A book about my "adopted" family

If you enjoyed my blog, you will really enjoy this book by Mark Leslie:  Beyond the Pasta: Recipes Life and Language with an Italian Family.

http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Recipes-Language-Italian-Family/dp/0982102364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284853793&sr=8-1

Its the story of a fellow American who was lucky enough to spend a month with the "my" family in Viterbo (the same course I took for 2 weeks).  I am savoring every minute of this book.  Normally I read a book in a day or two but I save this one for right before I fall asleep.  That way I will dream in Italian and imagine myself at home with Alessandra, Lillo, Nonna and Thais.  And I even want to try out the recipes (Nonna made many of these dishes for me when I was there).  Now, if you know me, you know I don't cook... but I will try them nonetheless and imagine I am there.

Last month I began my second course of college Italian.  It has been about 9 months since my last class and I haven't retained much so it is a challenge.  But maybe if I pass, I can reward myself with a trip back to Viterbo!

Ciao!
Maria

La Ringrazio (I thank you)

First of all, thanks for sharing this adventure with me.  If you haven't read it from the beginning these later posts might not make sense, so I suggest you start from the first post to hear about my immersion course and my great adventure!

I know, to some people, my little adventure isn't much of an adventure.  I didn't go to a dangerous place.  For Pete's sake,  I went to the big scary world of Europe.  But because I knew I was going to a very small town in Basilicata where most people didn't speak English, well, I was a little scared. Scared enough to try to learn Italian and to take an immersion course.   I want to say how much I admire our ancestors (and people who immigrate today).  I can't believe how courageous they were.  Look at me, for instance.  I had to study my heart out for a year before I would even THINK of going to a foreign place alone.  And, in the end, I was well relieved to have my sister and brother to accompany me on the hard part.    I know that both my Irish and Italian grandparents and great-grandparents didn't have easy lives but took chances, made many sacrifices and multiple tests of courage to give us a better life.  Every time I meet someone who even moves across the country to follow a dream, ambition or a better life; I am full of admiration.  And the many many people I've worked with in California… (who moved to the US before they could speak a word of English)…. are a constant inspiration to me.

Secondly, I need to thank the people who helped me experience this crazy dream: my teachers (Anthony, Isabella, Richard, Mira and Alessandra), also Alessandra's family, my "mentors": Herman Tak and Lucio Ferri,  my new acquaintances: Vincenzo DiGrazia and the friendly people in Calvello; and especially my brother John and sister Margaret for being there with me.  I might have chickened out if I had not had so much support.  I may have made it to Calvello or become wolf bait trying to get there.

Thanks to all of you for reading my blog and encouraging me along the way. 

And mostly, my wonderful husband who loves me for the eccentric person I can be, and supports me in all that I do.  Thank you Rob.  I am the luckiest woman alive… now, it's your turn… what's your dream adventure?

Vi abbraccio (I embrace you),

Maria Catrina Rosa DeGrazia McClain

Appendix: John/Genarro and Catherine

Just to fill in the blanks, here is the story of my grandparents as contributed by my aunts, Grace and Eileen.

John DeGrazia, son of Genarro and Grazia was born on May 1 1899 in Chicago.  He was the first of our Italian family born in the USA.  He married Catherine O'Neill, my grandmother.  This is their story:

John was born as Gennaro but later his name was changed to John to make it more American.  When he was about 13 years old, he had to quit school and go to work.  He worked in a factory doing piece work, and because he was young and agile, he made more money than his stepfather.  He had to lie to his father about going back to night school. He told him he was going to his uncle's house, and his uncle covered for him.  He went to night school and graduated from 8th grade.

When he was young, working in a machine shop, he heard about a class that he could take to become a tool and die maker.  They had to have more people sign up or they wouldn't have the class.  He was excited and talked others into taking the class.  He said he was the first to drop out.  He needed Algebra to continue.  (My father, John Michael DeGrazia (aka Jack) followed in his father's footsteps and also became a machinist; later going on to become a mechanical engineer)

John/Gennaro loved music and, before he was married, he would organize dances.  He would rent a hotel room.  He'd have live music and lots of people went and it was a great way to make money during the depression.  His half-brothers helped out at the dances.  (Years later, his son, Donald DeGrazia, also organized dances in Chicago and I remember my dad helping him out.)

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Catherine Mary Margeret O'Neill was born on December 18, 1904 in Chicago.  Catherine's mother, Bridget Powers was born in County Clare and came to this country when she was about 18.  She had siblings in Ireland who died of T.B.  Two brothers did come to America, Patty and Marty.  Neither of them ever married.  Bridget's mother ( my great great grandmother..I don't know her name) later came to America, and she and Catherine saw each other from time to time.  Catherine's mother, Bridget (my great-grandmother) died when Catherine was about 17.

