03 Friday Jun 2011
Posted in Italian festas, Italian holidays, Uncategorized
Today’s photo essay from ANSA (the Italian online news service which has an English edition) showed a spectacular fly-over of the tri-colore above the Roman crowds celebrating the Festa della Repubblica. To see the other 13 photos, click here.
What a sight!
09 Monday May 2011
Posted in Italian festas, Rapallo, Uncategorized
What we’ve been regarding as an A-#1 headache this week turns out to be a bicycle race with an impressive pedigree. As Wikipedia succinctly puts it:
The origins of the Giro are similar to those of the Tour de France, a competition between two newspapers: La Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere della Sera. La Gazzetta wished to boost its circulation by holding a professional road race based upon the Tour de France and similar to the Corriere della Sera-organized car rally. On August 7th, 1908 the newspaper’s founder Eugenio Camillo Costamagna, director Armando Cougnet and its editor Tullio Morgagni announced the inaugural Giro d’Italia to be held in 1909.
On May 13th, 1909 at 02:53 am 127 riders started the first Giro d’Italia from Loreto Place in Milan. The race was split into eight stages covering 2448 kilometres, 49 riders finished with Italian Luigi Ganna winning the inaugural event having won three individual stages and the General Classification. Ganna received 5325 Lira as a winner’s prize with all riders in the classification receiving 300 lira (at the time the Giro’s director received 150 lira a month salary).
Luigi Ganna
The race has continued, with interruptions for wars, ever since and has, like so many sporting events, become ever bigger and more commercialized. Wikipedia gives an exhaustive account of the race, its various elements and many of its winners here. Two of the three cyclists with the most wins (5) are Italians Alfredo Bindi and Fausto Coppi.
Alfredo Bindi
Fausto Coppi
Belgian Eddie Merckx also won five races.
Eddy Merckx
The Giro d’Italia is one of the three jewels in the crown of the overseeing agency, the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale). The other two are the Tour de France (est. 1903) and the Vuelta a Espana (est. 1935). These three races comprise the Grand Tour of professional bike-racing. (The UCI season consists of twenty-seven races held world-wide over a ten-month period.) Until 1960 The Italian race began and ended in Milano, the home of the Gazetto dello Sport; since then the city of departure has varied annually. For a while the finish city also changed, but since 1990 it has, again, been Milano. Since 1965 there have been nine starts outside Italy, and in 2012 the race will begin in Denmark.
So it’s a very big deal that the Giro is not only passing through Rapallo, but actually stopping here overnight, and then passing through again tomorrow on a route from Genova Quarto to Livorno. Most of the downtown of Rapallo was closed to traffic in the afternoon and will be again tomorrow.
And this is where the A#1 headache comes in. We’ve been unable to find any definitive announcement of which roads are closed during which hours. The Captain had an errand in Sestri Levante, about forty minutes to the south on the coast road, the Via Aurelia. When he went into town this morning he asked a policeman if he’d be able to get through and out of town mid-afternoon. “No Problem!” was the reply. Unfortunately when he set out he found the road was closed, so he couldn’t go. The Aurelia was also closed where it enters town, as was the other road that connects Santa Margherita and Rapallo. Bleachers have been erected, and no doubt there’s been no end of festivities, speech-making and shirt-presenting. But anyone who wants to get anywhere that involves traversing Rapallo is pretty much out of luck. And because so many streets have been closed and cleared of all parked vehicles, there is no where to park even a scooter. It is, to say the least, inconvenient. BUT, it is a very big deal, kind of like having the Super Bowl or the World Series or the World Cup in your home stadium. So we shouldn’t complain… well, maybe just a little.
This edition of the Giro has been described as one of the most difficult in many years. In honor of the 150th anniversary of Italy’s Unification the route encompasses the whole boot:
Note there is even a jog to Sicily, where the cyclists will bike up Mount Etna. The entire route covers 3,524.5 km (2190 miles) in 21 stages, which range individually in distance from 12.7 km. to 244 km. The normal day appears to be in the neighborhood of 200 km. I can’t imagine. Twenty-three teams left Torino on the 7th of May, and presumably all twenty-three will finish in Milano on May 29.
