Volume 15 Issue 1

Spring 2013

VIC Board Members

Contact these people for information or help about any VIC activities:

President Adele Dienno 802-862-2595

Vice-Presidents Don Catalano: 802 660-8914/Barbara Guiduli 802-

862-4200

Secretary Carol Usher 802-863-2487

Treasurer Audry Rini 802-878-0990

Board Terri Burrell, Barbra Marden, Nancy Specht, David Tomasi,

David Usher, John Varricchione, Ralph Montefusco

Il Messaggio Publication Dates

Quarterly, Mar 1, June 1, Sept. 1, Dec. 1

Deadlines for submissions: 15 days prior to publication.

Submit content to editor: causher@gmail.com

Membership

Anyone wanting to join the VIC can do so by contacting Carol Usher at 802 863-2487 or

causher@gmail.com for an application or online at our website below. Membership is $25.

annually for individuals, $35. for families, and

$15. for students.

VIC Website: www.vermontitalianclub.org

I l M e s s a g g i o

V e r m o n t I t a l i a n C l u b

P . O . B o x 3 1 5 5 B u r l i n g t o n V T 0 5 4 0 8 - 3 1 5 5

I l M e s s a g g i o

Inside this issue:

Article: Italy...Safe Haven? 1

...Safe Haven cont…. 2

Upcoming Events... 3

Lending Library Donation 4

Film 5

Past VIC Events 6-7

Article: I Love Italian Food 8

..Italian Food/Recipe cont. 9

Italian National Hero: Micca 10

Calendar of Events 11

Who We Are - Biography 12

We are dedicated to promoting and preserving Italian culture in

Vermont and educating the community about it

You can choose an electronic or a paper

copy of Il Messaggio by contacting the

editor: causher@gmail.com

Recently, on an Internet forum, a person interested in moving from the United States to Italy expressed concern about crime. He noticed a preference in southern

Italy to place bars on windows, which triggered his question. A person brusquely

responded by stating: “If you're moving from practically anywhere in the U.S. to practically anywhere in Italy, congratulations, you've reduced your risk of being a

crime victim.”

This answer reflects a general perception of a low crime rate in Europe as com-

pared to the United States. The United States embraces firearm ownership. It has

struggled with racial integration and gang culture. Hollywood celebrates outlaws, not

police.

Italy, on the other hand, is a comparatively homogenous society (92% Ital-ian). Italians own twelve guns per one hundred people, compared to eighty-nine in

the United States. While Italy has a reputation for organized crime and pickpockets

in tourist locations, Italy, and Western Europe as a whole, is typically viewed as a

safe place in comparison to the United States.

Is this perception accurate? If you move to Italy have you “reduced your risk of

being a crime victim?” The latest research suggests otherwise.

The common perception is understandable. For decades, Italy has enjoyed a sub-

stantially lower crime rate. Since the 1970's, however, the crime rate has been ris-ing. In the 1990's the United States crime rate began sharply decreasing. The paths

merged in about 2004, and Italy has had a slightly higher crime rate ever since.

So is Italy now a more dangerous place? Probably slightly, but accurate compari-

sons are not easy to come by.

IS ITALY A SAFE HAVEN? By Kyle Sipples

Italian dual-citizen and resident of St. Johnsbury

I l M e s s a g g i o Page 2

A major problem with comparative criminal statistics is

that they are routinely based on reports to the police. But

not every crime is reported to the police. The latest re-search shows that victimization polling is a much more

accurate indicator of criminal activity. Because this meth-

odology is so new, data is extremely limited.

A very select number of crimes, however, may be accu-

rately measured by police reports. One of these is mur-der. The severity of murder results in near universal re-

porting. The statistics show that you are 500% more

likely to be murdered in the United States. While murder is the rarest of crimes, and your actual risk of being mur-

dered in either country is extremely low, you are at much

greater risk in the United States. However, murder in the

United States is extremely unevenly distributed. Murder hits urban dwellers, the young, minorities, and illegal drug

users at an extremely disproportionate rate. Your actual

risk may be quite a bit lower than “average.”