Catherine's father, Michael O'Neill was born in back of a general store that his parents owned in Harvard, IL.  His parents came from County Cork, Ireland.  Michael traveled some as a bachelor.  He went to the Black Hills to pan for gold.  He was quite a reader, and Catherine remembered reading some of his books by Dickens.  He was also involved in local politics as a precinct captain or an alderman..  Michael had a sister who lived on a farm with her husband (last name Leahy) in Harvard Illinois.  Michael's father lived with his sister and her husband until he died.  Michael's sister had two boys Tom and Ed Leahy.

……………………………………

Catherine and John first met at a Polish wedding they both crashed.  John went there with his half brother, Charlie Pedote and Catherine went with a girlfriend.  Neither of them knew the couple getting married but they had a wonderful time anyway.  They started seeing each other that and after a short time decided to marry. (They always commented in later years about how much fun Polish weddings were).  John had been married before and was divorced.

After Catherine's mother Bridgett died, Catherine lived at home with her father Michael O'Neill.   She was about 20 years old when she met John (aka Genarro) DeGrazia  Michael was very Catholic and certainly expected his daughter to be married in the church, however, since John was divorced that couldn't happen and Catherine was reluctant to tell him she was engaged to a divorced man. They solved the problem by being secretly married at city hall  and then, saints preserve us, were married by a priest in the rectory without Michael ever finding out.  Of course...they had to  lie to the priest about it but Michael was happy in his ignorance and I guess there was no harm done...except maybe to their souls.

The first years of their marriage were spent in Michael's flat on Jackson Blvd in Chicago.  Their first child Matthew was born there but he died at the age of 5 months, of what they think was pneumonia.  Not long after that John (called Jack) was born.   Grace was born 2 1/2 years later followed by Eileen and Donald.  Sometime during this time they lived for a short time in Westmont where Michael died from a faulty water heater.   They then moved back to the flat.  This was during the great depression and John was often out of work like so many.  Grace remembers him and Catherine sitting at the dining room table putting peanuts in little cellophane envelopes.  They would fold the open end and seal it with an eyelet.  These were to be hung on the little stands next to the cash registers in grocery stores and sold.

Both John and Catherine both dreamt of moving to the country where they could raise their children in the fresh air and sunshine but money was very short  and John was often not working.  Somehow they scraped up enough for a down payment on a little old house in Downers Grove where their daughter Kathy was born.

In the early 1950's John/Genarro and Catherine, and their three daughters: Grace (with her spouse, Don, brother John's best friend), Eileen and Kathy (still a teenager)  moved to California where John opened a grocery store.  Their two sons, John Michael (aka "Jack") and Donald stayed in Chicago.

John/Genarro died July 18, 1983 and Catherine died in December 23, 2000.  They had 15 grandchildren.

(If anyone has any further memories or history to share, just let me know, and I'll amend this post).

 

Brigands in Southern Italy: another DeGrazia

Another history lesson… As I was learning about Southern Italian folklore, I discovered a festival/reenactment celebrated every summer near Calvello/Potenza.  The reenactment is of life in the 1800's and there is a big show at the end, with fireworks, that celebrates the contribution of Brigands to the Italian Unification.  I was shocked and disturbed by this, because, up until this point, all I had read was of brigands kidnapping and ransoming people, killing others, and plundering even poor farmers.  It certainly didn't seem like Robin Hood.  Then, I thought, maybe they are celebrating the contribution of the Carbonari (the political secret society which was often more like bandits than patriots).

But, as I read more, I found that brigandage has been a part of Southern Italian society since pre-roman times: the men of the mountains were the terror of the men of the plains (the Romans).  In those times a shepherd might have tended their flock by day and steal those of neighbors in the valleys by night.  The struggle between Rome and the Samnites (Lucanians were Samnites).  At one point Romans trapped two thousand bandits in a cave and burned them all.  The constant attack of brigands upon townspeople, led to those towns wanting to seek shelter under the Roman republic..  Capua, a wealthy city, was so frequently assaulted by armed shepherds of the Appenines, that it asked protection of Rome.

On the other side, these same mountaineers sometimes allied themselves with the Romans, collecting as rewards for their services, the plunder of cities conquered and taken into the Roman republic.

