GLIMPSES OF ITALY IN THE U.S.A.
We don’t mean to start with trivialities on such somber times, but we wonder if have you seen the fancy FIAT Cinquecento driving around town? The other day we saw three of them in a matter of one hour. Basic car, the original Cinquecento was invented in the 50’s to provide transportation to those folks who could not afford to buy a fancy, full-size car. Until the 60s, the Cinquecento was quite basic and rather Spartan, with hard seats, no luxury finishes. At the same time, it was easy to service and repair. Over time, due to the increasing density of the Italian cities and their chronic lack of parking space, richer folks started seeing an advantage in a car that is practical, inexpensive, and easy to park. a result, better models were produced. Eventually, after an intermediate attempt, the 500 it was revamped in 2008 with a complete overhaul, luxury interiors and a real engine. It looks now as an icon. Today, owning a 500 is a sign of urban chic and space awareness. Larger cars are truly redundant in cities like Roma or Milano.
As many of you know, in 2009, Chrysler was rescued by FIAT with a swift maneuver, which built a stronger union out of these eternal runner-ups of much larger companies like Volvo and BMW, or Ford and GM. Promising to take over an auto market that is thirsty for affordable solutions, the Cinquecento does not compromise in style. It’s retro and chic design will please fashion conscious consumers, judging by the number of Limited Edition Gucci models sold since its release. In addition to its sleek design, an unbeatable 50 mpg feature makes the Cinquecento an awesome ride! We are not here to sell them, we are here to observe and take notice of the ever more fertile partnerships between Italy and the US, of the gentle penetration in the US of sober Italian design, of the production of objects for a lifestyle of environmental awareness and consumer moderation. AS & AGP.
Please, make sure that you read our wine policy and our food policy changes below!
IN MEMORY OF 9/11
Ciancia is all about the joy of convivial atmosphere, the pleasure of cultural exchange, social interaction and culinary passion. We are a cultural club, though hardly do we bring in our courtyard a true historical debate. What we do with unsettling experiences and steep line-divisions is up to each individual, as, on our traditional Tuesday evening, we are joyful social beings, prone to a pleasant conversation and a glass of wine. Yet, we are the guards of thousands of years of civil evolution. We live within the boundaries of our society and it seems to me that we have been dealing with the unthinkable and the unexpected for the past ten years. I have remained silent for a decade about 9/11 but it is time for me to say something meaningful about it. You may skip forward or click here for the complete editorial – AGP.
A TASTE OF ITALY AT THE WTC
The recent event, held on September 27 at the WTC Atlanta was lively and well attended. Numerous local sponsors were present. Several speakers illustrated the importance of networking among communities as evolved and active as the Italian community in Atlanta. The setting was definitively as international as expected and, for many of us, was an opportunity to network extensively. We thank Lidia Postolachi and Francesco Scordato for their effort and impeccable organization. We look forward to seeing and supporting more initiatives of this kind.
NEWS FROM THE ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL
We have been just informed about some special events during the month of October. Georgia State University and The Italian Film Festival, in collaboration with Cinefest Theater, the Societa’ Dante Alighieri and I Giovani Colti, the Georgia State Italian Club, are proud to invite you to “Italian Film Series” for the second year running.
Location: The Cinefest Theatre
66 Courtland Street SE, Suite 240
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-413-1798
This month we open the series with three films:
OCTOBER 6th at 7:00PM Swept Away (Travolti da un Insolito Destino nell’Azzurro Mare d’Agosto) Director:Lina Wertmuller Cast:Giancarlo Giannini, MariangelaMelato, RichardoSalvino, Isa Danieli, Aldo Puglisi, Eros Pagni Italy, 1974. Digital, 114 minutes. Italian with English subtitles. Rated R
OCTOBER 8th at 1:00PM and 7:00PM Deep Red (Profondo Rosso) Director:Dario Argento Cast:David Hemming, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Macha Meril Italy, 1975. 35mm. 126 min. English Dub. Rated R
OCTOBER 15th at 1:00PM and 7:00PM The House by the Cemetery (Quella Villa Accanto al Cimitero Director:Lucio Fulci Cast: Catriona MacColl, Paolo Malco, Ania Pieroni, Giovanni Frezza Italy, 1981. 35mm. 87 min. English Dub. Unrated
This series of film screenings will be held the first Thursday of every month at 7:00pm at Cinefest Theater leading to the sixth Italian Film Festival to be held at the Rialto Center for the Arts on April 2012. To receive this information in advance every month sign up by clicking on “Mailing List” in the link below. All screenings are free and open to the public. http://www.cinemaitaly.com/index2.php?idfestival=28 or, on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/ItalianFilmFestival
OUR FACEBOOK PAGE
We hope you enjoy our events as much as we do creating them for you. It takes dedication and tremendous effort to produce Ciancia. Our best strength is in the number of subscribers and in the participation to our events. Please, don’t forget to visit our Ciancia Facebook page and become our friend. It will double your receptivity of news from our community and parallel initiatives to Ciancia.
