MIMOSA AND MOTIVATION

Mimosa blossom is very much the order of the day for the festa della donna [International Women's Day] so it was nice to be presented with a sprig of it with my Sicilian orange juice in the bar this morning and lovely to receive the gift on the left from a friend:

I thought it would be appropriate, on this day, to tell you about ten Italian women who have inspired me - well, more than ten, really, as there are whole convents of nuns involved - but it started at ten!

Teresa Mattei

Firstly, if you are wondering why the mimosa is the symbol of International Women's Day in Italy, it was the idea of one Teresa Mattei , activist, partisan and one of the "mothers of the Italian Constitution".  

The other great ladies on my list come in no particular order and I make no apologies for the fact that several of them are writers. I'm just made that way.

Oriana Fallaci has fascinated me since my student days and I learnt only recently that the woman once known as "Italy's most aggessive journalist" could be just like the rest of us when she fell in love!

Elsa Morante was another writer whose work I started reading as a student and in my opinion her greatest novel remains La Storia or History. Of that other literary lady who is so popular both here and in Britain, namely signora Ferrante, I have read only one volume, so I am reserving judgement for now.  If I get hooked you'll be the first to know!

The works of Natalia Ginzburg were a comfort to me in my student days and they are a comfort to me now.

Rita Levi Montalcini, who left us almost five years ago, was a scientist and Nobel laureate who, even at the age of 100, had a special empathy with the young, whom her achievements and words continue to excite. The world is poorer without her.

Rita Levi Montalcini depicted in flower petals at the Noto Infiorata, 2011

Franca Viola

No woman living in Sicily can forget Franca Viola, whose determination not to submit to bullying changed Italian law.  She lives happily today in Alcamo.

Maria Grammatico, Ericean pastry cook who told her story to Mary Taylor Simeti in Bitter Almonds, was brought up in a convent, where she learnt to make pastries. I have yet to achieve my ambition of visiting her pastry shop in Erice.

There are still convents in Sicily where the nuns make and sell pastries to raise funds for maintenance or good causes and I'll never forget the day I bought these, through a grille, from a convent in Agrigento. You have my admiration, dear sisters:

The story of Daniela Spada is one I read recently and who could not be inspired by this lady's courage and the determination with which she fought her way back from devastating illness? I learnt so much from this book.

Artemesia Gentileschi is a woman I've admired since the first film about her came out in the 1990s. More talented than her father and brothers, if ever a woman literally suffered for her art, it was she. Artemesia continued painting, against all the odds, and was the first woman to become a member of the Florentine Accademia di Arte del Disegno.

Finally, the word pazienza is not in my vocabulary and I've often said it should be banned in Italy as it is too often used to excuse inefficiency by the very victims of that inefficiency. However, when pazienza is employed to create great or small works of art, I wish I had it so, as we are coming up to Easter, I would like to express once again my admiration for The Palm Lady.

I hope you've all had a wonderful festa della donna!

A TRUE ART LOVER

Here is a heartwarming tale of honesty:

One day in 1975, a Sicilian man who had moved to Turin to work for Fiat attended a lost property auction at a railway workers' recreational club. As the man was an art lover, his eye was drawn to two particularly attractive paintings, a still life and a portrait of a young woman in a garden. He bought the two paintings for 45,000 Italian lire, worth £19 or $31 in today's values and, until a few weeks ago, both paintings hung in his kitchens, first in Turin and then back in Sicily following his retirement. There, in the heart of the home, he could gaze at them to his own heart's content.

Recently the man's son, an architecture student in Siracusa, happened to be looking through a catalogue of paintings by Gauguin and noticed some similarities with one of the paintings on his father's kitchen wall. After further research by his son, our honest Sicilian pensioner alerted the police and an extraordinary story came to light:

The paintings, now verified as a Gauguin from 1889 and an undated Bonnard, had been stolen from a London collector in 1970 and he, in turn, had bought them at a rather more prestigious auction in 1961. No one knows exactly how they ended up in the lost property office of the Ferrovie dello Stato but it is thought that the thieves were carrying them on the Paris to Turin train when they realised that there was to be a check at the border, so they abandoned them. They are now, obviously, worth a lot more than £19!

Having made enquiries in London, the Italian police have discovered that the art collector was a relative of the Marks and Spencer family and had no direct heirs. At the moment the paintings are still in police custody but, if there are no claims, it is possible that our Sicilian pensioner will be able to continue to enjoy them if he so wishes.

A HARVEST OF CULTURE

Congratulations to Antonello Buscema, Mayor of Modica, Cultural Councillor Annamaria Sammito and everyone involved in the second edition of Modica's Miete Culture, or "Harvest of Culture", a series of cultural events running from mid-June until the end of August.  The Festival has been awarded the Medaglia di Rappresentanza by President Giorgio Napolitano and the organisers say that this recognition has encouraged them to work even harder to make the event a success.