Despite higher murder rates in the United States, over-

all violent crime is now more prevalent in Italy. This sur-prises people who look at police reporting statistics. The

crime of rape is an excellent example of how statistics

based solely on reports to the police fail to paint an accu-

rate picture.

Police reports indicate that in 2006, there were 7.6

rapes per 100,000 people in Italy. In the United States, there were 31.5. But this is not the end of the story. Vic-

tim polling data shows that in the United States, 46% of

rapes are not reported to the police. In Italy, more than 90% of rapes go unreported. If you adjust for reporting

rates, the true number of rapes per 100,000 people is 76 in

Italy and 58 in the United States.

Victim polling shows that assaults are also more preva-

lent in Italy. 4.7% of Italians reported being the victim of assault in the past twelve months. Only 1.5% of Ameri-

cans reported being a victim. Perhaps this helps to explain

why only 58% of Italians feel safe walking alone at night

whereas 77% of Americans report feeling safe.

If feeling safe is a matter of perception, it is not sur-

prising to see bars on windows in Italy. 78% of Americans report feeling only a small risk of being the victim of a bur-

glary. Only 46% of Italians feel similarly.

If you aren't safer from crime, are you safer on the road-

ways? America averages 12.3 highway deaths per 100,000

people. Italy averages 8.7 deaths. These statistics show

that the “average” person is safer in Italy. But the “average” Italian is less likely to own a motor vehicle. If

you look at the fatality rate per 100,000 motor vehicles,

rather than people, the rate is much closer – 15 deaths in America and 12 in Italy. But this assumes that Italians who

own vehicles drive them as much as Americans. In reality,

they don't. If you are operating a vehicle, the best indicator

of safety is to look at fatalities per kilometers driven.

While I have yet to find an overall statistic for all Italian roadways, I did find a statistic for motorways. Italy aver-

ages 13 people killed for every billion kilometers driven on

a motorway. America averages 5.2 deaths. Your chance of

dying on an Italian motorway is more than double that of a

United States motorway.

Does this mean that Italian drivers are more reckless? I am not sure. Italians are much more likely to be driving

motorcycles and maxi-scooters on a motorway. It is possi-

ble that the fatality rate may be explained by the type of

vehicle being driven, rather than the type of driver.

To summarize, Italy is not the comparatively safe-haven that it used to be. We aren't entirely sure why American

crime rates are shrinking, and we aren't entirely sure why

Italian crime rates are rising. But we do know that the

overall difference between the two countries is mini-mal. We also know that “averages” are often more of an

academic exercise than a reality. A lost tourist wearing a

fanny pack in a Naples bus station has little use for aver-ages. Likewise, a lost Italian tourist in an inner-city ghetto

should not place too much confidence in averages.

If you take basic precautions and leave your motorcycle

at home you should be very confident of a perfectly enjoy-

able visit. Just don't sell your house and move because you think the grass is greener on the other side of the pond. The

truth is that the grass is quite similar.

Safe Haven continued form page 1...

Letters to the Editor and Submissions to Il Messaggio welcomed!

Got a subject on Italy or Italian-Americanism you'd like to write about? Or comment in a

Letter-to-the-Editor? Send your submissions to the editors by the deadline of the 15th of

the month before each issue published on the first of March, June, Sept, and December.

We know many interesting stories are out there that others would love to know! Let's

spread the cultural wealth!

I l M e s s a g g i o

Page 3

Monthly Lectures, Events Coming Up….

The second Tuesday of every month is being designated

for lectures, travel shows, or otherwise specialty topics

of interest for VIC members to invite the public. Here are

some of the upcoming ones…

March 12—Little Italy Neighborhood

Slide Show with John Varricchione John will have a picture slide show of the 1960s homes

that were destroyed in the former "Little Italy" neighbor-

hood of Burlington to make room for Urban Renewal. 7pm at the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, 228 N Wi-

nooski Ave Burlington. Free and open to the public.