This practice continued so, when there was a war (or in-fighting) brigands actually were sort of mercenaries; and when there wasn't they would supplement their incomes with ransoms, thieving etc.  The Bourbon's hired brigands, and so did Garibaldi… I think the pope did as well in the papal states.  So, brigandage was an accepted sort of profession… not just in Southern Italy, but in much of Europe.    There is a funny story of an Italian tax collector asking for taxes from a brigand… who replied to the effect was that business had been bad, but if he would let him go, he would go rob someone right away.  He was released as taxes were more important than civil protection.

After the 1860 revolution, brigandage continued, and in fact, worsened because there was basically a civil war.  Although Victorio Emmanuel was made king, the Bourbons tried to create subversion and to regain power with brigands and others who supported their return. **

The new kingdom eventually made it a priority to squash brigandage, but as the problems of the south continued to be ignored by the government… brigands became mobsters.   Many an immigrant said that they had no choice but to immigrate, starve or become a brigand.

Right after I posted this, Lucio Ferri wrote to me that he had found another infamous DeGrazia from Calvello:.

 Francesco De Grazia, son of Leonardo Antonio of Calvello was suited by a military court for being a Brigante.1863. He was supposed to be a member of the gang of the chief bandit Scoppettiello.  So, now I have yet another DeGrazia to research...

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*** about the Bourbon return… Luccio says that there is still a group of citizens who support the return of the Bourban dynasty; and, in fact, when in Caserta, I was reading several local and Naples papers, and they were all about a Bourbon princess (I think in Austria?)… and there were several articles about the Kingdom of the Two Sicelies.  I guess its not ancient history at all.

Day 24: Andiamo a casa (and outtakes)

24 gennaio 2010

Its Sunday and time to go home.  No problem making that 7:30am plane, I'm ready to return to reality.  However, I did get lost in the Paris airport, just for one final adventure.  I barely made the plane… hey, what happened security-wise while I was living my dream?  In Paris I had to go through 4 security checks, and one was a full on search of my bags, making me empty everything (apparently there are new rules… even electronic cables have to come out of the bag and onto the tray. )  When I said, sorry I didn't know, these rules are different.  I was told, "you are in Paris, Madame"… Hmm.

 Here are some trivia questions  I'll tell you some of the answers but the others are super top secret and we are sworn to secrecy. 

1)      What REALLY important thing did Pliney the Elder discover?  Well, according to Gianni, who told this to our guide at Pompei, Pliney discovered the properties of Hops (and their use in brewing).  Pliney also did a few other things, including trying to rescue people from the volcano in Pompei

2)      Did you know that the children on John DeGrazia are only ¼ Italian?  Margarita says that is because it takes 4 Italians to equal one of us.  She couldn't get over how short they were...especially in Calvello.. and skinny too (but we know they climb lots of stairs all day long) We figured that out when we had to take the world's smallest elevator which is supposed to hold 4 people, but only one of us plus bags could fit.

3)      Did you know that they invented plumbing in Pompei?  Apparently they still haven't got it right (or at least it isn't sized to American standards)... TMI

4)      How many beers did Gianni the brewmaster try in Italy?  (I can only think of one, honestly), but he liked the vino rosso, limoncello and amaro… he hated grappa though…. We warned him)

5)      Does anyone see the image of a saint or other heavenly body in this picture?  If not, can you even guess what this is?

6)      Is it illegal to pass when there is a double white line?  Apparently not.

7)      What do you do when the light in the elevator goes out? (When Nonna and I were lost in the museum... and no one coming to the rescue..we went back to the elevator and rang the alarm. ).  As it turns out, if you don't immediately push a button, the lights go off to save electricity.

8)      How do you know you're lost?  (when the dogs and the sheep start to recognize you)

(this particular dog was more concerned with catching some rays than watching his sheep down the hill)

9)       When three middle age siblings go on a road trip, they regress in age and it reminded us of the long long road trips in our Volkswagon and later the Ford Stationwagon.  Nitpicking and bickering, but fortunately no biting or kicking.  However, Margarita, (aka Margaret, Maggs, Margie) decided that if Giovanni can change his name to Gianni, she wanted to change her name too (she didn't like Margarita).  She wanted the. the name she wanted to be called at about age 3.  I'll give you a hint: C_ _ _I...   We used to sing a song to her when she was little and we are on car trips "get along home C---i, C---i."  When brother Gianni and I attempted to Italianize the name, she gave up.

10) Did you know that Italian stop signs are red and octogon and say "STOP"... exactly like US stop signs... why?  Sort of a disappointment really.

Day 23: Naples, Caserta,Montecassino

We decided not to do the palace at Caserta and therefore, I can't tell you what kind of decadent people the Bourbon dynasty was… but I can tell you a bit about Naples .

