In 1976, New York City Mayor Abraham Beame declared the week of May 17^th to the 23^rd Italian Culture Week. In 1985, the celebration moved to October to coincide with Columbus Day, and the week became Italian Heritage and Culture Month, now more widely known as Italian American Heritage Month.

Cities with large populations of Italians celebrate with festivals and parades, the largest being the Columbus Day Parade in New York City. This year, the celebration started October 1^st in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal with Italy on Tour, a panoramic video tour of Italy, and cooking demonstrations by Lidia Bastianich – Grand Marshal of the parade – and other chefs. (If you are in New York City, Italy on Tour will be at Grand Central Terminal until Saturday, October 13th.)

Last Friday, Banda Della Guardia di Finanza, an ensemble of 102 trained musicians from Italy, preformed at Grand Central Terminal; and Sunday, at the Annual Wreath Laying at Columbus Circle, the band played in tribute to all Italian immigrants. On Columbus Day, the traditional Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral preceded the parade of 35,000 marchers, who started at 44^th Street and Fifth Avenue and traveled 35 blocks to 79^th Street.

I planned to be in the City to watch the parade – I was even invited to march with the Italian Historical Society of America – but I’ve been so busy with work and promoting Thirty-One Days of Italians and Con Amore, I had to cancel my New York triup. I couldn’t find a television station  – of the more than 200 on cable – that televised the parade, so I was there in spirit.

My change in plans may have been for the best, though. The town has been putting in pipes and in nine days the construction crew has cut my telephone line four times, the cable line three times, and the water line twice. I’m still dealing with the aftereffects, and if I hadn’t been here, I have a feeling that my homecoming would not have been very pleasant.

For those who live locally, I will be at Barnes and Noble in Cary on October 17^th at 7:00 p.m. to give a presentation on Antonio Canova, one of the greatest neoclassical sculptors of the early nineteenth century. I’ll be discussing Canova’s statue of George Washington and why Washington is depicted as a Roman general. The North Carolina State Legislature commissioned the statue in 1816 (or 1817, depending on the source), and the Capitol building in Raleigh has a cast replica of the statue Canova completed in 1821. The original was destroyed in a fire in 1831.

Museums displaying Canova’s art.

 Speaking of statues, take an Internet journey throughout the world visiting the monuments dedicated to Christopher Columbus at Columbus Monuments Pages.

In his four voyages, Christopher Columbus traveled through many of the islands of the Caribbean and explored South America. While it’s noted that he had the backing of some Italian merchants, he sailed for Spain because Italy was not a united country at the time.

 Columbus was born in Genoa (region of Liguria) and his discovery of a new world is the starting point of Italian American culture; and that’s where Milestones of the Italian American Experience begins. Hosted by the National Italian American Foundation, and written by college professor Salvatore LaGumina, Milestones begins in 1492 and traces the history of Italians in America.

 In its first year, Thirty-One Days of Italians has gained support in the Italian American community. I’ve received many e-mails thanking me for my work in promoting Italian American heritage and I am still working on my responses.

A few more Web sites that have mentioned and linked to Thirty-One Days of Italians are The Italian American Press (check out the list of books by Italian American authors – including me!); Italians in Utah, with its October calendar filled with Thirty-One Italians; The Annotico Report (a great place to read about Italian-related news), and the Bluefield Daily Telegraph in West Virginia. The West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival is one of the largest Italian Heritage Festivals in the United States. Many immigrants settled in West Virginia in the late 1800s to work in the coal mines and on the railroads.

I’ve also received some nominees for next year’s list, but I’ll save that for a future newsletter. In the meantime, below are the remaining dates and names to celebrate this month.

October 13: Maria Montessori, M.D. Developed an educational method for teaching children.

October 14: Domenico Ghirardelli His company developed the Broma process, a method of extracting cocoa butter from the cacao beans, that is now used by most chocolate manufacturers.

October 15: Lee Iacocca Responsible for the turnaround of Chrysler Corporation in the 1980s and established The Iacocca Foundation, which provides grants to fund diabetes research. (This date is also Mr. Iacocca’s birthday.)

October 16: Anthony Fauci One of the most cited researchers and scientist in the world.

October 17: Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini First American citizen to become a saint.

October 18: Enrico Caruso World’s most acclaimed tenor in the early 1900s.

October 19: Yogi Berra Baseball player, manager, and famous for his quotes, known as "yogi-isms."

October 20: Frank Capra Acclaimed 20th Century film director, best known for It’s a Wonderful Life.

October 21: Arturo Toscanini One of the world’s greatest orchestra conductors.

October 22: Giovanni da Verrazzano First European explorer to enter the harbor of New York.

October 23: Robert Mondavi Revolutionized the American wine industry.

October 24: Fiorello La Guardia First three-term Mayor of New York City. Credited for changing its landscape and building the foundation for the city’s growth after the Depression.

October 25: Amerigo Vespucci Namesake of America.

October 26: Giovanni Caboto Explored the northeastern American continent for England.

October 27: Costantino Brumidi Known as the “Michelangelo of the [U.S.] Capitol.”

October 28: Rocky Marciano The only Heavyweight World Champion to retire undefeated.

October 29: Father Geno Baroni Founder and president of the National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs and founded the Urban Rehabilitation Corporation, the forerunner to Housing Counseling Services.

October 30: Andrea Palladio "Father of Architecture," wrote The Four Books on Architecture, the most famous and influential books on architecture of all time, and still in print.

October 31: Your Favorite Italian Celebrate someone not on the list, but greatly admired.

Honorable mentions include Mario Andretti, Geraldine Ferraro, Ernest and Julio Gallo, Henry Mancini, Ezio Pinza, Francis Rogallo, R.A. Salvatore, and Frank Zamboni.

Buon anno, buon tutto, buona vita
Janice Therese Mancuso
Author of Con Amore

www.jtmancuso.com
Thirty-One Days of Italians

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 ©2007 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 ©2007 by Janice Therese Mancuso. www.jtmancuso.com.