THE BEST MEDICINE?

In Italy, and in Sicily in particular, food is taken very seriously, as we saw in the "stock cube in the caponata" affair.  It is not, however, taken so seriously that we cannot laugh about it and today I was looking at the facebook page on which people continue to voice their horror at the idea of putting a stock cube in this classic Sicilian dish, ironically post photos of dishes they've made "without a cube" or just joke about it. I particularly like the photo of cannoli "without a cube" and the one in which a woman making cassata siciliana says she will put a stock cube wherever the f*** she likes.  Then there is the je suis caponata image and you do wonder how poor old caponata feels about being catapulted into the headlines just when it least expected it. You wonder, too, whether it is appropriate to adapt a hashtag that had its origin in such tragic circumstances, but I'm sure the Charlie Hebdo catoonists would be among the first to say that it is. As dado also means "dice", I take my hat off to the person who posted a photo of caponata with a dice in it! If you'd like a look, the page is here.

Italians share with the British an ability to laugh at themselves and this was evident earlier this week on twitter, when a certain extremist group or their sympathisers threatened to invade Rome. Italians reacted with "travel tips", among which I liked, "Don't come today - there's another transport strike" and "Don't use the ringroad - there are traffic jams".  "Is it to update your wardrobe?" was a bit cattier but my favourite was, "Is it because you've run out of Nutella?"

The British might have promised to "fight them on the beaches" but Italians responded with humour, which may turn out to be an effective weapon.

"Gli avari e coloro che non hanno niente da offrire, infatti, non ridono. - The miserly and those who have nothing to offer do not laugh."

- Roberto Benigni 

WHAT PRICE CULTURE?

Dante Alighieri, attrib. Giotto
Image:  Wikimedia Commons

Dante Alighieri, in a cold Cardiff lecture hall, caused me much misery and not a few nightmares almost half a century ago. However, his poetry came alive for me the first time I visited Florence and its beauty amazes me all over again when I hear the verses recited by the great Roberto Benigni.

Benigni's ambitious Tutto Dante project, in which the actor-director explains and then recites selected canti from Dante's masterpiece, began in Greece in 2006. The project was then taken to Florence. Since then, the one-man shows have toured Italy, completed an international tour and returned to Florence in 2012, when more canti from the Inferno were added to the repertoire.

Rai 2 is currently showing the recorded 2012 shows and in this house Wednesday night has become "Dante night". Not everyone in Italy appreciates the shows, though, and one of the criticisms has been that what works in the magnificent setting of the Piazza Santa Croce in Florence does not work on the small screen.  Another criticism is that the programmes are too long and in addition there is controversy over Benigni's reported fee. A package comprising the Tutto Dante 2012 shows and a programme about the Italian Constitution which Benigni presented in December is rumoured to have cost over 6 million euros, including production costs. Audience share for Tutto Dante is down and it has been suggested that Rai is about to pull the programme from its prime-time slot.

Can you put a price on culture and, if so, can it be justified in a time of recession?  Well, let us imagine, for a moment, a world without culture, in which the lines of Dante, through a genius like Benigni, do not come to us down the ages; in which such lines do not uplift someone, somewhere, or cause  listeners to turn again to their copy of the Divina Commedia and find comfort in the revelation that human passion and suffering are universal and that Dante, as Benigni reminds us, is sympathetic to these emotions. When I hear Dante recited like this, I know what my answer would be. Please bring us the Vita Nuova next, Roberto!

SABATO MUSICALE

On the sixtieth birthday of the stupendous Roberto Benigni, it has to be this:

La Vita è Bella - Main theme by Nicola Piovani

Divini auguri, Roberto!

SABATO MUSICALE - VIVA SANREMO 3

The final evening of the 2011 Sanremo Song Festival is about to begin, so I'd better hurry up and tell you about last night's contest:

I was sorry to see these two songs eliminated, as the first is rather charming and the second gives me hope:

Of the songs remaining in the contest, here are three that I like and I'm posting the third especially for my friend Josep:

I think Natalie is a young talent about whom we are going to hear a lot more.  She looked much more relaxed last night, singing her song with L'Aura.

Now, ladies, don't men get on your nerves when they go for women with throaty voices?  Well, they're all crazy for Miss Giusy Ferreri in Italy:

My favourite song remains Vecchioni's Chiamami ancora amore, which I posted on Wednesday. I must say, I don't think the rockified version which Vecchioni performed last night did the composition any favours but I'm still rooting for it.

If Roberto Benigni was Tuesday night's hero, Robert De Niro was last night's for many women when he declared,

"I don't like skinny women".

Morandi, who had the unenviable task of interviewing the somewhat reticent actor, had Elisabetta Canalis on hand as interpreter, but the word "gentrified" defeated her. [Admittedly, it is unlikely to be in her "survival" vocabulary or among the sweet nothings she presumably whispers, in English, to Clooney.] The official interpreter had obviously been told to keep out of it at that point and it was an embarrassing moment. Keep twirling in the clothes, Eli and leave interpreting to the professionals!

I am happy to be able to conclude this post by reporting that, despite the miseryguts and spoilsports in the Lega, the Italian government has at last declared that 17th March, the anniversary of Unification, is to be a holiday and President Napolitano has praised Roberto Benigni for Tuesday night's oration:

"Roberto Benigni found the right words to express our national identity via symbols of the nation, its history and its flag."

VIVA SANREMO - 2

The second night of the 2011 Sanremo Song Contest on Wednesday saw two upsets, with both Al Bano and Patty Pravo being eliminated.   I am a fan of Mr Carrisi but even I have to admit that his songs are beginning to sound "samey". However, last night's television vote saw him reinstated, along with this brave attempt by Anna Tatangelo to break the mould:

Hmm - I could make that the theme song of my love life!

Thursday evening at the Festival was, of course, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification and the celebrations began with Ana Oxa's - err - interesting interpretation of O Sole Mio:

I suppose that could grow on me. What do you think?

Mr Carrisi was back, this time with Giannis Ploutarxos, to sing Va, Pensiero and televotes during this performance raised the most money for charity:

There was a big hand for Tricarico's interpretation of Toto Cutugno's L'italiano, especially when Cutugno joined the younger singer on stage:



And I loved the great Patty Pravo's rendition of Mille lire al mese:



There was a standing ovation for Gianni Morandi when he sang this song by his friend, Gianni Bella, who finished writing it only days before being struck down by a stroke:

But the undisputed hero of the evening was Roberto Benigni, who entered the auditorium in style, on horseback. Benigni  analysed the Italian national anthem, the Inno di Mameli, reminding Italians of its true meaning and calling for unity. He spoke movingly of the role of women and of all the young men who had died so that today's Italians can live in a united, democratic Italy. I especially liked the moment when Benigni wished everyone happiness, counselling us:

Se la felicità scorda di voi, non vi scordate della felicità - If happiness forgets you, don't forget happiness.

He also reminded his listeners that it is the simple things in life which bring true happiness. Finally Benigni asked for the lights to be dimmed and sang the national anthem as a young soldier going into battle the next day might have done in Mameli's time.  Benigni received the second standing ovation of the evening and it was well deserved.

Bravo, Roberto e viva l'Italia!

Late note, 1.3.11: There seem to be copyright issues with the Benigni clips but for the moment they can be seen here.