The real ruler was the queen, with all her connections to Austria.  She was smart and strong, but she was having an affair with the king's adviser , Lord Acton.  And her best friend and advisor (Lady Hamilton) was having a menage a trois with her husband Lord Hamilton and the galant and brave Lord Nelson.  The three of them ended up living in the same house until Lord Hamilton died and she could marry Lord Nelson

In the 18^th century Naples, the  common people were poor and desperate, but so were many of the middle class merchants.  Italy had invented Lotto and much of Naples was addicted to gambling: getting numbers from mystics, priests, nuns, tarot cards.  The poor got poorer and more desperate; the king's treasury got richer.  And he needed that money to pay for hiring the brigands to supplement his army.

A teacher told me that today Naples has more people per square KM than Bombay.

So, instead of staying on in Caserta we headed north and, on the way to Rome, stopped at Montecassino.  A famous Benedictine monestary that was a german/Italian stronghold in WWII.  Although it was severely bombed, it has been rebuilt and I'm not sure which is prettier: the church, the surrounding architecture of the monestary, or the beautiful views.  It would have been nice to have heard a service where they sing Gregorian chants etc… but they were closing for siesta.  So we took a few pics.

Montecassino is especially interesting for my family because my uncle, Don Sanders, fought in Italy in WWII.  He wasn't in this particular battle, but seeing this site, and hearing about this famous battle, reminded us of him.

 My brother told me this story about the 10th Mountain Division:  They had trained specially in Colorado to fight in the mountains of Italy.  All the known ways to access the monestary were blocked by the Germans and Italians, except for one sheer cliff which no one thought was a risk.  Using mountainclimbing techniques and, I suppose, some mules, they not only climbed the mountain but carried cannons with them as well.  It is very sad what was done to the beautiful monestary in the name of peace.  On the other hand, the world needed to stop Hitler and Mussolini.

But it was inspiring to see it rebuilt with the words PAX inscribed above (peace)... and, in the cloister were two tamed white doves. 

 Then we had a Mac attack.  We had seen McDonalds (they call it McDrive) on our way in and couldn't get it out of our minds… I even remembered the words to every McDonalds jingle… (want to challenge me to McDonalds trivia?)  So we set the GPS for McDonalds, but apparently the lady in the GPS box felt uncooperative.  After a few tries we headed back to the highway.  On the way to Rome, we attempted 2 more times, but again, each time, we couldn't get there from here.  Apparently Ronald McD can buy signs on strategically places along the highway, but can't located the restaurants in easy to find places.

We arrived at the Hilton starved and had our last meal together.  Margaret and John had traditional Roman dishes….Guess what I had?  I can also proudly say that I waited until the last day to have a dessert of gelato (On my 3 prior trips to Italy, I had it at least once a day... of course it was hotter in Oct and Nov).

"Ching Ching" or maybe its "Chin Chin"... means "Cheers!"

Then I repacked for about the 4^th time and now I'm writing this on my way home.  We're over Greenland now………

Mary

Calvello in 1848: Giovanni DeGrazia

I didn't know that the Italian revolution was actually a series of revolutions, starting from Napoleon, to the smaller revolution in 1822 (remember Francisco Paulo DiGrazia and the carbonari?)  They got more organized by 1848 and the Carbonari were then called Giovane Italia (although today everyone still calls them carbonari). 

There was another DeGrazia from Calvello.  While Francisco Paulo DiGrazia was a victim of the carbonari in 1822,  Giovanni DeGrazia was a carbonaro.  He was, in fact, indirectly connected to the Ferri family.  Giovanni DeGrazia was a young man around 21 years of age.  He was born in Calvello, son of Biago DeGrazia and of the family of the d'Aquila in Anzi.  The D'Aquila's in Naples were said to descend from the same family as St Thomas Aquinas… I'm not sure if this family of d'Aqullas were related to the Naples family, but they were weathly and influential, just like the Ferris. In Fact, Giovanni was good friends with Archangelo Battaglia from Anzi who was the father of Michalina Ferri.

In 1848, the Caronbari had organized many young men schooled in Naples (mostly as legale… there was a lot of lawsuits in those days).  Giovanni was one such young man.  Like many others, he was "recruited/drafted" into the Bourbon Calvalry.  Even at the young age of 21, he was tall, dashing, strong and (I think) an apparent leader.  He was charged with a battalion of troops and worked under a general as one of the first officers.  One day, in May 1848, his troops refused to move forward, in effect most deserted the cause.  A battle ensued and Giovanni suffered a near mortal chest wound.   As it turned out, the general himself was a carbonari.  Giovanni was thrown into prison on the island of Procida. 

