Riccardo Fortuna’s Graphic Novel

Riccardo Fortuna is a gifted artist, who has created un fumetto – a graphic novel  – that brought tears to my eyes and an ache to my heart. Last summer, Riccardo presented this graphic novel at a forum on one of the most obscure and controversial pages of the Risorgimento – the massacre of Pontelandolfo and Casalduni citizens  by the Royal Italian Army on August 14, 1861.  When I heard him speak and picked up his recently published book – yes, yes, he is awfully good looking – but that wasn’t the reason I picked up his book – I couldn’t wait to read it.

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His novel, 14 Agosto 1861, tells the story of the horrific events that happened one night in the Italian villages of Pontelandolfo and Casalduni.  Not only did the incredible drawings and historic through-line resonate with my passion for Pontelandolfo but they also made me realize how little  I knew – and I’m guessing most Americans know – about the militaristic march to unify Italy.

Jack is an avid reader of history books.  I start to read Italian history and wake up with the big books crushing my belly.  Then, I read 14 Agosto 1861.  Not only did I stay awake, but I could not put the book down until, with tears sliding down my cheeks, I finished it. Fortuna, having heard the story,researched the incident and created a history book with drawings that captured the spirit and pathos of one murderous night.

On August 14, 1861, some partisans captured and killed a small number of Italian soldiers in Casalduni. Seeking revenge, Italian Colonel Pier Eleonoro Negri directed his men to launch an attack.


As Pontelandolfese calmly slept, an indignant, Colonel Negri ordered that his soldiers destroy the community. Di Pontelandolfo e Casalduni non rimanga pietra su pietra. Leave no stone left standing in Pontelandofo or Casalduni, he cried.

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2015 Recreation in Casalduni

Entering Pontelandolfo in the middle of the night, the soldiers, kicked in doors, leaped up stairs, raced into homes killing men, women and children. Looting and unimaginable atrocities occurred. Flames soared and the village burned. The infamy of this night will never be forgotten.

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The young author has published other graphic novels.  His latest –

Dio è morto: Da così parlò Zarathustra, di F. W. Nietzsche. (Italian Edition) Kindle Edition

by Riccardo Fortuna (Author), Friedrich Nietzsche (Narrator)

– can be found on amazon.com.   I hope that there is a second printing of 14 Agosto 1861.  Why not contact Riccardo  and ask him!

 

Ci vediamo a presto.

USA Citizens Vote While Overseas!!

With all the lunacy of the primary elections spinning and whirling around me, I knew that Jack and I had to be able to vote in this year’s New Jersey primary election.​  Since we will be in Italy in June and the mail from the United States to Italy is notoriously slow – I didn’t want to risk a mail-in absentee ballot. What is a political junky voting citizen to do?  

My pal George, who lives in The Netherlands, said that he goes to the American Consulate. Hmmm, do I have to go Naples?  Being a politically savvy chick, I knew just who to call – the Board of Elections!   What – I’m wrong?  I have to call the County Clerk?  Done. I called the Somerset County, NJ clerk’s office and discovered that U.S. Citizens who are out of the country can vote electronically!  Who knew?!

First stop –  Web site : FVAP.gov  Federal Voting Assistance Program 
A quick trip to the web site made me realize that it was not only possible but probable that I would be voting this June from Pontelandolfo!  Go Democracy – huzaah! 

Here is how it works – 

1. You must register and request an absentee ballot in your state of legal residence. Right – you can’t vote  in Oregan and then vote absentee AGAIN from Europe. You complete what is called the federal post card application – it looks nothing like a post card.  

Hmm, I thought, filling it out online looks pretty simple. POP, up came a privacy statement – click – I accepted the privacy act statement. That means people get to see who I vote for. Who cares – ask me who I voted for and I’ll tell you. 

The form took forever because once again the big zip code data base in cyberspace would not recognize my zip code. Flagtown has had its own zip code long before Hillsborough coalesced into a quasi community with a post office and zip code. I fought the system and then hung my head and used the Hillsborough zip code.

