L'amante di chi?

Ma possibile che il Berlusca venga anche qui ad Atlanta a trovare le showgirl?!

Leo, part deux

More photos of the birthday boy!

Enjoying cupcakes today at daycare for his birthday.





And some other recent pictures:

Un anno, ragazzi!

Tanti auguri a Leo!

Le foto: Baby and me through the year!

The Perfect Hotel Amenity (IMHO)

Dal Nostro Inviato....he's in Sardegna for work (beato lui!) and here's what he finds at his hotel. Ok, it makes sense but for someone like me who's obsessive about my Moka coffee pots, this is PARADISO!

"Bagheria"

Anche se non ho ancora finito di leggere il libro della Ferrante, mi sono permessa di cominciare un nuovo libro, "Bagheria" di Dacia Maraini.

Che lettura squisita! E per fortuna non lo trovo deprimente come "I Giorni Dell'Abandono," il quale sto ancora leggendo, anche se solamente durante il giorno per evitare gli incubi.

Sara' la prima volta che leggo un libro della Maraini. Altri titoli da consigliare?

Deprimente ma squisito

Deprimente ma squisito.....quello e' il mio commento su 'I Giorni Dell'Abandono,' di Elena Ferrante.

Non l'ho ancora finito ed infatti lo posso leggere solamente durante il giorno perche' senno', ho paura di dormire male, inseguita da degli incubi!

Credo che chi l'abbia gia' letto potrebbe condividere questo mio parere (e fatti sentire se sei d'accordo o meno).

Pero' c'e' da dire che lei e' una scrittrice maestosa.

Gelsomina - finalmente!

Come ho detto altre volte, il profumo di gelsomina è il profumo d'Italia per me!

Basta sentirlo, e comincio a ricordare i bei giorni trascorsi in Italia.

Io non so perché. Cioe', non ricordo dove cresceva quando abitavo in Italia (in pieno centro di Firenze, no, o perlomeno non vicino al mio appartamento.)

Forse cresceva nel paese al mare vicino a Roma dove ho passato l'estate dopo aver preso la laurea.

Elena Ferrante & The Good Book Dilemma

(Caption: Un libro di Elena Ferrante + pranzo = pomeriggio perfetto!)

Does this happen to you?

A new order of books arrived, in my case a little cache of Italian novels and memoirs, including one by an author who's totally new to me.

First, I placed the package on my bed for later -- nothing like anticipation to sweeten a treat even further!

Then I opened it, and took out the books slowly and carefully, without reading them. Not ready to break the spines or introduce creases!

Finally I opened them and began to read one of them, "I Giorni Dell'Abandono" by Elena Ferrante, the author I had previously not heard of. She's clearly a master of prose, of story-telling, of conveying complex and unpleasant emotions.

So what's the problem?

It would be hard to overstate how depressing "I Giorni Dell'Abandono" is. It begins with this line:

"Un pomeriggio d'aprile, subito dopo pranzo, mio marito mi annuncio' che voleva lasciarmi."

Trans.: "One April afternoon,right after lunch, my husband announced that he planned to leave me."

And it really goes down from there, in terms of circumscribing the hellish trajectory of a mother of two living through a breakup she didn't see coming and that's now her undoing.

So what to do? My solution is I read it during the day. In the evenings or if I wake up in the middle of the night, I read Dan Brown's "Inferno" or "The Mambo Kings Sing Songs of Love."

Is it only me?!

Dan Brown's "Inferno"

I couldn't resist! Yes, I'm reading Dan Brown's "Inferno," and quite frankly already imagining the movie! (Tom Hanks as Langdon, okay, sure but who will be Sienna Brooks? I could see someone like Kate Beckinsale, though I don't really like her).

Even though I'm already reading a few other books (including Elena Ferrante's "I Giorni Dell'Abandono"), I just couldn't pass up plunging into a book that will cover some of my favorite topics: the streets of Florence (including the Dante signs), Dante's Inferno, and Italian life in general.

In fact, I sort of see it as a refresher on Dante. I'll never stop studying Dante, I'll never stop reading snippets of La Divina Commedia, I'll never tire of learning something new about this incredible book. Mainly, because it's so complex! I'm quite sure Dan Brown has something to teach me about Dante.

And I hate to say anything negative about the book or the author, as I've already ploughed through 150 pages since I collected the book at the library Saturday, and he has me on the edge of my seat. No, it's not high literature but it sure is entertaining.

And he's popularizing an epic, three-part POEM written in arcane early Italian from the 14th century. As a lover of Italian literature, I'd say that's a pretty good deed!

Una buona forchetta!

Leo @ 10 mesi!

Chiaramente gli piace la pasta asciutta! Menomale dato che si chiama LEONARDO.

Per gli amici in Italia, vi posso rassicurare che sta cresciendo benino e spero vivamente di farvelo conoscere presto presto.

Gli angeli

One of my favorite places in Atlanta is Oakland Cemetery.

I love walking there, and like many others, I love to take photos there. Here are two of my favorites:



I love the combination of skyline, ornamental cemetery monuments and nature in this one picture.

Al dente? No, no al Dante

LOVE this New Yorker cartoon!

Le sue manine (Leo's hands)

I love Leo's hands so I've started to take photos of them:

Trying out my new Nikon 1 J1

Flowers in the garden. Seems like my new camera can't take a bad picture!

Voglia di Messico/Ch-ch-ch-changes

Ho tantissima voglia di andare in Messico. (ENGLISH BELOW)

Nel passato, non ve ne avrei detto nulla perché che c'entra il Messico con questo blog, dedicato all'Italia e alla lingua di Dante?

