Italian Autumn 2009

Our region of Italy, Emilia Romagna, had the loveliest fall weather - it had been very warm until last week when the temps finally dipped into the 40s at night, though it is still sunny and high 50s in the daytime. Here are some photos of the season - the chestnut festivals are in Scascoli (the first 8 photos, where they also hold a American style western riding competition and where we hope to be living this time next year) and a neighboring town which is so small they roasted the chestnuts in a parking lot. The night photo is an aperitivo on a friend's property that overlooks Bologna. Ray is ready for Halloween... oh, and oranges are in season.

Blogging has become so popular - here are a couple from Andrea's students. I asked Sky if she would make our audition tape for Househunters International as they have been emailing me frequently asking for one. They must have a shortage of Americans abroad who are buying real estate. With the dollar at €1.47, I can understand why.

http://www.skydylanrobbins.com/skydylanrobbins/unAMERICANAinITALIA_./unAMERICANAinITALIA_..html

http://www.mariasengenberger.blogspot.com/

If you can believe it, we still haven't made an offer on the old farmhouse. We plan to do so just after the weekend. I am having to drag Andrea through the mud to do this. Thank God he wasn't stuck in this way before our wedding. He just needs to come around, which seems to take longer the older HE gets. (Or maybe I am losing my powers of persuasion as I get older. That makes sense, hagnag that I am.)

Fall still hasn't come to Bologna. Sleveless tops and sandals are still the rage. Hitting the chestnut festival in our (hopefully) new hometown this Sunday. Missing the colors of the NE corridor.

Nobel Prize Chemistry

Good luck, Uncle Koji. May this be your year. The Nobel announcement comes this week. (...a famous and talented magician....ummm, I remember a show at a Thanksgiving dinner in Ringoes a lifetime ago...)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koji_Nakanishi

http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/koji_nakanishi.html

Follow up: maybe next year. :-

We're outta here - good bye Bologna

We accepted an offer for our apartment last evening. We are very happy! We had spent the afternoon at the house in Scascoli (my flavor of the month) and then after receiving the offer took a drive out there to see the property in the full-moon light. This is the house I really want and it is a 30 minute drive to Bologna and so would not be a drastic change of life for us (the little white door you see above the light fixture is where a small statue of the Madonna is supposed to sit - we will have to go to a convent shop to buy one).

I hope we can make an offer on Monday that is acceptable as real estate in Italy is quite different than in the US. First, if you are looking to buy a house, you have to contact the listing agent as there is no such thing as multiple listings. So you meet a lot of agents and some are good, some are great and some are a disaster. As a seller, you only have one agent that shows your house, and we used a professional gentleman that we bought and sold from twice before. But now we have to deal with someone new for the place we want. The hitch is, you can set the closing date any time and waiting 12 months for one is quite common. So our buyer wants up to a year to close on our place. Now we just have to get the seller of the house we want to agree to that, with the hope that it comes much sooner. But we know he wants to buy a new place and will be less than happy with such an agreement.

So the flavor this month is an old farm house with an attached barn that has been converted into a loft space. There is a nice old, part with small rooms and old, wavey brick floors, a guest room and three baths, all redone very nicely and even combining old ceiling beams with steel ones. The barn has been converted to a loft and dining area - a funky layout with a nice combination of old and new. The exterior still needs to be done and we would have to put in a terrace and plant the 2000 meter garden. The house is a bi-familiare and so attached in the back to another residence. We met those owners yesterday - a retired couple who use the house only for the summer. The village itself (and this is where Andrea hesitates) is small - perhaps 100 residents, and not even a coffee bar in sight. But the bread man comes with his wagon (er, van) every day so at least we know we can get some fresh rolls if we don't want to drive out of town for food. This Sunday is the chestnut festival that we attended exactly one year ago and posted on my blog - who'd have thought we would have come around to actually wanting to live in a place where we once went to for the quaint break in the countryside.

ok, too much time

when I am surfing for ancient but great music. This one brought a chuckle. It is for you, Patty, and your "patient" Amanda (a man, duh).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUiso6MHvRw&feature=related

