Architect Lawrence Tarantino loves to design beautiful things. He and his wife Sharon, a designer and project manager, visit Italy often to immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and food of our Bel Paese. After reading my blog on the Ms Monde competition, Sharon didn’t jot down a comment to share but sent me some pictures that are a riff on that blog. The fun loving duo were in Bologna and discovered a food fair. Being italo-americani foodies they of course went. The first thing they saw were some real Italian beauties-
This interesting couple bought, restored lovingly and lived in a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Millstone, NJ. They recently sold the house, which was moved and being preserved. Check this story out –
Snow was pummelling the Northeast as Jack and I drove back from NYC. What were we doing out in a blizzard – fools that we were. My husband – the driver – was making sure that I saw the play I was reviewing for the LA based blog – Gia on the Move. This is my fist reviewing gig and the nice man I married knew it was important to me. Here it is – (http://giaonthemove.com/2015/02/26/the-church-of-why-not-at-the-west-end-theatre-nyc/)
OK, what does this have to do with her blog about Italy – or is Midge doing a smarmy blog on snow to get us to read her review???? Hmmmm.
Well the drive back in the blizzard scared the pegeeeezuuuuss out of me and reminded me why I hate people who have to drive pazillion pound cars. Jack told me to stop screaming at the SUV’s and think of something nice – like Italy. What did I think of – freakin’ SUV’s in Italy –
Suddenly, rich younguns are driving more and more GIANT cars in Italy. Where do they get the money for the gasoline? How do they manage not to get stuck on narrow streets? Why does anyone need a small tank in Italy? Grrrrrrrrr
I remembered one particular grrr moment. It is Sunday and I am doing what I do most mornings, sitting at Bar Elimar and having a cappuccino and a coronetto. This monster black jeep pulls up – I am talking so big I don’t know how the hell it gets through ancient Italian village streets. Two obviously American women in shorts, sneakers, golf shirts and attitude get out. The car is so bloody big, I’m thinking they must be CIA looking for spies. No, just two tourists looking for cappucino, a cute place to sit and a table upon which to OPEN the food they brought with them. What! Get back in your car bitches. Would you do that in America? Do you go to McDonalds and open a Burger King Bag?
When Jack and I owed the bistro from hell in Asbury Park, I would gently dissuade folks from using my tables on the boardwalk — that I paid the city a fee to be able to have — as their own picnic spots. Now, I know that the bar owners here also pay the city for use of the exterior walks for summer tables. But the bar owers are a lot nicer than I am and don’t sneer, leer and scream at people who un-pack their bags at a table. But I am not so nice. I can sneer and I can speak English and say quasi rude things. I remembered the not so quasi rude things I said to the two uber-tourists.
Then I continued to aggravate my husband by bellowing at the giant SUV’s pushing past everyone on snow packed Route 78. Ahhh, I feel better already.
Thanks for enduring the rant – and my blatant pitch for GIA on the Move!
August 2nd was Day Two of Contest Musica Live and day three of the Festa. At 9:00 PM – dressed to the nines and with my party attitude on – I left Jack snoring on the couch and forcing myself to put one tired foot in front of the other drove down to the piazza. Gulp, I was going to a concert alone. Who would I talk to, where would I sit, would I know anyone there? The questions I just typed may have floated through my insecure 16 year old brain but the 65 year old knew that I would talk to everyone, sit where I wanted and – hey this is Pontelandolfo – I would know folks.
The first hint that less folks might be coming to this amateur event was the lack of vendors. Many of the previous nights venders were somewhere else. No one was selling shoes and there were fewer food trucks. H’mm I got a parking space really close too. This didn’t bode well for lots of people coming
Look – a pre-lit stage!
Wow, somebody noticed that the stage didn’t look so professional for the first day of the talent contest or else they hired a different company for Day Two. The set up was much more professional looking. There were blacks up stage – black curtains across the back of the stage and a different light set up. Jack said how do I know these things – I just know OK. You’ll see on the video.
The pre show started at 9:50 – a lot earlier than the day before and almost on time! (The show was scheduled to start at 9:30 PM.) The MC – who over the week I began to loathe more and more – did his usual warmup. When the first group came on stage, folks started pouring into the piazza – not thousands but a healthy crowd. The opening act was a fabulous singer and band from Pontelandofo! That explained the enthusiastic crowd. I also discovered that the day before many of our talented young folks were performing out of town with our dance company, hence, could not be bopping and rocking in the piazza. They made sure to be back for our home town singer, Eleonora Di Marzo! She was terrific and so was the lighting. From smoke spurts to strobes it was much better rock lighting than the night before.
