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IHSI 2019 Spring Bocce League

Bocce ComicThe Italian Heritage Society of Indiana Bocce Committee invites you to enter a team for an 8-week bocce ball schedule. League play begins April 1/2 through May 20/21. Games will be held in Lacy Park, at Greer & McCarty Streets.

  • Please provide a second night preference, if applicable. 
  • If your requested evening is filled, we will look to your 2ndchoice. 
  • Substitute players are welcome and encouraged, however each team is responsible for providing their sub.  
  • Unscheduled substitutions at court-side will be considered a team forfeit.
  • Please be responsible for your scheduled time – your absence affects 15 other teams!

The cost is $65 per TEAM of 2, $55 for IHSI members

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD/PRINT IHSI 2019 BOCCE ENTRY FORM

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ELLIS ISLAND, PART ONE: THOSE WHO CAME AND THOSE WHO STAYED

By Carol Faenzi
Just before Christmas, I went to New York City with my Italian cousins, Monica and Carlotta. They live in Rome and we are related through grandfathers who were brothers: Ottavio (mine) and Francesco (theirs).

Ottavio followed his sister to America in 1913 to pursue a life out of poverty. Francesco took his family to Rome for the same reason-as both were born on a remote farm in southern Tuscany-their mother who was either widowed or abandoned (family mystery) with a brood of eleven children. Desperately poor, like so many in Italy at that time.

The link between Ottavio and Francesco was never completely broken, despite world war and raising families-but it wasn’t until the 1960s, when Ottavio retired his career as a chef and my grandmother Olga prodded him, the surviving family members met in Italy-some were still on the old farm, but Francesco’s family was growing in Rome.

That reunion cemented the link, after that, gifts, letters and visits flowed back and forth between Rome and Indianapolis through the decades, making the same journey over the Atlantic Ocean as our immigrant family had-only by plane instead of ship.

My first encounter with my Roman cousins was in 1978 when my wise grandparents took me with them to Italy. A big door opened very wide form, setting the stage to continue the bonds.

And we have.

Francesco granddaughters, Monica and Carlotta have been more like sisters in me than my own. Rossella’s daughter, Carlotta made her first trip here just this past December and met her cousins for the first time.

And so, it continues with the generation after mine. This makes me extraordinarily happy.

You can imagine how much it meant for us to board a ferry from Battery Park, NY, take it to the Statue of Liberty, the first sighting Ottavio would have had of America and then on to Ellis Island where a big door opened for him.

We spent several hours at Ellis Island, Carlotta enthralled as she learned first hand the journey so long ago that led to this strong family bond between Italy and America.

While Carlotta listened to the stories on the Italian audio device, Monica and I were in tears. So many stories, so many faces, so many lives, so many American families that began in this place.

Our family name Giovannoni-Faenzi is on the Wall of Honor, a tiny line engraved among thousands.

Sitting on one of the original benches in the registry room, I felt sure we were sitting in the spot where Ottavio, just sixteen years old, had been waiting his turn to be registered, examined, tested. What was he thinking as gazed out of this window, as I was doing, the Statue of Liberty a benevolent and powerful symbol that must have felt intimidating, overwhelming? Did he miss his mother, his brothers yet? Was he scared? Was he afraid he would be turned away? I can’t imagine how he could feel any other way. But also excited, dreaming of what could be. A little more than one hundred years later, here we are, Ottavio!

We are here for you. And for Francesco. And for us. And for those who come after us. We will not forget you.

