Italian Life, as interpreted by Emi Heile, an ESL teacher in Southern Italy

Let's start at the top.
Food and the eating of food. The Italian culture is food\centric. Italians love to grow, buy, cook, eat and offer other people food. And they LOVE to talk about it. If you ever need a small-talk subject to talk about with an Italian, start here. Though, I warn you, it will not stay in the "small-talk" realm. It will become a very important discussion. And you will have to listen and nod enthusiastically, no matter what you are thinking. No matter if you'd rather not hear it. You have to smile and nod as the details of who what when why and how the last meal was consumed emerge.

Next, we have family, closely linked to #1. Because the only people at the Italian table are family OR very very close friends. But usually family- we're talking blood ties, and the people married to them. Families love and dislike each other. Usually simultaneously. There is a lot of discussing, arguing and talking about other families going on at the Italian table. And of course loving. Italian families are very supportive of their members. They will support/defend anyone who was at the table on Sunday afternoon. So, you see, there really is no way to separate family and food. When family gets together, they eat. When food is served, family comes. My sister-in-law calls every afternoon from work to get an update on what her mother cooked that day. Depending on the response, she will or won't be at the table in a few hours happily eating reheated leftovers. Sometimes, she just cuts to the chase and shows up for lunch with her husband. That way, there's no missing out on her mom's cooking or the hot gossip of the day.

Then there's fashion. Which of course is connected to food. Take the example of going to a big celebration like a wedding or first communion (read FOOD and six hours of eating); you better look fabulous or everyone will be talking about you. Well, even if you look fabulous, they will be talking about you but that's a different story. Fashion is big enough to be its own entity, and it is very important. There's not a lot to say on this except if you've got style and shop at the right stores, you are on the right track. Very few individuals can be thrifty and manage to look like a million. (knock-offs, etc.). Italians don't wear last year's colors this year. And they are always DRESSED. Never seen one of them in sweatpants at the supermarket, walking their dog, or anywhere else in public. By the way, "in public" means any point past the family's front door.

After the fashion priority is the fun priority. And it IS A PRIORITY. Fun MUST be had. Recreation must be recreated. Take a look at any coffee bar or plaza. See all of those people in groups talking, playing cards, smoking cigarettes and "loitering"? Well, they are relaxing and having fun. And it is absolutely necessary. You just won't find many Italians working overtime with no pay or studying past 8 p.m. Nope, not even English. There is a time in the day that is reserved for being social and cutting loose. Of course this links to food, because Italians always have fun when they have food and vice versa....

Now we get to learning English. (It's about as important as working or going to school.) Italians see it as "essential" and often describe it as such, but in the end, it often takes back seat to the big four. How does this translate for teachers? What's the reality of English language teaching in Italy?
It goes like this- let’s say you're an ESL teacher in a smallish town in Campania. You've exhausted yourself preparing the most interesting vocabulary and reading comprehension lesson on food and cultural celebrations. You've even added the fashion aspect by concentrating the lexis on clothes and accessories. AND you've set up a fabulous listening activity on "small talk" dialogue between two friends at the table. You are excited. You are sitting, there waiting for the student, and thinking how great the lesson will be. You barely notice that another five minutes pass- and another ten.

Why? Because Italians have real-life priorities, don't you get it? And that is just the way it is. So, you are waiting for them to show up at the lesson and they are:
Finishing lunch and will be 25 minutes late.
In a heated discussion at the table, and will be 25 minutes late.
Shopping for something to wear to their cousin's baptism tomorrow, and will be 25 minutes late.
Talking to a friend on Facebook, cell or are texting, and will be 25 minutes late.
Having coffee and a cigarette with an acquaintance. and will be 25 minutes late.

You get the idea. As long as learning English doesn't cut in on real priorities, Italians are all for it. And besides, 25 minutes late in Italy is just about right on time.

Trip to Taverna: Is the Museum Closed?

by Gerardo Perrotta, Italian teacher at School Amici

(Italian version follows)

This summer, in the middle of our vacation in Fuscaldo, we had occasion to visit the Civic Museum of Taverna, a small town in Calabria in the province of Catanzaro and birthplace of the famous artist Mattia Preti.

It was a one day trip, short and meaningful. We left our house around ten and after traversing the thick and rich woodland of the southern border of the lower Sila, with the help of a good map and a couple of stops, we reached Taverna at noon.

Gerardo Perrotta

It was Monday and during the trip it dawned on us that museums in Italy are closed. But thinking that Taverna is not a big city, maybe the rule did not apply and, if it did it, may not be observed. While the weather was not ideal, we walked toward the museum and did find it closed. We went to the city hall nearby, formerly a Dominican monastery. The head accountant, the only person there, confirmed that the museum was closed. At our insistence to be granted an exception, the accountant felt sorry for us and made several calls to reach the custodian of the museum. He arrived within the half hour with the keys and a big smile, notwithstanding perhaps our appearance on his day off.

