|
Francesca Gives Speech to Amici della Lingua Italiana
Francesca Di Meglio took members of the Amici della Lingua Italiana club on a tour of Ischia -- even if only in their minds -- in a speech at a dinner at Lamberti's Milano Modo in Mount Holly, N.J. on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2006. Here, an unedited transcript of the speech:
Buona sera. For those of you who don’t know, my name is Francesca Di Meglio. I’d like to thank you for welcoming me this evening. You know I’m proud to be an American, but I have to admit there’s something very comfortable and cozy about being among fellow Italian Americans, Italians and Italophiles. I already feel like I’m at home.
Before I launch into a tour of my family’s hometown island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples, I’d like to tell you a little bit about myself, since most of you are probably wondering who is this person and why did we give her all this talking time.
I’m an Italian American journalist from Fort Lee, N.J., which is the home of the George Washington Bridge, near where Palisades Amusement Park used to be. Some of you might have heard of it because of its status as America’s first Hollywood. I always say that I come from two very beautiful places – right over the bridge from Manhattan and right off the coast of bella calda Napoli.
But I did spend four years in Washington, D.C. while I earned a B.A. in journalism with a minor in women’s studies at The George Washington University, where I was the news editor of my college paper, The Hatchet. There, I learned how to take on controversial topics gracefully and manage people and finances. Those lessons continue to serve me well. After interning stints at Marie Claire, CNBC and BusinessWeek, I launched my career as an assistant editor at Ladies’ Home Journal before moving to an associate producer spot at iVillage.com. Today, I am the community manager and reporter of the award-winning B-schools channel at BusinessWeek.com, where I recently developed and oversaw the production of a new channel for undergraduate business students.
I also freelance for numerous other publications for which I cover everything from travel to parenting to soccer. What does any of that have to do with all of you in Italian America? Probably not much – but I also write a weekly column about modern-day Italy for ItaliansRus.com and I often write for other Italian American publications including the Las Vegas newspaper La Voce, Fra Noi in Chicago, Primo magazine, the Italian Tribune, Ambassador, which is the official magazine of NIAF, and others. Career highlights have included interviewing Andrea Bocelli for Ladies’ Home Journal and spending a day on the field with Juventus at Giants Stadium for the Italian Tribune. I think that’s what got me in the door tonight. Either that or you have terrible security!
I’m thrilled to be here because it gives me the chance to share my island paradise with all of you. I gave a lot of thought about what I should talk to you about. I decided this is the time of year to think about family and friends and travel. That’s why I want to take you on a tour of Ischia, a jewel of an island in the Bay of Naples. It is the home of my ancestors on all sides of my family barring one quarter that came from nearby Sorrento. My father was born in Ischia but my mother has more relatives there than he does now. Tonight, I even brought some of them with me. For starters, my boyfriend Antonio Gerenini, who lives in the capital Ischia Porto, and my cousin Gigino Di Costanzo and his wife Flavia, who live in Barano d’Ischia, are here along with my mother Regina and my father Pasquale. Gigino and Flavia are in the United States celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Please join me in wishing them another cent’ anni.
Now, let’s go to Ischia – even if only in our minds. At this moment, I’m sitting on the soft sand of Maronti, the largest and most popular beach on Ischia. The sunset there is like witnessing God’s glory – the overwhelming beauty assures me that man alone could not have created this place. Tranquility washes over me. My most perfect days have been spent here – skipping stones on the ocean waves with my brother and sister while my father picked barnacles off the rocks for dinner, Easter 2003 with Gigino and Flavia, a Pasquetta picnic with still more cousins, and collapsing on the shore after hiking the old road from Testaccio to Maronti, which is made up of steep hills of dirt and rock and stone staircases that barely anyone attempts to conquer today. This place heightens your emotions and brings you closer to your dreams. And everyone knows it. In fact, in an episode of Un Posto al Sole, the 10-year-old Italian soap opera, a married woman, Assunta, goes to Maronti at night with Pasquale, a handsome friend played by Walter Nudo. And that’s when her husband Guido knows there is no hope left for their marriage. He said something like, “Do you know what happens to people on that beach in the evening? They discover passion and joy.” Not just that. On Maronti, you’ll find yourself. I sure did.
When you arrive at Maronti, you’re greeted by beautiful palm trees and a view of Sant’ Angelo, the old fishing village that today can only be navigated by foot. The ocean is a clear azure. Truly, Ischia is a kaleidoscope of colors. Known as l’isola verde or the green island, Ischia is full of pine trees, grapevines and lemon and orange groves. In the spring and summer time, it’s like the island is one big vase holding unimaginable numbers of flowers – from mimose to margherite to rose – in a rainbow of colors. One of the best places to see the plant life is La Mortella, gardens, which were grown by English composer William Walton and his wife, who show off the native varieties of trees and flowers along with those from all other parts of the world, including South America, Asia and Africa.
