nel 1822 e la tes-timonianza più toccante del tenace attacca-mento al suo lavoro, spinto fino all’eroismo, possiamo leggerla nel referto medico steso alla sua morte in cui si parla dell’uso “im-moderato del trapano appoggiato d’incontro alla parete destra del torace ( che) gli ab-bassò le costole di quel lato che depresse rimasero per tutta la sua vita.”

Ammirando la bellezza e la grazia che spirano dalle più celebrate opere dell’artista non dovremmo mai dimenticare quanto di studio intenso e appassionato, quanto di im-pegno e di vera e propria fatica fisica esse hanno alle spalle. •

di Pino Cicala

Mi Lassaru sulu, traduzione libera di One Man Show di Gilberto Idonea, il 16 ottobre, nell’Auditorium di Casa Italiana di Wash-ington, per due ore piene con la sola inter-ruzione di applausi a scena aperta, ha tenuto tutti incollati alla sedia per questo omaggio alla grandezza e popolarità del concittadino Angelo Musco, nel 70.mo anniversario della sua scomparsa.

Ma in One Man Show, Gilberto Idonea ricorda anche altri personaggi che hanno portato alto il nome della Sicilia in tutto il mondo, Giovanni Grasso, Nino Marto-glio, e Luigi Pirandello giostrando con una disinvoltura che è di pochi, tra un ruolo e l’altro: ora in un passo di Liolà o Il berret-to a sonagli di Pirandello, ora in uno de Il gattopardo di Tomasi di Lampedusa, senza dimenticare uno dei dialoghi piu’ belli ed

intensi de Il giorno della civetta di Sciascia. Commovente, poi, quando si immerge con innata passione nei versi di Nino Martoglio, che raccontano una Sicilia colorita ed ani-mata, fino a fare ascoltare un vecchio disco inciso dallo stesso Martoglio che recitava le proprie poesie. E alle parole segue sempre un’immagine, una fotografia, una lettera che inquadra perfettamente il racconto in un’epoca, in un luogo.

Lo spettatore è completamente rapito, perchè Idonea è instancabile, passionale, entusiasta, commovente, spontaneo: mille volti per un uomo solo, un One Man che con il suo spettacolo racconta la vita di Angelo Musco, aneddoti, battute, situazioni dram-matiche e divertenti come quando l’attore catanese, ancora sconosciuto, aveva reci-tato, insieme alla sua compagnia, per un solo spettatore. E ancora quando lo zar di Russia ha voluto gli autografi di tutti, dopo

Idonea a Washington per un omaggio alla memoria di Angelo Musco aver visto recitare quel gruppo di bravissimi attori e loro da analfabeti firmarono con una

croce – due chi includeva il cognome - e il risultato fu una tavolozza simile “ad un camposanto” che spinse Musco a studiare ed evitare altre brutte figure simili.

Ma nel finale Idonea rende giustizia a tutti i siciliani della diaspora, i siciliani sparsi per il mondo, quando recita: “io vengo da una paese dove quando lo scienziato Archimede vi passeggiava, il poeta Sofocle vi scriveva

e recitava le sue tragedie, l’avvocato De-mostene vi dava le sue lezioni di oratoria ed il filosofo Gorgia vi sosteneva che nulla esiste e se esistesse non potremmo comuni-carlo agli altri, voi non eravate ancora nati mentre noi siciliani eravamo già grandi”.

Standing ovation alla fine per omaggi-are questo attore dalla grande espressività emotiva e fondatore del Teatro delle Arti di Catania che testimonia il suo grande amore per la tradizione del teatro popolare.

Diretto da Alessandro Idonea, figlio d’arte, e fortemente voluto da Melo Cicala, presidente del Comites di Washington DC, in cooperazione con Casa Italiana sotto gli auspici dell’Istituto Italiano di Cultura the One man Show si è concluso con la presen-tazione di un medaglia da parte della Diret-trice dell’ Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Dott. Rita Venturelli, a Gilberto Idonea Paladino della Cultura Italiana nel mondo. •

Rita Venturelli and Gilberto Idonea

Voce ItalIanaWashington D.C., October 2007 �

delle altre attvità necessarie per la realiz-zazione del progetto. Però, Don Cesare, tra-mite Giulio Andreotti, allora Primo Ministro d’Italia, riuscì anche ad ottenere un generoso contributo dal governo italiano, che fu es-senziale per portare l’opera a compimento.

“In quel primo incontro nella canonica del Santo Rosario dec-idemmo che io avrei avuto le funzioni di redattore capo e mi sarei anche occu-pato della grafica e dell’ impaginatura, e che Don Cesare, oltre ad essere il di-rettore responsabile, si sarebbe occupato degli articoli ineren-ti alla costruzione di Casa Italiana. Gino Simi sarebbe stato responsabile per le notizie della comu-nita` e Luigi Neri di quelle dall’Italia. E cosi`demmo prin-cipio al giornale.

“Quando tutto il materiale era pronto, Don Cesare veniva al mio ufficio al Fondo Mon-etario Internazionale (dopo le ore di lavoro, ben inteso) e, insieme, noi due preparavamo la versione finale del giornale per mandarlo in istampa. Le fotografie ce le procuravano Denio Zara e Giuseppe Franchini, fotografi,

rispettivamente presso il Fondo Monetario e la Banca Mondiale. Le correzioni degli ar-ticoli, specialmente quelli in italiano, erano fatte da Nadia Savasta e Lydia Re, allora se-gretarie dell’ufficio parrocchiale.

“Qualche anno dopo l’inizio della pubbli-cazione, Gino Simi e Luigi Neri lasciarono

il giornale, Gino per motivi di salute e Lu-igi per i troppi suoi altri impegni person-ali, ma Voce Italiana continuò ad andare avanti, sebbene ci fosse stata una tem-poranea riduzione del numero dei lettori e un altrettanto tem-poraneo deficit nel bilancio del giornale. Però, e malgrado queste difficoltà, Voce Italiana continuò a pubblicare articoli della più svariata na-tura. C’erano quelli di Carlo Marini, sulla situazione politica ed

economica in Italia e nel mondo; e quelli storici di Ennio Caretto ripresi dal Corriere della Sera. Tenendo in considerazione la provenienza meridionale della stragrande maggioranza dei nostri lettori, il che riflette la storia stessa dell’emigrazione italiana verso gli Stati Uniti, Voce Italiana parlava di attrazioni turistiche, cucina, eventi del Mez-zogiorno Italiano, religione, e brani sulle due guerre mondiali, e la guerra coloniale fascista.