Bar Mixed Fantasy had tables set up that gave a great view of the stage – I bought my Campari soda, grabbed a table and started dancing in my seat. As more folks came, I chatted, rocked and rolled and throughly enjoyed the music, booze, friends and summer night. I am not a music critic but can easily say that the bands the second night were a hell of a lot better than the bands we heard the first night. They excuse Jack had given for not wanting to come – before he drifted to dreamland – was the bands were beh the first night, why should we go and listen to mediocre music. Because it is FESTA WEEK and it is our responsibility to go and support the festa. OK, I want to go because it is always one hell of a party.
Unfortunately, my videos of the later bands had lousy sound quality. So you will only hear our local favorite BUT note the clips of the accordion player – his group was amazing doing Neapolitan classics – too bad my camera recorded the conversation of the folks next to me. UGGGG
Wow, I said to Jack, this Miss Mondo competition must be a big deal – look how many people are here already. Look how many of them are young men. As we walked down Viale Europa to Piazza Roma I noticed that the bancarelle were a wee bit different – more food less tchokas. Whoa, crepes filled with Nutella! What is this – lots of lemons surrounding a pigs head? I found out the next day it was boiled parts of the pig served spritzed with lemon and is very good. The porchetta roasta stand was packed with people. Well, I could go on but I need to fast today. As we continued to walk, I thought what a juxtaposition of ideals – size 0 young women on parade for Miss Mondo surrounded by the most fattening types of food you could imagine. Yummmmmm.
Full house tonight.
Rats, don’t the organizers know how to dress a stage? Night three’s up stage blacks are gone and the backdrop for Ms Mondo is the stone of buildings surrounding a screen. I don’t remember anything projected on the screen – but I left early. It looks like less lighting instruments are hung than the previous night too. At least they set up chairs – the opening night red chairs too.
The minimalist look.
Our party hardy pals, Carmella and Mario had a table on the upper terrace at Bar Mixed Fantasy so we had a great view and I was able to leap into the tangle of testosterone to take pictures and head back for a drink. The beauty pageant was scheduled to start at 10:00PM – which here could mean anytime. So I was shocked when the lights came up at 9:51 and the MC, who is apparently a quite well known Neapolitan entertainer – but whose name I will not use because – well, because all publicity can be good publicity. He did the same pre-show warm up he did the two previous nights and at 10:07 the competition began.
Shut him up! That is what I took away from Ms Mondo. The host/MC, needed to be told that the show was not about him but the contestants. The folks I was sitting with, when I wasn’t running up to take photos, all said sta ‘zitto, he made the night much longer than it had to be. Yo, get the hook.
The opening of the competition!
The young women’s first appearance was in the highest of heels and it looked like what ever they wanted to wear – mostly short, tight and low cut stuff. They were called out one at a time, walked down stage, down a set of steps to the piazza and through the center of the audience. Spike heels on cobblestone, nice. No one reached out to put a euro in their pants, but thats what it felt like. It was a long walk too, which meant the first woman out was standing on the stage for a long time. After they all had strut their stuff and were in a line up stage, the MC called them to the down stage edge of the audience. Then they were told to stand with their backs to the audience, close together for a photo – kneel, bend, stick out your ass. The entire group of women assed out the audience. Who directed this???
The women exited – to change for the next round- and the MC blabbed on and on. A singer came out and sang to fill the void. Then Mr. Talk A-Lot blabbed more and more – he didn’t have to because I could see the women all cued up in wedding dresses waiting to go on. They waited and paced and waiting.
Dressed and waiting, waiting, waiting….
The dress designer and creative coordinator were introduced. The coordinator introduced each woman and talked about the dress – fashion show style. In gowns the women repeated the long walk down stage and through the audience taking care not to trip down the steps. NOW if I were directing, there would have been two cute men in tuxedos posed on the steps holding out a hand to guide the brides down the steps. Instead, all the girls had to hoist up their dress, look down and probably pray not to go splat.
First a bride’s maid.
The women who decided which girl would wear what wedding dress obviously had favorites because one dress made a cute girl look frumpy. Isn’t this about helping young women gain poise and public performance skills?
Listen to me, I sound BITTER or ANGRY or something not nice. I felt sorry for these young women. They were all good looking, all supported by friends and family in the audience and probably all bright. With good direction and planning this could have been a classy night. INSTEAD –
Great dresses on nice young women.