Però, la passione che provo per l'Italia ha fatto nascere altre passioni, e il tempo trascorso in Italia ha trasformato il modo in cui vivo, mangio, viaggio, penso, ecc.

Quindi quando vado in Messico, cerco di mangiare ciò che è stagionale. Cerco di conoscere gente del posto, parlare la loro lingua, e cosi via.

Poi c'è da dire che non è mica facile viaggiare spesso dall'America in Italia, e diversi anni ce l'ho fatta solamente ad andare in Messico o altri posti più vicini.

E nel frattempo ho scoperto altri interessi, tipo le foto, la musica cubana, le città, passeggiate dovunque, e cosi via.

E d'ora in poi vorrei condividere queste passioni con voi, i lettori di Ciambellina. Spero di non farvi annoiare!

Per quanto riguarda la foto quassù, l'ho scattata sulla terrazza di un'appartamento che abbiamo preso in affitto in Zihuatanejo, sulla costa ovest di Messico.

Bellissimo, no?

*

I want to go to Mexico so badly!

In years past, I would never have mentioned it to you because what place does that thought have on a blog that's about Italy and the language of Dante?

But my love of Italy has been a springboard for other interests, and the time that I spent in Italy changed how I live, eat, travel, think, etc. So if I go to Mexico, for example, I try to eat what's in season. I make an effort to meet local people and speak their language.

And I guess it's worth noting that traveling to Italy from the U.S. isn't all that easy for me, and some years all I could manage was a trip to Mexico or some other place that's closer.

Meanwhile, I've discovered all sorts of other interests -- for example, photography, Cuban music, cities, walks, etc.

So from now on, I'm going to write about these interests on this blog and I hope you won't be bored!

As for the photo above, I took it on the terrace of a house we rented in Zihuatanejo, which is on the west coast of Mexico.

It's gorgeous, no?

Dante @ Emory University

I saw this sign in a laboratory at Emory University in Atlanta (not a great photo but a great line from the Divina Commedia: "Lasciate ogne speranza voi ch'intrate.")

Delusione (Disappointment)

I went to see "Lezioni Di Cioccolato" last night as part of the Italian Film Festival in Atlanta, and as I should have expected, it was a profound disappointment.

Unfortunately Friday night was the only night I could attend -- likely a common scenario for many busy Atlanta residents the annual film fest might want to otherwise attract.

But I don't even know why you would bother projecting the film outside of Italy.

It was your typical stupid romantic comedy. Note, Italians know how to make good romantic comedies. Why not show those? Why not find the latest version of something like Pieraccioni's "I Laureati"?

I think people expect more from a foreign film festival than an Adam Sandler-level comedy (and I don't mean "The Wedding Singer"; he's stopped making movies as good as that). This one didn't even feature Italian film stars of that magnitude!

Regrettably, I worry it's a trend. Last year, I wound up going to see "Gli Immaturi," another film in this vein of forgettable, poorly-executed romantic comedies. I believe they showed it twice!

In past years, they've shown serious films such as "Il papà di Giovanna" with the accomplished Italian actor, Silvio Orlandi.

Why hasn't the film festival shown a movie like "La Doppia Ora"? I had to go see it on my own when it came to Atlanta, but I'm sure even many Italophiles missed it and it could have made a nice addition to the film festival any of the past years (since the festival doesn't seem to showcase the latest releases, something that also seems surprising).

I so want to patronize Italian culture here in Atlanta, and I've been a big supporter of the film festival. But I'm really disappointed with the trend of uninspiring films that seem to take center stage at this festival.

And I think from a marketing standpoint, it makes no sense. You'll get the serious cinema-goer if you show important films. You'll get the casual movie consumer if you show broad blockbuster comedies.

But you won't get anyone if instead you show lackluster films like "Lezioni Di Cioccolato."

I should probably add a personal note: I so look forward to the film festival each year! I want to see Italian cinema, I want to practice my Italian, I want to exercise the 'Italian part' of my brain! I want to catch up on where the Italian film industry is headed, etc.

And now that I'm a mom, I was thrilled to see the festival fell during a week when my daycare offers a Parents Night Out babysitting option. I felt like it was fate! But I essentially wasted a night of babysitting, a night out with my partner, a night of freedom on something so disappointing.

Thank God for the Standard in Grant Park, which gave me a glass of wine to enjoy on the patio with the brilliant late afternoon sun, and Miso, which as always provided a wonderful meal of sushi and izakaya specialties for dinner!

Atlanta Italian Film Fest -- "Lezioni Di Cioccolato"

I'm headed tonight to see "Lezioni Di Cioccolato" at the Plaza Theater as part of the 7th annual Italian Film Festival in Atlanta.

Vieni anche tu!

Leo: "Eccomi a nove mesi!"

Dopo di avermi permesso di scattare questa foto, Leo mi ha detto quanto segue:

"Va bene, è vero Mamma che mi chiamo Leonardo ma come puoi vedere dalla maglia che indosso sono tifoso della squadra Irlanda!

Ho 9 solo mesi ma figurati: faccio a modo mio di già!"

William Weaver, traduttore

I happened to read an essay recently about the translator, William Weaver, who translated many of the great books in the canon of 20th century Italian literature.

And as soon as I finished, I jumped on Amazon.com and bought the book you see in the photo. There's a long biographical essay about his living in Italy after the war and hobnobbing with Alberto Moravia and Elsa Morante and Giorgio Bassani, and then translated excerpts follow.

The book led me to re-read "Il Giardino Dei Finzi-Contini," this time side by side with his English translation.

Oh Lord I had forgotten how glorious Bassani's prose was! And it's fascinating to review Weaver's language choices, particularly as he translates certain words that are particular to the world of Jews in Ferrara during the Fascist era.