Not only can I not imagine pedaling two hundred plus km in one day, I can’t imagine the kind of planning that has to go into carrying off an event that involves so many people moving over such a great distance over so many days. As disorganized as Italy sometimes seems, it takes logistical genius to carry off this race, road closures, grand-stands, publicity and all.
So we wish them well, and, to be honest, we wish them well on their way. It’s great they came to Rapallo, and it will be great to be able to drive out of town again.
For some lovely photos of Stages One and Two of the race, click here.
Addendum: It’s a terribly dangerous sport. Five to ten racers die in race-related accidents every decade, according to Wikipedia. Sadly, the list of names grew by one yesterday when Belgium’s Wouter Weylandt died of a skull fracture coming down the hill into Chiavari. There is an account of the incident here. So, no – there was no merriment in Rapallo last night and the podium ceremony was cancelled. I suppose these young men know the risks when they undertake the sport, but surely each of them believes a deadly accident could never happen to him. It’s seems such a terrible waste of a young life. Expatriate joins all the others who are greatly saddened by this death, and whose hearts go out to the victim’s family.
22 Sunday Aug 2010
Posted in Animals in Italy, Dogs, Italian festas, Italy, Liguria, Photographs, Uncategorized
Photo taken by by Pier Luigi Baglioni
San Rocco di Camogli is a lovely frazione high on the hill overlooking its mother town. The Saint for whom it is named is, rather alarmingly, the patron saint of contagious diseases. He lived in the 1300’s and helped plague victims during his travels from his native France through Italy. At one time he himself contracted the plague, and was saved in part by a dear dog who brought him crusts of bread in a cave where he’d taken shelter.
San Rocco’s day is August 16, and for 49 years now the eponymous town has given prizes to reward acts of bravery and courage by our four-footed friends, and to bless the species.
As you can see from the photo above, it is exhausting! But if you are a dog-lover it is a wonderful event to attend. This year the weather smiled on the many dogs and even more people who came to meet the prize-winners and receive a blessing for the year ahead. Sonia Gentoso was an excellent Mistress of Ceremonies; without leaving out any important information she managed to keep things moving in as orderly a fashion as possible, given the number of dogs present. There were a number of important people on the dais for the ceremony, one in an impressive uniform and one with a very handsome ribbon across his chest (probably the sindaco – mayor – but I’m not sure).
The prize-winners were:
Antares. Antares was not present to receive her prize, although one of the women in her story was there to accept it for her. Antares usually spends her mornings with her ‘Nona’ while her mistress is at work. She goes to the second floor and barks outside Nona’s door until she is let in. One day a neighbor, familiar with this practice, heard Antares barking in the middle of the morning. Strange, she thought – why is the dog barking now? So she called the Nona and found that she was very ill from a hemorrhage. The neighbor called the ambulance, and thanks to the early notice of trouble from Antares, the Nona did not suffer long-term consequences.
Bimba
Bimba saved her family in Genova from a fire. Awakened in the garage where she sleeps by the smell of smoke, she made her way to the upstairs of the house and barked and scratched on the door until her master awoke and was able to get his wife and 4-year old daughter safely out of the house. But poor Bimba! She was pregnant at the time, and because of the stress she gave birth later that night to a dead puppy. The vet was able to safely deliver her of two healthy pups soon afterwards though, so the story has a happy ending for all.
Cody
Cody works with the Scuola Provinciale Cani da Ricerca di Trento and is an ace at finding people who have gone missing. She did some very unhappy work in Abruzzo after the terrible earthquake. She won her prize for an event with a happier outcome: an old gent wandered off from the rest home where he lives and was missing overnight. Cody found him in the woods the next day. Thanks to her, he did not come to any great harm.