(Info: John at 802-862-5961.)

Apr 9 - Subject TBA

May 14—Learn to Find Your

Genealogy with Audry Rini

Audry will be giving a talk on Genealogy, giving people

the tools to start their journey of discovering their roots. Get motivated to find your family history. 7pm. at the

Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, 228 N Winooski Ave

Burlington,. Free and open to the public.

(Info: Audry 802-922-5005)

Next Amici Sunday Brunch…

Sunday March 17 at noon.

Mark your calendar. The next Amici brunch will be at the

Rotisserie Restaurant at 1355 Williston Rd. in South Bur-lington in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

The Rotisserie is an intimate and comfortable family-owned restaurant, and the Amici will be offered the tradi-

tional corned beef and cabbage fare along with choices from

the menu.

If you wonder why the Amici celebrate St. Patrick's Day,

you'll have to stretch your thinking a little bit. It can be said

that St. Patrick was Italian because he was born in England around the year 385 A.D. to a father who was a Roman citi-

zen. But I don't think that the Amici need historic validity to

prove an Italian connection with St. Patrick in order to come

together. They actually celebrate one another in the present in a way Italians usually do...around a dinner table. That's

reason enough. Come join them. Ordering and paying is in-

dividually off the menu. Call Catherine for reservations (802-434-3572).

(See calendar of events for schedule of following months’ Amici Luncheons in April and May.)

What’s New...

Italy in the News: Person of the

Year Submitted by Al Bernasconi

The December 31, 2012 / January 7, 2013

issue of Time magazine featured the Person of

the Year. Number 5 was particle physicist

Fabiola Gianotti.

A University of Milan graduate, she did her work at the European Organization for Nu-

clear Research, CERN. She was managing a

team of 3,000 at the greatest research facility physicists have

ever built using CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, LHC. The

tiny Higgs Boson was found.

This particle gives other fundamental particles their

mass. The so-called standard model of physics was completed

that ties together the universe’s three great forces and governs

the behavior of sub-atomic particles.

Cover photo by Levon Bliss for TIME Maga-

Dr. Mario Morselli Passes Away It was with a very sad heart that VIC received the news that Mario Morselli passed away on November 23, 2012. He

was one of the first group of VICA members following its

formation in 1983 after a series of workshops ignited inter-

est in the Italian culture in the Burlington area.

A Tribute to David Arms David Arms passed away Monday, February 18, 2013 at

the Lodge at Shelburne Bay. VIC sends heartfelt condo-lences to his family during this difficult time. David and

his wife Ann have been long-time VIC members, actively

supporting and participating in the success of the club.

David's passing represents a great loss to all of us who knew him and enjoyed his gentle confidence, his humor,

and his integrity.

The VIC library is growing thanks to an infusion of

46 books donated to the club by Emilia Gargano

Piomelli, “Milly” to her friends. The gift comprises a

large selection of beautifully bound classic Ameri-

can, British, French, German and other books in Ital-

ian translation. Titles include William Faulk-

ner's Light in August, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great

Gatsby, Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms,

Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge, Jack Ker-

ouac's On the Road, Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in

Brooklyn and many more. The rest of the titles are

included in a list attached to this newsletter. The en-

tire list of the books that are available for borrowing

from the VIC library will soon be accessible on the

VIC website.

P a g e 4 I l M e s s a g g i o

What’s New Continued...

Milly is an avid reader with a wide-ranging taste in

books and her favorite topics are the history of World War II and the Holocaust. When asked who her fa-vorite writer is, she quickly answered Primo Levi,

then added that for lighter reading she enjoys the books of Daniel Silva. Born in Salerno, she resided in Naples before moving to Burlington 25 years ago

where she was a teacher of Italian at what was then UVM’s Church Street Center. She is an independent spirit and a lively conversationalist who loves con-

versing in her beloved Italian.

