Volume 12 Issue 2

Summer– June2010

VICA Board Members

Contact these people for information or help

about any VICA activities:

President Adele Dienno 802-862-2595

Vice-Presidents Don Catalano: 802 660-

8914/Barbara Guiduli 802-862-4200

Secretary Carol Usher 802-863-2487

Treasurer Audry Rini 802-878-0990

Board Julie Bonanno, Adrienne Donohue,

Barbara Marden, Nancy Specht, David Usher

Il Messaggio Publication Dates

Quarterly, Mar 1, June 1, Sept. 1, Dec. 1

Deadlines for submissions: 15 days prior to

publication.

Submit content to causher@gmail.com

Membership

Anyone wanting to join VICA can do so by

contacting Carol Usher at 802 863-2487 or causher@gmail.com for an application. Mem-bership is $25. annually for individuals, $35.

for families, and $15. for students.

VICA Website: www.vtitalians.com

I l M e s s a g g i o

V e r m o n t I t a l i a n C u l t u r a l A s s o c i a t i o n

P . O . B o x 3 1 5 5 B u r l i n g t o n V T 0 5 4 0 8

I l M e s s ag g i o

Inside this issue:

Echoes from Home 2

Echoes from Home (cont.) 3

VICA Events 4

VICA & Community Events 5

Poetry & Art 6

Comfort Food of Piemonte 7

Who We Are - Lisa Mase

Calendar & New VICA Name

8

9 ,10

An organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Italian

culture in Vermont

Picnic Time!

VICA’s annual picnic is coming up again soon….a time when the whole club not only has fun

and food together but also a time when membership has an opportunity to have input into club

affairs. New officers and board members were elected for a 2-year term last year but there will

be opportunity for new additions this year…and room for plenty of fresh ideas!

Bocce games, music, a raffle, swimming…all the usual activities will be available at the park.

Mark the date and time on your calendar and bring family and friends to join your paesani!

Oakledge Park Gazebo Located at the end of Flynn Avenue in Burlington's South End

Sunday, June 13, 2010 3-9pm

Bring your own beverages and a dish to share (savory and/or sweet) …

(Important ►The Parks Dept. prohibits alcohol in glass bottles.)

Tableware will be provided by the club.

Note: Admission to Oakledge Park is $5.00 for Burlington residents and $8.00 for non-

residents. For a one-time fee of $2.00, anyone over the age of 62 or a disabled vet can apply for

a Green Mountain Passport that allows free admission to VT state parks and some city parks,

including Oakledge. Pick up an application form at your local town clerk’s office.

©

sapeva fare è un modo per tenere vivo il ricordo di

tutti i momenti conviviali vissuti assieme alla mia

famiglia. E’ il modo per poter sentire la mia

appartenenza ad un particolare e unico ramo

genealogico.

Allargando la cornice contestuale, è facile riscontrare

che, nel corso degli ultimi decenni, la globalizzazione

ha influenzato anche le abitudini alimentari,

diffondendo in ogni dove ristoranti etnici, fast food e

rendendo la distinzione tra le preferenze alimentari e i

modi di cucinare sempre più confusa.

In Italia attualmente vi sono almeno quattro filoni di

cucina, variamente intrecciati:

1.il filone degli amanti dei “fast food” trasversale ad

ogni età e strato sociale, visto che da Mc si

incontrano liceali, operai, piccoli industriali e

manager, gomito a gomito. Sono persone che

preferiscono impegnare il proprio tempo a fare altro,

non certo a mangiare ….

2. il filone della cucina ”etnica” (cinesi, indiane,

pakistane) concentrati nelle città, a cui aderiscono

soprattutto i giovani e gli intellettuali, pronti a

mescolare spaghetti e salsa chili, burritos e

parmigiana della mamma.

3. il filone della “slow food”, a cui aderiscono i

difensori dei genuini prodotti regionali, delle pietanze

tradizionali e caratteristiche, movimento che fa presa

sia nelle grandi città, tra le persone di classe media e

alta, stufi di paté e tartine della nouvelle cuisine, che

nei piccoli centri agricoli, dove si va fieri della pasta

e del formaggio locale. Naturalmente, il cibo deve

essere assaporato molto lentamente, quasi come se

fosse una meditazione per l’anima a partire dal corpo.