“Per rimediare ai problemi della Voce accenati poco prima, il nuovo parroco del Santo Rosario, Don Charles Zanoni e il suo stretto collaboratore, e mio amico, il medico Enrico Davoli, decisero che invece di cer-care di far serrata, bisognava andare avanti

Ex-redattore di Voce Italiana Armando Vaccari: lungo il sentiero dei ricordi Un articolo ricavato da un’intervista a

cura di Enrico Davoli con il nostro ex re-dattore capo Armando Vaccari

“Al principio degli anni settanta, l’allora parroco del Santo Rosario, Don Cesare Do-nanzan, cominciò ad avvertire il bisogno di un mezzo di comunicazione che gli per-mettesse di portare a conoscenza di tutta la comunità italo-americana della zona di Washington le varie inaziative che lui aveva preso per rafforzare ed espandere la parroc-chia e, soprattutto, informare gli italo-amer-icani di Washington della sua intenzione di costruire Casa Italiana e di iniziare corsi di lingua italiana, cioè Scuola Italiana.

“Qualcuno dovette aver parlato di me a Don Cesare,” ci ha detto Armando, “perchè lui mi invitò in canonica (credo al principio del 1973) assieme a Gino Simi e Luigi Neri. Durante questo incontro ci spiegò che vol-eva costruire Casa Italiana sul luogo che al-lora serviva da parcheggio per la chiesa, e che voleva cominciare a pubblicare un gior-nale che, tra l’altro, sarebbe servito ad infor-mare i lettori del progetto per la costruzione di Casa Italiana, e avrebbe anche aiutato a sollecitare contributi finanziari e altre forme di aiuto.

“Il giornale, destinato a rimpiazzare l’esistente giornaletto parrochiale che era diretto quasi esclusivamente a quelli che venivano a Messa, fu chiamato Voce Itali-ana, e subito divenne lo strumento principale per la raccolta di fondi e la coordinazione

a tutto spiano o, si potrebbe anche dire, bi-sognava buttarsi avanti per non cadere in-dietro.

“Le nuove direttive per il giornale furono delineate in una riunione convocata da Don Charles alla quale, oltre ai membri del Con-siglio di Redazione, parteciparono esponenti dell’Istituto Italiano di Cultura e rappresent-anti di organizzazioni civiche quali l’Ordine dei Figli d’Italia e il Lido Club. Il numero di pagine passò da 8 a 12, e fu deciso di incor-aggiare il più gran numero possibile di letto-ri a contribuire articoli e notizie di carattere locali. In questo riguardo l’apporto del Dr. Davoli è stato particolarmente ammirevole e facilitò molto il mio lavoro. La Dottoressa in Ricerche Angela Puglisi ed altre persone hanno anche contribuito alcuni articoli.

“Certamente, accontentare tutti è impos-sibile. Chi voleva più articoli in inglese, chi meno, ma sebbene la maggioranza dei let-tori forse preferisca l’inglese, è necessario continuare ad impiegare l’italiano per ovvie ragioni. C’era pure chi non era d’accordo sull’inserimento di articoli che rieovocava-no avvenimenti storici. Ma devo anche dire che i commenti favorevoli sono stati numer-osi. La RAI International ci invitò due volte a partecipare al programma ‘Sportello Italia’ e il commento finale della presentatrice fu: è un giornale fatto molto bene e, che io sap-pia, è l’unico in due lingue.

“Ma ci sono state altre espressioni di elogio, sia per me che per altre persone, in riconoscenza per il nostro servizio pluri-decennale alla parrocchia e alla comunità italo-americana di Washington. Per esem-pio, il 30 ottobre 1999, in occasione del Festival Autunnale celebrato ogni anno a Casa Italiana, Don Zanoni presentò a me e Gino Marinucci la Croce ‘Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice’ (per la Chiesa ed il Papa), una onoreficenza conferitaci dal Vaticano. Nel dicembre del 2006 Don Lydio presentò a me, Linda Pronio e Tony Volpe la medaglia d’oro G.B. Scalabrini. E queste, devo dire, sono belle soddisfazioni morali.”•

Ex-redattore Armando Vaccari

INTERVISTA

Voce ItalIana 5 Washington D.C., October 2007

whose parents emigrated from the province of Avellino, was honored for her work in the popular TV series. Pompeo stated that al-though she speaks little Italian, she has been to Italy numerous times and feels at home in the country. Another actress, as well as singer and businesswoman, Connie Stevens, was recognized for her humanitarian activi-ties.

Particularly moving was a video tribute, delivered by actress Gina Lollobrigida, to the memory of opera great Luciano Pava-rotti, who died last month.

Other notable Italian Americans attending the Gala included Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Antonin Scalia, American Ambassador to Italy Ronald Spogli, baseball legend Yogi Berra, former football champi-ons Vince Ferragamo and Vince Papale, and actors Tony Lo Bianco and Susan Lucci.

Italian officials included Giovanni Castel-laneta, Ambassador to Washington, Franco Danieli, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Sergio De Gregorio, president of the Commissione Difesa del Senato.

Giuliani, the frontrunner for the Repub-

lican nomination for president, summed up the Italian American immigrant experience. When asked by a Washington Post reporter

CASA ITALIANA595 Third Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20001-2703

Di Pino CicalaLe celebrazioni colombiane della Capi-

tale, nel mese del Retaggio Italiano, hanno avuto inizio Domenica 7 con una Messa Solenne nella Chiesa del Santo Rosario, e una cerimonia nell’atrio di Casa Italiana ai piedi della Statua di Colombo eretta nel 1992 dal Lido Civic Club per riaffermare il valore dell’ impresa del grande naviga-tore quando era di moda accusarlo di tutto. Lunedi 8 “Columbus Day”, La National Co-lumbus Celebration Association, le associ-azioni italo-americane in cooperazione con i Knights of Columbus, ed il National Park Service hanno ripetuto il tradizionale omag-gio che si ripete da anni, iniziato prima che, nel 1971, il Columbus Day divenisse festa nazionale.

E’ una celebrazione organizzata da volo-ntari, che non ha elaborate scenografie e pa-rate, che si autofinanzia, e che si conclude con la presentazione di una borsa di studio a uno studente di scuola media superiore vincitore di un concorso nazionale per una composizione su un tema colombiano spon-sorizzato dalla National Italian American Foundation, e gestito dalla Associazione DAR, (Figlie della Rivoluzione Americana).

Il tema proposto per il 2007: “O casa o in mare: diverse prospettive sul viaggio verso il nuovo mondo” ha attratto oltre 4.200 stu-denti da tutto il mondo. La cerimonia iniziata con la presentazione dei colori da parte della Guardia d’Onore dei Knights of Columbus,

l’esecuzione degli inni nazionali italiano ed americano dalla Banda dei Marines, è continuata con la lettura dei proclami del Presidente degli Stati Uniti e del Sindaco di Washington D.C. con i saluti dei rappresent-anti delle Nazioni legate all’impresa colom-biana: Italia, Spagna, Bahamas, e l’Unione degli Stati Americani.