I’m particularly drawn to the lotus flowers surrounded by lily pads, which make for lovely photos that you’ll treasure long after you come home. A bird sanctuary and tea house lend to La Mortella’s charm. As you’re wandering around, you might be lured into one of the classical concerts that are held regularly at the gardens. Nature lovers have plenty to do and see in Ischia. If Maronti is my happy place, then Buceto, the woods where Nonno Giovanni had a cantina, is my father’s. He would hike there with his dog Fox and maybe a sister or two. His family would sleep in the cantina for special occasions and watch fireworks from there on various saint’s days. He dragged us up there numerous times as young children. We would make fires and cook delicious sausage – and even though this city girl would get caught in the thicket of thorns, Buceto is among the best memories I have of my childhood. Not many other American children have such ricordi. Whether you are climbing the hills of Buceto, taking a mule to Mount Epomeo, Ischia’s highest point and a romantic spot for a picnic, or bringing your little ones to the pineti – or pine tree forest – in Fiaiano, you’ll be in awe of what you’re seeing around you.
Even just driving down the street, you’ll encounter the island’s greenness. And then you’ll taste the bounty at dinner – from Flavia’s bruschetta with the ripest tomatoes and rucchetta atop toasted bread with olive oil to Antonio’s sister’s stuffed zucchini. Fresh from the garden and grown under the Neapolitan sun, the vegetables and fruit on Ischia taste better than any others you’ve eaten. They’re sweeter and more delicate and more delicious. I promise. Don’t skimp on the seafood. This is an island, after all. The islanders feast on vongole, cozze and other fish like sole and salmon. All you will need for flavor is a squirt of a giant Ischia lemon. The lemons will likely make another appearance in the form of limoncello at the end of dinner. Remember, no matter what anyone says Ischia is the birthplace of limoncello and not neighboring Capri! At least stick to that story whenever you’re in the company of Ischitani, many of whom will take you in like family, charm you, and sometimes – as is the case for me – make you fall madly, deeply in love with them.
For me, the most glorious part of Ischia has always been its people. I knew them long before I knew the island. They’ll feed you with food and an endless array of stories – perhaps a bit of Ischia’s famous coniglio in a white wine sauce and un bicchiere di vino paired with a tema about how to pull the wine on the feast of San Martino or risk ruining the year’s vintage. For those of us who are born to Ischitani, their embrace sometimes feels too tight. They want to help you with money even if you don’t need it. They want to help you find a husband even if you’re willing to wait. They find out you like roasted peppers, and they put it in the lunch they insist on making for you every single day. They have advice at the ready for just about any problem you could imagine – and they’ll dole it out even if you don’t ask for it. Some of their rules are ridiculous – do not drink ice water on very hot days because it will kill you. Black socks are the only fashionable choice. Beware of people from Lacco Ameno, the part of Ischia that was once set aside as an institution for the “crazies.” And some advice is perfect – Pick a man who wants you as much as you want him. Work hard and you’ll reap great rewards. Always remember that you’re no better than anyone else. Know from where you came.
The Ischitani will happily share their history with you. One of the main attractions of the island is its reputation as a “floating spa.” According to mythology, the giant Typheus, who Jupiter banished for eternity to the depths of the earth, had fierce bowel movements – maybe he ate too much broccoli rabe that day – that are credited with causing volcanic shifts giving Ischia naturally thermal land and water. The island now boasts more than 300 thermal wellness centers that provide both beauty and medicinal treatments. The thermal baths at places like Negombo or Poseidon are fantastic – they’ll take 10 years off your life. The warm – sometimes hot – salt water pools are helpful for people with joint problems, scars, or skin troubles like acne and rosacea. It’s also a quick fix for stress – trust me! Truly, the Ischia lifestyle is the exact opposite of the fast-paced American world in which we usually live.
It’s also a spiritual island that is about 35 kilometers wide but includes at least 100 churches. One of the most well known is La Chiesa del Soccorso. Anyone who has ever seen the classic film Avanti knows this site. Founded in 1350, it is famous for its simple architecture with a white façade and ornate staircase filled with precious majolica. It’s surrounded on three sides by water and it was where Pope John Paul II arrived on his 2002 trip to the island. But the most awesome of all the feasts, the celebration of Sant’ Anna, takes place in the bay just under Castello Aragonese. It is like a parade on water, where different factions - including the island of Procida and the town of Ischia Ponte, for example - create massive barges to depict various scenes like you would see on a float. Past barge themes have included a Trojan horse and Carnevale. The unveiling of the barges is followed by an impressive fireworks display.