4. il filone del “macrobiotico” i cui seguaci sono

sostenitori di un ritorno alla natura, rispettandola. I

cibi devono essere stati coltivati attraverso processi

rigorosamente biologici perché sono assolutamente

contrari a quelli geneticamente modificati. Inoltre,

non meno importante il tipo di pentole utilizzate,

anch’essi del tutto naturali! Possono essere in acciaio

o in ceramica, bandito il teflon …

(continued on page 3...)

I l M e s s a g g i o Page 2

Echoes From Home...

La Cultura passa anche

dalla Cucina (By Marcella

Sacchetti) (Marcella is the daughter-in-law of Francesco

Gatti and lives in Italy near Monza. She has a major in Philosophy and she is working, for 10

years now, as consultant with Social Services in near-by communities. Marcella and her hus-

band Yuri come often to Vermont to visit fam-ily, and of course they love this country.)

La condivisione dello stesso cibo in famiglia, in pausa

pranzo al lavoro, nelle ricorrenze religiose mette in

comunicazione le persone che appartengono ad una

stessa comunità, introducendole lentamente ad una

stessa cultura. Attraverso la “pratica del mangiare” le

persone costruiscono la propria identità e quella del

gruppo etnico e sociale a cui appartengono,

delimitando ideologie, costumi, usanze….. Il cibo è

anche strumentale nel sottolineare le differenze, tra

gruppi, culture, strati sociali, e serve a rafforzare

l’identità di gruppo, a separare e distinguere il "noi"

dagli "altri" [Bourdieu 1983].

"Quando io e mio marito Yuri arriviamo in Vermont,

desideriamo mangiare i cibi americani… quelli che ci

fanno assaporare la “diversità” dal nostro modo di

mangiare, di quando siamo a casa, in Italia".

L’alimentazione è inoltre parte delle pratiche dirette

alla cura del sé attraverso il costante nutrimento del

corpo con cibi considerati salutari oltre che a costituire

una fonte di piacere. Siamo quello che mangiamo e ciò

che mangiamo implica anche il modo in cui il cibo

viene cucinato. Ogni cultura attribuisce un valore al

proprio cibo, all’alimentazione, al modo di conservare

e cucinare…. Cucinare è un processo alchemico,

magico, significa simbolicamente sottomettere la

natura (gli ingredienti, i materiali grezzi) e

trasformarla in cultura (il piatto finito). Chi ama

cucinare generalmente scopre, ricerca, studia,

sperimenta, agisce secondo le sue conoscenze e i suoi

retaggi. Io, personalmente, sto scoprendo il piacere di

dare nuovamente vita ai sapori che creava mia nonna,

di mettere in tavola i piatti tipici che lei stessa

cucinava, quando ero una bambina. Il desiderio di

cucinare e assaporare quel che lei, magistralmente,

I l M e s s a g g i o

Page 3

Have you ever seen a caper in full bloom?

Capers are an especially important economic crop of cer-

tain parts of Sicily. Besides having a pungent taste all

their own, they are said to have various medicinal quali-

ties. Did you know they are the buds of flowers that are

picked and preserved in salt before they bloom? Chances

are you have eaten them in some tasty Italian dish, but

have you ever seen what they look like in full bloom?

Pazza For Pizza

“If learning Italian were as common as ordering a pizza,

then the Italian language would have the largest number

of speakers in the world. In the U.S., as well as in many

other countries, pizza is the number one most popular

food.” Michael San Filippo (About.com Italian)

Get a 3-D portrait of your pet in wool

wooliedales@gmail.com- 802-863-2487

www.wooliedales.com

Do You Know Anyone?

VICA is looking for potential programs of lectures, workshops,

music performances, photo shows or anything of interest in the

Italian culture to share with one another and the community.

We’re also considering an organizer for a second film night of

contemporary Italian films in the Burlington area. If you know

of anyone to recommend for any of the above, contact Adri-

enne at 802-862-5153.

