Rick Santorum

Today I listened to Rick Santorum talk to Jeannette Benkovic, host of EWTN's "Women of Grace". 
Rick and Jeannette inspired me and so I wanted to go to my blog that focuses on HOPE. Rick and the show of "Women of Grace" makes me feel hopeful about the future of our country and of our families. Rick Santorum was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2012. 

 In June, 2012 Rick Santorum began Patriot Voices, a grassroots and online community of Americans committed to promoting faith, family, freedom and opportunity. During his presidential run, Rick spoke passionately about his belief that strong families help produce a strong economy.  Rick and his lovely wife, Karen have 7 children and their youngest daughter, Isabella was born with a condition called Trisomy 18.   Bella’s miraculous life has only strengthened Rick and Karen’s belief in the dignity of each and every life. Rick wants to repeal Obamacare because it is government driven. Rick was the most successful as a government reformer in our history as he served in the House of Representatives as well as the Senate. He wrote the New York Times best seller, It Takes a Family. As a person who values each and every person Rick wrote and passed legislation that outlawed the heinous procedure known as Partial Birth Abortion as well as the "Born Alive Infants Protection Act," the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act," and the "Combating Autism Act" .Today on the "Women of Grace" program Rick was  promoting films that he is helping to produce as a CEO of Echolight Studio. Rick said that he wanted to promote the good, the true, and the beautiful. I agree with Jeannette that Rick is a magnanimous and audacious but humble man. "We can't hide our light under a bushel ....we have to put it on the nightstand". Rick needs to provide for his family but most importantly,he said that we need to build faith and family through inspirational and entertaining films that both children and adults can view together. Don't miss his awesome Christmas movie coming out in November, The Christmas Candle!

"For too long, Hollywood has had a lock on influencing the youth of this country with a flawed message that goes against our values. Now, we can change that," said Rick. I can't even watch TV or most films today and I am so glad that someone like Rick Santorum is taking the lead in trying to change the flawed culture of Hollywood films. Bravo Rick! 

Italians...adjectives please.

As I was teaching a lesson of adjective agreement to my Italian 101 class I decided to also teach a cultural lesson concurrently. I asked the students to share some adjectives that are associated with Italians. The typical adjectives came through from the hyperbolic Italian stereotypes we see on TV or in movies.

For example, one could say that in general Italians were olive skinned and small from the immigrant population of Italians who came to America in the early twentieth century but as we travel today to Italy we see a diversity of complexions and sizes of the Italian people from all over its peninsula and islands.

As a great observer of the Italian people through my extensive travels to Italy in the last forty years I  have always loved to watch them in action in their outdoor living rooms as I like to label their piazzas or at home in their actual "salotti".  First and foremost, what is stridently visible is the way Italians carry themselves and how they dress. Italians love beauty and take great pride in dressing impeccably and confidently. I personally think that it is not so much what they wear as how they feel as they are wearing it. I also think that the confidence comes deep from within and not so much from the exterior of their bodies. This revelation that I made a long time ago about this phenomenon of the Italian people goes hand in hand with the way Italians demonstrate their love so outwardly and so passionately toward their children. Their love for their children and their joy at being with them is what makes them self-confident. Their animation comes from the maternal and paternal love they receive growing up. The demonstrative love and affection children are given in Italy I think contributes to making the child feel a great sense of self-worth that he or she is made in the image and likeness of God and therefore is precious in every way. This godly love that the parents,family, and society express to a child is what in my estimation makes the child feel consequently so self-confident and passionate. This passionate nature then expresses itself through their magnificent facial expressions, body language, and hand gestures which in turn makes them look as I said, VERY self-confident.

Gli Italiani sono sicuri e disinvolti.

( to be continued)

Columbus Day Reflections

I am watching the Columbus Day Parade in Chicago on TV and I am so proud of my Italian heritage.. I see so many of my Italian students there! I just love what the coming of Columbus to America represents. Through my studies of Italian, I continually learn to appreciate all of the Italians’ and Italo-Americans’ contributions to our modern society: free market-economics, the security of the rule of …law, a unique sense of human rights and freedom, charity as a virtue, spendid art and music, exquisite food, a philosophy grounded in reason, modern science and aboveall, a sense of sacredness of all human life with a special respect and love for women. Christopher Columbus may be a controversial figure to some but what is undeniable is that through the persistance and vision of this Genovese sailor, his dream came true and it transformed the world. I am so proud of Josette Weber, a great woman in the Italian community who was the Grand Marsahll and who epitimizes the charitable HEART of so many of the Italo-American people, companies and organizations represented at the parade. May we as Italians and Italo-Americans continue to foster the importance of faith, family,community, tradition, and charity. La vita e bella! Happy Belated Columbus Day to all! It’s wonderfult o see so many people embrace the Italian heritage of Chicago!