2. Print and finish your federal post card application. Easy. 

3. Next from wherever you are mail the form set to your local election office. This part was a little Squirrley.  You can only send it back on USA sized 8 1/2 by 11 paper. Then mail it in a number 10 envelope. Now, if you’re in Europe where the hell do you easily get the paper or the envelope. The directions say that using European standard paper you need to print the document at 96% of its normal size. On the website they then give you a template to make your own envelope.  You also need to note that you cannot have scotch tape on the envelope. So I’m confused, if you’re going to download an envelope and make an envelope do you have to find a recipe for paste?

Since we are still in New Jersey we will be hand delivering our 81/2 X 11 postcard. 

My ballot will be emailed to me. I hope I can email my response back. The county clerk office said I could. Wouldn’t it be great if all of us could vote electronically. 

But if you don’t get your ballot what can you possibly do? Guess what you can go online and using the federal rights in absentee ballot you are able to vote or you can pick up a hardcopy version from your nearest US Embassy or Consulate location. I got bored reading about it and hope we don’t have to do this. Apparently there are a number of questions that you’ve got to work your way through. Ugh. 

I am confident that I will get my ballot. I will do my dad proud and vote in the Democratic primary. I will do my home country proud and vote in the general election. 

Huzaah!

Una Bella Figura

Una Bella Figura!  When you hear that and think of all things Italian  – is Sophia Loren the first thing that comes to your mind or Gina Lollobridgida?  Boy did I date myself with those references.  Italian fashion, furniture design and architecture are known the world over for their beauty and grace.  But is the phrase Bella Figura really just – hey that’s pretty?

My good pal Diana went to a New York University – ‘One Day University’ and attended a program presented by Prof. Joseph Luzzi from Bard College on Italian culture, past and present. I googled him and his headshot is gorgeous. Diana said he was a great presenter. That says to me he not only talked about Una Bella Figura but sure as hell represents it.

Today, Diana and I chatted about the premise and Dr. Luzzi’s explanations. It made me think that you all should get into the conversation too. Just what is una bella figura?  It simply means “beautiful figure” but it goes way beyond that. When one ha una bella figura one is concerned about making a good impression.  Sure dressing well, having a great haircut and walking like the world is your runway is part of it. But the concept goes far beyond that.  It is showing the world that your life is wonderful whether it is or not.  You know, I really believe, that when I think my life is wonderful it is – I mean who wants to think their life is crap?

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My Grandparents were peasant farmers but managed to have a charcoal portrait done. I grew up seeing this and didn’t know how poor they really had been until I started asking questions about Italy.  Bella figura!

The conversation with Diana also made me think of my dad.  “Johnny G” as he liked to call himself could and would talk to anyone.  Even if he was having a bad month, he would still pick up the tab in a restaurant.  He made sure his clothes were cleaned and pressed.  Poppo wanted to present a good impression – albeit his way – to the women of the world and the world at large.  He never complained in public – unless he was ridiculing a Republican.  When he died I found a file full of copies of parking tickets and traffic violations in other people’s names.  Folks thought that he was incredibly powerful.  He could even “fix” their traffic tickets.  Johnny G smiled and pocketed the tickets.  “No problems.”  He did fix them.  He paid the fines.  Now he aveva una bella figura!

I love Wednesdays!  That is market day in Pontelandolfo.  The trucks come zapping in really early in the morning.  Truck sides flap down and goods fly up.  Every Wednesday is like a mini festa with purpose.  You can find everything from baby chicks to faux designer purses.  Shoppers meander past the goods, chat and of course stop for un caffè.  Everyone looks great!  Nice outfits, good shoes, combed hair.  The first time I went, I rolled down the hill to the piazza sans make-up and not dressed for success.  You know – just like I go to Wegman’s for groceries in New Jersey.  I always say that I need to look good for me and then somehow I figure I don’t care about me and don’t bother.  In Italy I do bother.  Make-up goes on every morning – before I leave the house.  Sweat pants are for the house only!  You know, when I try to look terrific I feel terrific and my day just seems to work out better.  This might be the real reason for una bella figura.

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Una Bella Figura – butcher paper with panache!