(...Continued from page 2)

Sul piano dei modelli culturali, la differenza

fondamentale è quella tra società che costruiscono

artificialmente il proprio cibo e società che vivono di

ciò che il territorio offre spontaneamente. Se da un lato

l’economia globalizzante ha spinto verso

l'omologazione dei gusti ormai planetaria, l’attuale crisi

socio-economica potrebbe avvicinare le persone

sempre più ad una "cucina locale” e ad un acquisto

solidale. In Italia, i primi segnali sono dati dai Gruppi

di Acquisto Solidale (GAS), ovvero: gruppi di persone

che vivono il consumo con un approccio critico e che

vogliono applicare il principio di equità e solidarietà ai

propri acquisti. I criteri che guidano la scelta dei

fornitori sono all'insegna della qualità del prodotto e

dell'impatto ambientale totale (prodotti locali, alimenti

da agricoltura biologica od equivalenti, imballaggi eco-

compatibili o da rendere, minimo trasporto per avere

cibi senza conservanti ed evitare l’inquinamento

prodotto dai trasporti).

(Editor’s note: Marcella's excellent article has been edited for

length to fit with some minor word changes for easier comprehen-

sion for the local audience. The mentioned GAS are groups of persons who buy larger quantities of food at the source (best

price, quality, biological and ecological advantage) and share among themselves.

P a g e 4 I l M e s s a g g i o

VICA Events

Upcoming Barre Opera:

Lucia di Lammermoor

Grab your opera glasses!

VICA is planning a group attendance at the historic Barre Opera House to see Gaetano Donizetti’s “Lucia di

Lammermoor” combined with dinner following at Lu-

cia’s Restaurant in Barre on Sunday, June 20th.

The 3pm matinee is part of the 5th season of the Green Mountain Opera Festival, celebrating its professional

status this year as a member of OPERA AMERICA, the

nation’s only service organization supporting the crea-tion, presentation and enjoyment of opera.

The Green Mountain Opera Festival, calling itself “a truly unique gem of a festival,” sponsors almost a

month of festival activities in June in the Mad River

Valley and beyond, including an Emerging Artist Pro-

gram, free open rehearsals, various concerts both oper-atic and broadway style, free master classes with re-

nowned opera stars and of course fully staged, costumed

opera productions accompanied by the Green Mountain Opera Orchestra and Chorus as “Lucia di Lammermoor”

will be. See their website for a full schedule of their

events www.greenmountainoperafestival.com

Prices include opera ticket and dinner: $75. or $85. for

VICA members; $85. or $95. for non-members. (Prices

based on seat location)

For reservations: call Adrienne at 802-862-5153

Deadline for reservations: June 3 Send checks made out to VICA to:

Audry Rini

c/o Double Entry Bookkeeping 137 Iroquois Avenue Suite 202

Essex Junction, VT 05452

Past VICA Events

The Amici

On Thursday, May 20th, the Amici met under a canopy

at Monty's Old Brick Cafe in Williston. The entire ex-

perience, from the ideal weather to the fantastic food,

made an easy decision to return there for the next

monthly gathering of the Amici on June 24th at noon.

Call Ann Arms at 863-5155 for reservations. Anyone

interested in joining this fun group or bringing friends is

always welcome.

P a g e 5 I l M e s s a g g i o

VICA After Opera Party

Following the HD screen showing recently at the Palace

9 Theater in South Burlington of Rossini’s opera Ar-mida, live from the Metropolitan Opera in New York, a

group of about 20 VICA members and friends met at

the home of Doug and Barbara Marden to celebrate

cheese, wine, appetizers, and the enjoyment of the lively discussions that inevitably fill a room whenever Italians

come together under one roof.

Not the least of the conversations revolved around the

opera itself. As an 1817 Rossini work which has been

infrequently heard – called a “buried treasure, a box of

jewels” by director Mary Zimmerman - everyone was favorably impressed with Armida. With two intermis-

sions and lasting nearly four hours, the superb perform-

ances of the lead singers Renée Fleming as Armida and Lawrence Brownlee as Rinaldo kept the audience’s rapt

attention as their gleaming voices blended extremely

well. The struggle between honor, love, and revenge took on epic proportions, and both the music and the

elaborate choreographic scenes kept the tension very

much alive throughout the story.