Sexy dress modeling was next and during this portion the MC really shined. I couldn’t understand him but I could see him and what I saw horrified me. A young educated women that I respect said that next day that Mr. Creepy M/C was saying was incredibly vulgar – her word. As each girl came out and did the long walk in the sexy dress he talked about them and then each one had to undergo his playing with them. For example he brought a guy up on stage from the audience to do sexy Latin dancing with one girl – obviously unrehearsed and embarrassing for both. The WORST thing he did was insist that a girl ride him like a horse. Who the hell directed this?????
This is when I left. They shoot horses don’t they?
Shortly thereafter we left, I couldn’t take another minute. I hope that whoever won got a great scholarship or something.
I know! I know! I promised one blog a day on the 7 day festa – but the dog ate my homework and it rained on my parade and well – it just takes me a while to edit two hours of video into two minutes. So here we are in day four and I’m sending out day two. Hey, I’m in Italy!
All of those posters all over the place and the few stories I saw in local papers just weren’t enough to pull in a crowd for Contest Musica Live. Knowing it wouldn’t start on time, we wended our way down to Piazza Roma. This was a two night competition of local rock, jazz, blues – and I have no idea what the hell they were playing – musicians. It was a serious affair – with a table of about 7 judges! (Day two’s story will soon be out.)
We saw our trusty good pal, my cousin Carmella, at Bar Mix Fantasy, holding a perfect stage side table for all of us. After two Campari sodas I was ready for the onslaught of music from speakers that were taller than I was and hoisted up on two story towers. The stage set up was spartan compared to the first day’s mega event. What – they don’t even have chairs set up for people to sit on? What is this – Piazza Roma as one big mosh pit?
I whipped my video camera out and off I went.
There were less vendors set up than the night before. The the shoe man had folks stopping and a new guy selling African carved art was just staring. As were the two candy vendors – staring into space. No one was wandering around. There were three new yellow tents of allegedly local cheese and others food stuffs. This two day event was also touted as two days of gastronomical delight. It didn’t look like too many folks were delighted enough to stop. I walked over but didn’t recognize any of the three producers and I shop super local.
Yawn – what time is it? Oh, 10:30 – so much for truth in advertising. Oh right, as my pal Nicola says, Midge questa è italia.
The MC/Host spent about 10 minutes trying to wrangle an audience. I have to give him a lot of credit for that. There was not a crowd and he was trying to get whoever was there closer to the stage. I’m thinking chairs would have helped.
What time is it? My head is bopping over the camera. The voice in my head said, when the music starts you’ll get your dance fever energy fix.
When the first group came out, the MC asked their names – the lead guitarist said “Anthony – Antonio” – hmmm. The Name of the group was “House of the Rising Sun.” HMMMMMM! They were from the neighboring Morcone and a fairly good number of fans gathered around the palco – stage. The bands English pronunciation was spot on as they sang – you’ll hear. HMMMMM? After their set, the audience left. I think this group of cute young musicians – the lead guitarist made my – oh never mind – anyway these young men were smart enough to bring a ton of folks from Morcone – or the Jersey shore – to hear them. Sadly, very few folks were there to listen to the remaining groups. I will admit after the second group – a Nirvana take off band – started wailing we left and headed home….
Light and sound check as we were walking in at 9:30PM.
Jack and I aren’t sure how many nights we can go out at 9:30 and get home at midnight – and that was early for festa. This morning I asked Marilina at Bar Elimar how much sleep she got – she opens at 7:30. She said they closed the bar at 3:30 AM and she got 1.5 hours of sleep. Whew – I remember when I could do that, but I think sometimes I had the help of little blue — oh never mind. So how was the first night your wondering?
When we got into the center of Pontelandolfo at 9:30 PM there were still lots of places to park. Hmmm, thats not so good. People were slowly arriving and the show was supposed to start at 9:30! Of course as everyone tells me, this is Italy and nothing ever starts on time.
Need more chicks or ducks? Get them at the Festa!Diamonds, rubies and pearls – OH MY!
We walked through the small showing of bancarelle set up selling candy, panini, shoes – really – high end marked sneakers, probably knock offs, cleverly perched on the sidewalk – jewelry, toys and I can’t remember. I felt there weren’t a lot and a betting there will be more on the weekend.
Then I spotted the most amazing ride – the swing to your death ride – set up in a rear piazza. I dragged Jack through the alley to get there just in time to watch the swings held on chains swinging out into space and teams of riders pushing each other to grab the “horses tail” that was hanging from a high perch. If you didn’t kill yourself by falling out trying you won a FREE ride!