Fado
Clever Fado works with the Polizia di Stato in Genova as a drug-sniffer. He recently found 5 kilograms of cocaine.
Ioda
You’ll have to look hard to find Ioda, but she’s there. She won her prize for dragging her master away from the path where they were walking in Monza moments before a huge plane tree fell right where he had been standing. Because of her, he suffered only some minor cuts instead of being completely crushed.
Lily. Alas, my photo of Lily did not come out, a pity. Lily is a 2-year old border collie from Belluno. Lily works with her master, a volunteer of Soccorso Alpino di Agordo. A Polish skier was caught in an avalanche and buried under a half-meter of snow for 35 minutes. Lily found the skier and he was rescued, not long before his supply of air would have run out.
Rocky
Rocky made an incredible journey. He was abducted from the beach while his master was bathing near Carrara three years ago. Eventually he ended up in Salerno where he was abandoned by the nomads who had stolen him, and adopted by a kind family there. But he kept running away, always heading north. Eventually he left them a final time and made his way to Pisa, where a woman found him. His collar gave the number of the family in Salerno and she called them. They said, he is a lovely dog and we love him but he has never adapted to living with us, you keep him. So she took him to a vet, who found the tattoo identifying his original owner. They were reunited after 3 years. It took Rocky 2 months to travel the 625 kilometers from Salerno to Pisa.
Talon
Talon works with the Guardia di Finanza in Genova and is another drug-sniffer. He recently discovered 7 kilograms of marajuana and 3.5 kilograms of cocaine.
Zoe
Zoe, a 7 year-old Newfoundland, saved three swimmers near Pisa. Two women were swimming with the 11-month old child of one of them when they were carried away by the swift current. They shouted for help, and were some 80 meters from the shore when the life-savers and Zoe reached them and brought them to safety.
First Prize winner was Pongo
Pongo was walking with her master near their home in Settimo Milanese when they heard the cries of a 67-year old man who had slipped on the edge of a canal and fallen several meters into the water and mud below. Though the water was not deep (40 cm – a bit more than 3 feet) the man was too stunned to extricate himself from the mud, and could only moan for help as he commenced drowning. Pongo’s insistance on dragging his master to the edge of the canal undoubtedly saved the life of the poor man below.
There was the 4th Annual edition of an art contest for young people in conjunction with the event. This year’s theme was -Un Cane per un Amico – a dog for a friend. The art was charming, of course.
If you’d like to see some more photos of the event, click here for a web album. As usual I recommend a slide show.
A dog’s life in Italy can be pretty comfortable; Italians dote on and respect their dogs, although they do not always train them well, and they almost never castrate or neuter them. In America if you are a mixed breed dog, you are a mutt; in Italy, you are a ‘fantasia.’ I know which one I’d rather be!
28 Monday Jun 2010
Posted in Italian festas, San Maurizio di Monti, Uncategorized
Not all Festas in Italy are grand affairs with costumes, regional dances, unusual local food and hoards of people. Some, like the Lions Club Pancake Breakfasts I remember in the States, are simply a modest offering of food and some paid-for entertainment as a means of raising funds.
San Maurizio’s Fireworks committee had just such a festa a week ago.
Under ordinary circumstances I’m sure the dining tables would’ve been set up outside under a leafy tree. But we had not been living with ordinary circumstances; we had been living with rain, rain, and more rain. Sensibly the organizers decided to move the festa indoors. But where? Fortunately a property-owner nearby has an apartment that is only partway through restoration, and he was willing to rent it for the festa. It made for one of the more unusual venues I’ve ever seen for such an event.
A house in the midst of restoration is not necessarily the most festive sight, but the organizers the Fireworks Festa did their best with happy face plastic streamers to dress up the entry.