Il Primo Consigliere dell’ambasciata itali-ana, Marco Mancini ha portato il saluto dell’ Italia con un indirizzo sull’aspetto europeo dell’impresa e di Colombo, sull’amicizia fra le due grandi democrazie, Italia e Stati Uni-ti, e sul contributo degli italiani al progresso degli Stati Uniti. Durante la cerimonia una-nime il ricordo riconoscente del compianto Dr. David Curfam, che per 12 anni organizzò l’evento, portandolo a livello e prominenza nazionale.•

Festeggiamenti colombiani nella capitaleOrganizzati dalla National Columbus Celebration Association

Laura Bush Addresses NIAF Luncheon“Italian Americans enrich communities across our nation.”At a luncheon event during the NIAF An-nual Gala weekend in mid-October, First Lady Laura Bush received the organiza-tion’s Special Achievement Award for her role in promoting literacy and education. The only other recipient of the award so far was her mother-in-law Barbara Bush. Excerpts from Laura Bush’s remarks follow:

Members and friends of the National Ital-ian American Foundation, I’m delighted to be with you today to celebrate Italian Heri-tage Month.

Across the United States, more than 25 million people claim Italian ancestry. They include leaders of fashion, business, and government -- including 30 members of the United States House and Senate, and two Justices on the Supreme Court. They’re found in education and the arts, in sports and the sciences, and on our White House staff.

Figures like Fiorello LaGuardia, Enrico Fermi, Dean Martin, and Vince Lombardi, are all American legends. Italian Americans like Sofia Coppola, Yogi Berra, and Giada De Laurentis are household names. Some-times we wish Italian Americans were just a little less accomplished. Usually, it’s after our second plate of fettucine alfredo.

Whether in old neighborhoods like the North End, Mulberry Street, and North Beach, rural farmlands, or expanding sub-urbs, Italian Americans enrich communities

across our nation. Your love of life makes our cities and towns more vibrant. Your love of the United States makes our coun-try stronger. In World War II, over a mil-lion Italian Americans defended the United States against the Axis powers. During the Civil War, one of the early Medals of Honor went to a Turin native named Luigi Palma di Cesnola. Reflecting Italian Americans’ broad achievements, this Union soldier lat-er became the first director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Italian Americans are justly proud of their contributions to our nation. They’re proud of their traditions -- traditions like baker-ies and Bocce ball, Sunday dinners and San Gennaro as well as the traditions of strong families, deep faith, and hard work.

For more than 30 years, the National Italian American Foundation has worked to preserve this rich heritage. You conduct student exchange programs between Italy and the United States. You champion Ital-ian Americans in government, media, and the arts. The Foundation connects friends of Italy through online forums, and reconnects Americans with their Italian families. I’m particularly interested in one of your most popular programs: the Italian Wine of the Month Club.

The Foundation promotes the achieve-ments of Italian Americans by recognizing outstanding individuals of Italian descent. Congratulations to all of the accomplished Italian-American women who are being honored this afternoon: my friend Susan Molinari, Pat Harrison, Marie Garibaldi, Nancy Chistolini, Lidia Bastianich -- I know how to say that -- and Deana Martin and Connie Stevens. Congratulations to each one of you. •

Columbus’ statue at Holy Rosary Church

Thomas V. CarusoFirst Vice President - Global Wealth Management

Morgan Stanley

1775 Eye Street, NW - Suite 200Washington, DC 20006

Tel. 202-862-9129, Fax 202-862-9198800-745-2451

thomas.caruso@ms.com

NIAF Gala Brings Italian Celebrities to the CapitalContinued from page 1

NIAF’s Kenneth Ciongoli and Yogi Berra

whether the Italian American model should be used as a template for other immigrant groups, Giuliani said: “The Italian American model is a good one for those who love their heritage, and when they become Americans, they realize this is what it’s all about.”•

FRANCESCO ISGRO

First Lady Laura Bush

Voce ItalIana � Washington D.C., October 2007

On the feast day of their patroness, Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, more pa-rishioners flocked to Holy Rosary Church’s 10:30 a.m. Italian language Mass on Oct. 7, than would typically be expected on a Christmas morning. “With deep gratitude and great joy,” principal celebrant Wash-ington Archbishop Donald Wuerl expressed pleasure “to participate in blessing of this beautifully restored church.”

Lifting the SpiritThe Mass marked a special day of prayer

and celebration at Holy Rosary Parish, the only national Italian parish in the Washing-ton metropolitan area. Joining Archbish-op Wuerl on his first visit to Holy Rosary Church, concelebrants included Father Ly-dio Tomasi, pastor of Holy Rosary and Msgr. Claudio Cricini and Msgr. Luciano Russo of the Apostolic Nunciature, popularly known as the Vatican Embassy.

“The gilding make the sanctuary gleam,” observed Father Tomasi, referring to gold-leafing of dark marble atop columns, on the pulpit, on organ pipes and other areas. “The interior is full of light that just elevates the spirit.”

Prior to this first restoration since the parish’s founding in 1913, Father Tomasi described the stained glass windows as dark and invisible; splatters obscured the screens; the confessional blocked the air conditioner.

Primarily aesthetic in nature. the resto-ration work was carried out over the sum-mer by D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Art Stu-dios of New York. Along with replacing all original electrical wiring, they washed and painted interior surfaces, restored all murals, cleaned and polished all marble, refurbished the pews and refinished the terrazzo floor.

The upgraded sound system was evident when listening to the traditional Italian, Lat-in and English hymns performed on Sunday under the direction of Maria Marigliano.

Following Communion, Archbishop Wuerl blessed a new statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, donated by Veronica Nobilio in memory of her late husband, Ar-turo Nobilio, parishioners at Holy Rosary

Newly Restored Holy Rosary Church Rededicated by Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl

The 45th annual Villa Rosa Italian Fes-tival was held on Sunday, September 16, 2007. Beautiful blue skies and warm tem-peratures contributed to drawing a crowd of more than 5,000 attendees. Chairpersons Nick and Darlene DiBattista were joined by approximately 150 friends and volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the week-end to ensure that the day was a huge suc-cess. The food was varied and outstanding and the lines to purchase were long.

This year’s proceeds, of more than $30,000 have been designated toward the purchase of a new bus to transport Villa Rosa residents.

More Than 5,000 Attend Villa Rosa Italian Festival

since immigrating from Nizza, Messina, in the early 1950s. The Nobilios’ daughters, Nina Nobilio Baccanari and Connie Nobilio Crupi were joined by nearly 30 other family members for the special Mass.

The fundraising campaign to raise the $425,000 necessary to support the project took just eight months to complete, accord-ing to Sergio Fresco, parish council presi-dent.

Sunday’s second collection was sched-uled to build the ongoing renovation fund to make facilities handicapped accessible and to renovate the parish hall and enlarge its kitchen.

Roots of FaithWorshipers streamed into the parish hall,

Casa Italiana, following Mass where restau-rateur Biagio Carannante served cappuccino and other refreshments.

A parishioner since 1979, Carannante ex-udes joy when speaking about his family’s devotion to Holy Rosary. His three children were all baptized there and two married there as well, typical for this community. Despite moving out to the suburbs, many parishio-ners gravitate back to this main source of religious and social support.