As one reviewer said, “Armida belongs at the Met. And

the company has the right star(s) in place.”

Community Events Dr. William Tortolano Retires

Past VICA president, present VICA member, and pro-

fessor emeritus at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Dr. William Tortolano retired after a 50 year career at

the college. His contribution to the humanities and to

the appreciation and the experience of music domi-

nated his work, so it was fitting that he made his re-tirement official with a farewell concert at St. Mi-

chael’s College Chapel on April 20 where members of

his family, the Vermont Gregorian Chant Schola, and the St. Michael’s Chorale performed. He is also re-

membered as having designed the Chapel’s organ,

which was installed in 1966.

The Burlington Free Press quoted his reaction to his

life’s work: “It’s been a great experience,” he said.

Italian Author Visits UVM

Growing Up Italian by Dr. Ed Iannuccilli

Dr. Ed Iannuccilli, from Bristol, Rhode Island, gave a power-point presentation at UVM’s John Dewey’s

Lounge from the contents of his book, sharing family

experiences and photos of “growing up Italian” in a

family that was part of the Great Immigration at the turn of the century. Like most Italian-Americans,

those of us with similar backgrounds were delighted to

once more bring fond memories of our own to mind since it seems the experiences of “Little Italy” com-

munities were remarkably similar as the immigrants

hung onto old customs while still trying to fit into a new world.

The book is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

New Italian Cookbook Breaking Bread in L'Aquila

by Maria Filice

“When a project is conceived out of passion, its roots

show.” Thus begins a review of a recently published cook-

book by Maria Filice, whose late husband’s hometown was L’Aquila. After seeing the devastation of the earthquake in

Abruzzo’s capital city last year, she resolved to complete

this cookbook with recipes inspired by the good cooking

she often savored at one of the couple’s favorite restaurants

in L’Aquila. Simple ingredients and “effortless Italian

cooking” describe the recipes.

See http://www.telospress.com/foodandfate/

Page 6 I l M e s s a g g i o

Poetry & Art

BIKING Push the pedals

one more rotation of gain,

to see the view,

the terrain,

the water meeting the coast

and villages,

perfectly nestled and arranged.

At every climb and curve,

mesmerizing blue,

scent of salty ocean,

the steep and narrow to pursue.

The thrill of the decline,

bittersweet and free,

followed by legs engaged,

pumping furiously.

By Jesse LoVasco

IN BICI

Spingo i pedali

ancora una volta

finché intravedo la scogliera

che accoglie l’acqua

ed i villaggi perfettamente

appisolati nei covi.

A ciascuna cima e curva

sono ipnotizzata dal blu

e dal sale del mare.

Mi chiamano a proseguire

malgrado la sfida del ripido.

Finalmente, il brivido della

discesa,

libera ma agrodolce

perché é sempre seguita

dal furioso pompare

di gambe giá stanche.

Translated by Lisa Mase

Jesse LoVasco is a poet and artist with a BA from Vermont College who is inspired by na-ture. She has written a poetry journal called VOICES in discovery of

her Sicilian heritage.

Lisa Mase is a translator, writer, business cultivator and homesteader and VICA member whose autobiography is featured on the last page of this

issue.

VICA Artist Displays at Shelburne Museum

VICA member Toni-Lee Sangastiano, who spent the last two summers studying painting at the Angel

Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, combined her talent with American circus lore by painting 13 side-

show banners in a 17x40 foot display for the Shelburne Museum’s “Circus Day In America” exhibition.