Thank you, Milly, for your generous gift.

Milly Gargano Donates Books to VIC Library

"To borrow these and other books in the VIC col-

lection, e-mail Adrienne at ardent282@aol.com or

call her at 802-862-5153."

Book Review: An Italian

Education (1995) Reviewed by Carol Usher

Tim Parks, an Anglo-Saxon, writes An Italian Education from the perspective

of one who has bought into the Italian

culture with an Italian wife with whom he raises two children in the environs

of Verona. From his family, his

neighbors, his village, his in-laws, he

begins to discover the intricacies of the Italian culture which educate not only

his children but his own understanding

of how life works in Italy. He doesn't assume the eye of a trav-

eler just passing through, but his

objective, as he states it, is that

"...perhaps by the time we got to the last page of such a book, both

the reader and, far more impor-

tant, I myself would have begun to understand how it happens that

an Italian becomes Italian..."

By the time I arrived at the last

page, I think he accomplished his

goal. I felt I was leaving a family

with whom I was intimately ac-quainted and was loathe to leave

with the closing of the book.

Prior to An Italian Education, Parks wrote Italian Neighbors

(2003) , and most recently, after

almost a decade of non-Italy titles, has written Italian Ways: On and

Off the Rails from Milan to Pal-

ermo (2013). His style of writing engages the reader with insight not

to be missed if you want to under-

stand more of Bell'Italia.

Milly and Adrienne looking over books...

P a g e 5 I l M e s s a g g i o

Home Film Nights at the

Ushers: March-April: “Kaos”

The next two months' Home Film Nights at the Ushers (March and April) will fea-

ture the film "Kaos," directed by the noted Italian film

directors and screenwriters, the Taviani brothers. It is a

lengthy three-hour-plus film that includes a collection of five interesting and unique tales written by Pirandello.

The showing will be divided into two parts: Saturday,

March 9th (L’altro figlio ("The Other Son) and Mal di luna ("Moonsickness"); and Saturday, April 20 (La

Giara ("The Jar"), Requiem and Colloquio con la

madre (""Conversing with Mother"), both at 6:30pm.

Knowing Pirandello and viewing the cinematography of the Taviani brothers are paramount to the film's en-

joyment. Born Luigi Parandello in 1867 into an upper-

class family in a village with the curious name of Kaos (Chaos), a poor suburb of the southern Sicilian town of

Agrigento, he became a noted Italian dramatist, novelist,

and short story writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1934 for his "bold and brilliant renova-

tion of the drama and the stage." Pirandello's works in-

clude novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40

plays, some of which are written in Sicilian. Pirandello's tragic farces are often seen as forerunners of the Theatre

What’s New Continued...

HELP! AIUTO! A slate of officers and special tasks persons will be presented by a nominating committee to the VIC membership at the

Annual Picnic/Member Meeting in June this year for the next two-year term. To help facilitate the nominating committee,

we are asking you to participate by volunteering or suggesting member names who have skills or propensities for work in

a number of areas:

Organizational skills (especially event planning, list-making, office work)

Finances, budget projections etc.

Computer skills (graphic designs etc)

Electronics (for projector use, power-points etc)

Website maintenance i.e. calendar of events, photos

Writing skills for newsletters

Public relations skills and publicity

Photography and photo presentations

Italian film

Music

Cooking/baking

General willingness to help with various short-term tasks

Send names to VIC, P.O.Box 315, Burlington, VT 05408 (Attn: Nomination Committee)

or call the Secretary (Carol) at 802-863-2487

of the Absurd, whose works express the belief that hu-man existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore

all communication breaks down. Logical construction

and argument gives way to irrational and illogical speech

and to its ultimate conclusion, silence. Often similar to Vaudeville, with comedy mixed with horrific or tragic

images, the characters are caught in hopeless situations,

forced to do repetitive or meaningless actions; dialogues are full of clichés, wordplays, and nonsense; and plots are

cyclical or absurd, dismissing any sense of reality."

