Italian Historical Society
of America Newsletter
JANUARY 2016 BY JANICE THERESE MANCUSO VOLUME 12, NUMBER 1 Tutto Italiano Benvenuto a Tutto Italiano
Mention Pisa and the Leaning Tower usually comes to mind. It’s another one of Italy’s most famous landmarks. Located in the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), northwest of the center of the city, the Tower shares the piazza with a Cathedral (Duomo), Baptistery, and the Camposanto Monumentale, (Monumental Cemetery), which is also a museum.
The site, near marshland and originally known as Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square), is where a church was built during the early years of Christianity. That and other buildings were destroyed by time, and between the eleventh and fourteenth century, the piazza was brought back to life with new construction. First, the Cathedral, “decorated in alternating black and white shades in stripes of Arab influence and a massive use of reused materials from Roman monuments that emphasised [sic] the greatness of the city of Pisa.”
Next, the Baptistery – dedicated to St. John the Baptist and topped with a commemorative statue – was positioned in front of the Cathedral. The largest Baptistery in Italy took a little over two hundred years to complete; its lower section is “12th-century Romanesque (with round blind arches), while the upper parts are predominantly 13th-century Gothic (with pointed arches).”
Then construction of the bell tower (campanile), located behind and further away than usual from the Cathedral, began in 1173. With the addition of the third story, the building started to lean on its soft soil foundation and construction was halted. Almost 100 years later, work resumed; but had sporadic stops through the years until the tower’s completion in 1350.
Finally in 1277, work started on the Camposanto Monumentale, a long rectangular building designed to house the sarcophagi scattered around the site. Believed to be filled with sacred soil from the site of Jesus’s crucifixion, “during the fourteenth century, as the construction took shape, the inner walls were embellished by wonderful frescoes about Life and Death …” In the early years of the nineteenth century, works of art from the Cathedral and other buildings were stored there and eventually displayed.
Piazza dei Miracoli became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
Great Photo of Piazza dei Miracoli
Virtual Tours of Pisa
Pisa and Piazza dei Miracoli (Scroll down to see an informative video.)
Tower of Pisa Interior Mapped in 3D
Italy or Ikea? Earlier this week, Italy made international headlines when many Italians expressed their displeasure about the concealment of nude statues at the Capitoline Museums during the meeting of President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Prime Minister Renzi. The offending statues were covered with large boxes causing one cartoon to show “a bewildered Mr. Rouhani, with the boxes in the background, asking Mr. Renzi: ‘Where did you bring me? Ikea?’”
Is the controversy about a clash of cultural values, swapping culture for huge trade deals, or as the Vox World article claims, a deep fear and mistrust of Iran?
Italians Mock Cover-Up of Nude Statues for Iranian’s Visit (NYT Article)
Anger in Italy after authorities cover up nude Roman statues of goddesses so as not to offend Iranian president (The Telegraph Article)
The very silly controversy over Iran and Italy's nude statues, explained (Vox World)
Searching for an Italian American Family in New York A new documentary film about Italian American families and their traditions is in the works. The film will “explore what is special about the Italian-American experience with varying generations, and the challenges that keep their traditions and families together in our current society.”
The production company, 4th Row Films, headed by director Douglas Tirola, is “looking for a New York-based multi-generational family that gets together on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, several holidays and birthdays per year) to share a meal,” similar in style to a “traditional Sunday dinner.” The focus is “to learn each family’s history, current story and see how they approach trying to keep their traditions and gatherings as a family alive in today's world;” and also “to see how each family creates their meals in both their old school and new school incarnations.”
For more information or to apply, contact Maria at [email protected]. The production company encourages “you to send in any information about your family you feel comfortable sharing – bio, photos, a story, or anything about how and when your family gets together that makes you a good fit for this project.”
Director Tirola's current film, “DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: The Story of the National Lampoon,” premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and is currently airing on SHOWTIME.
Winter Cultural Events in Northern California The Italian Cultural Society provides numerous opportunities each month to learn more and get involved in Italian heritage and culture. In February, an author presentation on genealogy and two films are scheduled. In March, Kathleen Ann Gonzalez will discuss her book, A Beautiful Woman in Venice, a collection of biographies about Venetian women. Kathleen has several books listed on the Italian American Press. All events take place at the Italian Center in Carmichael, California.
A Heartfelt Thank You Earlier this month, I received the sad news that a long-time subscriber and Italian heritage compatriot suddenly passed. Our similar interest connected us when I created Thirty-One Days of Italians.
John Anthony Trovato of Clarks Green, PA contacted me and, throughout the years, we had many email conversations about Italian culture. As an advocate of Italian heritage and culture, John shared Tutto Italiano, forwarding it to some and encouraging others to subscribe. We also exchanged holiday greetings; I received his last just before Christmas.
John was a member of the Genealogical Research Society and after his retirement he searched his family ancestry back through eight generations to 1750. His research led him to visit the birthplace of his father in Casalvecchio Siculo, Sicily where he met numerous cousins. In addition to learning about his lineage, John was generous with his knowledge and assisted many others in their genealogical research. His daughter wrote, “You would not believe the people he helped regarding genealogy.”
He leaves his wife “who was the love of his life and spent the past 67 years with, starting at age 15,” five children, and five grandchildren. His obituary states, “His family will be lost without him.”
With his family’s permission to use his name, a heartfelt thank you to John Anthony Trovato. You have given your family the wonderful legacy of their Italian heritage, but you will be missed by many.
Buon anno, buon tutto, buona vita, Janice Therese Mancuso Author of Con Amore Thirty-One Days of Italians The Italian American Press *~<>~*~<>~*~<>~*~<>~*~<>~*~<>~*~<>~*~<>~*~<>~*~<>~*~<>~*~<>~*~<>~*~<>~ *~<>~* Please Note: On the date of publication, the links in this newsletter were current. In older newsletters, some links may be inactive if the URL has changed or is no longer available.
©2016 by Janice Therese Mancuso. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission except when quoted for promotional purposes. Publish with this credit: Excerpted from Tutto Italiano ©2016 by Janice Therese Mancuso. www.jtmancuso.com