“There must be room for people to wor-ship in their own culture,” explained Father Tomasi. Besides trying to accommodate new parishioners from nearby Massachusetts Av-enue developments, added Father Tomasi, Holy Rosary is “trying to bring back third and fourth generation Italians, to reach them through their Catholic roots.”

Those efforts have certainly succeeded for the family of usher Enrico Davoli. “This is my life here,” he said. After half a dozen years as “itinerant worshipers,” following the loss of their son, his family found Holy Rosary Church during a daughter’s search for a church to baptize her son. Immedi-ately welcomed with warm hospitality, “We found a very warm community. It’s an ex-tended family here.”

(This article first appeared in the Catholic Standard on October 11, 2007.)

COMMUNITY NEWS

Clockwise from top right: Lector Geraldine Oliveto; Archbishop Wuerl blesses baby; Celebrants at Holy Rosary steps; Archbishop greets parishioners; Father Lydio Tomasi and Archbishop Wuerl.

by Sherri A. Watkins

FRANCESCO ISGRÒ

Voce ItalIanaWashington D.C., October 2007 7EMBASSY EVENTS Condoleeza Rice Delivers Remarks at Italian EmbassyDeputy Minister Daniele, Italian Consuls, CGIE, COMITES, and Representatives for North America Congregate Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was

the keynote speaker at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Cornerstone Schools in Washington, D.C., an event held at the Ital-ian Embassy recently.

Cornestone operates two private, academ-ically rigorous Christian schools for chil-dren of mainly low-income families. Am-bassador Castellaneta noted that the schools represent the success that can be achieved “when people of diverse backgrounds come together for a single purpose.”

Secretary Rice stated that the U.S. “values the friendship of Italy, which has been a dear friend.” She added that she shares the Cor-nerstone Schools’ devotion “to faith, family and education,” noting that she was fortu-nate in her own life “to come from a fam-ily and from a community in which those pillars -- faith, family and education -- were intertwined and all valued greatly.” •

Italian Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has pro-moted an initiative for Italian citizens liv-ing abroad, which offers them incentives to visit Italy. The project, created in coopera-tion with Asso Cral Italia, the Italian Minis-try of Culural Heritage, the National Italian Railway Company, Federalberghi, and oth-er services, has been created with the goal of stimulating and improving the frequency and quality of travel to Italy, on the part of our fellow-countrymen residing abroad.

This discount card commonly known as the “It.Card,” affords the traveler in Italy as well as abroad, a vast range of benefits. Travelers simply show the card and a valid Italian Identification Document. The card, in effect, gives its holder a discount of 10% to 50% (on average about 20%) on goods and services offered by the following com-panies: National Italian Railway Com-pany, Ferrovie dello Stato; Compagnie di

navigazione; Autogrill Fini; Federalberghi; Touring Club; AIG Youth Hostels; Hertz Car Rental; L’Espresso editorial group; Vil-lagi Turistici; some theaters in Rome, Flor-ence, Milan and Naples; red citysightseeing buses; Volagratis air company; some online shopping.

For further information, contact the Em-bassy’s Consular Office, or go to:www.esteri.it; www.assocral.org; or www.amb-washingtondc.esteri.it.

The It.Card: Enjoy Italy at a Discount

First Counselor Marco Mancini, Ambassador Umberto Vattani, Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta, Deputy Minister Franco Danieli, Ambassador Adriano Benedetti

On October 13, 2007, Italian Ambassa-dor Giovanni Castellaneta hosted the annual meeting of Consulates, Presidents of the Co-mitati degli italiani all’estero (COMITES), members of Consiglio Generale degli Ital-iani all’Estero (CGIE) elected in the United States, Parliamentarians elected in North America, and Honorary Consuls (Consuls and Vice Consuls).

The meeting opened with the introductory remarks of Senator Franco Danieli, the Dep-uty Minister for Italians Abroad. Minister Danieli touched on a number of issues that are percolating among the Italian communi-ties abroad, including reform of the legisla-tion authorizing Italian citizens to vote from abroad, reacquisition of Italian citizenship, restructuring of the RAI, strengthening of the consular network in the United States, and reform of the CGIE and COMITES.

The reform of the CGIE and the COMI-TES principally concerns the question of representation of Italian citizens abroad. On this point, Minister Danieli noted that in considering any reform, the “18 parliamen-tarians who have been elected directly” have a more legitimate claim to represent Italians

by Francesco Isgrò abroad and therefore are “worth more” than all others. Consequently, he stated, the roles of the CGIE and the COMITES have to fundamentally change. In particu-lar, he noted that since 30 percent of Ital-ians abroad vote, the relationship between the COMITES and the Italian communi-ties that they represent must be improved. Changes can be made either by amending current laws, as a number of proposals now being debated would do, or, if that is not feasible, the Italian government will introduce comprehensive legislation to ef-fect changes, said Danieli.

Carmelo Cicala, President of COMI-TES of Washington D.C., remarked to Voce Italiana, that Danieli’s declarations to reform the law that defines the role of the CGIE and COMITES are consistent with his “Proposta Cicala,” which he has been promoting since the election. “Dan-ieli’s statement satisfies the fact that the government is listening and it remains to be seen how many of the points that need reform will come to fruition,” said Cicala. “At least, apparently somebody is listen-ing,” he added.

Also participating in the meeting were Ambassador Adriano Benedetti, Director General of the Italian Foreign Ministry for Migration Policies and Italians Abroad, and Ambassador Umberto Vattani, Presi-dent of the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE).•

COMITES Presidents Carmelo Cicala (DC) and Romana Bracco (SF)

COMITES President Paolo Ribaudo (Newark) and CGIE Representative Pasquale Nestico (PA)

A two-day conference on “Global Health in the 21st Century: A Road Map for In-ternational Collaboration,” was held at the Embassy of Italy on October 11 and 12, 2007. The conference was organized by the Embassy and The National Academies Partners HealthCare System amfAR (Foun-dation for AIDS Research), in cooperation with the British Embassy and the Embassy of France, and in collaboration with The Carter Center, The NIAF Frank J. Guarini Public Policy Forum, Continua Health Alli-ance Consortium for Risk and Crisis Com-munications, the Italian Cultural Institute, Washington, DC, and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The conference was attended by, among

“Global Health in the 21st Century: A Road Map for International Collaboration” Two-day conference held at the Embassy

others, Prof. Anthony Fauci, NIH, Rear Admiral Susan J. Blumenthal, Former As-sistant Surgeon General, Chiara Moroni, a Deputy at the Italian Parliament, Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State, Cor-rado Clini, Director General at the Italian Ministry of the Environment, John Podesta, President and CEO, Center for American Progress, Roberto Cingolani, Scientific Di-rector of the Italian Institute of Technology, Vincent Covello, Consortium for Risk and Crisis Communications, Dr. John Hardman, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Carter Center, Dr. Donald R. Hopkins, Vice President of Health Programs, The Carter Center, and Sir Richard Feachem. •

The United States values the friendship of Italy--a “dear friend.”