Her work can be seen all summer at the entrance to

the Shelburne Museum’s Circus Building, which

contains the miniature circus parade and carou-

sel animal collection. In two of the banners, Toni-

Lee tells us there is a connection to the famous

artist Botticelli. In the first, “Zephyr” is de-

picted in a “Bisazza- inspired” mosaic blowing

bubbles instead of wind away from his face in

“Husky Harry”. The “Hunger Artist,” which

lo o s e ly r e fe r e nce s Kafka’s short story, is

visually inspired by the standard of beauty in the “Birth of Venus” and the transitory nature of that stan-

dard through the ages. Sangastiano will continue studying old master techniques as related to still life at

the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy this summer. To see more of Sangastiano’s work, visit

www.sideshowbanners.com

I l M e s s a g g i o Page 7

Dinner at L'Amante - Comfort Food of

Piemonte Review by Adrienne Donohue

On a dark and rainy February evening following

a major snowstorm, a quartet of VICA members, Carol and David Usher and Adrienne and Tom Donohue, ar-

rived at L’Amante Restaurant on College Street in Bur-

lington to partake of the featured dinner billed as “comfort food of Piedmont”, or Piemonte, as the natives

say. And what a comfort it was!

Each winter, L'Amante offers tasting menus of

the cuisine of various regions of Italy, the most recent

being the Piemontese menu. It was a treat worth waiting

for. The first course was the chef’s riff on a traditional peasant dish--polenta con taleggio. As an antipasto, it

was an unusual choice, since polenta was traditionally a

peasant staple, but here it was a tour de force. The creamy polenta was baked in a thin, crisp tart shell and

drizzled with a fonduta of taleggio and truffle oil. Taleg-

gio is a cheese that, when ripe, is runny and slightly

pungent. It is the perfect accent for the mild polenta. The chef’s interpretation of the humble corn meal dish be-

came a light, elegant delight for the taste buds--regal

enough to be served at the Palazzo Madama in Torino.

The second course, or the primo as the Italians

say was tajarin (In Italian, one would say tagliatelle) with mushrooms. These were the tenderest of egg noo-

dles in cream combined with sautéed mushrooms. They

conjured up for me a memory of long ago, the image of my grandmother laying out the sheets of hand made

pasta on the large dining room table and cutting them

into narrow strips.

A tender roast filet of beef was served as our sec-ondo or entrée. Well caramelized and enhanced by a subtle

red wine reduction, the beef was accompanied by more

comfort--fluffy mashed potatoes--and the most delicate of

asparagus spears. Could spring be far behind?

The three courses were paired with three beloved

wines of the region: a crisp Gavi di Gavi, a Freisa, which is a light but quite substantial red, and the king of the Piemon-

tese reds, the Barolo. Between courses the conversation

touched on various topics: food, naturally, current events, and travel. Of course, there was also talk of VICA, of past

events that we enjoyed and those still to come.

The region of Piemonte (literally" the foot of the

mountains") is in the north of Italy abutting both France

and Switzerland from which it draws some of its influ-ences. The terrain encompasses mountains, valleys, hill-

sides, and fertile plains. For this piemontesina the dinner

evoked memories not only of my mother’s home cooking,

but it reminded me of family members who are still living in the lovely towns and cities of Piemonte where growing

and preparing food and cultivating the vines, then enjoying

their results with family and friends is still a strong tradi-

tion that brings pleasure to natives and visitors alike.

Good food, good wine, good company. This dinner

was the perfect antidote to the storm.

Comfort Food of Piemonte

I l M e s s a g g i o

V e r m o n t I t a l i a n

C u l t u r a l A s s o c i a t i o n

P . O . B o x 3 1 5 5

B u r l i n g t o n V T 0 5 4 0 8

am passionate about sharing Italian recipes, stories, and language as a catalyst for others to explore and appreciate their own heritage. I have helped people to correspond with Italian consulates, create per-sonalized phrasebooks, and travel to find their living Italian relatives. I look forward to visiting my family this fall and helping my father har-vest olives and make fresh-pressed olive oil.

I enjoy creating in-spired meals with oth-ers, homesteading, writing, and spending time in nature. I spent my childhood both bik-ing the streets of Ferrara, a medieval city in the Po' river delta in Emilia-Romagna, and roaming the Dolomite moun-tains with my grand-mother to find choice edible mushrooms or pick wild blueberries. My Italian identity in-forms the way I live. I

WHO WE ARE :To better acquaint you with who we are on a personal level, this featured section of Il Messaggio is reserved

for either a short autobiographical “portrait” of a VICA member or of a place in Italy from which one of our member’s

families emigrated . The autobiography in this issue is of Lisa Mase. You can reach Lisa at 802.598-9206 or lisamase@gmail.com.