La Passeggiata

As I drive everywhere in my car to go to work or to run errands as an American, I often nostalgically reminisce how my brethren in Italy use their legs or a bicycle as their means of transportation to get to work or to shop for their daily purchases of staples. Italy is known as “Sunny Italy” so the beautiful radiance of ”il Sole” together with shorter distances and high fuel prices makes it understandable why Italians walk rather than drive to their daily destinations. More interesting, however, is the fact that Italians love to take walks without a truly set destination, affectionately called “La Passeggiata”, a stroll or promenade. The stroll just leads you naturally to an epicenter ( the main Piazza of the town) where Italians will find, others like themselves congregating to do “Il Dolce Far Niente” ( the sweetness of doing nothing) which ironically ends up being an array of the most enjoyable pasttimes in life that one can do which are beautifully and richly simple in nature. I say simple only because the backdrop has been set for centuries by great, talented luminaries who built, sculpted, painted, and created the beauty by which one is surrounded in what I call the outdoor living rooms of Italy. All the senses are aroused …by the buzzing of cheerful, animated Italians’ voices as they chat with one another…. by the heavenly aromas that waft from the pasticcerie or salumerie….by the delectable foods such as “un gelato alla nocciola con panna” or “un cappuccino e cornetto” that make your taste buds burst with indescribable flavor fit for the gods or… by the many attractive “vitrine” that display that “made in Italy” look of a product that exudes quality, creativity, and aboveall, classic beauty. The eye is truly bombarded and captivated by virtually hundreds of extraordinary images of people, places, and things that makes you curiously interested to keep on watching. Italians have a love affair with “La Bellezza” ( Beauty) from the time of Antiquity and from the time of Christianity, especially with their admiration of the Human Body. They also love to be “In Compagnia” ( in the company of others). Thus, “La Passeggiata”, a slow-paced stroll where one can see and talk to: ”bellissime”, feminine women “a braccetto” (arm in arm) , ”bellissimi”, meticulously dressed young and middle-aged men, ”bellissimi”, older gentlemen in charming sweater vests and suits discussing politics at a caffe’ in front of the “Catedrale”, and last but not least, ”bellissimi bambini” that are like magnets attracting those who pass by, coupled with, “la bellezza” of the art, sculture, architecture, food, and objects by which the Italians are surrounded in their outdoor living room of the “Piazza” makes the daily stroll such a necessity and delight! Alla Prossima, Dorina