FRANCESCO ISGRÒ

Voce ItalIana 8 Washington D.C., October 2007

Editor-in-Chief: Lydio F. Tomasi, c.s.Executive Editor: Francesco Isgrò

Editorial Board: Pino Cicala, EnricoDavoli, Dona De Sanctis, Anna Isgrò,

Gemma Puglisi, Fred Rotondaro.

Board of Trustees: Franco Nuschese, Stephanie Razzano, Beatrice Tierney.

Founded in 1960An Italian American Gazette

of the Greater Washington DC Area

Voce ItalIana’s VIew

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Voce Italiana welcomes your contributions dealing with Italian-American community activities and events. We invite you to send your comments and letters to the editor and urge you to sponsor our publication by advertising in our pages. Please send editorial contributions via email to:editor@VoceItaliana.com, or call 202-638-0165.Holy Rosary Church

Immigration Reform: Past Failure, Future Challenge

Dear Editor:The article on Gunnery Sergeant Basilone

in the September issue of Voce Italiana is very timely, given the riveting documenta-ry, “The War,” offered on PBS recently. The stark realism of war comes alive as we wit-ness the death, destruction, and atrocities that are endemic to any war, whether the war is just or not.

Watching episode three of the documenta-ry, brought me back to my boyhood, recall-ing the images of the conflict that engulfed towns and villages in Abruzzo and Molise, among those my own village of Roccaman-doldi in Molise.

Segments of the episodes of the docu-mentary depict the war in the Pacific and the role played by the Marines in some of the deadliest engagements of war that provide a vivid illustration of the heroism displayed by Basilone, a humble Italian American.

The Abruzzo and Molise Heritage So-ciety paid special tribute to Sgt. Basilone following the release of a special stamp honoring him on Veteran’s day, November

2005. At the Society’s meeting in January 2006, it showed a documentary of the life of Basilone “I Am Staying with My Boys,” which depicts the love and devotion to duty he felt on being a Marine.

The Society was honored by having present on that occasion representatives of the Marine Corps, including Master Gun-nery Sergeant P.A. Orsino, whose con-tact with the Society led her to become a member. Also honoring the occasion was Col. Paolo Serra, Army Attaché of the Em-bassy of Italy.

I offer my compliments to the Editors of Voce Italiana for illustrating the role played by thousands of Italian-American veterans, who served their country honorably, as in the case of Gunnery Sergeant Basilone.

Sincerely,Lucio D’Andrea

Member of Holy Rosary Church and a re-tired Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army Reserve (Editor’s note: Readers interested in view-ing the Basilone documentary may contact Voce Italiana at 202-638-0165.)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

There are some 12 million undocument-ed people among us, most of whom

are workers. Our economy and communities depend on them. They bus our dishes, pick our vegetables, clean our offices and homes, and care for our children, among other jobs. We cannot wish them away or simply send them away.

For practical, economic and moral rea-sons, we have to find ways to bring these people out of the shadows, to protect them from exploitation and to regularize their im-migration status.

There is no fence long enough or high enough that can wall out the human and eco-nomic forces that drive immigration.

Immigration reform cannot start or stop at our borders. U.S. policy must help overcome the pervasive poverty and deprivation, the violence and oppression that push people to leave their own lands. Policies on debt and

development, foreign aid and global trade are essential elements of any effective im-migration reform.

We need a different debate, a constructive discussion that neither diminishes our na-tion nor divides our people but achieves re-alistic, practical and principled steps toward reform. A national discussion that is based on reality, civility, morality and consistency – properly understood – can lay the ground work for real progress.

We also have to review and assess our own efforts and demonstrate a willingness to think more deeply, search more broadly and reach out more effectively as we seek to respond to this fundamental challenge.

This is about what it means to be Ameri-can; and what are the best ways to welcome newcomers and help them become a full part of our national family, contributing to our strengths and unity as a people. •

On Sunday, October 7, the feast of our patroness, Our Lady of the Rosary,

and the day of the rededication of our re-stored church, together with our Archbishop Wuerl and the seven concelebrants, the altar servers, the lectors, the ushers, the choir and great music, and an over-flowing congregation, we felt good being a parish! If you have ever thought on Sunday mornings how nice it would be instead of going to Church to spend the same hour at Starbucks reading the Sunday paper, the October 7 experience must have changed your mind.

Parishes are important, as the National Catholic Reporter editorialized last week: “In any larger discussion about the role and direction of the Church, we can’t forget that the structure and mystery of the Church are actually experienced in the local faith com-munity. The parish is the place where church happens, not as an abstract ideal or as an ad-ministrative structure but as an expression of real human lives, a rich but frustrating work in progress, diverse lives united by common hungers and hopes.”

Our bilingual Holy Rosary parish is na-tional and universal at the same time. It is small enough that personal relationships become possible and parishioners continue to form the kind of community they need.

After Mass at Casa Italiana, “people get to-gether over coffee to talk about life. They tell stories, rediscover the scriptures, break bread, drink to common purposes and to making a difference in the world.”

“Baptized people are meant to be in com-munity. It is a loss to all of us when some feel so discour-aged that they leave their local church. The most important evangelization effort needed

in the church is to welcome home her own. But this will happen only if we also wel-come the de facto diversity in the church as a mystery that defies homogenization, head-counting, personalized envelopes or even regular attendance

Catholics of all stripes ought to belong to a parish – a challenging one, not a comfort zone. It is a good way to stay in the game, at the family table where all the arguments about the future, good and bad, are taking place. But this will be possible only if we accept the mess, the imperfect, painful pro-cess of being human together.

Because the essential work of the church is reconciliation in the world, this starts with us at the altar, where forgiveness is the mir-acle we witness in the death of the Lord. Parishes are centers where this grace waits to become flesh in us.”

See you in church.”•

In Praise of the Parish

“Our bilingual Holy Rosary parish is national and

universal at the same time.”

Voce ItalIanaWashington D.C., October 2007 9

The Lido Civic Club of Washington, DC1929-2007 Our 78th Year

Metropolitan Washington’s Premier Italian-AmericanBusiness and Professional Men’s Organization

www.lidocivicclub.com

Officers Thomas A. Stallone, President Louis J. Scalfari, Vice President

Angelo Caputo, TreasurerThomas Mauro, Esq., Secretary

Aldo Comparini, Director of Publicity Anthony Solazzo, Sergeant at Arms

Loreto J. Clavelli, Gino Marinucci, ScholarshipsContact: president@lidocivicclub.com

Italian-American Open Golf TournamentJerry Truman

Contact: www.italianamericangolf.com

ASSOCIATIONS

A History of The Lido Civic Club of Washington, D.C.