Wheeeeeeeeee! Grab that tail! Safety belts????
Little tykes were practicing on the miniature version of the death swing. Then I noticed parents – OK DADS letting their little boys get on the large death swing!
Games of chance too!
We got to Piazza Roma and saw that the night’s show was set up. This was the sexiest set up I’ve ever seen here. Great sound system, projections – the screen could have been larger, there was even a grand piano on the stage. We saw my best buds, Carmella and Alda, at a table with a perfect view of the stage and headed over. First things first, lets get some wine and find out what is going on.
Alda’s cute daughter came running over, she had taken a picture at Bar Mix Fantasy with PIF an MTV star! Later Gabrielle ran over with his camera, he had a picture too! Wait, Annalaura just posted a picture of PIF with her! Everyone was excited, I of course had no idea who PIF was or why he was here. So much for being current Auntie M.
PIF has a show on MTV and is a director. Annalaura needs to be cast in his next film!
Tonight’s show was titled VII edizione del Premio “Ugo Gregoretti – Landolfo d’Oro”. No one I spoke to was quite sure what the night was about. Only that it had happened in other years. I better do some research. The stage was set with a grand piano stage right and two lovely golden upholstered chairs stage left – think talk show set.
We were all a bit hungry and it was now 10:15PM the show wasn’t starting so we looked at our food options. Apparently the pork panini truck had great roasted pork, the Mini Market was selling nice looking prosciutto panini for €1.
The pork stand. Hmm we need to try this one night.
Jack and Gennaro, Alda’s husband, said – “salsiccia!” Since we were sitting at Bar Elimar it seemed right to buy their sausage panini, cooked to order on crispy hard rolls – €2.50. Of course, one has to have a glass of Peroni Beer with that. Jack announced the sausages were better than the ones we had at a festa in Casalduni the week before. Yeah for the home team!
Suddenly, music filled the square, a full orchestra was surrounding us. The sound system was top drawer because the sound was from the video. Shots of the iconic Pontelandolfo tower whirled into introductions of the notables who would tonight be awarded Landolfo d’Oro. Yes I finally found out that it was a prestigious awards ceremony.
Beautiful red chairs were set up – real comfortable chairs, not the usual white plastic things Ii’ve seen here. This was a classy show. The video was slick and well timed to the music. I realized that while I had been drinking and eating tons of people had showed up. But why is this awards show happening here, in Pontelandolfo? Time for the back story.
Ugo Gregoretti, the driving force behind the event, is an award winning Italian film, television and stage director, actor, screenwriter, author and television host. His father once owned the iconic Pontelandolfo Tower and young Gregoretti spent his summers racing up the village’s green hills and has always had a special place in his heart for the Pontelandolfesi. He was not happy when his mother decided to sell the tower. According to one news report I found, he wanted to set up a foundation for the Tower so that the ancient portal could be open to all. I wish he had – hey – it’s not too late.
He donated his personal library to the town so that his personal and professional history could be preserved in the village he loved. Now, the library is closed – I wonder where this collection is? I want to see it – Harriet the Spy is back in business.
The award ceremony, “Ugo Gregoretti – Landulf D’Oro”, is now the cultural kickoff the the summer season. By bringing famous artists to Pontelandolfo and honoring them, Gregoretti is bringing the red carpet to our home town. This year’s honorees were art critic Achille Bonito Oliva, filmmaker and television writer Pif, the journalist Barbara Palombelli, the writer and the scriptwriter Giorgio Arlorio, and author Giussepe Furno.
NTR 24 has great video! Watch it and have good night – we’re getting ready for Festa – Night 2!
Sometimes we run into people who change our lives. Rocco is one of those people. I met him last year in Bar Elimar. I was typing away on my computer and he was staring at me. I said buon giorno. He slid over to my table stared right into my eyes and said, Come ti chiama?Midge I answered. Come ti chiama he repeated. I figured Midge didn’t sound very Italian and he couldn’t get it. Midge I repeated. He smiled, put his fingers on my computer keyboard and said, Come ti chiama. That was when I realized just how special Rocco was.
Feeling like a trickster I looked at him and said, Io sono Midge ma come ti chiama?Rocco he said and smiled. From that moment we became fast friends.
He was about eight years old that summer and sometimes I thought his mom planned their excursions to Bar Elimar when I might be there. Rocco’s family is part of the Bar Elimar family. His mom is bar owner Elio’s sister.
I set some games up on my computer and iPad and loved sipping my cafe and watching the joyful expressions on Rocco’s face as he drew a picture on my iPad or played scopa – laughing as the cards were swept away by the computer.