This year, on the tenth anniversary of the inscription of the Val di Noto towns of Caltagirone, Militello in Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa and Scicli in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Festival is paying tribute to the Arab Spring and in particular the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia. This evening the Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, who set himself alight in 2010 in protest at economic conditions in his country and his own treatment by police and officials, is being honoured in Modica's Palazzo San Domenico, where 200 jasmine plants have been placed along with a ceremonial torch as part of an art installation by the Brazilian artist Marcel Cordeiro.  Mr Bouazizi's sister, representatives from the Tunisian Embassy in Rome and the mayors of the other seven Val di Noto towns are attending the ceremony.

Dance, music, drama and other literary events also form part of the Festival, which was opened last week by the 90-year-old  torinese poet Maria Luisa Spaziani, whose 1970 collection L'occhio del ciclone was dedicated to Sicily.

It is hoped that the President's recognition of the initiative will help this annual Festival to become more widely known on a national level and raise awareness about life in other Mediterranean countries.

Modica's Miete Culture Festival
as depicted at the Infiorata Netina,
 May 2012.

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM....

"Always look up in Sicily" was advice I received from my friend Irma during my very first visit to Sicily almost twenty years ago and indeed, she was right for otherwise I would have missed sights such as this one in Modica:

I was reminded of Irma's words last week in Catania, where, sitting on the terrace of the Caffè Europeo on via Etnea, I happened to look up and saw this sign on the wall:

"If you say a Hail Mary to this picture", it reads, "you will receive an indulgence of 200 days."

At first I couldn't see a picture, only the fresh flowers behind the grille below the sign, but as I looked more closely I realised that there was a Madonna in the background.

I have no idea who painted this picture or how old it is.   I've sat on that terrace many times but hadn't seen the sign before because I was not looking up and had missed the picture because my view had always previously been obscured by other customers sitting at the table immediately in front of it.

Anyway, I said the prayer because I need all the help I can get.

BEAUTY AND THE MAYOR

Franciscan Cloister of Santa Maria del Gesù, Modica

On Saturday evening the Mayor of Modica, in a very nice gesture, held a reception for "Modicani  d'elezione", meaning those who have chosen to live, but were not born, in his town.  The event was held in the stunningly beautiful setting of the recently restored Church and adjoining Franciscan Cloister of Santa Maria del Gesù in Modica Alta.

The Church, extant from 1343, was reconstructed in 1481 for the wedding of Anna Cabrera, Countess of Modica and Federico Henriquez, first cousin of King Ferdinand 11 of Aragon [Fernando il Cattolico].   Having been built high up and away from the then most populous areas of the city, both buildings survived and neither was badly damaged in the terrible earthquake of 1693. 

The columns in the Cloister were constructed in a variety of styles, among them Arabic, Arab-Norman, Gothic, Romanesque and herringbone.  Each one is different.

I took so many pictures of the Church and Cloister, which were even lovelier in the evening light,  that, for ease of viewing, I have compiled them into a slideshow.  I hope you enjoy them:

It was a pleasant evening which included an interlude of traditional Sicilian songs.  And naturally, it wouldn't have been a Modican reception without some enormous trays of delicious,  handmade pastries from the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto: 

I am enormously grateful to the person who uploaded this lovely video onto youtube:

PATRIOT OR PURLOINER?

It is 100 years today since Vincenzo Peruggia [1881 - 1925] stole the Mona Lisa or Gioconda from the Louvre and I have told his story here.  The painting was recovered two years later and Peruggia's defence was that he had acted out of patriotism, believing that the painting belonged in Italy.  He served only a minimal prison sentence and later went back to France where appropriately, perhaps, he opened a paint store.

Yesterday his birthplace of Dumenza [Varese, Lombardy]  honoured him by staging a play called Il Processo a Vincenzo Peruggia  [The Trial of Vincenzo Peruggia] by Giovanni Epis as part of its summer festival.  The play's director, Simone Toffanin, believes that Peruggia was a patriot but the Mayor of Dumenza has his doubts and says he does not want the town to be famous only as the birthplace of the man who stole the Mona Lisa.

What do you think?  Was Peruggia a patriot or a purloiner?

THE RETURN OF THE GIOCONDA

A campaign to bring the Gioconda or Mona Lisa back to Italy was launched today in Florence with the first of a series of petitions. Other cities in Italy are also participating and it is hoped to bring the lady back to Florence for an exhibition in 2013, one hundred years after she was rescued following her "abduction" from the Louvre:

On 21st August 1911, it was discovered that the painting was missing from the room in the Louvre where it had been on display for five years.  Both the poet Guillaume Apollinaire and Pablo Picasso came under suspicion but in 1913 Vincenzo Peruggia, a Varese man who had emigrated to France and who was a Louvre employee,  tried to sell the painting to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.  It turned out that he had smuggled the painting out of the Louvre under his coat and had been hiding it for two years.  His impatience was his downfall.

