Italian Language Blog

Terremoto: from the Latin Terrae-earth and Motus-movement or shaking.

In the late afternoon of 23^rd December 2008 a deep rumbling vibration heralded the arrival of the latest terremoto to hit the Italian peninsula. The epicenter of the earthquake, measuring 5.1 on the Richter Scale, took place about 40-50 km from us at a depth of 26 kilometers underground in the region between Parma and Reggio Emilia. The fact that the epicenter was so deep meant that the shock waves were felt over a wide area. My neighbor’s mother, who is 83 and completely deaf, was sitting by the stove knitting. When the quake struck she put down her work looked up and exclaimed “Terremoto!”.

“Grande paura, gente in strada” (A big scare, folk out in the street) said the papers the following morning. Being the final run up to Christmas the shops in Parma were packed and there was, naturally, quite a bit of a panic when everything began to shake. Fortunately no one was injured and no serious damage was done.

There is, however, something extremely unsettling about an event like this because the realization dawns that terra ferma (stable ground) is not as stable as you would like to think. It also reminds us that Italia, being on the edge of the African continental plate, is a zona sismica (earthquake zone) and that the worst earthquake to take place in Europe happened a hundred years ago at 5.21 a.m. on the 28^th December 1908 in the Stretto di Messina (Straits of Messina). The Terremoto di Messina measured 7.2 on the Richter scale and lasted between 30 and 40 seconds almost completely destroying Messina, located in Sicily, and Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland. The terremoto was followed by a maremoto (Tsunami), which swept 13m high waves against the coast causing further devastation. It is estimated that about 90% of the buildings in Messina were rasi al suolo (razed to the ground). This was partly due to the construction of the buildings themselves which, unlike those built more recently, were not made to withstand seismic shocks, and had heavy roofs, which tended to collapse comparatively easily. This, together with the magnitude of the quake and the fact that it took place in the early hours of the morning when most people were still in bed, accounts for the horrifying loss of life, an estimated 100,000 people.

The above is a photo of Messina after the earthquake

For a list of the main Italian earth quakes from 62 A.D. to the present day have a look at this link: Lista di Terremoto in Italia

To get an idea of how frequently earthquakes take place in Italy (two so far today, three yesterday!) and view maps of quake locations try this site: www.earthquake.it

I hope I haven’t put you off a tranquil visit to Italy!

Natale (Christmas) is upon us with all its frenetic rhythms: shopping, cards, presents, parties, expectations of happiness, peace and goodwill. But in my mind there are a few whispered words: it’s a poem, written by Giuseppe Ungaretti during the First World War, that we used to study at Christmas time when I was at school.

Giuseppe Ungaretti, one of my favorite Italian poets, was born in Egypt in 1888 of Italian parents. In 1912 he went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne, and whilst in Paris he met many avant-guard artists, from Picasso to Braque, from Modigliani to De Chirico, as well as the poet Apollinaire. In 1915 he moved to Italy, where he published his first volume of verse. When Italy entered the Great War he enlisted as a volunteer.

Unagaretti’s life, and therefore his poetic work, is marked by two tragedies: the experience of the First World War, and the death of his nine-year-old son in 1939.

I love Ungaretti’s poems because of the very powerful images and emotions which they suggest, through often very short verses and an apparently simple language. But Ungaretti is a master of condensing language so that each word becomes essential, fully charged with symbolic meaning, and balanced against silence, represented by the white spaces on the page, as in this particular poem, which expresses the need to withdraw into a warm, cozy place, both physical and spiritual.

Natale

Non ho voglia

di tuffarmi

in un gomitolo

di strade

Ho tanta

stanchezza

sulle spalle

Lasciatemi così

come una

cosa

posata

in un

angolo

e dimenticata

Qui

non si sente

altro

che il caldo buono

Sto

con le quattro

capriole

di fumo

del focolare

Christmas

I don’t have the will / to dive / into a tangle / of streets

I have so much / weariness / on my shoulders

Leave me / like a / thing / placed / in a / corner / and forgotten

Here / one feels nothing / other / than the good warmth

I’ll stay / with the four / somersaults / of smoke / from the hearth.

Vi auguro un Natale pieno di pace e amore

As promised here is the recipe used by Toni to enchant his beloved Lucia.

This recipe is for a panettone casereccio (home-made panettone). Normally people don’t make Panettone at home but buy it from the fornaio (bakers) or an alimentari (food shop). This recipe is not suitable for microwaves and you’ll need a fairly big traditional oven. Serves 10-12.

Ingredienti

650 grammi farina 00 (23oz plain flour)

200 grammi burro fuso (7 oz unsalted butter, melted)

150 grammi zucchero fino (5 oz caster sugar)

15 grammi di sale (1/2 oz salt)

2 uova (2 eggs)

200 grammi uva passa (7 oz raisins)

100 grammi canditi tritati finemente (4 oz candied peel finely chopped)

50 grammi lievito di birra (2 oz yeast)

scorza gratuggiata di 1 limone (grated rind of 1 lemon)

1 decilitro circa di acqua tiepida (about 100 ml lukewarm water)

Lavorazione – Method

Dissolve the yeast in the water. Separate the eggs. Sift the flour in a big bowl, make a well in the center and add the yeast liquid. Mix by hand gradually adding the egg yolks, the sugar and the salt until the dough is fairly firm. Add the melted butter, mixing it well, then incorporate the lemon rind, raisins and candied peel. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place to rise.

After about 1 hour turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead again for 2 minutes, then shape it into a tall oval loaf in order to get the classic panettone shape. Place the dough in a tall, greased cake tin lined with grease proof paper. Leave it to rise until it has doubled in size (5-6 hours).

Cut the top to make a cross shape and brush with the egg white slightly beaten. Bake in a moderately hot oven, 200°C, Gas Mark 6, 400°F, for 1 hour and 30 minutes or longer, until well cooked and of a rich dark color.

Serve the panettone with Spumante.

Buon Appetito!