One of the many things I love about Italy is the attention to eye-pleasing detail.  The smallest shops – from the macelleria, pasticceria to giolelliera – in Pontelandolfo all practically gift wrap their goods. When I go to the macelleria my chicken is elegantly placed on not just plain old brown or white paper but butcher paper embossed with a design and held shut with colored twine.  All those yummy sweet goodies from the pasticceria are placed on a golden tray, protected by a golden cardboard arch and wrapped in cellophane.  It is almost too pretty to unwrap and eat – OK that was a bold faced lie – we unwrap and eat the pastries immediately.  I bought my niece a purse at the giolelliera – which is a jewelry shop but sells cute accessories too.  It seems – unless you shop at an open air market – all purses come with their own cloth bag.  I was happy to go home with that, when the clerk put the purse in the cloth bag and the whole thing in a shiny purple bag, added gold ribbon and a gold sticker with the store’s name.  That too is making a good impression – una bella figura.

When a young person does well in school or makes the family proud by doing something special, I’ve heard the child ha fatto una bella figura.  Bella figura also means knowing how to behave in any situation.  I swear I think Italian children have cuteness and behaving inserted  in their DNA.  We eat out a lot and in Italy children are welcome in all restaurants from the linen and crystal spots to the smallest osterias.  They actually sit in the chairs, engage in conversation and eat.  Sure, they get up and run around a bit too but without the screaming and whining I hear in the USA.

When I think of the young men and women of Pontelandolfo I think of young women who can wear glamorous spike heels and still wend their way casually over cobblestones.  Women with university educations who dress in the height of fashion to sit in the local bar and understand that having one or two great outfits is all one really needs. Men who take their T-shirts to the local seamstress to have them custom fit and look elegant even after working in the vineyard. I have never seen a young person sipping a cappuccino in public, dressed in flannel pajama pants and a sweatshirt.  Everyone cares about the way they dress and look in public.  People are proud of who they are and share that pride through the way they dress and how they act.  It is simply a part of life.

The world certainly looks better to me when folks have una bella figura!

Ci vediamo!

Biennale Arte di Venezia

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On the Vaporetto to the Giardini and the Biennale!

We were excited to attend La Biennale di Venezia.  The 56th International Art Exhibition ran from  May 9th to November 22nd 2015.  Visiting Venice years ago, we had strolled through the Giardini, looked at empty buildings that every two years are filled with art and vowed to return.  Each country that participates in the Biennale has it’s own building to fill or we discovered – to barely fill  – with representative art of their country.  The exhibition takes place not only at the Giardini but also the Arsenale and in various locations across the city of Venice.

 

Curated by Okwui Enwezor, this year’s event got a scathing review in Art News.  Not to be put off by one person’s point of view and because we never do what we are told, Jack and I booked our train tickets and headed to Venice.

Our Cittidini Anziani – old people – tickets cost of €20 and were good for exploring both artsy sites – Giardini and the Arsenale.  The space is open and easy to navigate.  We strolled from pavilion to pavilion.  It was incredibly interesting to see the stylistic differences between artists and the types of art that were chosen by each country.  It was also interesting to look around and note that probably most of the 501,502 visitors and over 8,000 journalists that the exhibit attracted were our age.

One exhibit that the arts administrator in me found really enlightening was a giant space featuring blow ups of audience surveys from famous museums.  The surveys went back to the 1800s and asked many of the same demographic questions that we ask today.  Current exhibition viewers could sit with an iPad and take the Biennale survey.  As I did that, my answers immediately changed the results by 1 and were projected.  Most of the visitors to the Biennale have an advanced degree!  That bothered me – was it because only people with advanced degrees can afford to go to Venice?  There were young people interspersed among the baby boomers – were they all in graduate programs?  Hmmmm.

Jack and I love to go to museums and galleries.  We appreciate art of all types and eras.  That said – oh you know what is coming – she is going to say something bitchy about someone.  Who picks the American Artist?  I won’t say her name because she might be someone I got drunk with in the 60’s – actually her art reminded me of the crap some of my friends handed in to their art teachers in the 60’s.  The exterior of the American Pavillon could use a touch of paint and maintenance.  We entered through a side door held open by a fire extinguisher – charming.  The darkened interior sported a variety of screens all featuring the same film.  Two young girls dressed like  Isadora Duncan’s Isadorables scampered about, beat on a wooden log with sticks and generally didn’t do anything interesting.  Hung on the walls were props from the films, repeated repeated repeated prints and – oh I really can’t even talk about it.  With all the artists in the United States WHY THIS STUFF?