That brings us to our next stop. I couldn’t take you to Ischia without bringing you to Castello Aragonese, which is the focal point of the island and is connected to it by bridge. Today, it’s a museum but it was once a fortress and love shack for Alphonse of Argon during the Reign of Naples. And during the Renaissance, Vittoria Colonna called artists and philosophers to the castle until it became a prison. In 1809, Admiral Nelson destroyed Castello Aragonese and only relatively recently was it restored. Now, we can walk through the castle to see torture chamber devices once used there, old wine cellars, and lovely views of the island. You might also catch a glimpse of some caged roosters.
The island’s history would not be complete – at least for me – without seeing ‘Ndrezzata, a folk dance, performed for centuries exclusively by the people of Buonopane d’Ischia, which is my father’s hometown. In fact, one of my grandfathers, an uncle and a great-grandfather – along with many family friends – have performed in the troupe. Although women have made appearances in the band recently, men are the only ones who actually dance the 'Ndrezzata. Even the roles of women are assumed by men. The group has performed all over the world but can be found right in Buonopane's piazza every Pasquetta (the day after Easter) and June 24, the feast day of San Giovanni Battista (or St. John the Baptist).
The dance's origin is pretty interesting, especially for someone like me whose mother comes from Barano and whose father comes from Buonopane. According to legend, a fisherman from Barano gave a coral belt to a woman and later found it in the hands of another man from Buonopane. When he confronted the man from Buonopane, he unwittingly involved people from both towns in the brouhaha. It was the Madonna della Porta who brought peace to the neighborhood. The dance, 'Ndrezzata, which is like an elaborate tarantella with numerous pairs of men clacking wooden swords together in unison in a circle, is a celebration of the Madonna who restored tranquility.
As the captain starts the show with his poem (which is spoken entirely in the local dialect), you'll get goose bumps. "Io vengo da Monte Cupo per darvi un gran saluto/Vengo da Tarantiello/cu 'na lanza e 'nu spurtiello..." Then, the dance will whisk you away to a simpler era when people shared values and tradition. And that was more than enough.
At the start of this speech, I mentioned being proud to be an American – and I am. But the only reason I got to be an American is because a few Ischitani – my Zio Michele, Nonno Giovanni, Nonna Francesca, Nonno Rocco and Bisnonno Giovanni – had the forethought and courage to come to the United States. They made tremendous sacrifices to get us off the island and give us an education and make it possible for me to stand before you tonight. Imagine – Nonno Giovanni and Nonna Francesca came here in 1960 at 50 years old. Their children, except for my father who was 13, were grown. And they eventually brought them all to America because island life was not always a fairy tale. They were contadini working the land – hardcore manual labor for little money and little glory. World War II destroyed the country’s economy and education was not possible for everyone. Many of my relatives went only to the third or fifth grade. They wanted more for my father, my cousins, my siblings and me. They gave up their house and all sorts of other little pieces of property in Ischia, their nights with friends in the piazza or at the bar playing cards, the Ischia sun, days in Buceto, their language, the coniglio and vino, even Maronti, for me. That’s something. That’s something big. Even though they came here to better themselves and help us, they never forgot the good in Ischia. Most of them let go of the bad, but they never forgot the good. And they told us about it every chance they could. That’s why I went back time and again. That’s why I know Gigino and Flavia. That’s why I learned the language, so I could communicate with them and my other family there. That’s why I get on a plane and go to Ischia as often as I can. That’s why I’m unafraid to love an Ischitano. That’s why I seek to know – and share my knowledge – about today’s Italy and not the one our families experienced before arriving on American shores. It’s all in their honor. And it’s the very least I can do.
You must water a plant from its roots or it will not grow. My roots need constant nourishment and so do yours and yours and yours. I encourage you to go to Italy or wherever the seeds were planted for your family tree. Discover the culture, meet long-lost relatives, hug them and thank them for the heritage that you share, that will always be inside of you. If you get a chance, stop by Ischia, too. We’ll be waiting to offer you a piece of our time, our history and probably bread zuppata in olio e pomodori d’Ischia. I guarantee there’s nothing more delicious. Grazie mille! Does anyone have any questions about Ischia or my work?
If anyone would like more information, I have brought Ischia postcards with info on the back. And I’d also like to thank my mother – and Antonio, Flavia and Gigino – for making chocolate lollipops as bomboniere for all of you tonight. Please feel free to take one as a parting gift.
|