Ciao! Mi chiamo Lisa Masé, and I am a whole foods cooking teacher, poet, trans-lator and language tutor living in Mont-pelier, Vermont.

NOTE: Anytime you want to switch between an elec-tronic or a hard copy of Il Messaggio, please contact the editor. (causher@gmail.com or 802-

863-2487)

Lisa Mase

Calendar of Events: Summer 2010

Upcoming VICA Events

Sun, Jun 13: VICA Annual Picnic at Oakledge Park, Burlington, 3pm-9pm

See Page 1 of this issue of Il Messaggio for details or...

(contact Barbara, 802-862-4200)

Sun. Jun 20: Opera/Dinner “Lucia di Lammermoor” 3pm Barre Opera House/Lucia’s Restaurant

(tix and reservations contact Adrienne 802-862-5153)

Thurs, Jun 24: Amici Luncheon at 11:30 Monty’s Old Brick Tavern, 7921 Williston Road, Williston, VT

(contact Ann 802-863-5155 or Barbara 802-863-6897)

On-going VICA Events

Italian Conversation Classes: 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, St. Michael’s College,

St. Edmonds Hall, Room 101, 7-9 pm

(contact Franco, 802-899-3869)

Italian Movie Night: quarterly at Deborah Rawson Memorial Library in Jericho

(next showing to be announced)

(contact Franco, 802-899-3869)

Amici Luncheons: Monthly at various venues (see schedule above)

(contact Ann, 802-863-5155 or Barbara, 802-863-6897)

Community Italian Events

2010 VT Mozart Festival

A few of the 16 Festival events have included compositions by Italian composers( Rossini and Vivaldi) and music from the “Marriage of Figaro.” Check the Festival contents and venues at www.vtmozart.org or

call 802-862-7352.

Sun, Jun 13: Mille Ferrari’s: A Day of Italian Food, Wine and Cars -- Westport, CT

The event takes place during the Formula 1 Grand Prix Du Canada race, which will be shown on two large-screen HDTVs. Location: Rizzuto’s Wood-Fired Restaurant, 540 Riverside Avenue. Time: Noon-4 p.m. Information: www.rizzutos.com

Sat Jun 19: Looms Symposium, Fisk Farm, Isle Lamotte 9am-4pm, $20 fee. Hand-woven tapestry technique originally commissioned by Pope Leo in 1515 based on art by Raphael and resurrected by Elizabeth Fisk in the early 20th century. Information at www.fisklooms.org

Sat. Jun. 26: Poetry Writing Workshop, 10am-4pm Four Corners Schoolhouse, East. Montpeleir $75. Contact lisamase@gmail.com, 802-598-9206

Sat, Jun 26: Bocce Tournament: Sponsored by the Burlington Bocce and Petanque Club at Oakledge Park, Bur-lington. Participate or attend. (contact Zander Ponder 802-658-0242)

Mon, Aug 9: Top Chef Event: Pulcinella’s chef Sam Palmisano will defend his 2008 and 2009 title of Top Chef of the Champlain Valley against Leunig’s Collin and 156 Bistro’s DesChenes at UVM’s Davis Center. Tick-ets $35. Information 1-800-642-5119 or www.cvaa.org

Check

Out

Summer

2010

Dates

&

Events

We need a new and exciting “call name” for our club! We will keep

the official name of

Vermont Italian Cultural Association,

but we want to replace the acronym VICA with an upfront name

for the community to begin to identify us as an exciting group

that attracts people to our club activities that inspire our love for

Italy. “Viva Italia,” for example, is the kind of idea we are looking

for, but we are looking for YOUR new and fresh idea so we can

easily be identified and easily found on the internet!

Do it today!

VICA

Re-Name the Club!!!!

Join the fun!

Email your inspired (or even UNinspired!) ideas to

causher@gmail.com

VICA

P.O. Box 3155

Burlington, VT 05408

Or send your ideas to