To learn more about Carol Faenzi and her Italian culture endeavors check out her site here: https://mytuscanaria.com/

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SPAGHETTI WITH SPINACH-WALNUT PESTO AND RICOTTA

SPAGHETTI WITH SPINACH-WALNUT PESTO AND RICOTTA
Spaghetti di pesto di noci e ricotta

Ingredients
6 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup packed fresh basil
1 cup packet fresh parsley
1/2 cup walnut halves
2 garlic cloves crushed and peeled
Salt-pepper
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup ricotta
1/2 cup grated grana padano

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Pulse the
spinach, basil, parsley, walnuts, garlic and salt in a food processor to a
coarse paste. Pour in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream.
Process to make a smooth paste, stopping occasionally to scrape down
the sides of the bowl.
Add the spaghetti to the boiling water, and cook until al dente. Scrape
the pesto into a serving bowl and stir in the ricotta.
Season with salt/pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to
loosen the sauce.
Remove the spaghetti with tongs directly to the sauce, add the grated
cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss to coat the pasta with the
sauce, adding more pasta water if it seems dry.

Recipe by: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Check out more of her recipes here: https://lidiasitaly.com/recipes/

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Our 2018 Christmas Party

This year’s Christmas party was full of good food, stories, and fun. After a wonderful meal, we enjoyed a fun traditional Italian story complete with San Nicolo’ and La Befana in costume. The night continued on with song and dance into the evening. Please check out some of the great photos taken by members at the event.

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La Befana

La Befana is an old lady who brings toys to children in part of Italy on Epiphany night. The Epiphany is when the Three Kings brought gift to baby Jesus. The legend is that on their way to deliver presents to Jesus, The Three King came across La Befana. They asked her to come  with them, but she refused, saying she had too much housework to do. She later realized it had been wrong not to go with. So she ran off with her broom in search of the Kings, bearing her own presents for the baby Jesus. But she never caught up with them. It’s said that La Befana is still searching for the baby Jesus.

In the weeks preceding the Epiphany, the children of Italy are busy writing to La Befana, telling her the presents they would most like to receive. They are on their best behavior because they know that La Befana will leave a lump of coal, instead of sweet and toys, for ill behaved children.

On Epiphany night, January 6, Befana goes around leaving presents for children, in imitation of  the Three Wise men bring gifts to Jesus. Befana looks like a friendly witch, with a mole on her face and tattered clothes. She flies on a broom and goes down chimney to deliver toys for girls and boys. There is a little poem:

La Befana vien di notte
Con le scarpe tutte rotte
Col vestito da romana
Viva viva la Befana!

The Befana comes at night
In worn out shoes
Dressed like a Roman
Long live the Befana!

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Natale in Italia – Christmas in Italy

Christmas in Italy is rich in traditions that have, for the most part a religious history, with the celebration centered on the nativity scenes in churches and home. Italian customs and traditions add so much to the beautiful celebration of Christmas in America for families of Italian heritage and help teach the younger family members about the value of their Italian heritage. The Christmas season in Italy includes Festa di San Nicolo’ which is celebrated on December 6th and la Festa di Santa Lucia, Also known as “the Festival of Lights” which is celebrated on December 13th.

Il presepio is the nativity scene featuring the Holy Family, i pastori (shepherds), Re Magi (the Three Kings), and angels that are seen in the homes and churches in Italy during Christmas time. St. Francis of Assisi created the first Presepio.

Presepio vivente: On Christmas Eve many small towns of Italy celebrate with the tradition of a live nativity scene to act out the birth of Jesus just as St. Francis of Assisi did in 123 A.D. complete with live animals, children play the roles of the Holy Family with a newborn baby Jesus. Christmas carols originate in Italy with St. Francis of Assisi. The classic Christmas carol of Italy include Tu scendi dalle stelle, and Caro Gesu’ Bambino.

I zampognari are the shepherds who live in the mountains and come to town at Christmas time to play their traditional bagpipes and sing characteristic shepherd song. They dress in traditional vests, legging and leather trousers.

The meal of la Vigilia di Natale (Christmas Eve) is customarily meatless, popularly known as the meal of seven fishes (for the seven sacraments), it typically consists of fish and seafood, and may include eel, scungilli, calamari (squid), vongole,(clams) and baccala’ (salt cod).

Ceppo is an old Italian Tradition known as the ‘Tree of Lights” also known as the Italian Christmas Pyramid, the ceppo is decorated with candles and holds a small manger, decorations, candy, fruit and greenery.