I did a little research and figured it out!  The artist teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and guess who curated the American Pavillon?  Good guess – MIT!!!!  They must have a “sacco di soldi” or access to the big list of sponsors that put up the cash for this trash.  Oops – I didn’t mean to make a disparaging comment.

Here’s a short video of just some of the exhibition halls we visited.  We intend to go again.  We had a great time – even if we did snicker at some of the art. Enjoy.

Ci Vediamo!

In 2016 Learn to Speak Italian

Join Nonna’s Mulberry Tree

October 1 – 15, 2016

Love the school. Could I win the lottery and stay here?

Alghero, Sardinia

Gulp – who knew that the first Nonna’s Mulberry Tree Travel Event would have been such a success! Our 2015 journey to Alghero, Sardinia was a huge hit! We partnered with an incredible language school – Centro Meditterraneo Pintadera.

Thirteen independent travelers improved their Italian Language Skills, immersed themselves in Italian Culture, lived like a local, shopped the market and strolled Alghero’s sea wall.

It is time to register for our 2016 excursion back to this charming island. Pintadera really provides incredible “bang for the buck” – or in this case Euro. The trip is limited to 15 adventurers. Ten days of classes, cultural activities, welcoming gathering, welcoming dinner and concierge services costs €680. Registration fee is $50. Housing prices are based on your accommodations and range between €400 – €800 for the two weeks.

That means for less than €1500 you can spend two weeks in Alghero, take ten – three hour classes (lessons from 9 to 1pm with coffee break, so four hours – total 40hours of language classes in two weeks) and have a wickedly great time! For the complete packet of information – leave me a comment!

Here is what 2015 adventurer Aileen Mroz had to say:

This is the second time I have attended a 2-week class at Centro Mediterraneo Pintadera, and it was even better than the first time I went.

One of the best features is that classes are small, typically 4 to 6 people.    The teachers are personable and are from Alghero, yet their Italian is the best and of the highest level.  They ensure that each person participates fully during class, yet you don’t feel pressured.   There is a perfect blend of conversation, grammar, and reading.   The instructors adjust the topics for the classes on a dime toward whatever problem areas they notice the class is experiencing (e.g. prepositions, the subjunctive, pronouns), so that you get an extra boost of practice in those areas.   Although parts of learning a language can be very dry, there is no chance of that in Pintadera because the teachers incorporate local stories and much humor during class.    I laughed so much during class at Pintadera that my stomach would ache, and I could just feel my endorphin levels spiking!  (Check out Jack laughing while learning.)

alghero 9At midmorning every day, you go to a nearby café for a break with all the students in the school.   You get a chance to sample the wonderful espresso, have a delicious pastry, or just sip a Diet Coke while you’re chatting.   I think you learn just as much, if not more, from the breaks as from the classes. Your fellow students may be from the U.S., or Germany, or Sri Lanka, or Norway, or Switzerland; and you see them every day in class and on break, and maybe for a meal or a trip to the beach.    You get to hear, first hand, what folks from other countries think about the US, get their points of view on the international situation, listen to funny stories and interesting customs; and find out the inside political scoop in other countries.

The directors of the school, Nicola and Angela, go the extra distance to make you feel taken care of.   They arrange for your transportation to and from the airport;  to find picturesque, comfortable apartments or rooms to in which to live while you’re at the school;  to introduce students to the local cuisine and wines;  to organize side trips or outings which suit each person’s wishes—-whether it’s a hike;  a boat trip on the ocean to Neptune’s Grotto with the tang of adventure when you step across a narrow gangplank from a heaving mini-ferry into a sea cave with caverns the size of a football field; or a chug around Alghero in a little brightly colored open train and a local narrator with funny stories.

Ken Kowalski added: The consistency of the high quality teaching and the expertly organized series of lessons over the two weeks, developed my abilities to listen to, understand, and speak the Italian language well beyond what happens in once-a-week classes at home. Add to that the reinforcement of speaking Italian with classmates after school and in shops and eateries around Alghero made this a powerful learning experience.