Lou Reed

and NYC = perfect together

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4pppHD7HNQ

The days are getting short though the weather has been holding out with mild temps in the 70s and lots of sunshine (hence the haircut by good friend Ermanno). We have been looking at several houses for sale in the hills outside of Bologna. We are still hashing over the desire for more space vs. the commute into Bologna. Coming in by car is a nightmare as it takes as long to get through Bologna as it does arriving from 50 kilometers away, though the greenery of the hills has a LOT of appeal. The big question now is Ray's education as Bologna is one of the more diverse and sophisticated cities as far as education goes (after all, it does host the oldest university in the world), and to move him to a very small school in the provincia could be a dramatic step back in time. Part of me feels that as long as he gets to the US regularly and his mother takes him to cultural events and the theater (which would be more for me I suppose) in the city, and I keep a close friendship with my best friends (from Barcelona, London, DC and S. Africa) who all have kids, he won't grow blinders and will be just fine. Here are some photos of a recent lunch outing we all went on in the hills of Bologna, a trattoria that was once a monastary. Ray and his "cousins".

I rejoined the board of the International Women's Forum after a two year hiatus. We held our first welcome back aperitivo of the new year this week. The number of English speaking women in Bologna has increased tremendously - the group had 40 members when I joined back in 2004 - now it has 150 with a lot of lurkers who haven't joined yet. The italians make up perhaps 30% and there are members from about 15 different countries.

My job is going really well this year. This class of kids are really great and we have a lot of fun. We are studying celebrations and here, Miriam, the art teacher (originally from England), had Mendhi patterns painted on their hands for the Hindu holiday, Diwali - the festival of lights.

Today Andrea is in Urbino with his students, so I took Ray for a picnic in the hills with Philippa and her girls along with Agnes, Philippa's dear friend from London who is visiting this weekend. A real hoot - Agnes - who is an attorney and has lots of colorful stories to tell of men and single-hoodom. Three bottles of vino bianco between us kept the topic flowing.

Here is Andrea's syllabus for his course that starts in two weeks. If anyone wants to audit it, I am sure he wouldn't mind. And you can stay with us for the ten weeks. But note that it is all in Italian! And most of the films are pretty heavy since it does cover Italian history after WWII.

THE CINEMA OF THE ITALIAN ECONOMIC MIRACLE
BCSP – Fall 2009

DESCRIPTION: This course aims to offer a broad view of the Italian cinema in its historical passage from the widely recognized Neo-realist foundations to the great divide of the revolutionary sixties, which we see as the culmination of its golden age. The modernization of Italian society, the building up of the urban space over the agricultural tradition, and the problem of Italian identity as reflected in the cinema of the sixties will be among the main points discussed in the course.

All the films we will study, with a variety of styles and ideological underpinnings, explore crucial moments in the history of modern Italian society. By interpreting that history from different standpoints, the directors/authors represent encounters between cultures and religions, social classes, and the sexes. These films lend themselves to enriching discussions on film aesthetics, the development of Italian cinema, and notions of national identity and ethnicity, gender roles, and the class struggle.
INSTRUCTOR: Andrea Ricci is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Italian at Indiana University and Resident Director of the Bologna Consortial Studies Program in Bologna. His research interests are focused on several aspects of the Italian Cinema and Literature of the XX century. He has published several articles especially on genres like the Italian poliziesco, the police procedural novel, and the noir film. His most recent interests are centered upon the problem of the Italian identity as represented through film.

METHOD OF PRESENTATION: Classroom lectures and group discussions.
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: Italian
REQUIRED WORK AND FORM OF ASSESSMENT: Participation (20%), mid-term exam (30%), oral exam (30%), class assignments (20%)

