JANUARY 2008

I know I’ve said this countless times before, I am so amazed at the beauty of Italy. Not just the countryside – the mountain, hills, valleys, coasts, towns and cities – but also its people, contributions, architecture, art, music, history, and culture. The depth of its passion appears in so much of Italy’s civilization; and while some may disagree, I believe a large part of the beauty in the world would not exist if it weren’t for Italy.

A recent research project for the Italian Historical Society of America led me to Florence’s most exquisite Gothic church, Basilica Santa Croce. Dating back to 1294, it’s the largest Franciscan church in the world and contains altar pieces, frescos, sculptures, and other artwork of the early Renaissance, with many works by Giotto and his school of art. Basilica Santa Croce also houses the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini, and other famous Florentines, has a monument to honor Dante, and a domed chapel designed by Filippo Brunelleschi.

Another church I visited in my research was Santa Maria Maggiore, a Papal Basilica in Rome, first built in the early 430s A.D., and renovated several times by various popes. The church is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the original church was built in the mid-350s on Esquiline Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Legend states that a wealthy childless couple prayed to the Blessed Virgin for an heir and she appeared and told them to build a church where the snow falls. The next day, August 5th, snow fell in a rectangular pattern on Esquiline Hill. Each year on August 5th, the Feast of Our Lady of Snows brings white petals swirling from the dome of the church, signifying the snow that fell on the hill.

Santa Maria Maggiore is also known for many other features – its beautiful mosaic façade, the interior artwork and mosaics, the tallest bell tower in Rome, numerous chapels, and what is said to be the Holy Crib of Jesus.

One more church that fits into this category of “extraordinary but maybe not as popular as some of the other churches” is the Basilica San Clemente, a church built on three levels – one above the other – and dating back to the first century. Excavations in 1857 revealed the older buildings, which are open to view; and it’s noted that charred remains are from the 64 A.D. fire that had Nero playing his fiddle.

The artwork in Basilica San Clemente includes frescos, mosaics, and carvings, and its architecture of columns, arches, and high ceilings – details it shares with the above mentioned churches – reveals its unconventional history.

 The Churches of Italy.

If this is your first issue of Tutto Italiano, or if you would like to reference a previous issue, you can now find past issues from August 2007 on the Web site of the Italian Historical Society of America. For those who save past issues, the older newsletters may have some links that are inactive if the URL has changed or is no longer available.

The National Italian American Foundation, located in Washington, D.C., has a limited amount of commemorative brass plaques available on its “Italian American Wall of Honor,” located in the grand entry of NIAF’s headquarters. For more information call 202.939.3117 or e-mail rebecca@niaf.org.

On February 14th, Avery Fisher Hall Lincoln Center will present a Valentine tribute to Luciano Pavarotti, “For Luciano Pavarotti – with Love.” One of the program’s sponsors is the Sons of Italy, NY. Visit the Lincoln Center’s Web site at www.lincolncenter.org or call 212.721.6500 to order tickets.

I recently updated the Home Page of Thirty-One Days of Italians, adding links to some of the organizations and Web sites that promoted it last October. In the next month or so, I’ll be working on adding more names to the list of nominees, and there will be another vote this year. Think about ways you can promote Italian American heritage this year.

For those in the Cary area, I now have a Web site just for my cooking classes. I’m teaching Italian (of course), Vegetarian, Mediterranean, and a few Specialty classes for the Spring – from February 20th until May. Check out the classes and let others know. Class and registration information, and some tempting food photographs, are on the Web site at Cooking In My Kitchen.

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

www.jtmancuso.com
Thirty-One Days of Italians

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.