Parmigiano

People always say that Italian cuisine is simple but the reality I think, is that it is simple because so many other Italians have painstakingly made quintessential Italian ingredients that elevate an Italian dish to a heavenly experience. To illustrate this point one would only have to think about a simple dish of homemade “Tagliatelle” which are crowned with the “indisputable King of cheeses” and then, becomes a glorious and unforgettable experience of the palate. I love “the indisputable King of cheeses” as Mario Batali describes so beautifully the Italian cheese of Parmigiano Reggiano. It takes two years of hand-on work, hard work to age this cheese to perfection. This cheese is made in Parma in the region of Emiglia Romagna. This region is known as the gastronomic heart of Italy. No wonder Bologna is called besides “La Dotta” ( the Learned One)… ( for the oldest university of Europe ( 1088) “La Grassa” (the Fat One) because of its exquisite foods such as Aceto Balsamico (Balsamic Vinegar) from Modena, Tortellini ( fresh, stuffed pasta that looks like Venus’ navel) or its many delicious deli cuts such as Mortadella and Prosciutto from Parma. When I was in Bologna for many Italian exchanges with my students from Lyons Township High School, I would love to look at the massive wheels of this divine cheese in the “vitrine” of the “salumerie” o “latterie” that would pop-up as I would take my evening strolls ( passeggiate) and would end up in the center of the city in Piazza Maggiore with the Basilica of Saint Petronius (the patron state of Bologna) and the lovely Fountain of Neptune. The incredible buttery and nutty aroma of this cheese would entice me to go eat any fresh pasta dish with Bolognese sauce and of course, topped with “Il buonissimo Parmigiano” at a marvelous “trattoria bolognese.” I remember once while I was there with my wonderful students, I had the best pasta dish ever with a spectacular, former student of mine, Ann Marie Moran who took me to a trattoria she had found while she was studying at the University of Bologna at that very time. I will never forget that encounter with her. What a cherished memory for me that it was!To be taken by a special student like Anna Maria that you formerly taught who now knew the Italian language and culture and Bologna so well and who was studying there because she had a beautiful experience during her high school exchange to Bologna was one of the best memories of my teaching career! I was so proud of her! But to get back to the story, the pasta dish with the Parmigiano Reggiano was “Straordinario” or as we say in English…Out of this World! So, to sum up, Italian Cuisine is simple only because there are so many Italian ingredients that are made with great care and love that have been handed down to us as part and parcel of Italian tradition that desires to produce quality and not quantity! Cooking Italian dishes is simple only because we are able to buy and use in our cooking Italian food products of great genius! Buon Appetito! Alla Prossima, Dorina

Saint Valentine’s Day

Saint Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and it reminds me of my lessons in Italian class that dealt with this saint and with the topic of “Love”. My unit on Italian Courtly Love Poetry coincided with the feast day of Saint Valentine which is also linked with Italian beginnings (the persecutions of the early Christians in Rome ). I would have my students give their personal definition of love and we would then read Italian courtly love poetry by Cavalcanti, Guinizelli, and of course by Dante Alighieri. ( These poets were called the Dolce Stilnovisti/ the Sweet New Stylists). I would start with Dante’s sonnet, Tanto gentile e tanto onesta ( Vita Nuova) and finish at the end of Italian IV AP with Dante’s Divine Comedy. The students would wrtie an Italian imitative courtly love poem or a modern version of this theme and they would always be spectacular. My young proteges amazed me with the quality of the maturation of their thoughts on the subject of love. By the end of the unit my students understood what true spiritual love ( Caritas) was. They understood that God is love and that for amorous love to be perfect it needs to imitate God’s love. My poetry unit would begin with the Sicilian School to the Florentine School, then to the Bolognese School and end with an introduction to the genius epic poem of Dante Alighieri, the Divine Comedy in order to illustrate the evolutionary process of man’s christian concept of love. Materialistic troubadour poetry associated with wine and pleasure transforms itself into chivalrous and courtly love and then to doctrinal and philosophical love and finally with Dante, elevates itself to spiritual love. Love becomes associated with a gentle and noble heart ( il cuor gentil) and not with noble standing in society. What a revolutionary idea that Dante incorporates and instills in western civilization! Both men and women begin to be given the dignity they so deserve from the Middle Ages onward even if man has always had struggles with this nascent idea in Dante’s sublime work. Dante was influenced by Saint Francis of Assisi and this new finding gives me great solace because as those of you who know me, also know tha I have a great admiration and love for this great saint as well as poet. It always then, befuddles me when some or most modern historians call this period the Dark Ages. How ironic is it that this dark age gave way to one of the greatest luminaries of all time…DANTE whose extraordinary christian ideas transformed modern western society in many ways. Though the secular media would have us believe that these ideas are archaic, my students for the last thirty-five years have always proved to me by their own original poems on love that Dante’s concept of “Caritas” is profound irrefutable and immutable truth for all time. Once again, a lesson imbued with “Speranza”. I will truly miss teaching this beautiful unit on Italian literature. Alla Prossima, Dorina