NEW INITIATIVES WITH OUR LANGUAGE PLEDGE
We are reminded by some of our long-established members that we must return to our core mission, which is to speak Italian at the meetings. Even if you are not fluent, are a new member, or are still learning, please make an effort to speak Italian, for other languages truly defeat the main purpose of our meetings. We can hear you speaking Spanish… or French. There are fabulous clubs in Atlanta where you may speak other languages. When you come to Ciancia, please, help us maintain our tradition. We have noticed that our regular meetings are attended by a majority of Italian language beginners. In order to increase language proficiency and exposure, we decided to hold an additional meeting, on the fourth Tuesday of every other month, at various venues owned by some of our best sponsors, such as Piola, Venti, Fanoos and Baraonda. These meetings will be strictly for Italian language conversation! The formula is simpler: the host will grant a special club-member price of $25.00 for a complete dinner. We will bring our own wine, but there shall be no fee at the door. This is closer to what Ciancia was in its beginnings, 20 years ago. We hope that this initiative will please those who are aching for speaking and learning the language. Dates are TBA.
OUR NEXT EVENT
For the location and directions to our next event, look at the navigational and go to “Next Event”
OUR FOOD POLICY
Bringing food to our events is permitted to those events held by private hosts. It is not permitted for public venues. However, food is necessary in order to enjoy some wine. Speaking of which, we could not help noticing some members filling their plates to capacity, while other members were left without food to munch on. Please, allow us to clarify that we are not a restaurant, and that it is not Ciancia’s intention to provide dinner to all who attend. If you are ravenous, you should consider eating something light before making it to our meetings. The door entry fee you pay barely pays for our annual expenses, or for the wine you drink, and it is an entitlement to pillage on the spread, like some do. The food we provide is simply meant as pairings to the wine. Please, be respectful of other members at our meeting by taking moderate portions. We trust your fairness and cooperation with this issue.
OUR WINE POLICY
Bringing food or wine to our events is not required. There is usually plenty to drink, even if you come empty handed. Our $10 door fee covers our running expenses and it is a nominal price to pay for the entertainment and limitless bounty we offer to our members. Please, don’t feel obligated to buy anything. If you decide to cook, or purchase a bottle of wine, in an effort to keep Ciancia focused on the national heritage of Italy and to increase awareness of its incredible variety of regional products, we inform you that we accept only bottles of Italian wine at the door. Once again, bringing wine or food to our meetings is optional. Special rules may apply to each event, especially those held at restaurants. Make sure you read them each time! As usual with our club tradition, drink responsibly and keep our streets safe!
NEWS WITH OUR STEERING COMMITTEE
We would like to warmly and sincerely thank Enrico Corradi and Elizabeth Moore for their service within our Steering Committee. They have done an excellent job, brought new ideas and insight, and we are grateful to them. We would also like to welcome Alexandra Salivia who is joining our editorial team, and Nelson Salivia who is going to assist us with our Internet interface. They are veterans of our club and we have high expectations upon their service and contribution to our organization.
WHO MAKES CIANCIA POSSIBLE?
Ciancia is brought to you by an outstanding Steering Committee of accomplished professionals, each one bringing to the table amazing experience in communication and event production. This is a team of volunteers, all strong believers in the great rewards of social interaction, curiosity, diversity and cultural engagement.
Here is our current roster:
Giancarlo Pirrone, president
Tony Pelliccia, event and door-reception coordinator
Marcia Briscoe, founder and constitution member
Kristi Hutchinson, IT technical services
Beth Cope, PR and non-profit
Kathleen Layton, event design, PR and promotion
Francesco Scordato, Facebook and Internet interface
Alexandra Salivia, our new editor
Nelson Salivia, IT technical services
Daniele Goffredo Gonzales, website design
We accept new committee members on a regular basis. If you think that you have the drive and time to take over one of the numerous responsibilities, which make Ciancia possible, please step forward. You may contact us at info@ciancia.org . We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting!
The Steering Committee