Kaos" (1984), therefore, has all the characteristics of the absurd with the added stark sense of realism that is a

hallmark of Italian cinema, each vignette examining a

varied point of view to convey a sense of understanding

and compassion for ordinary people and their extraordi-nary plights. Magic, drama, horror and humor are all

evoked in this adaptive collection of five tales of Sicilian

peasantry Cast: Margarita Lozano, Claudio Bigagli, Franco

Franchi, Frankie Ingrassia, Franco Scaldati, Omero Anto-

nutti (as Pirandello). Come experience the film and enjoy it together! Call

ahead for reservations and directions. First-come, first-

served. Space is quite limited. Carol: 802-863-2487

Page 6 I l M e s s a g g i o

Past VIC Events...

VIC Enjoyed Images and Stories

of Sicily

As part of the on-going series of monthly lectures and

events, Marianne Lucenti and Bob McNamara shared pictures and stories of their home away from home in

Sicily at Nunyun’s Café on January 8th. Marianne and

Bob bought a house eight years ago in the small seaside

town of Donnalucata, within the province of Ragusa where Marianne’s father, Salvatore Lucenti, lived until

the age of twelve before immigrating to America with

his parents, sister and brother. They told the story of connecting with their Sicilian family and integrating

into a new culture with new friends and neighbors.

Their pictures centered around some well known and some not so well known towns in the southeastern part

of Sicily. The five towns of Modica, Scicli, Ragusa

Ibla, Noto and Siracusa were rebuilt in the baroque ar-

chitectural style after a devastating earthquake in 1693. Along with being aesthetically beautiful towns, each

town has other notable features. Modica is home to the

some of world’s finest chocolate, Scicli is considered the hidden jewel of the baroque towns and home to the

film series of Inspector Montalbano, adapted from the

detective novels of Andrea Camilleri, Ragusa Ibla is the site of the Ibla Grand Prize internationa music com-

petition, and Siracusa is the site of the ancient Greek

theater and summer opera. . At the end of World War

II these five towns were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites. Beyond the heritage sites there were

also pictures of Comiso, known as the City of Peace,

where a Buddhist Temple stands in honor of the strong local and international protest against the installation of

missiles on the former United States airbase. Then the

town of Caltagirone, built on three hills and dedicated to the production of the artisan crafts, especially ceram-

ics. In the center of town rises a set of one hundred and

forty two steps, each showcasing the work of a local ceramic artist. Finally, Donnalucata, the Sicilian home

of Marianne and Bob. The town has two large sandy

beaches joined by a pedonale (area for walking and visiting neighbors) also known as the lungomare. Don-

nalucata has a strong agricultural base and is the base

for shipping vegetables and flowers off island to other

parts of Europe. Immigrants from Africa and Eastern Europe live and work here in the serre/greenhouses

supporting agriculture and adding to the local diversity.

Bob and Marianne enjoyed showing the connections they have made to their Sicilian family and culture.

This area of Italy continues to be a place where family,

good food and friends are central to daily life. Che bel

viaggio!

The evening ended with Jim Bellino winning a bottle

of Bob and Marianne’s homemade wine.

I l M e s s a g g i o Page 7

Past VIC Events (continued)...

Annual Pasta Dinner for 2013

A full house of VIC members and their guests at the

Elk’s Club signaled a successful event that has become

a VIC annual fund-raiser.

It is a time when people who come from Italy, have

their roots in Italy, or just plain love Italy, her culture, her food and her hospitality can come together and

share in her richness.

The cooking and food preparation are done by volun-

teers who make the kitchen buzz with activity.