Italian Neorealism

As I mentioned in my first post that one of my principal mantras in life that comes from teaching Italian is “Speranza” ( Hope). I just viewed A beautiful Italian film called ” La Fuga degli Innocenti“/ The Escape of the Innocent (2004) on La Rai last week which reminded me of the several neorealistic Italian films that I used in my AP Italian IV classes throughout the years at Lyons Township High School such as Roberto Rossellini’s Roma, Citta Aperta / Open City (1945) or Vittorio De Sica’s Ladri di Biciclette/Bicycle Thief (1948). Neorealism is a movement in Italian cinema with a veristic style that began with Luchino Visconti’s Ossessione / Obsession(1942) who is considered the father of Italian neorealistic cinema. Neorealistic films have the following characteristics: ■Authentic settings in black and white ■Melodrama ■Realismo ( Verismo) ■Music that is powerful and serious ■Contrast of the tragic with the comic ■Episodes of Humanity ■Real persons, not always actors ■Dramatic scenes ■Instructional scenes ( that teach life lessons) ■ Ugliness of life not hidden We all like films that entertain us but sometimes, there are pedogogical films like neorealistic ones that do not just make us cry or laugh but that teach us profound life lessons from real occurences in human history. Both la Fuga degli Innocenti and Roma, Citta Aperta remind me of another mantra of mine that my father and mother taught me from my Italian and catholic upbringing: From the bad comes the greater good ( Dal male viene il bene). The existence of God is always questioned in these films that portray man’s inhumanity and brutality toward his fellowman. But in the end, the presence of God is finally visible through people who love completely and sacrifice their lives for the greater good of humanity. The Italian film I viewed on La Rai (The Escape of the Innocent) is about Joseph, a Jewish elementary teacher and other Italians ( both fascists and partisans) who help a group of abandoned Jewish children escape persecution during World War II. This is one of the most powerful films I have seen in a long time. Though this film and neorealistic films alike are difficult to watch, they continually teach us lessons of hope and humanity and that in the midst of evil, there is always good and there is always God. The final scene of the film is extraordinary with the last, poignantly repeated words of Joseph, “For the love of God!!!” ( Per l’amore di Dio) that bring salvation to Joseph, to the children, and to all , both in the physical and spiritual sense of the word. It must be said that this film moved me tremendously as someone who was born in a refugee camp after World War II in Novara in Piedmont after my parents fled from their home in Fiume in Venezia Giulia, fearful of being killed by the communists because they were Italian and catholic. When I say the Pledge of Allegiance or when I sing the National Anthem, I truly feel their impact in the recesses of my heart, mind and soul. Freedom and our rights and responsibilites as human beings are inextricably linked. Never take your freedom as Americans for granted! Let us as citizens of the United States protect and guard this precious freedom that we still have. We have the right and the responsibility to fight for our moral principles and for social justice. Let us always be vigilant toward this end. This cultural lesson on Italian neorealistic cinema that I taught throughout my high school teaching career in Italian IV AP reflects once more “SPERANZA!” Alla Prossima, Dorina