He still said, come ti chiama every time he saw me until I realized that it was his own little game. Lots of folks got swept away in it repeating their names until they wanted to scream. The minute I flipped it back on him he knew I understood him. When I responded, my name is Rocco – he giggled and knew I really got him.
This spring, I kept waiting for Rocco to show up. Forgetting that school was in session, I couldn’t understand why I didn’t see him in the morning. Finally, in June my mornings with Rocco started again – just not as often as I would have liked. He told me he had his own tablet that had games on it. He stopped saying come ti chiamo because I always answered Rocco. One day he said, ciao Midge and I was smitten.
They don’t have special education programs here and Rocco has been getting better and better in school and socially because of his parents and family. They get him help, but treat him just like everyone else. Rocco challenged me to find ways to communicate with him and that has helped me communicate with not only the kids of Ponteladolfo but their elders too.
Today, I heard that Rocco inadvertently swallowed acid and is in a medically induced coma in a Naples’ hospital. Rocco thought he was slugggin back juice. His aunt said he never cried. Not once. He is incredibly strong. His throat burned and swollen, he was rushed to the hospital in Benevento where they did nothing for hours. His frantic parents had him rushed to Naples. Lesson here is avoid the hospital in Benevento.
At the Naples Hospital they put him in a medically induced coma with a breathing tube. Because there is so much damage to his throat they can’t send a scope down to see what else is wrong. I don’t pray much but today I pray for Rocco.
Everyday it seems there is a mysterious bag, basket or pile of zucchini by my door. These things must multiply like rabbits. Last year, it seemed like I was chomping down on zucchini blossoms daily. Bundles of fully formed zucchini didn’t appear because we were all to busy frying up the flowers – remember this post: Fried Squash Blossoms
This year, I didn’t get invited to imbibe as much in my favorite fried flower. Now I know why. People let the blossoms grow into long green meaty vegetables. But what is a woman to do with them? I can’t say no thank you – half the time I don’t know where they come from and the other half – well it would just be rude. I remember making tons of zucchini bread in Flagtown but we’re in Italy – so it is time to start finding out what the elders do.
Zia Paulina taught me how do make a simple zucchini topping for pasta. Actually, she tortured me with a little knife by insisting that I cut paper thin zucchini slices without using a cutting board, mandoline slicer or food processor. None of my slices were thin enough – come carta – like paper! When I finally got the thinness just right she was pleased. Then I watched her dump some olive oil in a frying pan, sauté the zucchini slices and toss them with pasta and a healthy dose of parmigiana. Prima piatta was finished.
I decided to see if anyone else tossed zucchini with pasta – a quick web search found lots of recipes. Being an independent type, I ignored all the advice and just followed my instinct – the pinch of this, a handful and there you go style of cooking. The first step was to create the paper thin slices that really worked in Zia Paulina’s dish.
Note – I slice towards my thumb! How dumb but it works.
My smart ass husband watched me get closer and closer to lopping off a finger and he decided to show me how to get those paper thin slices. First he took out the potato peeler and peeled the skin off one cucumber. Then he cut it in half and started making short thin slices with the peeler.
Master chef makes quick work of the zucchini – but where is the cute green? Oh, next to the cutting board.
Jack’s system would absolutely work. But I wanted the zucchini – which I know had absolutely no yucky chemical crap on them – to have that cute green trim. White zucchini against white pasta couldn’t look very appealing. So I finished up the rest using the potato peeler on unpeeled zucchini.
Cripes, they didn’t teach me this in 4-H. What a cool use of a peeler.
The actual cooking of the dish was much simpler. I sliced up some onions and a red pepper. Why the red pepper? Because I had it and I liked the color – back to white pasta and white onions and white zucchini – you get the idea. The olive oil that we have here is literally from the trees in our yard and pressed locally. It is heaven on the tongue all by itself. It really helps to use good olive oil for dishes like these. While the water for the pasta was getting up to boil, I quickly sautéed the onions and peppers.
What a beautiful red color! They do not sell green bell peppers here – because red means ripe!
Salt, pepper, a touch of garlic powder – I noticed that none of my Italian relatives cook with onions and garlic in the same dish. Loving garlic anyway I can get it, I tossed in the garlic powder. When I added the zucchini, I happened to look out the window at the basil growing madly and thought – why not. The basil added at the end gave the dish more color and a little zing. Here is the final product – I added grated cheese to the dishes before I tossed them. Buon appetito!
Nonna's Mulberry Tree 