The offerings were uncharacteristically simple as well: ravioli al ragu or trofie al pesto; spiedini (meat cubes grilled on a stick), sausage or matama’ (thin-sliced meat) with gravy; french fries; simple tossed salad; beer, wine, water. The prices were very reasonable (E 5 for the trofie al pesto; E 3 for the sausage), and the plates were assembled in the ground floor kitchen by the cheerful ladies (no, those are not hardhats).
Once we left our order with Giuseppe at the Cassa we were instructed to go upstairs and find a table. We were early so finding a seat was not a problem, but it was the oddest arrangement I’ve ever seen. It being an apartment, and a Ligurian one at that, the upstairs was divided into three quite small rooms with a long hall and what I imagine will someday be a bathroom.
Evidently the children helped with the decorations which can be reused, in a pinch, at Christmas time next year. Each small bedroom held two tables and bench seating – all new, from the looks of it, and quite comfortable.
The Captain had sausage and French fries (we were too early, the oil wasn’t up to temperature yet so they were, alas, a big soggy). I had the trofie al pesto, which is one of the best things in the world to eat. This bowl was superb.
We didn’t have dessert, which is a pity (but a person can only do so much – do you see how much trofie there is in that bowl??). The desserts were all home made: a couple of lovely tortas and some cupcake-sized custard, or perhaps pana cotta, in both vanilla and chocolate.
It was small in scale, and the surroundings were certainly modest. But for all of that, it was a festa, and there was a holiday air about the whole proceeding. Outside on the terrace one of the men was dancing with a broom between bouts of sweeping. The sun was shining for the first time in days, and everyone’s spirits were high.
Other men were setting up the sound system for the afternoon and evening entertainment. All afternoon we listed to karaoke, which is quite amusing. It’s especially endearing to hear the high croakings of the kids, shouting out the words in a sort of tuneless unison. It was tempting to go back and belt out a few oldies in English, but I resisted. In the evenings there was live entertainment – Carmen! No, not the opera, the woman.
She came on Sunday; Ely was there Saturday night with her orchestra. We were all buttoned up in the house because of inclement weather, and never heard a peep – perhaps the performers were indoors as well.
It amazes me that a town of only about 500 people can organize a two-day event like this, at least twice a year, and everything goes without a hitch (well, everything except the weather). It’s a real community effort. Giuseppe said that, given the weather, the event had been a success and some money had been raised for the fireworks. Cross your fingers for a fine evening on San Maurizio Day September 22; the Comitato Fuochi deserve it.
Meanwhile, Rapallo is gearing up for the Really Big Festa – 3 days (July 1, 2 and 3) in honor of our patron the Madonna of Montallegro.
01 Saturday May 2010
Posted in Holidays, Italian festas, Italian holidays, Uncategorized
Tags
As an American, I’m accustomed to viewing Labor Day as the bitter sweet end to a not-nearly-long-enough summer; it’s the day we put away our white pants and shoes, put on our sweaters and plaid skirts and start thinking about returning to school, even if the temperature is still in the high 70’s.
Italy has a better idea. May 1st is Labor Day here, a red-letter day for celebrating workers, unions and, if you’re of such a mind, the good old Communist party. How nice to have it at the beginning of summer rather than at the end.
According to Wikipedia: “The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian times, with the festival of Flora, the Roman Goddess of flowers, and the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the Germanic countries. It is also associated with the Gaelic Beltane.” More recently, especially in Europe, one tends to associate May 1 with the Communist party, Workers Unite!, Military might and so forth. I’m thinking of pictures like these:
photo courtesy of libcom.org
and
photo courtesy of rferl.org
But while some in Italy may give a tip of the hat to labor, like almost every holiday in Italy (and this is a holiday, nation-wide, shops closed, the works) May Day is above all an excuse for a party. This year it has fallen on a Saturday, which makes it double trouble. Up the street from us there’s a party complete with amplified music (oh, thank you). At Trattoria Rosa across the street there is a wedding reception, with a unique vehicle for the matrimonial couple:
And what did we do? Probably what at least 50% of the Italian population did: we spent the whole afternoon eating with friends – a delightful cook-out which started with grilled vegetables (endive (!), eggplant, peppers and zucchini) and grilled cheese (little tomas), and moved on to grilled chops, veal and pork. Then, in case we hadn’t had enough meat, there were sausages to accompany the Captain’s famous baked beans. After a brief constitutional we returned for tiramisu. Sadly we never did get around to the ice cream.
