Italian Language Blog

On the 25th of April, Anna Proclemer, one of our greatest Italian stage actresses, died in Rome at the age of 90.

Click on the image below to visit her official website .

Born in Trento in 1923 Anna Proclemer began acting in the early 40’s. I first saw her many years ago at the Teatro del Giglio di Lucca where she was performing in Chi ha paura di Virginia Woolf? (Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?), and immediately fell in love with her: she had a deep voice and a great stage presence. I still have an image from that play impressed in my mind: Anna Proclemer, dressed in red, was sitting on a sofa, her left arm stretched over the back, and with just a simple rolling movement of her left hand and the lifting of an eyebrow she managed to perfectly express her character’s annoyance. For me, this little gesture was so powerful that, from where I was sitting up in the loggione (gallery), I had the impression that all the other actors/characters had disappeared and she had grown to fill the whole stage.

A few years later, by a strange coincidence, I was very lucky to see her once more:

Era il luglio del 1992. Io mi trovavo per la prima volta in vita mia in Grecia, ad Atene. Ero lì per lavoro, perché facevo parte della Commissione di Maturità al Liceo Scientifico italiano di Atene e ovviamente al fine settimana non si lavorava, così decisi di approfittarne per visitare alcuni dei siti che avevo studiato sui miei libri di archeologia e prenotai una gita di due giorni in autobus. La sera del primo giorno ci fermammo in un albergo in una moderna cittadina sulla costa, vicina all’antico teatro di Epidauro, famoso per la sua meravigliosa acustica. Mentre visitavo la cittadina aspettando l’ora di cena, fuori dall’ufficio turistico vidi un poster che pubblicizzava proprio per quella sera una rappresentazione dell’Edipo Re di Sofocle al teatro di Epidauro. Non mi soffermai nemmeno a leggere il nome della compagnia, pensai solo che non potevo farmi scappare un’occasione simile, e senza pensarci due volte entrai e comprai il biglietto.

It was July of 1992. I found myself, for the first time in my life, in Athens, Greece. I was there for work because I was part of the end of Secondary School Exam Board at the Italian Liceo Scientifico in Athens, and obviously one doesn’t work at the weekend, so I decided to make the most of it by visiting some of the sites that I’d studied in my archaeology books, and I booked a two day bus trip. On the evening of the first day we stopped at a hotel in a modern town on the coast, close to the ancient theatre of Epidaurus, famous for its wonderful acoustic qualities. Whilst I visited the little town waiting for dinner time I noticed a poster outside the tourist office advertising an interpretation of ’Oedipus Rex’ by Sophocles that very evening at the theatre of Epidaurus. I didn’t even hang around to read the name of the company of actors, my only thought was that I couldn’t miss an opportunity like that, and without giving it  second thought I went in and bought a ticket.

Dopo cena andai nella piazza dove ci aspettava l’autobus per portarci ad Epidauro. Appena arrivata al teatro, la prima persona che incontrai fu un illustre professore universitario italiano, docente di Greco, che avevo conosciuto un paio di anni prima al Cairo ad un convegno internazionale di studi classici. Dopo un breve saluto andai a trovar posto sugli spalti del più famoso teatro antico, e subito una nuova sorpresa: nella fila sotto di me venne a sedersi un gruppo d’italiani e sentii uno di loro chiamare: “Piera, siamo qui!”. Forse per la suggestione del luogo, io pensai immediatamente a Piera Degli Esposti, grande attrice teatrale, ed … era proprio lei, col suo profilo inconfondibile! “Beh, sono in buona compagnia stasera” mi dissi.

After dinner I went to the square where the bus was waiting to take us to Epidaurus. As soon as I got to the theatre the first person I met was an illustrious Italian university professor, head professor of Greek, that I’d met a couple of years before in Cairo  at an international conference on classical studies. After a quick hello I went to find a place on the seats of the most famous of ancient theatres (designed by Polykleitos the Younger in the 4th century BC) when, immediately, a new surprise: in the row below me a group of Italians came and sat down, and I heard one of them call: “Piera, we’re here!”. Perhaps because of the setting I immediately thought of Piera Degli Esposti, a great theatrical actress, and … it was really her, with her unmistakable profile! “Well, I’m in good company this evening!” I said to myself.

Sopra: Piera Degli Esposti

Ed ecco cominciare lo spettacolo: io mi ero mentalmente preparata ad una recita in greco antico ed ero pronta a cercare di riconoscere qua e là qualche parola sopravvissuta alla ruggine degli anni, ma con mio grande stupore gli attori parlavano in italiano! Erano italiani e famosi!: Giancarlo Sbragia, Mariano Rigillo, e lei, la grandissima Anna Proclemer nel ruolo di Giocasta. Si può essere più fortunati di così?