VIC Electronic Presence: Website: www.vermontitalianclub.org

Email: vermontitalianclub@gmail.com FaceBook: Did you know the Vermont Italian Club has a Facebook page? Go look...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/121821915931/

Items for a raffle are donated by local friends and

sponsors.

The hard work of the volunteers dedicated to making this a successful event for VIC along with all who attend cannot be underestimated… (so thanks to all

who participated!)

Interested in an Italian-American magazine? Try Primo.

“PRIMO features in-depth articles on Italian American history, heritage, neighborhoods, accomplishments and

current events. In every edition PRIMO features articles on travel, food, wine and reports on one or more of It-aly's diverse regions...(the articles) consist of well research information on topics of great interest and impor-

tance to Italian Americans."

Subscription is $24.95 a year at...ONLINE

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P a g e 8 I l M e s s a g g i o

I Love Italian Food

by Mary Sue Lyons

I grew up in rural Nebraska. Other than pizza, I don't recall eating at an Italian restaurant until I lived in Colorado after marriage. My Italian cooking at home was limited to Americanized versions of pasta and pizza. In 1981, we

visited friends in London. Their Italian au pair showed me how to make tortellini with bacon (now I use pan-

cetta), mushrooms and peas, a simple but delicious meal. Soon the Spaghetti with Egg and Cheese recipe in the

“Joy of Cooking” became a family favorite.

In 1998, two Italian cookbooks were highly recommended by the Washington Post. Michele Scicolone's, A Fresh

Taste of Italy and the Nancy Jenkins' Flavors of Tuscany became my textbooks. While clearly Italian food became my favorite, I was lacking in finesse and technique. An acquaintance highly recommend “The Tuscan Chef”

Cooking School's comprehensive 6 day course with numerous field trips.(link to http://www.thetuscanchef.com/)

In early October 2007, we embarked on our first visit to Italy. The wonderful food in Cinque Terre and Florence and then on our walking trip in Tuscany was a great introduction to a variety of high quality Italian food - and then

the cooking school. It was hard work, fun, and most of all, exciting. We learned how to prepare many special

dishes from various regions of Italy. My technique improved substantially. A major unexpected benefit was that I

now had a sous chef, my husband, who also loves Italian food.

Like for Emma after her lunch in the movie “I Am Love,” the Italian cooking school changed my life. I now

could utilize the two cookbooks and purchased more. It was easy to find how to contact authors Michele and

Nancy by email if I had a question. Two Italian trips later (walking trips in Amalfi and Puglia/Basilicata, which both included a regional cooking lesson, plus Rome and Assisi where the waiter told me how to make a great ra-

dicchio salad I enjoyed), our love of Italy and its food has deepened. It is an important part of our relationships

with our children, grandchildren, friends, acquaintances, even strangers.

I love Italian food for the breadth and depth of its creativity, practicality, adaptability, taste, and its link to the Ital-

ian region from which it came. Vermonters are doubly blessed as it offers much of what we found that makes Italy

special: interesting people, beautiful surroundings, terrific Farmers Markets, quality grocery stores, and wonderful

restaurants. (continued next page…)

V o l u m e 1 5 I s s u e 1 P a g e 9

Resources I utilize regularly:

The two cookbooks mentioned above.

The Tuscan Chef cookbook I received in the class plus recipes the author sent me later.

1,000 Italian Recipes (Michele Sciolone) who also has written other Italian cookbooks

A Marcella Hazan cookbook (I have one in VA and a different but similar one in VT)

Certain recipes in the book Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

This recipe is from Massa Marittima in Tuscany and on the Adriatic coast and found in Michele Scico-

lone's A Fresh Taste of Italy.

SPAGHETTI WITH RUBIES SERVES 4 ½ it for 2

¼ it for 1

2 bunches of beets (8 medium beets, about 2 pounds)

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

pinch of crushed red pepper, or to taste Coarse salt, to taste

1 pound thin spaghetti (or regular if don't have thin on hand), linguine

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Trim the tops and stems off the beets. Wash the beets under cool water and scrub with a brush.

Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender. Cool, then peel and coarsely chop the beets.

In a skillet large enough to hold all of the pasta, combine the garlic, olive oil, and red pepper. Cook over medium

heat for about 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant and the oil is sizzling. Add the chopped beets and turn them in

the oil mixture until just heated through. Bring a large pot of cold water to boil. Add salt and the spaghetti. Cook until the spaghetti is almost al dente, tender

yet firm to the bite. Drain the spaghetti, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water.

Pour the spaghetti into the skillet with the beets. Add some of the cooking water. Simmer over medium heat, con-stantly turning the spaghetti with the beets, until the pasta is evenly colored, about 2 minutes.

Serve immediately. When I am making this for the two of us as our meal, I serve it with pecorino romano cheese.

I Love Italian Food continued...

Check out the Recipe page on the VIC website…

www.vermontitalianclub.org

Add to the growing list of member family favorites. Send to...

Barbara at <bguiduli@gmail.com> or call her at 802-862-4200.

P a g e 1 0 N e w s l e t t e r T i t l e

From 1416 to 1847 when the House of Savoy ruled the part of Italy that is now the Region of Piemonte, then known as the Duchy of Savoy, the city of Torino was its capital. During the Wars of Spanish Succession, the Duke of Savoy

sided with the Austrians and the English against the French and the Spanish. At that time the city had many beautiful

buildings and a population of about 40,000. The city was surrounded by a defensive wall and a vast, elaborate net-work of multilevel underground tunnels. These tunnels could be filled with explosives intended to be detonated

when enemies approached thereby preventing them from reaching the wall and the citadel.

In the summer of 1706, the French were laying siege to Torino. One night as some French grenadiers were able to enter a staircase in the tunnel system, Pietro Micca, a private in the army in the mines division, and two companions

heard their shots. In a move to block the French from gaining access to the citadel, Micca lit a fuse to set off gun-

powder that had been stored nearby. Urging his fellow soldiers to leave, he intentionally used a short fuse to set off the explosion quickly, which it did, whereupon the staircase where the French soldiers collapsed and Micca’s body

was blown a distance of forty paces. He was killed and buried in the tunnel. His action helped to turn back the

French and was thought to have played a part in the defeat of the French.

Pietro Micca was celebrated in literature and art. Felice Durando della Villa wrote an elegy for him and Francesco

Soave wrote a novella about him. He appears in numerous children’s books. A ballet about him was written as well

as a film. The town in which he was born was renamed Sagliano Micca in his honor. In 1958 the staircase near where he was killed was discovered whereupon an archeological dig was commenced, leading to the founding of the

Pietro Micca Museum which celebrates his exploit. The museum was opened in 1961 during the celebration of the

centenary of the unification of Italy. To learn more about Pietro Micca, the Duchy of Savoy, and the War of Spanish Succession, you can go to the Museum’s website at: www.museopietromicca.it/

FOOTNOTE: From time to time stories about heroes of Italy who are not widely known will be printed. Suggestions

welcomed.

Pietro Micca:

Italian National Hero

By Adrienne Donohue

Photos courtesy of Tom Donohue

The author entering one of the tunnels. Statue of Pietro Micca in Piazza Arbarello

MEMBERSHIP

If you have not already done so,

send your dues today to VIC, P.O. Box 3155, Burlington, VT 05408 $35 Family - $25 Single - $15 Full-time Student

V o l u m e 1 5 I s s u e 1 P a g e 1 1

VIC Calendar of Events: Spring 2013

Mar 12 (Tues)- Little Italy Neighborhood Slide Show with John Varricchione, 7pm

Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, 228 N Winooski Ave Burlington. Free and open to the public.

(Info: John at 802-862-5961.)