CONTENTS:
• Introduction to the course. Italian History at the end of the Fascist period. Italo Calvino’s introduction to his "Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno" (1964)
• Neo-realism: a point of re-birth. The three directors: Rossellini, De Sica, Visconti.Roberto Rossellini: Roma città aperta (1945)
• Neo-realism according to André Bazin vs. Cesare Zavattini.
• The great divide and the fake reconciliation between two opposite concepts of Italy as a unified country. The "catholic-communism" Guareschi, censorship, and the "Neorealismo rosa." Julien Duvivier: Don Camillo (1952)
BCSP 1
• The Italian provinces - the dreams of a group of young men: escape or integration? Federico Fellini: I Vitelloni (1953)
• Moraldo goes to town. Neo-realism betrayed?
• A new genre: Comedy Italian Style. The regional identities. The first signs of the Italian industrial revolution. Mario Monicelli: I soliti ignoti (1958)
• Getting ready for the Economic Miracle. Religion, morals, politics, culture.
• Italian history in the life of an ordinary Italian: the case of Alberto Sordi. The "Boom". Dino Risi: Una vita difficile (1961)
• Politics and History of the Economic Miracle. Social and cultural changes. The industrialization of family ties. The economic Boom in the north, in the south and in central Italy. The "film-inchiesta".
• The change from a country of peasants to a country of employees. Society in fast and constant change. Ermanno Olmi and the pseudo-documentary feature film. Ermanno Olmi: Il Posto (1961)
• Olmi’s style. Signs and cinema. The boom in the north. Calvino’s "La speculazione edilizia". What is "La dolce vita"? Structuralism and new theories. The great international success. The turning point in cinema and society. The country is changing, its cinema is changing. Italy is no longer the same. Art film vs. neo-realist film. Federico Fellini: La dolce vita (1960)
• The group ’63. Roland Barthes’ structuralist theory. Fellini and Antonioni: two ways to intend cinema and art. Instinct vs. intellectualism. Painting vs. geometry. Michelangelo Antonioni: L’Avventura (1959)
• More about the the bittersweet mix of the Comedy Italian Style. The Italian stereotypes. The problem of national identity. Pietro Germi: Divorzio all’italiana (1962)
• The episodic film: the representation of women. Dino Risi: I mostri (1962) and Federico Fellini: Le tentazioni del Dottor Antonio (1963)
• A voice in the desert. Pier Paolo Pasolini: a non-traditional personality. Hopelessness and death in the rural communities of Rome. Pasolini’s theories of cinema.
• How to negotiate between religion and Marxism: unresolved conflict. Right and Left in Italy. Pier Paolo Pasolini: Mamma Roma (1962)
• Identity and comedy. Broken dreams. The separation of classes creates the basis of conflict. The s-boom. Dino Risi: Il sorpasso (1963)

General rules:
The course is based on the instructor’s lectures on films and on historical periods that will be gradually examined, but the participation of students to discussion is required. At every meeting, readings or homework will be assigned and every week the instructor will start the class with questions about such readings or the vision of films. Students’ ability in answering these questions will be taken into consideration in the count of the final grade.

Dolce Vito - Dream Restaurant

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article6740182.ece

So I am told that Andrea and I appeared on British TV last night on channel 4. We were actually on a reality show, "Dolce Vito - Dream Restaurant" - albeit for us it was more for the free meal than for tv exposure when we went there in the early summer. Vito Cattafo opened an English restaurant in Bologna and the pre-opening opening for dinner was for about 100 guests. The tv crew was there and interviewed Andrea (as an Italian eating English grub) and apparently his clip made it in for a few seconds. I can't say that we would go there for dinner any time soon as Italian food is so much more interesting (to put it nicely), but it was fun to watch Vito make the rounds and at the end of the evening propose to his girlfriend 4 times before she reluctantly agreed to be his bride. If anyone sees this on satellite tv, let me know!

On another reality front, if we sell our apartment and make an offer on the house in the country, House Hunters International expressed interest on coming over to film our "experience" for their show in the US. I better keep dieting.

On Wednesday I attended a Woolrich store opening in Bologna where the crowd of a couple of hundred people spilled out into the sidewalk and devoured the sushi and Bellinies (champagne and peach juice - yum). We met Beppe Grillo, an Italian comedian and activist but Andrea thinks that this is an imposter in the photo taken with Beppe and my two American friends, Kathryn and Elizabeth. (http://www.beppegrillo.it/en/tour.php) He also thinks I am going to miss all these social opportunities if we move out to Praticello, but I beg to differ.

Modigliana

Giuseppe is a gentleman whom we met when we looked into the little stone ruin on the mountaintop of Santa Maria in Castello. He works with the church administrators as the geometra who overlooks their properties. He has taken us to see a half a dozen or so different properties after we found out the ruin had been sold, and has invited us into his home to introduce us to his wife and children. Our relationship has developed into a friendship, so I will be sorry if we don't hire him to restore a church ruin, but you never know.