And now the show began: I was mentally prepared for a performance in ancient Greek and I was ready to try and recognise, here and there, a few words from my rusty vocabulary, but to my great amazement the actors spoke in Italian. They were Italians, and famous!: Giancarlo Sbragia, Mariano Rigillo, and her, the great Anna Proclemer playing the part of Giocasta. Could one be any luckier?

Grazie Anna per le indimenticabili emozioni che mi hai regalato! Riposa In Pace

Thank you Anna for the unforgettable emotions that you gave me! Rest in Peace

I recently heard about a fascinating initiative taking place in the suburbs of Rome. It’s called EutOrto, and the following newspaper article, which I’ve edited and translated, explains what it’s all about:

Dal computer alla vanga, da tre anni in cassa integrazione in 20 ex Eutelia hanno preso in gestione un terreno all’Ardeatino

From the computer to the spade, layed off work three years ago 20 ex employees of Eutelia have taken on the management of some land at Ardeatino (Click here to see map)

Click on photo above to watch a video about EutOrto

EutOrto

Per raggiungere questa storia e vederla con i propri occhi, per annusarla, bisogna superare le Fosse Ardeatine, proseguire per un chilometro, domandare dell’istituto agrario. Lì, dentro una tenuta di 80 ettari – sullo sfondo, da una parte Roma 70 e dall’altra Fonte Meravigliosa – ecco i tremila metri quadrati dell’EutOrto, l’orto realizzato dai lavoratori (ingegneri, matematici, amministrativi) che dopo essere stati «venduti» dalla Bull (francese) e dall’Eutronics (olandese) all’Eutelia (italianissima…), e aver realizzato le commesse di Banca d’Italia, ministero dell’Interno, Camera, Campidoglio, ed essere stati ancora «venduti» a un’altra società, la «Agile», alla fine, dopo mesi senza stipendi, si sono ritrovati in cassa integrazione, senza lavoro. Sì certo hanno occupato la fabbrica per sei mesi e poi per altri due sono stati (in camper) in piazza Montecitorio: ma è chiaro che, sacra protesta a parte, mica era vita. Ecco, la storia dell’EutOrto comincia in quel momento, quando hanno deciso di reagire al disordine con la creatività.

To get to the bottom of the story and see it with your own eyes, to smell it out, you have to pass the Ardeatine quarries, carry on for a kilometre, and ask for the agricultural institute. There, in a smallholding of 80 hectares – on one side in the background Roma 70 and on the other Fonte Meravigliosa  – are the 3,000 square meters of EutOrto, the allotment created by workers (engineers, mathematicians, managers) who, after having been ‘sold’ by Bull (French) and Eutronics (Dutch) to Eutelia (very Italian….), and having carried out work commissioned by the Banca d’Italia, Ministry of Internal Affairs, House of Parliament, Rome City Council, and then being ‘sold’ once again to another society, called ‘Agile’, finally, after months without any wages, found themselves laid off. Yes, sure they protested at the factory for six months followed by two more months (living in camper vans) in piazza Montecitorio: but it’s clear that, ‘sacred’ protest apart, it wasn’t exactly a life. So, the story of EutOrto began at that moment, when they decided to react to the whole mess with creativity.

Di colpo lasciati senza soldi e lavoro, hanno preso a diserbare, piantare, innaffiare: così, una stagione dopo l’altra, hanno capito che, oltre a sfamare le famiglie, potevano avere qualcosa d’altro, non solo cibo. Per fare solo un esempio, a capitare all’orto di venerdì si può incontrare uno psicologo. Ma perché è qui? «Per fare il mio lavoro, hanno bisogno di sostegno: parliamo di persone che sì, si sono reinventate, ma comunque non hanno risolto tutto…». Sì, ma scusi, come la pagano? «In questa stagione con broccoletti, carote, finocchi. Ma d’estate pagano meglio, e di più!».

Suddenly left without work and money, they began to weed, plant, and water: in this way, season after season, they understood that, other than feeding their families, they could obtain something more than just food. To give just one example, if you come to the allotment on a Friday, you can meet a psychologist. But why is he here?  “To do my job, they need support: we are talking about people who, yes, have reinvented themselves, but haven’t however sorted out all their problems …” Yes, but, excuse me, how do they pay you? “In this season with broccoli, carrots, fennel. But in the summer they pay me better, and more !”