Mar 17 (Sun) - Amici Sunday Brunch (St. Patrick's Day Celebration) Noon

Rotisserie Restaurant, 1355 Williston Rd South Burlington. Order and pay from menu.

(VIC Reservations required: Catherine 802-434-3572)

Apr 9 (Tues) - Presentation - Subject TBA, 7pm

Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, 228 N Winooski Ave Burlington. Free and open to the public.

(Info: Terri at 802-863-6516)

Apr 18 (Thurs) - Amici Luncheon, 11:45am Lighthouse Restaurant, (former Clover House moved into Lighthouse location), 38 Lower Mountain View

Drive, Colchester (near Costco’s)

(VIC Reservations required: Catherine 802-434-3572)

May 14 (Tues)- Genealogy Searches with Audry Rini, 7pm

Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, 228 N Winooski Ave Burlington, Free and open to the public.

(Info: Audry 802-922-5005)

May 16 (Thurs) - Amici Luncheon, 11:45 am

Junior’s Italian Restaurant, 85 So Park Drive, Colchester (near Exit 16 of I-89) (VIC Reservations required: Catherine 802-434-3572)

On-going VIC events...

Italian Conversation Classes: 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, St. Michael’s College, St. Edmonds Hall,

Room,101, 7-9 pm (contact Nancy 802-879-1087)

Beginner's Italian Classes: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, St. Michael’s College, St. Edmonds Hall,

Room,101, 7-9 pm (contact Nancy 802-879-1087)

Amici Luncheons: Members and friends meet monthly at various restaurants. VIC reservations needed.

(contact Catherine 802-434-3572)

Interesting Community Events...

March 18, 2013 (Mon): Rick Steves at the Flynn, Main St, Burlington

As a benefit for VPT, Steves will offer advice on how to make the most of a trip to Europe. ( Go to vpt.org or call for tickets (802)655-4800)

Check out the Middlebury Italian Language School programs...more information to come for

summer programs

V e r m o n t I t a l i a n C l u b

P . O . B o x 3 1 5 5

B u r l i n g t o n , V T 0 5 4 0 8 - 3 1 5 5

Friends of ours in Charlotte who know of our interest in Italian food and travel called us in late 2011 to tell us they thought we should join. We immediately did. The first year we missed a lot of activi-ties because of our back and forth schedule. This year we are very pleased to have en-joyed three activities already! We have two children, both married, and three grandchil-dren: two boys, ages ten and eight, and a girl age five. Al-though we both love Italy and Italian food, we mustn't forget that our grandchildren are really tops on our list.

beautiful countryside where we love to hike. So far we have hiked in Cin-que Terre on our own and Tuscany, Amalfi, and Pug-lia/Basilicata with Custom Walks.

We spend less than two thirds of our year in Reston, VA outside of Washington DC and the rest in Montpelier, VT. Tom was born and raised in Montpelier. I was born in Washington DC but raised in Nebraska. We value our time in Vermont. This is our second year to be a member of VIC.

I am also a member of the P.E.O.(Philanthropic Edu-cational Organization), an organization where women celebrate the advancement of women; educate women through scholarships, grants and loans; and motivate women to achieve their highest aspirations. It was a pioneer society for women founded in 1869 by seven students of Iowa Wesleyan College and has grown to almost a quarter of a mil-lion members in chapters in the US and Canada. See more at their website. See Mary Sue’s article I Love Italian Food on page 8.

My husband Tom and I aren't Italian. We've enjoyed three visits to Italy with a fourth trip planned for 2014. Ital-ian food is my passion (see article in this is-sue). We both enjoy the history of Italy, the cities and towns, the art museums, the movies, the enthusiasm, and the

WHO WE ARE: To better acquaint you with who we are on a personal level, this featured section of Il Messaggio is reserved for a

short autobiographical “portrait” of a VIC member or a place in Italy from which a member’s family emigrated. This issue features VIC

member Mary Sue Lyons.