He invited this past weekend to visit again his hometown of Modigliana, a sleepy little village in the Apennine mountains near the border of Tuscany, where a lovely little festival was held with the theme of recreating paintings of the 1800s using live people and with half the town dressing in costume and performing period music (including Giuseppe who had to grow facial hair for his role). It was wonderful and is held every year (so come and visit this time next year if this appeals to you) - here is a sampling - they really did a great job. Next year I want to sew a costume and wear it to the event, though I will make an odd addition to the cast of local characters. Also added is a photo of the local area of the house-of-the-month.

Apartment for Sale in Bologna

It is official. We signed the contract yesterday and if all goes well, we will sell this sunny place and by next summer I will be complaining of all the yard work I have to do.


Here are some photos of Bologna; the end of a race in the main piazza, a wedding, a photo of Andrea and Ray at the news stand, and another I took last night from the window of an American friend. The two leaning towers of Bologna are its most famous landmarks. Keiko climbed to the top of the taller one by herself one year, and I did it with Pico and Jeremy a couple of years ago. It has the most beautiful views.

I wonder if I will miss Bologna should we move into the provincia.

First Day of School

Ray had his first day of school on Monday, and we faced the horrendous inserimento process where we have to stay with him initially, then leave for shorts bursts of time over the period of two weeks. The Italian law says that employers must give time off to parents for this, though the employees do have to use comp or vacation time. Being that I work at a school, it is difficult to ask for time off at the most critical period of our new year. But they did their best to help me out.

Luckily, on Monday, I had the day off and took Ray in on the Vespa at 9.30. After 15 minutes of lingering around the classroom and being totally ignored by Ray, I asked the teachers if I could leave. They told me to return in 45 minutes and took my cell number. When I returned (after a lovely caffe americano e pasti di mela at my favorite local bar), I was told to take Ray home. The next day, since they understood Ray was so tranquillo, I was allowed to leave him until 2.30, then the rest of the week full days until 4.15.

Ray loves this school and is so happy to go. The playground is less beautiful than his old school, but more contained so he is free to run to his heart's content. It is so lovely to watch him grow and mature. An absolute tesoro.

Thinking of America on this date.

Gosh, how do I even begin to describe seven weeks in the US after a 3+ year absence except that I returned to Italy revived by familial nurturing and the love of old friends. Ray and I had spent one week in Manhattan, then off to Bordentown for a bit before spending the next three weeks in scenic Montana. Ten days back in New Jersey prepared us for the heat and humidity we returned to in Bologna. We didn't have much time here before Andrea's students arrived last week, and I returned to work at the International School.








I can post photos which would best describe the time we had, though I have to admit that Facebook became a main source of communication in the US though I haven't spent much time on there from here. So if you haven't already seen some photos on my facepage, here is a sampling:









It was nice to be have dinner and stay over night in the lovely, rustic home of Marsha and Greg in Lebanon (except for the french wine, their counter top could be anywhere in Italy!) and also have dinner with good friends hosted by Susan in Princeton (above). Ray enjoyed the American food and I indulged myself the first week then went healthy the last six, though the 15 pounds I lost are slowly creeping back.

While I was away, Andrea served as translator for American poet Jack Hirschman, who came to Lugo to present his book. An old social activist, he wasn't on the good side of any anti-communists here, but the evening pulled through pretty well. (Their expressions are puzzling, eh?)

In the meanwhile, Ray really misses the 14 hours a day of the grass of suburbia and the trees of Montana, so we are back again at looking at homes outside of Bologna. Here is my latest flavor of the month in real estate - we may put our apartment up for sale soon. We will decide in the coming days.

Thank you thank you thank you for all the attention - the time you spent on making my visit special: the tube of my new, favorite lipstick on the bedside table, the Ipod Touch, the meals, the diners and American coffee, rehashing of memories, the crabcakes and wine, the campfires and American breakfasts. For playing with Ray and for meeting me in New York. Buying me the big, fat sequel written in English and Pop Tarts, the rides to and from airports and everywhere else, the surprise photo album stashed into my carry-on and a grand dose of American music. For not asking me to "say something in Italian." The drive through the mountains of Montana and the mountains of love and the great big good-bye hugs. You can't begin to know how much it all means to me.