After many months, maybe even a couple of years, there was eventually a trial of about 200 men charged for the activities of May 1848.  Giovanni was accused of treason and of encouraging his men to desert, he was first sentenced to death. He pled "no contest"  .  The "defense" for all 200 or so men, basically got on a soap box about how it was moral to be disloyal to an immoral government.  He didn't seem to try to show that anyone didn't do what they were accused of.  Giovanni ended up getting sentenced to 25 years in chains which means he was chained to another man for the length of the sentence (or until his mate died, I guess)

The revolution of 1848 failed and, in fact, made the Bourbon king even more paranoid and if anyone was thought to be subversive or even if he made casual comments against the government, he would end up in jail (like Michelina's father)

After 1860, when the revolution, under Garibaldi, finally succeeded.  Giovanni was released.  In a Naples paper, I found a proclamation that talked about many of the freed political prisoners and how they were recompensed for their patriotism.  Giovanni was made the chief inspector of the Naples police.

I next found a reference to Giovanni in the paper when he was accused of falsely arresting Gioseppe Libertini.  Libertini was a man of great character.  He was a great statesman for Italian liberty and actually was a politician (a senator?) both before and after the revolution.  (Just like our government, many of the players actually stayed the same before and after).

Libertini had supported both Victorio Emmanuel (the new king) but during the revolution, he also supported Garabaldi.  Since the king (VE) didn't trust Garabaldi), he also didn't trust Libertini.  Garabaldi was exiled from Italy and there were many civil protests in support of him as he was well loved by the people.  Apparently the only charge against Libertini is that he was observed watching one of these protests (not pro-Garabaldi), just watching the event. 

I think that Giovanni DeGrazia must have been ordered to find a way to arrest Libertini.  One night, he and a couple of other men, dressed in regular civilian clothing arrived at Libertini's home… Giovanni introducing himself as a paisano/fellow patriot come for a social visit.  As Libertini greeted him, the other men arrested him and took him to jail for 3 days.

Finally a judge dismissed the charges, but the city was in an outrage.  A woman was quoted as denouncing Giovanni DeGrazia and saying Liberals should be taken out of office.

Libertini had been offered various prestigious positions in VE's government, but each time he refused because he felt he was not qualified and better served the public as an elected official.  After this event, he retired from public office altogether and headed back to his home town of Lecce (a lovely Baroche town in the heel of Italy).

I could find nothing more of Giovanni.  I'm curious whether he came back to Calvello because in 1872, when a Ferri was mayor of Calvello, Giovanni DIGrazia, a legale, served one term on the city council.  Since the name was spelled differently, I can only guess that this was the same man, however the timing is right.

So, was he a good guy or a bad guy?  I really wish that he had written a diary so that I can understand his motivations….  And I wish there hadn't been so many Di/DeGrazia's in Calvello so I could somehow trace if we were related to him.

Maria

PS: After I came home, Luccio Ferri sent me a newspaper clipping that he found in his father's archives.  It was an article written by his uncle (a someone famous writer in that province).  It was a eulogy/obituary for Giovanni DeGrazia who was apparently a good friend of his.  Giovanni was married and had many children (I think it was 13 children) and lived in Calvello.  He was touted for being a true patriot, a great father, and an important citizen.

Calvello 1850- 1900's

My brother asked me why I was dreading writing my history lessons… So, here I am, trying to fit them in at the last possible moment.  Yes, I am a closet procrastinator.

Part of the problem is I really need to have my reference books with me to get this right, but I never seem to be in the same place with them when I'm writing this blog.  So I'll give you some highlights.  I thought it would be interesting to post this after the chapter on Pompeii… just to juxtapose the life styles.

It is easy for me to imagine what it was like to say your grandparents were pioneers in America.  I think of Westerns and , of course, "Little House on the Prairie".  The Ingalls were a poor family, weren't they?  I remember having maple sugar for a "snow cone" was a big treat.  They had an outhouse and a handpump for water.  But , no, the 1800's in Italy wasn't like that. 

And it certainly wasn't like those glorious movies with kings and queens and beautiful gowns.

And it wasn't the middle ages with plagues and rats and filth in the streets, because… the middle ages was before the renaissance, right?

Yes, I knew they were poor and starving and came to America for a better life.  I knew they were farmers, but how could you farm if you lived on a mountain of rock?  I think our grandparents who came from Ireland had a lifestyle we can picture more clearly.  At least those that farmed lived in quaint villages with cottages on their farmlands.  Not so the Calvellesi.