Peruggia apparently believed that the painting should be returned to Italy but this may not have been his only motive!  The Italians, at least, thought he was a bit of a hero and he only served a short prison sentence. Later he returned to France and opened a paint store.

After the painting had been exhibited all over Italy it was returned to the Louvre but now campaigners, supported by the Province of Florence, believe it should be displayed for a while in the city where Leonardo da Vinci trained as a painter. Councillors are considering opening a Leonardo museum in the former Convent of Sant'Orsola, where the painter's muse, Lisa Gherardini, may be buried. She is always known in Italy as La Gioconda and in France as La Joconde because her husband was Francesco del Giocondo - a fortunate surname because giocare in Italian means "to play" and Italians have enjoyed the pun on the "playing smile" for 500 years.

The organisers of the petition hope to collect 100,000 signatures in six months and then present the petition to the French and Italian Ministers of Culture and to the Louvre Museum.  The Italian media has not yet reported French reactions to the idea but I can tell you that the initial response from the Louvre is "Non"!

ITALY MAGAZINE ROUND-UP - 25

Here is my pick of last week's Italy Magazine articles:

First of all, if you're heading down towards the Italian islands in January, here is an event not to be missed in Sardinia.

Student protests against education cuts continued across the country all week and, although I can understsnd the frustration of tourists who found their way into sites like the Leaning Tower of Pisa barred, I have to say that I admire the young people for standing up for what they believe in and proving that Italy is still a democracy.

Pisa is about more than the Tower, however and the city is host to an interesting Joan Mirò exhinition until 23rd January.  In Rome, another famous tourist site is to get a makeover  while down in Naples the EU wants some money back.

For my Patti Chiari column I wrote about Sicilian surnames and some of the nicknames associated with them.

Happy reading.

CHRISTMAS COLLAGE

This is Gino the artist's Christmas collage, in which he has used natural materials, such as carob pods, nuts and asparagus leaves [traditionally used to decorate crib scenes in Sicily] to suggest the shapes, colours and forms of Christmas.  I know that Gino would love to receive some comments from you.

ITALY MAGAZINE ROUND-UP - 15

Here is my pick of last week's Italy Magazine articles:

First of all, I would love to attend the Pizza Chef Championship in Calabria next week, especially as the chefs are going to judge the judges! In the same article, you can find out about a gathering of traditional accordionists and a very special mushroom festival.

Our blog of the week was Livorno Daily Photo.  I enjoyed interviewing Giacomo, who certainly has an eye for the unusual!

Of the news stories, I think the whackiest was this, but I've a horrible feeling that the idea will catch on.  The Virtues of Love exhibition in Florence is one I would like to get to and I wish I could have been in Rome for this.  Of course, there had to be an "only in Italy" story and it was this one.  Does your company pay "overall time"?

For my personal column I wrote about "Bold Britons and Red Earth".  Take a look to find out about the day the world turned yellow!

Happy reading.

ITALY MAGAZINE ROUND-UP - 14

This is my pick of last week's Italy Magazine articles:

Our blog of the week was cookitaly.com and I enjoyed talking to blog author and cook Carmelita Caruana.

If you have ever dreamed of wine flowing from a fountain, there is a place in Lazio where this actually happens!

If you are in London, you may like to know about a very special exhibition there to celebrate the Papal visit.  In this article you can also read about the Ninian tartan which the Pope wore in Scotland today.  This was also the week in which Giorgio Armani was named International Designer of the Year by GQ Magazine and Gucci announced a new cinema award for women.  Personally I am glad that the outmoded Miss Italia contest is over and with it, all the speculation about this.  If I were in Tuscany right now, I would love to attend this exhibition on the life of Mìichelangelo and this one on the history of wine.

For my personal Patti Chiari column I wrote about traditional Sicilian carts.  If you've been to Sicily, you will have seen them at tourist spots and you may even have bought a replica as a souvenir.  But do you know how they came to be so richly decorated?  Take a look at the article to find out.

Happy reading.

ITALY MAGAZINE ROUND-UP - 8

Here is my personal pick of last week's Italy Magazine articles:

Our featured "golden oldie" film was Three Coins in the Fountain.  It makes me cry every time and oh, that song!

Nick Calvano told us what happened when he went to see his newly-found Italian relatives.  I happen to know that there's another story from Nick coming so watch this space!