The Urn of Fate is an old tradition where people in Italy pick out gifts to family members from large Ornamental clay jar.

Capodanno (New Year’s Eve) is welcomed with optimism for the future and aspiration of prosperity and good health. Lentils are traditionally eaten on New Year’s day in Italy as a symbol of good luck and prosperity.

La Befana is the benevolent old woman with magical powers who brings gifts to the children of Italy on the eve of Epiphany on January 6th, to commemorate the visit of the Three Kings. La befana has been known to visit children of Italian heritage in America and around the world.

These are a few customs of Christmas in Italy. We hope you enjoyed reading about them and perhaps will celebrate this special event in your family with Italian style.

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IHS Honors our Board Member Carol Faenzi with 2018 Willard C. Heiss Family History and Genealogy Award

An accomplished author and presenter credited with inspiring a new generation of people searching for their ancestry is the recipient of the Indiana Historical Society’s (IHS’s) 2018 Willard C. Heiss Family History/Genealogy Award.

Carol Faenzi of Indianapolis was honored at IHS’s annual Founders Day dinner on Monday, Nov. 5, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center in downtown Indianapolis. Each year, IHS presents this award to a family historian for his or her distinguished service and career in Indiana family history.

Faenzi is a third generation Italian-American who has developed a reputation for programs and workshops that inspire others to seek out and preserve their family stories. She is the author of the award-winning book, The Stonecutter’s Aria, which chronicles her ancestors’ careers in Carrara marble and her great-grandfather’s emigration from Italy to Bedford, Indiana, where he worked as a limestone carver.

“She has offered a model for how family genealogy could and perhaps ought to be recorded” said Tom Castaldi, Allen County historian.

The popularity of The Stonecutter’s Aria led Faenzi to create and lead biannual guided trips to her ancestral homeland in Italy and, locally, to Indiana limestone country, establishing a unique Italy/Indiana connection.

More information on Faenzi’s books, programs and tours can be found at www.mytuscanaria.com

Follow this link to read the entire press release: Willard Heiss – Faenzi

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In Memoriam Italian Heritage Society Member Dr. Jane Fortune by Carol Faenzi

Philanthropist, Journalist and Author, Dr. Jane Fortune passed away on September 23. Most of her life’s work was centered on the research, restoration and exhibition of art by women in Florence, Italy. In 2009, she founded a nonprofit organization, Advancing Women Artists Foundation, dedicated to this mission. Among the important works her Foundation restored were Artemisia Gentileschi’s “ David and Bathsheba.” In 2013, the PBS documentary, Invisible Women: Forgotten Artists of Florence, based on her 2009 book by the same title, was awarded a regional Emmy as Best Documentary in the Historical/Cultural Program Category. These are just a few of many remarkable milestones Jane Fortune succeeded in reaching during he dynamic and passionate life. I was fortunate to have known her and for a few years, helped direct activities of her Foundation in the United States. She was a tireless advocate for these “invisible women artists” and I am happy to say, the work will go on. She left quite a legacy. She told me the thing that meant the most to her, was being recognized as a Citizen of Florence, the city she fell in love with during her college years. The Mayor presented this award to Jane at a ceremony in Florence and with her passing, a Mass was said for her on October 9, at the Basilica of Santa Croce.

Her Foundation: www.advancingwomenartists.org

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My Journey to Italian Citizenship, Achieving Dual Citizenship by Italian Americans

Lecture by:  Marlene Adami

One of our most interesting recent cultural lectures was about achieving dual citizenship by Italian Americans. IHSI member Marlene Adami presented the lecture about her personal experiences as she pursued that goal. Our founding member Jerry Roland, an attorney and the former Italian vice-consul for Indiana, was also present to answer questions by those who attended.  Marlene was able to document and charmingly illustrate, step-by-step, that journey in a PowerPoint file. With Marlene’s approval, we now make it available to our members who wish to also make that journey.

Click link below to view powerpoint presentation provide by Marlene;

ITALIAN CITIZENSHIPWEB 002