As I said before, the Italian peasant was extremely afraid of the countryside and would never have considered living outside of a town.  Partly this was due to the prevalence of brigands in the forests and countryside… but it also was simply superstition and religious ideas about demons, etc.  According to Herman Tak, even today the people in town think it is odd for someone to live out in the countryside.  Anyone who lived in town would call themselves a townsperson, not a country person…even if it was a small town and they worked the land.

Our great-grandparents lived on Via Casteleone which was near the castle.  I think Margarita, Gianni and I might have seen it but the street nearest the castle is now named via Carbonari.    There is no way that would have been the name of a street back right after the revolution.  I did look for a #10, but found house numbers above and below that, no number 10.  Anyway, it was far far up the mountain and every day they had to get up before dawn and walk to their fields and come back after dark. And it was a long walk.  For some farmers in Basilicata it was an hour to the fields and an hour back up the mountain to come home. Carrying tools, children, crops, and probably balancing something on their heads.

 In the winter there was little to do except try to make the food last through the winter and pray for a good season the next year.  Therefore, there was time for many feasts and religious celebrations.  It was probably their big entertainment.

 The farmers wore wooden shoes… not like the dutch exactly… but more like a sandal with a wooden sole (sort of like Birkies but with wood instead of cork).  Even into the 1900's they farmed exactly like they did in the middleages… with the same crude tools.

 The wealthier women weren't allowed to be seen out of the house, except for church of course.  Married women wore scarfs, almost like middleeastern veils, almost always in black.  Only the country peasantwomen were seen outside because they worked the fields.  Peasant dress for festivals also usually included colorful scarves over their heads or like a small triangular shawl over their blouses. ( We noticed Vincenzo's mother wore a scarf over her blouse, and that nowadays every single woman in Italy (and most men) wear long scarves, even when its not that cold out.)

 There was no need to read and write unless you were a legale or avvocato and they apparently needed many lawyers… to read for others, write up agreements, and deal with continual disputes about landholdings, inheritances etc.

 Most people didn't own a donkey (there would have been a tax to pay if they did), but there were people who's job it was to keep donkey's (Muleskinners) and they would lend them out.  So pretty much everything had to be carried by men to and from the mountain to the fields or markets.  If you owned animals they either lived in your home with you (probably a small one room place), or beneath your home in what we would think of as a garage.

 There was a mill and a bakery owned by a family in town.  No one had their own oven…. Except for possibly a few wealthy families.  In fact, the townswomen would carefully make their breads, with their own special recipe or method, and then mark the bread in with their own "design" so that their bread wouldn't get mistaken for another's.  They didn't eat a lot of bread however.  If they were "average, middle class", bread would be made once a week.  And when it got hard, they would have bread soup.  They mostly ate macaroni which is the common name for all pasta (not just elbow macaroni, but even spaghetti).  The southern Italians were called "macaroni eaters" as a derogatory term.  And, yes, they did make and eat polenta from corn, although this was more common in the north.  My bisnonna must have been in heaven to have her very own brick oven in the back yard in Chicago.

 In Calvello it was the tradition for the town to have a "town pig" which was fed by everyone, and on the feast of San Antonio Abate, it was slaughtered and given to the poorest family in town.  We were there on the feast day of San Antonio Abate but missed the ceremonies.  However,  the night of the festa, Vincenzo told us that, while we were sleeping at the hotel, several men slaughtered pigs… to make sausages etc.  It was part of the tradition.  Also part of the tradition, but now illegal, was a gambling game they played.  One person donated a rooster or other animal and got a cut of the gambling proceeds.  Others gambled on who would win the rooster.  The rooster was hung and then each man/boy took their turn wacking at him with a not vary sharp axe.  The lucky winner was able to provide his family meat which was a very rare event.

 Plumbing?  No, they didn't have it in Calvello, or if they did, it was in serious disrepair.    The roads had a little ditch dug in the middle for the waste which was usually thrown into the streets. How could you retrofit a town when it sits on solid rock?   I read that it stank unless they had rain to wash things away.  People washed in rain water, and although there was a city water fountain to provide drinking water, it became very polluted by the 1920's and was not potable.  Same was true of the charming little creek running through the town.  At one time the source of eels which were fished for food.  Women did their laundry at the community laundry sinks or possibly over rocks in the river.  Luccio Ferri told the story "joke" told by one Calvellesi in America when another was homesick or planning to return.  "Take an Umbrella and Regularity".  An umbrella because the chamber pots were dumped into the main streets, and regularity because the public "trench" was down by the river and there were specific hours for men versus women.