Our blog of the week was Marc Dalessio.  Marc is a painter based in Florence and if you love Italy, you'll love his paintings.

Of the news stories, I liked this one about a prank that fooled the art world and this one about D&G designing for the Chelsea football team.  OK, I especially liked the picture that went with that one!  And what woman could not be cheered by this?

For my Patti Chiari column I ruminated on the process of making preserves and liqueurs in Sicily.

If you've ever wondered how to ask for the ice cream flavour you want in Italian, this article is for you.

Finally, if you need a  cool summer dessert, why not make Gaetano Naclerio's melon cups with summer fruit? His secret ingredient - not secret any more, Gaetano -  is melon vodka and I'm definitely going to try this recipe.

Happy reading.

AN INTERVIEW WITH GINO

Today I interviewed my friend Gino the artist for Italy Magazine.  Regular readers may be interested to learn more about Gino  and, if you have not yet "met" him, do pop over to the mag and make his acquaintance.  There are some new pictures of Gino's for you to look at there, too.

Don't forget that you can see more of Gino's work here.

BUON COMPLEANNO, GINO!

It is Gino the artist's birthday today so yesterday wife Linda organised yet another tea party. This time, she and Chiara had made teacakes, which I hadn't tasted for years:

And here is Gino very seriously cutting his cake:



I was surprised to find me staring at myself from the mantelpiece!



My present to Gino was this little booklet I had made of photos of some of his paintings and my thoughts about them:

Simi is the author of the last page and is sure you all want to see what she wrote:

“Hello, art fans! I’m Simi, the art-savviest dog in Sicily! I was really pleased when my Uncle Gino decided to paint me from this photo which appears in my EU doggy-passport because my mummy says it’s the best picture she ever took of me. She’s always telling me I have a lovely, smooth snout and that Uncle Gino has captured this. Well, I think so, too, and he got my pose and my expression just right. I don’t know why he doesn’t send this picture to the Royal Academy but I suppose it’s because all the other artist humans would just give up if they saw it.

I like Uncle Gino because he speaks to me in Italian [in which, of course, I can bark fluently] tickles my ear and makes my mummy laugh.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Gino and I hope you get lots of Bonio biscuits to eat today!

With love from

Simi la waggissima xx woof!”

LA PITTURA DI GINO - 4

It's been a long time since I showed you any of Gino's paintings but I am glad to say that my artist friend is as inspired and prolific as ever. Here are four new ones for you to enjoy: San Francesco, the wild cyclamen that grow in Sicily and boats at the Marina. Which do you like best?

A PORTRAIT GALLERY

Gino the artist has moved all his portraits of friends and family into an outbuilding on his land and I was invited to go and see the display this afternoon. Imagine my surprise at being greeted by this new portrait of myself! It took me a while to realise he'd done it from a photo he took at my St David's Day festa - sorry about the green dragon, Ordovicius! The portraits look very good in this rustic setting. [I cannot show more here as I don't have the permission of the subjects.]

Gino's other work in progress is the cleaning and shelling of the almonds which have now fallen from his trees.

This kind of cane grows in Sicily and Sardinia and provided a pleasant background for a patio tea. It makes a lovely swishing sound in the wind.

LA PITTURA DI GINO - 3

Cartellone is the old Jewish quarter of Modica and the first two pictures are Gino's depictions of houses there. [These now fetch quite a price, having been renovated!] Then what collection of Modican art would be complete without a painting of our glorious Duomo di San Giorgio? Next we have "Agrigento x 3" [you will work out why]. And finally, what collection of Sicilian art could be complete without a picture of a palm tree?

Now I confess that tonight is not quite the first time I have mentioned Gino on my blog, for some of you may remember that in the winter he painted Simi and me.

As I have said, Gino would love to have some feedback from you about his work.

LA PITTURA DI GINO - 2

Sicilian opera dei pupi or puppet theatre is an ancient tradition [about which I think I should post separately one day] the stories being based upon Norman legend. Here Gino has depicted some of the characters on wood. Next is a painting of a traditional Sicilian house, and below it the same house, painted on wood. The stems of the gerberas on the tile are not painted - they were already a feature of the tile.

LA PITTURA DI GINO

This evening I thought I'd introduce you to the artwork of my friend Gino. He is a talented and prolific artist who paints for the love of it, uses all sorts of media and who will try his hand at any subject matter which inspires him. Well, I'll let the paintings speak for themselves: the first group consists of scenes of the nearby seaside village of Sampieri, as Gino remembers it and as it is now. I was with Gino on the evening portrayed in the last two pictures so can vouch for the fact that the colours of the sea and sky really were as you see them here. I don't think that Gino could have been born anywhere but in Sicily!

I'm sure Gino would love to know what you think about his work.