Raymond Barbieri touched me deeply with this comment:  The experience put me back in touch with my ancestry and I appreciated my family more than ever. I realized how much Italian I knew and how much more I needed to learn, which makes me feel excited. There is so much more I can tell you but I will close by saying that I never felt more at home in a foreign place. Thank you for your experience, drive, love of our Italian history and your good nature.

2016 is your year to enhance your Italian with a trip to Centro Mediterreano Pintadera! Let me know today!

2015 in review

Thank you all for being a part of the Nonna’s Mulberry Tree family. I truly appreciated all the support the blog got in 2015.  The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for the blog.  It reminded me just how important each and everyone of you are to the blog’s success.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,700 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

There were 94 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 92 MB. That’s about 2 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was October 27th with 217 views. The most popular post that day was Balance.

Have a wonderful New Year!  May 2016 bring  you all health, happiness and prosperity.

Ci Vediamo!

Midge

Impresari Giovani – Young Entrepreneurs

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Annarita Mancini wrote this story in English.  I Translated it into Italian.  It was an opportunity for both of us to work on our language skills.  Enjoy!

“I sogni possono diventare realtà e possono avverarsi se sei giovane nel cuore” – e ambizioso, brillante, diligente e ti dedichi 500% alla tua idea. Questa è la storia di un sogno che è diventato una realtà per due amiche che hanno trovato il sistema per creare Dottor Sfuso – un negozio a Morcone dove tutti gli alimentari sono locali, biologici e senza imballo di cartone o plastica.

“Dreams can come true and they can happen to you if you are young at heart” – and ambitious, smart, hardworking and willing to give 500% to an idea. This is a story of a fantasy that became a reality for two friends who used the system to create Dottor Sfusa a shop in Morcone (BN) where all goods are local, organic and not encumbered with cardboard or plastic packaging.

Annarita’s Story – with a little tweaking from me:

Elena (Elena Baldini) e io siamo amiche da quando eravamo piccole. Un giorno, lei mi ha parlato di questa idea che le gironzolava in testa da tanti giorni! Lei sognava di aprire un negozio di alimentari, ma con prodotti senza imballaggio . Noi abbiamo cominciato a fatasticare su quest’ idea. Per tante ore, abbiamo girato, girato, girato… “brainstorming.” Ridendo, ridendo, abbiamo pensato ai nomi divertenti che era possibile usare per il nostro negozio. OK, OK, forse quando abbiamo cominciato, non pensavamo seriamente di realizzare il nostro progetto.

Elena (Elena Baldini) and I have been friends since we were little girls. One day, she told me about the idea that had been percolating in her head for days! She was thinking about creating a shop where nothing came in a box. We started to fantasize about it. We spent may hours driving around and brainstorming about this idea. Above all laughing – laughing at the funniest names we could use for the shop. Ok, Ok, perhaps in the beginning we weren’t thinking about the serious sides of the business plan.

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Here is the name they picked!  Sfuso means loose.  All items are without packaging and “loose”  – environmentally friendly.

Dopo avere parlato e parlato abbiamo capito che la nostra idea era brillante! Abbiamo assunto un commercialista per aituarci a capire come cominciare. POP! Il nostro sogno è andato in frantumi, quando lui ci ha detto quanti soldi avremmo dovuto avere per aprire il negozio. Siamo usciti con il cuore in pezzi. Come la fata di Cenerentola, lui ci ha chiamato: con la carrozza ci accompagnerà alla festa – SVILUPPITALIA! Avremmo ricevuto assitenza dallo stato!

The more we talked the more we realized that the idea was brilliant. We hired an accountant to help us understand how to get started. Pop! The fantasy exploded in our faces when he told us just how much money we DIDN’T have to start the business. We left broken hearted. Like Cindarella’s fairy godmother, he called with the coach that could take us to the ball – SVILUPPITALIA! It was possible to get financial assistance from the state!

There is an overview of Sviluppo on the  Italian Workforce site.

NO!  MIDGE IS A FAILURE!  SHE REFUSES TO TRANSLATE ANY MORE BECAUSE HER BRAIN IS EXPLODING.  THE STORY WILL CONTINUE ONLY IN ENGLISH.