Grilled toma
May 1 – a great way to start the summer, no matter what your political affiliation. Happy May Day, everyone!
22 Thursday Apr 2010
If you wanted to know where the 14th annual Cartoons on the Bay Festival in Rapallo was last weekend, all you had to do was follow the sea of yellow balloons that bobbed along the Lungomare, firmly held by young hands. When I hear the word ‘cartoon’ I think of newspapers, The New Yorker and Gary Larson. But of course I live in the papery past. Nowadays cartoons are all about TV shows, videos and animated films. The Festival’s subtitle should have made it obvious: International Festival of Televised and Cross-Media Animation.
The festival is, perhaps, the Academy Awards of animated television here in Italy, with Pulcinella Awards given in various categories, including TV Series for Preschool, for Kids, for the Tween generation and Young Adults; Educational and Social Products; TV Series Pilot; and Interactive Animation. To my absolute delight, though, the shows the children evidently found most appealing were the ones that featured real, living people, albeit some of them disguised as giant mice.
or Star Wars Characters
or chickens
or one of my favorites, Batman!
I want the job where you get to dress up in a silly outfit and play with children!
One end of the Lungomare was given over to the Cartoon Village, a series of cheerful white temporary buildings that housed various displays, including several by sponsors. (RAI, the state-run television, was the main sponsor of the event. Other sponsors included Kinder Sorpresa (my favorite because they were the only ones to give me something – a white chocolate egg with a prize inside) and Monwatch, a clever and inexpensive water-proof item that can be slipped in and out of plastic watchbands of many colors.) Here’s a photo of a display of Kinder Sorpresa prizes from the 1970’s.
The largest tent held several hundred people, most of whom happened to be screaming youngsters at the time I dropped in. They were excited about the stars of a famous TV show:
The din was extraordinary. And though I really enjoyed watching the dancing, the crush of people and the decibels chased me out after about five minutes.
After Music Gate, a visit with the Police, who were present in great numbers, was positively calming. Behind the young lad trying out a fast cycle below is the large bus which is used for education – it houses a bunch of computers that teach highway safety. In addition, in a neighboring kiosk a policeman was giving a PowerPoint display on safety to a rapt group of older people – probably the grandparents of all the kids screaming in the tent.
Without a doubt, though, my favorite part of the Cartoon festival had nothing to do with cartoons and everything to do with fast cars. I have never seen a cruiser like this in the U.S. (or such a spiffy police uniform, for that matter).
It’s a Lamborghini Gallardo capable of speeds up to over 200 mph. It lives in Rome and is driven by either the handsome gent standing next to it, or his partner, who was nearby. They sometimes use it to apprehend speeders on the Autostrada, but frequently it is put to a far better use: transporting transplant organs – hearts, kidneys, corneas and so forth. I asked how much of that went on and the policeman said sometimes they do as many as four in a day, sometimes none.
It was a grand festival, and it tied Rapallo up in knots for days. There was a big bike race on the Saturday, called Cartoons on the Bike. My sources tell me that some of the most important ciclisti of Italy participated. In the weeks leading up to the race some of the main streets around Rapallo were re-surfaced, which led to horrible traffic snags. But as our friend G said, the race is over, but we get to keep the improved roads. The link above to the bike race includes a great many fun pictures of the event, which included children as well as adults and took place between Rapallo and Portofino, on one of the loveliest and most famous stretches of road in the country.
Now… can you guess which person in the photo below is me??!
An Ex-Expatriate 