Italian American Digest 7Italian American Digest FALL 2018 | Page 3

FALL 2018
I talian A merican D igest
C
iao AICC Members!
I hope you had a great summer filled with
wonderful adventures! I know I did.
I traveled with
the American Ital-
ian Cultural Center
to Venezia, Bolo-
gna, Firenze, and
Roma, and my trip
got off to a crazy
start…
I arrived in
Venezia on a
Saturday morning
around 10 a.m.,
and since I was in
no rush, I decided
to take the bus from the airport into the city.
While trying to figure out the directions to
my hotel, I stumbled across a different hotel
that I had stayed at with friends back in 1987.
I stopped to take a couple pictures to share,
and out of the corner of my eye I saw my bags
rolling toward the canal!
I tried to grab them, but I couldn’t stop
them in time.
My bags did a perfect cannonball into the
canal!
I looked around shocked. Thankfully a
water taxi driver came up and offered his
assistance.
We jumped on his parked boat and tried to
get the bags, but they were just out of reach.
Finallly, the bags floated toward the bulkhead,
which allowed the driver to hoist them out of
the water with his umbrella. My larger bag
had gone from 45 pounds to at least 80!
The taxi driver returned to his boat without
asking for anything in return; nonetheless, I
ran over and handed him 20 euros.
After retrieving my sopping wet bags, I
was on my way to the hotel at last!
Once I arrived at the hotel, I began the
difficult process of unpacking and sorting wet
from dry. I took my clothes to the laundry,
began blow drying my electrical items, and
spread out my important papers.
Luckily I only lost my dopp kit, briefcase,
and camera.
After my whirlwind day, I went to sleep
early. The following morning, I was rested
and ready to meet the AICC group when they
arrived.
I cannot wait for my next adventure!
A dopo!
Warmly,
Frank Maselli
AICC Chairman
PAGE 3
Achille Perrelli’s Artistic Instincts Led Him to New Orleans
Perelli continued to sculpt in New Orleans,
Achille Perelli was an Italian-born New Orleans now creating busts of historical figures, including
artist who created paintings and sculptures depict- various Confederate monuments, as requested by
ing Louisiana wildlife and figures throughout the the city. His notable statues include a Stonewall
Jackson monument in Metairie Cemetery and a
19th century.
Robert E. Lee bust in Greenwood Cemetery.
Perelli was born in Milan, Italy, on March 7,
Perelli’s
1822, and trained
paintings,
at the Academia
which can be
di Belle Ati under
found in the
sculptor Galli. As a
New Orleans
young man, Perelli
Museum of
fought in the Ital-
Art and the
ian Revolution of
Louisiana State
1848 in an effort to
Museum, often
unify the country.
depict wildlife
The efforts were
he found com-
led by Giuseppe
pelling during
Garibaldi, who was
his time in
ultimately defeat-
Louisiana. He
ed, causing Perelli
painted realistic
to escape to Amer-
images of small
ica.
creatures native
As an artist,
to the state,
Perelli considered
such as birds
his craft when
and fish, which
deciding where he
Perelli would
would spend the
catch himself.
rest of his life. He
As New Or-
traveled through-
leans celebrates
out the United
its 300th year,
States, looking for
Perelli’s work
a perfect location
continues to
to find inspiratation
echo the com-
Ultimately, the
plicated history
wildlife and land-
of Louisiana,
scape of the South-
from its turbu-
east drew him to
lent Civil War
New Orleans, a
years to its
city that would
serene natural
recognize his talent
beauty.
for generations to
Nature Morte: Red Squirrel, a watercolor by Achille Perelli
come.
by Tabor Brewster