After meeting with the SVILUPPITALIA coach we looked at each other and smiled – then cried.  There was so much work to do.  We had to write down the complete idea!  It wasn’t very easy.  They wanted us to describe and analyze every detail. We had to write all about the place where we meant to open the shop.  There was a check list –  how many places of interest, public service agencies and other shops were close by.  We hit the streets to do an inventory.

The bottom line was we had to create a workable business plan, find our vendors, create a budget that included all aspects of starting the business, research who our competition was and understand how to market!  Whew, we have always been hard workers and luckily – or unluckily – with the crisis in Italy we were both available to work on the project full time.  One of the reasons the government has this program is to help the young people of Southern Italy create their own jobs.  They also feel that the more activity there is in the south the more tourists will come.

sfusa jars

The big question was – WHY SHOULD THEY CHOOSE OUR PROJECT TO FUND!   They needed to know how we meant to develop the idea – an idea that was really different.  In a small village buying food from bins with out packages was not the  ordinary way to sell things – but we didn’t care.  We were thinking about the growing garbage piles, and unfortunately the growing prices of everything.  We wanted to save the planet and the wallet.  If people needed to discover a new way of shopping, we would help them. The planning and the application took us a year.  We waited another year and happily received the state money. Of course this money was not ours forever.  We have 5 years to give the money back.

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Happy Entrepreneurs – Annarita and Elena on Opening Day!

Finally we opened this little activity. We sell pasta, legumes, rice, flour, candies, spices – that I adore, tea, tisanes, perfumes, detergents, and other things like this.  It is the kind of shop where you can buy the kinds of things you need in the amount you need.  I think it is a great idea and who knows in a couple of years maybe we will open Doctor Sfuso all around the world.

Doctor Sfuso is a fabulous shop with great products.  We shop there often.  For Christmas you can help Santa Claus and buy neat gifts at the store that cares about the environment.

Doctor Sfuso

Via Roma 145, Morcone (BN)

Cooking in the Kitchens of Pontelandolfo

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Some of the great people who follow my exploits in Pontelandolfo (BN), have asked why they too can’t experience the life in a little Italian village.  Hmmm, I thought, why can’t you!  From Saturday, May 21 to Saturday, May 28, 2016 a very small group – 5-10 people only – will be up to their elbows in Southern Italian home cooking and up to their ears in village life.

For one week, become part of a very small hill top village. No belching tourist buses unloading hordes of people. No souvenir shops filled with stuff made somewhere else. Instead, discover the heart and soul of Southern Italy through its people and food. The Italy that still rests in the afternoon. The Italy that loves to shop directly from the local butchers, pasticceria, fruit and vegetable trucks and the weekly outdoor market.

Hmmm, the scents of fresh vegetables, herbs, meats and grains waft through the kitchen. Pots simmer, pasta boards are out and a wood fire burns in the oven. Welcome to the kitchens of Pontelandolfo. Experience the Southern Italian cooking perfected by the women of the south. Not in a restaurant, not in a cooking school but in the same kitchens these women use to feed their families. Learn the recipes and techniques that have been passed down for generations. Roll up your sleeves, don your apron and get ready to cook.

A local translator will be available for all classes. Or you can practice your Italian – all the cooks and local shop owners only speak Italian.

Included Highlights:

Transportation from the Benevento Train Station to Pontelandolfo

7 nights, single room, with television, refrigerator, morning caffè and coronetto

Welcoming apertivo in a local bar.

Sunday Pranza (Lunch)

5 morning Cooking Classes with local cooks culminating in lunch.

Excursion to the Festa of St. Rita in Casalduni

Open-air market

Excursion to Roman Ruins – Altilia Ruins

Walking Tour of The City of Martyrs – Pontelandolfo 1861

Wine tasting at a local vintner

Meet the local butchers, baker and cheese makers.

Excursion to the museums and shops of Benevento

Translator

Transportation to a different local restaurant each night.

Leave a comment asking for the particulars and I will e-mail you!

Nonna’s Mulberry Tree’s first Italian excursion to Alghero, Sardinia with great Italian classes at Centro Mediterraneo Pintadera was a smashing success.  A second adventure is scheduled for October 2016!  More to follow!