Marco Polo CaterersServing the Washington Area since 1973

245 Maple Avenue West (Route 123)Vienna, VA 22180

VA: 703-281-3922 MD: 301-299-2400Fax:703-281-3926

Email: info@marcopolocaterers.com

Caterer for Casa Italiana

SPRING BILINGUAL MONTESSORI ACADEMY3514 Plyers Mill Rd. Kensington, MD 20895

“We plant seeds that spring to life”Bilingual Montessori Environments

for 3-6 years with Immersion ClasssesFrench - Italian - Spanish

Half Day - Full Day - “All Day Kindergarten”Early Birds and After-School Care

(301) 962-7262www. spring-bilingual.org

Three Italian-born businessmen pioneered the Lido Civic Club idea in 1929: Massimo Ferrari, v.p. of Columbia Fruit and Candy Co., Fedele (Fred) Colaprico, a barber, and Ralph Cipriano, a star agent for New York Life. Others, such as Captain Gregory Cipri-ani, Ugo J. A. Carusi, executive assistant, U.S. Attorney General’s office, and Donato Bianchi, director of the Bianchi Travel Bu-reau, got involved because they also felt the need to establish a civic organization that represented their ideals.

On November 19, 1929, the group met at Antonio DiGregorio’s “Nobile” restaurant to draft a constitution and bylaws. Mr. Di-Gregorio also joined the Lido Civic Club that day. Captain Cipriani, who spearheaded the drafting of the Lido Civic Club’s con-stitution and bylaws, was elected the Club’s first president on December 10, 1929.

Dr. Raphael N. Manganaro suggested the name for the Lido Civic Club. In keep-ing with a Venetian motif, the Lion of St. Mark the Evangelist was adopted as the Club’s symbol along with the Latin inscrip-tion: “PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEUS” (“Peace to you, O Mark, My Evan-gelist”).

Besides Captain Cipriani as President, the first administration of the Lido Civic Club consisted of Ugo Carusi as first vice presi-dent; Anthony D. Zeni, second vice presi-dent; Donato Bianchi, secretary; Dr. R. N. Manganaro, treasurer; Antonio Andreano, sergeant-at-arms; and Alfred Cerceo, report-er. This founding group was determined to lend a helping hand to Italian immigrants re-siding in the Washington D.C. community, and to reach out to civic and national U.S. leaders, as well as diplomatic representa-

tives of the Italian people. The group lay the foundation for a proud organization that has continued its good works over the past 78 years.

At its July 1930 meeting at the May-flower Hotel, the Lido Civic Club moved into the national sphere by having the colorful World War I flyer and Congressman from New York, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, as its guest speaker. The “Little Flow-er” was made the Club’s first honor-ary member, and the event served as the precursor for Past Presidents’ Night.

Dis t inguished lawyers have been members of the Club from the very beginning. One was John J. Sirica, who in 1930 was the Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and who in the same year, be-came the Lido Civic Club’s president. Sirica would catch the eye of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and later be appointed as Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court of the Dis-trict of Columbia. Judge Sirica would later famously preside over the Watergate trials.

Since its inception, the Lido Civic Club has been heavily involved in the life of its community. One example is the connection the Club has with university students, going back to 1931, when it held a dinner-dance

for Italian-American graduates of various colleges in the D.C. area.

Another focal point of the Lido Civic Club has been Holy Rosary Church, a monument to the Italian people and to the Catholic faith, which has stood at 595 Third Street,

N.W. since 1913. At the Church, numerous Club members and their children have been baptized, mar-ried and memorialized when God has called them home. In 1932, the late Dick Pelicano, a long-time member of the Lido Civic Club, installed the Church’s organ, a testament to the Club’s commit-ment to support Holy Rosary Church.

During World War II, many Club mem-bers enlisted or were drafted and achieved high rank. Pete Coc-cuzzi became a Cap-tain in the Army; Sal

Militana, a Lt. Commander in the Navy; Henry Pacini, an Army Lieutenant; Wil-liam Sardo, Jr., a Navy Ensign; and Joseph Lapiana, Jr., and Saverio Tana, U.S. Army Sergeants. The Lido Civic Club has always been a patriotic organization; more than half of its members have worn the uniform of the U.S. Armed Forces.

A true example of this commitment to de-fend the American way of life that advocates freedom and liberty is Joseph Vaghi, the Club’s president in 1976. He was the young-est beach master taking part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Even with the challenges facing the U.S. in the 1960’s, the Lido Civic Club did not lose sight of its focus: the people of the D.C. Metropolitan Area. At that time, the Club established a scholarship for local un-dergraduate university students of Italian descent. Last year, in conjunction with the National Italian American Foundation, the Lido Civic Club awarded $25,000 in schol-arships.

Further, the Club’s Civic Committee has performed numerous charitable works, in-cluding distributing Christmas baskets to the needy of Northern Virginia in conjunc-tion with the Salvation Army, and support-ing organizations such as the Excel Insti-tute, a D.C. based educational institution specializing in automotive technology for at-risk youths, the Family Support Center – S.I.S.T.E.R.S, a program that empow-ers teenage girls through mentoring, team

building and education, and the Villa Rosa Nursing Home which provides care for the elderly. On May 5, 2007, the Civic Commit-tee will hold its annual Bocce Tournament at Villa Rosa Nursing home to raise funds for its numerous projects.

Additionally, the Civic Committee has cast its eye abroad, donating funds and re-sources to Kenya’s Nyumbani Orphanage for HIV positive children in Africa--a real-ized vision of the late Club Member, Father Angelo D’Agostino.

Because its Italian heritage is at the core of the Lido Civic Club’s ideals, the Club donated funds to erect the Christopher Co-lumbus statue that stands on Holy Rosary Church’s property. Genoa’s favorite son represents the determination, ingenuity and desire to conquer the unknown, qualities shared by the talented architects, dentists, doctors, lawyers, priests, real estate develop-ers, university professors and entrepreneurs of every stripe who have and will continue to play an integral role in the Club’s mission to help educate, clothe, feed and house the people of the D.C. Metropolitan Area and the world at large.

Despite today’s challenges, the Lido Civic Club will continue to uphold the val-ues that William Paca, an Italian-American lawyer from Abington, Md., and his fellow signers of the Declaration of Independence immortalized on July 4, 1776. The Club will remain steadfast in its commitment to the community, both inside and outside of the D.C. Metro area. Since 1929, the Lido Civic Club of Washington, D.C. has played an integral role in making our world a bet-ter place and will continue to do so with the help of Almighty God.•

(Editor’s note: Voce Italiana welcomes articles from local Italian-American orga-nizations. Please submit ideas to editor@voceitaliana.com)

by Aldo Amadeo Comparini, III

Judge Sirica, once a member of the Lido Civic Club

Voce ItalIanaWashington D.C., October 2007 10

‘La sconosciuta’ di Giuseppe Tornatore è il film che l’Italia ha deciso di candidare per la corsa all’Oscar come miglior film straniero. All’ ottava votazione dell’apposita commissione, il film di Tornatore si è im-posto per otto voti a sette su Mio fratello è figlio unico di Daniele Luchetti. Se riuscisse ad entrare nella cinquina dei finalisti, per Tornatore sarebbe la terza volta, dopo Nuo-vo cinema Paradiso (vittorioso nel 1989) e L’uomo delle stelle, candidato nel 1996.