 Calvello was once a fairly prosperous town but the land had been overfarmed.  And the people were over taxed.   Even after the Bourbons, the mis-government of the South continued.  The king (and the ruling class) were from the North, didn't realize that the land in the south couldn't be taxed in the same way as in the North where the farmland was much richer.  So the South continued to suffer, more each year, until people began "voting with their feet" leaving the land that could not provide for their families.

 When I visited Ellis Island years ago or watched "Streets of New York", I saw the horrible living conditions, in close quarters, that the immigrants had to survive.  I cried when we visited that museum.  But now, I bet it wasn't that part that bothered the southern Italians.  Yes, they were cheated and treated horribly.  But,  I bet the living conditions didn't bother them as much as it bothered me.  They weren't used to having great living conditions, but I bet they missed the beautiful countryside. 

 It is incredibly beautiful…  snowcapped mountains from Calvello to Naples, to Rome… green fields (probably they get more brown in the summer)… bright green from all the recent rain. Lush and lovely.

 So, when you compare Pompeii, to medieval Viterbo to Calvello, you don't really see much change in the way of living.  How much has changed since 1900?

The main thing that seemed to change was the politics, and no matter who was put in charge, it seems like the Southern Italians suffered more and more.  The country is celebrating their 150year "birthday", and yet, there has really only been about 50 years of stability without war.  It is still a very new country even though the roots run deep.

Here are some more "mountain people" plates from Alessandra…and a few from Calvello as well. (I have a "thing" for handpainted pottery).  It is amusing to see the funny scenes of the hunters, isn't it?  I can imagine these scenes happening in the mountains of Calvello.

Maria Catrina

Day 22: The road to Pompeii

We had to backtrack through Amalfi back to Salerno and this time we were on the cliff side of the road.  We nearly got mowed down by a truck, and traffic was slowed a few times (once by a man with two donkeys).  Even on the highway, it was interesting… we were 3^rd in line for the toll booth when the guy in front starts backing up, requiring us to back up… so that he could get in the other lane because he was too impatient to wait for the guy who was at the booth.  (However, we found this trick handy on our way back to Rome when we had to force other people to let us backup because we were in the "fasttrack" card lane… no one can say that John hasn't learned driving skills from the Italians)

Ok, back to Pompeii.  I had been there once before in October and was only able to do a short tour because of the number of tourists and mostly because it was Hot AND very difficult walking.  But today was perfect weather wise.  We accidentally arrived at the gate on the side I hadn't seen, and hired a guide to take us on a 2 ½ hour tour , and this time we saw everything of importance.  Pompeii is a really interesting place… so primitive and yet so advanced.

There were a few homes with bathrooms and indoor running water (hand pumps?) and ovens… but most of the people didn't have these; so there were communal baths, toilets and "fast food" restaurants (with big thermos-like urns to hold food to be served 'cafeteria style.).  They designed the city in grids, and made the roads so that they went downhill, allowing drainage but also good flow of water through aquaducts.   Public bathrooms had pipes which led to a trench system along the side of the roads… and in case this wasn't enough, they had sidewalks and stepping stones so that people could easily walk down or across the street.  They even measured the stepping stones to be the correct distance and height so that the wheels of chariots could drive over them.  (We saw hard stones warn and rutted from chariot wheels... must have had a lot of traffic).  Being a Roman city, water was supplied from the aquaducts and there were public fountains throughout the town.  There were public laundries with a series of large tubs where clothing was washed (from urine to bleach and clean in the first vat... camel urine worked best (good to know)... then to the other rinses and the final rinse water.). 

I'm sure you have all heard about the street signs directing the incoming sailors and merchants to hospitable women.  (carved penises pointing in the direction of the houses of ill repute).   There is actually a "menu" of numbered menu items in the brothel but I won't go into this because this is supposed to be a family blog.

This time I actually saw the Roman ampitheater… the first ever built… smaller than the colesseum in Rome, of course, but still, it was the "first".  We saw street signs (frescos) advertising events at the ampitheather paid for by politicians who were trying to get elected.    I had also forgotten the forum which was smaller than Rome's and only of "fake" marble columns… but still impressive.  Pompeii may have been a trading port, and somewhat working class, but it was very advanced.  The great disaster happened in 79AD.

It was a great day at Pompeii and our tour guide told us we picked the best time to see it… and Amalfi.  Normally it takes 4 hours to drive from one to the other… but it took us about an hour and a half at most. 

After Pompeii, we headed for Caserta for the night… We stayed near the Bourbon palace with plans to see it the next day… but then decided it wasn't what we wanted to do.  We weren't that impressed with Caserta, but it was probably my mis-selection of the hotel (although the personnel were exceptionally nice there).   No worries…the weather has been clear and beautiful.  We definitely took a chance coming in January, but it has been great.