Italians and Food Continued

I would like to continue to talk about Italians and Food. Besides freshness, quality of food and taste, a deeper aspect to the Italian food tradition is deeply rooted in religion. At Christmas and Easter, Italians celebrate with some basic dishes, breads, dessert, and wines that capture Italy’s Judeo-Christian roots and its rich history with the Catholic Church especially. The concept of breaking Bread as symbolic of the Sacrifice of the Mass is part and parcel of the breaking of the bread and the drinking of wine in daily life as well as in a more grand scale for Natale and Pasqua. Preparation of meals for these religious holidays is not only a tradition involving family and taste but a fundamentally spiritual one as well. Many Italian traditions are deeply rooted in Catholicism. Devotion to one’s family is one of those traditions. Family is connected to the concept of the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We [Italians] try to emulate that love in our familial lives. We equate love for family with Christ’s love for humanity, a love that sacrifices and endures for those we love. Consequently, mothers like my dear mother worked very hard every day to prepare a beautiful meal for us from scratch with love and sacrifice. The careful and time-consuming process of preparing food now becomes a kind of reenactment of Christ’s sacrifice and love for us. These religious principles are deep at the heart of Italian identity. Therefore, in my cultural lessons on Italian food, I always highlight that modern-day fast food is deleterious to society on many different levels. Italian food identity is cultural, historical, spiritual, and even philosophical in nature: Everyday life is filled with our cultural gastronomic identity. It is a ritual for us that is very important. We have to eat together as a family all the time. We need to eat wholesome food for our bodies that we respect as temples of God. We therefore, demand that our food be fresh, the best quality, with the eating of many fruits and vegetables every day. We do not generally like fast food for the many reasons I have just described. We revert to the ancients and humanists and then by the Judeo-Christian values and then by Renaissance man’s quest for exquisite eating which Catherine De Medici spread to France and then to the rest of the western world. Our cuisine is treated as an Art. It is connected to family and therefore, it is very individual. Each family has its own recipes that reflect Italian culture in very complementary ways. Italians have wonderful casual trattorias that are divine but they also have elegant fine dining in restaurants, but what makes eating such an Epicurean delight is the charm and warmth of the Italians as they serve it because the desire to share it so animatedly is what people remember about them so vividly. Traditions surrounding food and cultural identity are inseparably linked at the most basic level for most Italians. Italians also value and take pleasure from carefully prepared food. We as Italians are very social beings and we love pleasurable things; and good food is one of the best pleasures in life for us when prepared with love and care. Producing quality food is an important duty of the woman in the Italian household and is one that she takes a high amount of pride in. Today, men as well participate in this very important aspect of life. My husband does a nice job to help in this area of our marriage and family life. Will Fast food threaten Italian tradition and cultural identity? For me, fast food is a small threat because Italians will always, to some extent retain their love for tradition and for family that is connected with eating if [they] remember that the breaking of the bread and drinking of the wine at the table is a spiritual act that reminds us of the sacrifice of the mass. If Italians can look to the past and hold onto their traditions as only they can do, fast food will not disturb the Italian identity in the long run. If, however, the Italian people ignore their traditions and cultures, their identity is destined to be twisted by the epidemic of fast food, as so many other cultural identities already have been. I have been so blessed to receive and experience my loving parent’s traditions and values “A Tavola” and I hope to continue them with my family and share them with all who come my way. Alla prossima, Dorina

Italian food and memories

Growing up Italian as a first generation Italian I experienced the connection with food and faith-filled events. Perugina chocolate and Easter, Italian breads and pizzas on Fridays, expresso and biscotti in the mid-afternoon with friends during Christmas and Easter time, fish dishes on Christmas Eve, daily fruit, nuts, figs, and dates on a long table that my Papa built in the basement, and most notably, the sumptuous Sunday dinner, tangibly different and special on the Lord’s Day every single week are just a few of these examples. These memories carry with them many lessons of good, fresh, wholesome food connected with our faith and family. My Mamma would say, ” A Tavola” to call my five brothers and I to the table and that is where we learned to be served and how to serve others with love. A Presto, Dorina

Hello world! Reflections of a retired teacher

Ciao Tutti, My resolution for the New Year is to write a blog at least once every week on teaching Italian and how it relates to me regarding how to live a good life. I taught Italian at the high school level for 37 years. Now, after festively celebrating my retirement, I find myself wanting to reflect on what teaching Italian has meant to me. During the last year of teaching, my students would often encourage me to write a book about my thoughts on life through the lens of Italian language, literature and culture. And so when one of my students wrote me an email stating that she started a Blog for me in order to help me write down my thoughts, I decided that I would give it a try. I would like to thank Liliana for her inspirational words to me and for setting up a blog for me. As I taught my Italian curriculum for the last time this past school year, it clearly and emphatically dawned on me that the theme of “Hope” ( Speranza) was repeated over and over again in my didactic units of the study of Italian language and its culture. So, today I would like to dedicate this writing to my family and my former students of Italian at Lyons Township High School who made that word come alive in my teaching and in my own personal life. “We are a people of hope, since God has won the definitive battle against evil, Satan and sin through Jesus’death on the cross. “ (Alan Schreck) Signora Dorina

 Today I would like to express that the most important characteristic of Italian Cuisine is ”Freschezza” ( freshness). Italians love to eat food that has just been prepared. Therefore, it must be fresh and immediately served without preservatives. For this reason, Italian food is simple in the sense that it does not have to have many ingredients or a complex preparation. I have vivid memories of eating various foods in Italy for the first time that conjure up in my mind amazing fragrances and tastes. I will never forget the first time I ate an “Insalata Caprese” in Naples. The fresh tomatoes and mozzarella were sublime! So, today after many, many years of preparing food for my family, the most important aspect of my meals for my family is “Freschezza”! Using this rule I have made my family happy and most importantly, healthy! Buona Giornata! Alla Prossima! Dorina