“De ‘La sconosciuta,’ quello che è più piaciuto al pubblico è stata sicuramente la figura femminile, una donna dei nostri tempi, con la sua voglia di redenzione e di ricostruire una femminilità negata”. Così il regista raggiunto in Sicilia dove sta prepa-rando il suo nuovo film (titolo provvisorio ‘Bagheria’) parla della candidatura de ‘La sconosciuta.’”

Ho ricevuto tante lettere e messaggi da spettatrici che sono state colpite proprio da questo lato femminile del film” aggiunge il regista nato a Bagheria il 27 maggio del 1956. “Il fatto che ‘La sconosciuta’ segua il genere noir,” spiega Tornatore “è stato una specie di espediente. Il fatto che sia stato costruito sullo stilema del noir ha secondo me facilitato la resa del film e ha reso più avvincente questo personaggio d’eroina dei nostri tempi. La parte noir è insomma ser-vita a rendere più facile l’approccio ai temi del film”.

Avere la terza candidatura,”certo che mi ha fatto piacere - dice Tornatore - anche se in genere a queste cose non ci penso troppo specie ora che sono annegato nel lavoro del mio prossimo film. Insomma, non ho avuto

Oscar: Tornatore candidato dall’Italia con “La Sconosciuta”CINEMA

tempo per fantasticare su questa cosa e anzi pensavo che la notizia della nomination si sapesse solo a fine mese”. Sull’accoglienza del film da parte del pubblico americano dice: “Non sono una specialista in queste cose, ma una cosa la posso dire: le proiezio-ni che abbiamo fatte all’estero, anche negli Stati Uniti, sono andate tutte bene e hanno avuto una reazione molto buona. E così spe-ro e mi auguro che davvero piaccia”.

Il ruolo dell’attrice protagonista de ‘La sconosciuta’, film passato alla prima ed-izione de La Festa di Roma nella sezione Premiere, ovvero l’attrice russa proveniente dal teatro Ksenia Rappaport, “é stato davve-ro fondamentale. Tutto il film era totalmente fondato su questo personaggio, su questa ar-tista di grande calibro e sensibilità. La Rap-paport poi è in scena nel mio film sempre e questa non è una cosa certo facile”.•

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Maestri della Moda

Spring and summer designs for fashioni-stas, unveiled recently in Milan, sported fringes, reptile jackets, giant flowers on wispy fabrics, and tunics, mini and long.

Italy, home of Armani, Fendi, Prada, Guc-ci, Versace and endless others, is a vital ven-ue for trend-watchers and, reports are, the spring fashion designs did not disappoint.

Milan fashions are known for fine tailor-ing and stunning fabrics. Donatella Versace’s line, according to the New York Times, de-livered “simplified power dressing:” day

dresses in silky khaki, gathered necklines and matching blazers. But she also showed pleated trousers and shorts, and evening dresses in jade, fuchsia and acid yellow that draped and floated.

Other trends that may filter down to ev-eryday wear: 50’s-style flared skirts, shirred fabrics, and funky shoes, like Prada’s with flower-like heels and Sergio Rossi’s with heels made of a stacked gold-ball. •

Top: Bottega Veneta; Right top: GucciRight bottom: Versace

In occasione dell’anniversario della scop-erta dell’America, lo scorso 12 ottobre si è tenuto a Casa Italiana uno spettacolo musi-cale dal titolo Napoli e le Sue Canzoni, di cui è stato autore e regista il nostro Maestro Bruno Fusco ben noto alla comunità italo americana di Washington.

Bruno ha allestito un grazioso palcosce-nico adornato con piante e fiori, che dava l’impressione di essere al Festival di San Remo, ed ha curato tutti i particolari neces-sari per assicurare il grande successo di questo evento culturale. Attilio Ruoppoli ha creato la coreografia.

Lo spettacolo è stato presentato elegante-mente in inglese dal tenore Donato Soranno che poi ha chiuso il primo tempo con la can-zone “O Sole Mio.” La protagonista Maria Renata Liguori, che in arte si firma Naila, con la sua bella voce ha interpretato ben 21 canzoni e ha anche concesso due bis.

Altri partecipanti sono stati i primi bal-lerini della compagnia I Protagonisti di Na-

La gioia e la gloria della musica napoletana rivissute a Casa Italianapoli, Raffaella Izzo e Marco Protano, che tra l’altro hanno danzato due tarantelle, un pezzo dedicato alla famosa maschera Pul-cinella, e una danza popolare che ha coin-volto il presentatore, Naila, il pianista e lo stesso Bruno Fusco.

La serata si è conclusa con l’inno nazio-nale italiano e quello americano. Degno di nota è che il Console Cinese a Washington, D.C., Shu Xiao ha assistito alla rappresen-tazione. •

Trends from the Milan fashion show

www.washingtonwinemakers.org

di Omero Sabatini

Voce ItalIanaWashington D.C., October 2007 11

Italian-Themed Books for Your Library A selection of recent titles from Voce Italiana editors

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BOOKS

Variously called “a one-man Air Force,” “Captain Courageous,” and “the Ace of Aces,” Captain Dominic Gentile had few peers when it came to air combat. Along with his close friend and dedicated wing-man, John T. Godfrey, their lethal partner-ship so plagued Hermann Göring’s Luft-waffe during World War II that they earned the epithet, “Debden Gangsters.” In early 1944, Gentile shot down his 27th enemy fighter, surpassing World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker’s record of 26 combat victo-ries. He would earn three more victories before war’s end, along with a host of mili-tary decorations including the Distinguished Service Cross (both American and British) and the Silver Star.

Born in tiny Piqua, Ohio, in 1920, Domi-nic as a child became fascinated with fly-ing. During his high school years, his father provided Dominic with his own plane: an Aerosport Biplane. By the outbreak of war in 1941, he deeply believed his flying skills would be of service to the U.S. Air Force. While the U.S. military required two years of college for its pilots, the Royal Air Force did not and Gentile joined the legendary Eagle Squadrons based in England.

Flying a Spitfire, in a ten-minute span, he downed two German planes over France on August 1, 1942, earning the British Distin-guished Flying Cross for his astonishing ac-complishment. A month later, he transferred into the U.S. Air Force and in 1944, he took

part in one of the great aerial combat mis-sions of the war. After downing two German planes, Gentile was attacked by two more Luftwaffes intent on avenging their com-rades. Turning and diving to avoid them, Gentile managed to squeeze off his remain-ing rounds of ammunition but to no avail. They fol-lowed him relentless-ly, leaving him with the rather f o r l o r n hope that they, too, w o u l d e x h a u s t their am-munition if he could manage to evade them long enough. Eventually, their ammo also spent, the German planes turned away and Gentile returned to his air base physically and mentally drained, but alive and intact.

