June 2009

The Tuscany Effect

Issue #13

In This Issue:

• June in Italy Brings Life at the Beach

• My Italian Babbo (Father)

• Can you speak Itanglish?

• Serenella's Column in the Examiner.com

• Summer Villa Rentals

• Italian Proverbs about Fathers

• Questions and Topic Suggestions

• Website and Blog

• Contact Us

June in Italy Brings Life at the Beach

June brings the end of the school year and the hot weather to Italy. In fact, the temperature is already soaring! Mothers and grandmothers flock to the very organized, private beach clubs to spend the day there with the children.

Major Italian cities lose some of their Italian residents as people begin to vacation at the beach or in the mountains.

The experience of going to the beach in Italy is quite unique. There are very limited areas of public beach. Most of the beautiful expanse of coastline and beaches is occupied by private beach clubs that originated in the late 1800s. The private beach clubs are all about Italian hospitality: One can rent space at these clubs for a day, a week, a month or the entire summer season and get a changing room (often with a hot shower) and a beach umbrella or canopy with chairs and a chaise lounge. Many of these clubs have beautiful pools and instructors for swimming lessons.

The longer the clients have been frequenting the club, the closer their space to the sea (a much-coveted spot is the one closest to the water). There are highly-qualified lifeguards and staff to take care of client needs. Most of these establishments have a snack bar and many have restaurants that are open year-round. Some clubs are more upscale but there are clubs for all different budget levels.

Each morning the sand is sifted with a large special box-like strainer to make sure it is clear of debris and ready for everyone to enjoy.

During the lazy summer days, African vendors who migrate north for the summer season saunter from club to club offering everything from table cloth and fabrics to knock-off designer wares. Asian women offer chair massages. Local vendors tend to sell food such as pizza, ice cream or fresh coconuts. All in all, there are many choices of activities and merchandise.

I miss being on the beach in Italy in the summer. My very favorite moments are at six or seven o'clock in the evening when most people have gone home and I have the beach all to myself. I can sit in the warm sea breeze, smell the salty air, gaze out at the azure sea and listen to the waves lapping against the shore. It is pure heaven!

My Italian Babbo (Father)

Father's day in Italy takes place on March 19th (St. Joseph's feast day). However, since I grew up in California, we celebrated my father in June. My little sister and I must have shopped for pajamas or Pendleton shirts every year because that is the image I see when I think of Father's Day presents.

Most Italians call their fathers "Papá" while most Tuscans call their father "Babbo" as we did. All the other children in the neighborhood called him Babbo as well which really amused our Italian friends.

Recently, my sister and I were fortunate enough to see Roberto Benigni perform Tutto Dante in San Francisco. Benigni is probably best known here for his academy award winning film La Vita e Bella ("Life is Beautiful"), the quintessential portrait of a loving father.

As we sat there listening to Benigni explain Dante in the most beautiful and simple terms – he alternated between funny man and college lecturer - my thoughts turned to my own Babbo and how much he would have loved this performance.

My father loved Dante and was extremely proud of being a Tuscan and an Italian. His classical education offered him a great background in Latin, Greek and all the greatest Italian authors. Some of my fondest memories are of my father mixing fairy tales with stories extracted from Dante's Divine Comedy or from Roman mythology. He brought the characters vividly alive for me. With tears in his eyes, he passionately recited poetry or nostalgically described the beauty and wonder of the art, literature and history of Italy. He loved the "Romanticism," period in literature, and wrote his own poems to recite on special occasions. Being wickedly mischievous, he also created witty parodies of old Tuscan folk songs to entertain friends at special Italian-American occasions

I could run to my babbo when I was hurting and lose myself in his big bear hugs - he was a very demonstrative dad. I also remember seeing my father cry when something moved him. Later in life, I was surprised to learn that not all men openly expressed their emotions.

My Babbo was an amazing cook and came from a family of strict cooking traditions. He and his brothers were notorious for arguing over which way to slice garlic (vertically or horizontally) for specific recipes. He was also from a family of hunters and fishermen, traditions which he continued.
At the age of 42, my father bravely left his friends and family to come to America in order to build a better future for us. I now realize what a great sacrifice that must have been since he did not even speak the language. He always missed Italy but also came to love his adopted country. His English never developed well with the exception of three subject areas; hunting, fishing and food terms. His English vocabulary level in these three subject matters was genius.

After spending two years as a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II, his health was never great. But he continued to enjoy a full life and be at his happiest when surrounded by friends, family and great food.

He made his own marinated fish, prosciutto and grappa (I can divulge this now that he is no longer with us)! We still remember how delicious his cooked game was. And, I have never known anyone who could walk up to a refrigerator, take a look at the contents and create miracles with leftovers like my babbo.

I still miss my father every day but know he is with me, especially when I am involved with anything Italian!

Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful dads and granddads. May you create lasting memories with your families.

Can you speak Itanglish?

When you visit Italy, you are a pampered guest. Even if you don't speak the language, people will go out of their way to communicate with you. That is part of the Italian philosophy of hospitality.

Plus, contrary to some opinions, Italians love and are fascinated with all things American, from blue jeans to television shows to the most up-to-date American words. Or so they think.

I always smile when my Italian friends intersperse the American words and meanings into their Italian phrases. This makes a lot of sense if you are talking high-tech and referring to computer functions. But sometimes I have to stifle a laugh as a cousin tells me about the latest gossip on a friend’s "Flirt" (pronounced fleert) and meaning a relationship. I also have heard about “Un feeling” as someone’s crush on another person. "Fiction" (feection) means a television mini-series. Of course terms like 'week end,' privacy and wow (pronounced UWah-oooooooh) have long been part of the Italian vocabulary. This leads some Italians to think they speak English.

You have to love the fact that Italians attempt to communicate with visitors! In the larger cities and at hotels, you will find people who speak English (often the Queen's English) impeccably. But get away from there and you may run into signs like the ones pictured here.

(My heartfelt thanks to my friend Marlene in Italy who has been on the lookout of these types of signs.)

Serenella's Column in the Examiner.com

Thanks to all of you who have been reading my column in the examiner.com. I hope you will keep dropping in to read the articles. Below are some recent additions.

Grazie!

• Photography tour of Tuscany gains rave reviews and amazing photos

• Slow Food San Francisco 6th Annual Golden Glass adds new competition

• 8 household and cooking tips from an Italian Nonna

Enjoy your reading!

Summer Villa Specials:

From as low as €36 (euros) per person, per night. Please see our villa rentals page at www.Toscanamia.biz.

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Italian Proverbs about Fathers

The best way to learn about a country and its language is through popular sayings or proverbs. Here are some about fathers:

• A padre avaro, figliolo prodigo
  After a thrifty father, a prodigal son

• Tal padre, tal figlio
  Like father, like son

• Un padre campa cento figli e cento figli non campano un padre
  A father can support 100 sons and 100 sons cannot support a father

• Un padre che si rispetta ama i propri figli
  A father who has self respect loves his children

• I figli succhiano la madre da piccolo ed il padre da grandi
  Children live off (literally ‘suckle’) their mother when they are small and their father when they are adults

• Chi non ascolta il padre in giovinezza, udira’ il boia in vecchiezza
  Those who do not heed their father when they are young will face the executioner when they are old

• Piu vale un padre che cento pedagoghi
  One father is worth one hundred teachers

• Tre figli e una madre, Quattro diavoli per un padre
  Three children and one wife are four devils for a father

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Need more information about traveling to Tuscany?

Please contact Serenella Leoni, your Tuscany Lifestyle Expert, to reserve your place and to answer your questions.

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