“I cavoletti di Bruxelles stanno iniziando a germogliare. Poi, all’improvviso, il grumolo rosso di Verona” – si legge nel diario on line -  “Arrivi all’orto e trovi meraviglie. Lo scorso anno sono spuntati due fichi  che abbiamo deciso di mantenere lungo il vialetto. Oggi li abbiamo trovati pieni di gemme e di frutti”. Certo, non sarà mai una tredicesima, ferie, giorni di malattia pagati: «Ma è stato un modo per lavorare – racconta Gloria Salvatori, 56 anni – per non perdere la socialità del lavoro, qui non crescono solo pomodori».

“The Brussels sprouts are starting to sprout. Then, suddenly, the Grumolo Rosso di Verona” – one reads in the online diary – “You arrive at the allotment and find marvels. Last year two fig trees came up, and we decided to keep them along the driveway. Today we found them full of buds and fruits”. Of course, there will never be a bonus, paid holiday, or sick leave: “But it’s been a way to work – says 56 year old Gloria Salvatori – a way to not loose the social interaction of work, not only tomatoes grow here”.

Ancora dal diario on line: “Cosa ci auguriamo se non di uscire dal precariato? Una stabilità per far di questo EutOrto il nostro luogo, per sempre”. Il futuro è tutto da immaginare ma le braccia rubate all’informatica, almeno, hanno un presente: “Ci ha consentito di conservare la coesione tra noi, l’identità di essere lavoratori cassintegrati, e credo – sorride Gloria Salvatori – che siamo riuscito a realizzare ciò che avevamo sperato, reagire al disordine con una risposta creativa, il nostro orto urbano. Certo facevamo altro, eravamo altro, ma siamo stati capaci di trasformarci”. Da ingegneri informatici ad agricoltori, quasi una rivoluzione!

Once again from the online diary: “What do we want for ourselves if not of getting away from insecurity? Stability in order to turn EutOrto into our place, for ever”. The future can be left to the imagination, but the workforce which was torn away from Information Technology at least have a present: “It allows us to maintain cohesion amongst us, the identity of being laid off workers, and I believe – smiles Gloria Salvatori -  that we’ve managed to realise what we hoped for, react to disorder with a creative reply, our urban allotment. Sure we did something else before, we were something else, but we’ve been able to transform ourselves”. From IT engineers to farmers, almost a revolution!

Take two classic ingredients from Italian popular fiction …

1. Generations of Italians have grown up with Disney’s comics “Topolino” (Little Mouse), the Italian version of Mickey Mouse, whose hobby is playing the private detective. These comics are extremely popular here in Italy, and rather than being simply a translated version of the original they are specifically ‘made in Italy’, that is, designed and created for an Italian audience with some original all Italian characters. There is Amelia, for example, the witch who lives on the Vesuvius and is desperate to get hold of Paperon de Paperoni’s (Uncle scrooge’s) legendary first cent.

2. You may have heard of Salvo Montalbano Italy’s most famous fictional detective, created in 1994 by writer Andrea Camilleri, and wonderfully interpreted by the actor Luca Zingaretti in the extremely popular TV series “Commissario Montalbano”. Salvo Montalbano, like his creator Camilleri, is Sicilian, and lives and woks in Vigata (a made up name) in a house facing the beach (my dream house!). He speaks a mixture of Italian and Sicilian dialect, and is eternally engaged to, but never marries or lives with, Livia, a Police colleague who lives and works in the north of Italy. Translated into English, Inspector Montalbano has been very popular in the U.K. where it was screened by the BBC

… now put these two classic ingredients together and what do we get?

Salvo Topalbano! The name Topalbano is obviously an amalgam of Montalbano and the word topo (mouse), and naturally Topalbano the Sicilian mouse detective lives and works in Vigatta, that’s Vi plus gatta (cat), rather than Vigata!

La Trama (The Story Line):

Topolino and his lifelong fiancé Minnie are on holiday in Sicily visiting la Valle dei Templi (the Valley of the Temples) near Agrigento, when Minnie is kidnapped. In order to rescue his beloved Minnie, Topolino  accepts help from Topalbano, who introduces himself with a version of the classic Montalbano line: “Topalbano sono” (I’m Topalbano). During his stay in Vigatta, Topolino learns to speak Vigattese, and to appreciate local ‘delicacies’ such as la pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines).

How did Andrea Camilleri react to the creation of Topalbano? Speaking in a TV interview he said he was ”onorato e felice, è come prendere un Nobel” (honoured and happy, it’s like receiving a Nobel prize). Camilleri was, of course, contacted in advance by Disney to get his permission, and he got great satisfaction from watching his creation, Commissario Montalbano, being transformed into the cartoon character Topalbano with the help of scriptwriter Francesco Artibani and graphic artists Giorgio Cavazzano (drawings) and Mirka Andolfo (colour).