Maria

First stop was the necropolis.  Romans were cremated and then put into little niches.  The guides name was Antonio but because he had gone to school for a while in the UK, he spoke English with a British accent.  Maggs said he looked and sounded like Ringo and so that's what she called him!

More Necropolis pictures

The Pompeii ampitheaterA vat for cleaning clothesA woman cleaning and restoring some marbleA fresco of a Roman god.. note how much like a Christian fresco this is... they even had little angels (cupids)

Pompeii's forum

Day 21: Amalfi

Giovedi, 21 Gennaio 2010

Is anyone out there?  Please post comments!

Today, we drove from Matera to Amalfi.  I should say John drove, Margaret was calm and I was a basketcase.  I have  been to this coast before and knew it was going to be insane driving here, but Margaret really wanted to stay on the coast, so I chose Amalfi.  Before we left Paestum, though, I asked John to choose the route.  The "easy" way was twice as far and only part highway... so we took the "short cut".     At least I had asked him before requesting he drive this way.

Beleive it or not, this was nothing compared to the road next to the cliffs on the ocean (but we were too scared to take pictures by that point)

We are staying in this hotel built into a cliff overlooking the ocean.  We can sit next to a wall of windows and hear the surf from our room, we also hear the screaming wind as well.  The place looked like nothing from the road and I was worried, but its nice.  The only problem is we have to drive into Amalfi in the dark for dinner.  (I'm willing to forgo dinner).

Houston, its affirmative, we have internet!  First things first!

Look out below!  There is apparently a tram that will take you down to the private beach where you have chairs and an umbrella... no thank you.

A view from our hotel

Out the other window from the hotel

Today is my "down" day and I am taking it easy in hopes that I can explore Pompeii tomorrow.  I also hope the weather holds for us for another day.  Although it is cold here on the coast, it is the wind which is bad.  It is really nice being here in the winter compared to the hot summer when the tourists crowd the streets.  This wouldn't have been possible in any other season.

Amalfi from parkinglot

Maggs on a passaggiatta through town

Maybe tonight I will try to finish my history lesson, or maybe just crash out early?  Vacations have too many decisions.

Hope you enjoy the photos.

Maria

Day 20: Paestum

We had a "real" breakfast in the cave hotel in the Sassi.  So far, we've just been served croissants ("cornuto"), maybe some fruit or yogurt and, of course, expresso or cappuchino.  Margarita and Gianni were going through egg withdrawals.  But today's breakfast met with the approval of everyone.

Green juice and ham

And toast with jam

Two kinds of frittata

And we agreed we just gotta

(Have seconds, that is.)

Lame, I know, but I just had to write about the green juice… I've never seen kiwi juice before. 

Then we took a walk through the Sassi where I restrained myself from buying some more pottery and climbed up up up to the square which was filled with many Italian men, just standing around.  Come to think of it, in Calvello we never saw women in the square just standing around and chatting.  Hmm.

I don't think these pictures do these justice, there was a pottery shop in the Sassi with lovely plates and tiles but I especially liked these amusing clay figurines of contadini (farmers).

I went to the art museo to see some paintings by Carlos Levi (the author who inspired my interest in Basilicata).  I only had time to view his works and they brought tears to my eyes.  He was an OK painter, but it was the memories that they evoked from me  (from his book and the movie "Christ stopped at Eboli" ).    Then we had to leave for our next destination.  It's supposed to be a 2 ½ hour drive but I think we did it in an hour and a half.    Gianni's is getting tired of my squealing but I do appreciate his driving me through Italia.  The day was sunny and the countryside and the mountains were spectacular.

We got to Paestum and there was a mix up with our hotel reservation so they put us up next door at a 5 star hotel that is practically vacant.  However, even 5 star hotels don't have internet access working.  We drove to the magnificent Greek ruins and Margaret said it was her first official "wow" moment .  (I guess I overstated her prior impressions.)  We spent a little time in the museum there but I couldn't go on.  My knees can't take much more and even Maggs and JJ are exhausted.  Tomorrow is Amalfi, on the coast; so we can rest up because the following day is Pompeii. 

A little history lesson:  The greeks landed and settled in Paestum, but the Lucani people from the internal part of the peninsula decided to attack them and took over Paestum... just for awhile, though.  The uncle or cousin of Alexander the Great defeated them and the Greeks returned... until the Romans came down and you know the story from there....  So Paestum has several types of archeological finds... Greek, Roman, Lucani.

Maria