By mid-April of 1944, and after three more air victories, Gentile’s tour in Europe was completed, but not before he suffered a minor flying mishap caused by a bout of showmanship. While demonstrating the maneuverability of his plane (a Mus-tang named “Shangri La”), he crashed but emerged unscathed. Captain Gentile re-turned to the U.S. where he and other war

Dominic Salvatore Gentile: Ace of Acesby Leonard Solimine

Are We Rome? The Fall of an Em-pire and the Fate of AmericaCullen MurphyThe Vanity Fair editor finds great simi-larities between the two “Empires” and draws lessons for securing our future. One suggestion Murphy makes is to promote greater assimilation of our immigrants. (Houghton Mifflin, 262 pp)

A New Guide to Italian Cinema Carlo Celli and Marga Cottino-JonesThe ultimate guide to Italian cinema, both as a 20th century phenomenon and as an expression of the deeper roots of Italy’s historic, cultural and literary past. Au-thors Celli and Cottino-Jones are recog-nized for influential writings on Italian lit-erature, theory and film studies. (Palgrave Macmillan, 256 pp)

Amerigo: The Man Who Gave His Name to AmericaFelipe Fernandez-ArmestoThis year marks the 500th anniversary of the naming of America. What better time to read the remarkable tale of a small-time Flo-rentine trader turned explorer, who acciden-tally named a new world. (Random House, 231 pp)

This Time, This Place: My Life in War, the White House, and Hollywood Jack ValentiThis book covers his 40 years at the top levels of Washington and Hollywood as head of the Motion Pictures Association. Valenti, who flew 51 combat missions dur-ing World War II and later became an aide to President Lyndon Johnson, died earlier this year. (Random House, 440 pp)

Email: Jplamari@msn.comWeb: AttorneyLamari.com

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414 HUNGERFORD DRIVESUITE 404

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND 20850(301) 762-2018

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FACES IN HISTORY

InheritanceNatalie DanfordA rags to riches tale of an Italian immigrant whose daughter travels to Urbino and be-comes entangled in a mystery involving an old key, Italian Jews and the Holocaust. (St. Martin’s Press, 214 pp)

The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty Julia Flynn SilerA chronicle of an Italian immigrant family’s life and times as one of the largest California wineries. The saga follows battling brothers who carry on a rivalry that is repeated in their offspring. (Gotham Books, 452pp)

The Voices We Carry: Recent Italian American Women’s Fiction Mary Jo Bona, editorA collection of women’s fiction captures the voice and culture of Italian American ethnic-ity and the themes that surround it— moth-erhood, common family rituals and celebra-tions. (Guernica Editions, 346 pp)

The Boston ItaliansStephen Puleo A sweeping history of Boston Italians from the late 19th century, when Italian immigrants began to settle in the city’s North End, to interviews with the city’s current Italian American leaders. (Beacon Press, 344 pp)

heroes participated in War Bond drives. When the war ended, and in the era be-

fore commercial airlines, pilots had few options that allowed them to continue fly-ing. Remaining with the Air Force as a test pilot among other duties, he was stationed at Wright Field in Ohio until 1946, when he received an honorable discharge. Later that same year, however, he was recalled to active duty and served in both the Fighter Gunnery

P r o g r a m and Air Ta c t i c a l School. In June 1949, G e n t i l e enrolled as an under-graduate, s tudy ing m i l i t a r y science, at the Uni-versity of Maryland.

While piloting a T-33 jet trainer in late January of 1951, Captain Gentile’s plane crashed in Forestville, Maryland. Both he and a passenger perished. Perhaps in con-sideration of his courage and dedication, the U.S. Air Force honored him with a posthu-mous promotion to the rank of Major. Only 30 years old at the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Isabella, and their three sons: Don Jr., Joseph and Pasquale (Pat).

Dominic Salvatore Gentile left behind an extraordinary legacy. The then-unconven-tional air combat tactics employed by Gen-tile and his wingman, Godfrey, were later

used in Vietnam by U.S. fighter pilots. For his extraordinary war record, he was post-humously inducted into the National Avia-tion Hall of Fame. He is remembered today as one of America’s great combat aviators: The Ace of Aces. •

Gentile on the wing of his P-51B, “Shangri-La”

Voce ItalIana 12 Washington D.C., October 2007

Voce ItalianaHoly Rosary Church595 3rd Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20001-2703

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWASHINGTON, D. C.

PERMIT NO 8278Address service requested

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

3251 Prospect St. N.W.Washington, D.C. 20007

Rest: 202-333-6183Fax: 202-333-6594

October 27. La Confederazione dei Siciliani del Nord America si riunisce per il suo primo congresso ad Atlantic City. Contact: 201-796-4300.

October 28. The popular polenta dinner will be held in Casa Italiana from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Contact 202-638-0165 for reservations.

November 4. Messa per i Caduti in Guerra.

November 23. HRC bus trip to The Sight and Sound Theater in Lancaster, Pa .

Advent 2007. The Giving Tree, provid-ing gifts for needy children.

December 1. Renaissance Christmas Dinner at Casa Italiana, hosted by National Italian American Foundation and Holy Rosary Church. Contact Kristi Pappalardo

at 202-939-3109 or at Kristina@niaf.org.

December 1. Eighth Annual Christmas Gala/Festa di Natale hosted by the Abru-zzo and Molise Heritage Society. Contact: Ennio di Tullio at 703-281-5847.

December 2. Monongah mine distaster centenennial seminar at Casa Italiana. Commemoration Mass at 12:00; seminar at 1:00 pm at Casa Italiana; reception at conclusion of seminar.

December 9, AM. Sodality/Holy Name Christmas Party.

December 9, PM. Villa Rosa Christmas Party.

December 31. New Year’s Eve Celebration.

January �. The Befana/Epiphany party.

February 3. Carnevale Celebration.

CONSULAR SECTION ITALIAN EMBASSY3000 Whitehaven St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008

Tel: 202-�12-��00Visas, Passports, and

Italian Citizen-related inquiries10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., MON-FRI

Pension, Powers of Attorney, Questions related to National Service

in Italy (for Italian citizens)www.ambwashingtondc.esteri.it

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FAX: (301) 762-0999

Holy Rosary Church and the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) have joined forces to host a Renaissance Christmas Dinner at Casa Italiana on Friday, December 1, 2007. The dinner will include a historic menu duplicated by a prominent chef to be flown from Italy for the event. Franco Nuschese and his renowned Café Milano restaurant will oversee the dinner preparation and service.

Washington’s top political, business and community leaders will be in attendance. Among the honored guests expected to attend are Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta, Mayor Adrian Fenty, and General Peter Pace.

All proceeds will benefit Casa Italiana. For further information contact: Kristi Pap-palardo at 202-939-3109 or at Kristina@niaf.org.

Holy Rosary Church and NIAF to Host Renaissance Christmas Dinner

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Co-sponsored by: Abruzzo-Molise Society, Casa Italiana Language School, Circolo della Briscola, Italian Cultural Society, Embassy of Italy,

Lido Civic Club, Lucchesi nel Mondo, and Voce Italiana.