Our dream was achieved: to see the works of Mattia Preti up close.  The kind and well informed guide made it very enjoyable.

The artist Preti, known as “the Cavaliere Calabrese”, belongs to the school of Naples from the XVII century and has much in common with the great Caravaggio, not as an imitator, rather as a master in his own right.

He was knighted to the order of St John of Malta, stayed at the house in Malta where Caravaggio also lived. During this time, Preti produced many great paintings mostly dealing with the martyrdom of St. John. His reputation spread throughout Europe thanks in part to the good fortune of a long and very productive artistic career.

Today his paintings, mostly reflecting the exuberant style of the late Baroque, are found in many museums in the world. Close to home, some of these paintings can be seen in the art museums of Toledo, Cleveland, New York and even in Cincinnati. There is also a painting, as of yet by an unknown author, in the Proto-Cathedral of Bardstown, Kentucky that we feel may be attributable to Preti. Something to research further!

Many other works in Taverna are located in the churches of Saint Barbara and Saint Domenico where our memorable trip concluded.   We are delighted for this experience and want to share it with the hope of raising awareness of one of the most important protagonists of the rich artistic patrimony of Calabria.

 Gita a Taverna: E' Chiuso il Museo?

Quest’estate nel bel mezzo della nostra vacanza a Fuscaldo, abbiamo avuto occasione di visitare il Museo Civico di Taverna, cittadina calabrese in provincia di Catanzaro e citta’ natale del famoso artista Mattia Preti.

E’  stata una breve gita, di solo un giorno, ma non per questo di poca importanza, tutt’altro.

Partiti da casa verso le dieci del mattino, dopo aver attraversato la parte meridionale della Sila piccola, una zona fitta di incantevoli boschi e prati e con l’aiuto di una buona mappa ed anche dopo un paio di fermate, siamo giunti a Taverna, alle dodici.

Era lunedi’ e proprio durante il viaggio e non prima, ci siamo ricordati che in Italia i musei sono chiusi il lunedi’. Poi, pero’ ritenendo che  Taverna non e’ una citta’ grande, forse questa regola non  valeva o se valeva, poteva non essere osservata. Il tempo non era proprio bello, ma non pioveva e avendo trovato il museo chiuso, ci siamo diretti a piedi al vicino municipio, ubicato in un antico monastero domenicano. Il ragioniere subito ci ha informato del fatto che era lunedi’ e il museo di lunedi’ e’ chiuso. Alla nostra insistente richiesta di poter fare un’eccezione per noi che venivamo da tanto lontano, questo signore si e’ impietosito e ha cominciato a fare delle telefonate, per rintracciare il custode del museo. Questo e’ arrivato in meno di mezz’ora con le chiavi ed un bel sorriso, nonostante fosse stato disturbato nel suo giorno libero.

Il nostro sogno  si era realizzato: vedere da vicino le opere di Mattia Preti.  Le informazioni e i dettagli provvisti dal custode  hanno reso la visita piu` che  piacevole.

L’artista Preti, noto come “il Cavaliere Calabrese”, appartiene alla scuola napoletana del XVII secolo. Ha molto in comune con il grande Caravaggio di cui pero` non e’ un epigono, cioe` imitatore, ma viene considerato invece un grande maestro, per conto proprio.

Ricevuto il titolo di Cavaliere di Grazia dell’Ordine di S. Giovanni di Malta, visito’ a lungo la casa madre dell’ordine a Malta, dove anche il Caravaggio aveva soggiornato. Durante questo periodo, il Preti esegui’ un gran numero di dipinti soprattutto sulla vita e il martirio di S. Giovanni. La sua reputazione dilago‘ cosi’  in tutta Europa. Ebbe la fortuna di avere una lunga carriera ed una  copiosa creazione artistica.

Oggi, i suoi dipinti, che riflettono lo stile esuberante del tardo barocco, si trovano in vari musei del mondo. Piu` vicino a noi si possono vedere nei musei di Toledo, Cleveland, New York e anche Cincinnati. C’e` pure in dipinto, attualmente di autore ignoto, nella Proto-Cattedrale di Bardstown in Kentucky che noi riteniamo potrebbe essere  uno dei lavori di Preti. Tutto da indagare!

Il resto delle sue opere a Taverna sono  allestite non solo  nel  museo civico ma anche  nelle chiese di Santa Barbara e San Domenico dove si e` conclusa la nostra memorabile gita. Siamo entusiasti di questa esperienza e di poter condividerla con la speranza di far conoscere meglio  questo importante protagonista del patrimonio artistico calabrese.