Feature
Feature
A Special Christmas Found in War-Torn Italy
Raimondo P. Bernacchi
contributing writer
Per Raimondo Bernacchi, arruolato
nella Marina Americana nei difficili anni
della Seconda Guerra Mondiale, incontrare
per la prima volta i nonni a Lucca durante
un breve congedo natalizio, rimane uno dei
suoi più toccanti e bei ricordi delle festività.
systems were not readily available, so at
5 p.m. on December 21, a cold and blustery night, I departed from my ship at
Venice and started to hitchhike in a
southwesterly direction, hoping for the best.
My efforts paid off as I traveled by
armored British vehicle, ferried across
tives. When I was growing up, my parents,
who were born and raised in the Lucca
area, always talked about the Quattro Murri,
meaning the four walls. I inquired about
transportation to that area and was told
to take a trolley, which I did, and the conductor informed me when I arrived there.
My
most
treasured
memory
dates back to December, 1946.
It
was this Christmas season that I met
my grandparents for the first time.
At the time, I was serving in the U.S.
Navy and was aboard a ship in the Northern Adriatic, as part of the Allied Naval
Occupational Forces. Italy was slowly recovering from a long, dreadful war. Many of
the highways, railways and bridges were still
severely damaged, and travel was restricted.
Knowing that my grandparents lived in
Lucca, a distance of approximately 300
miles, I was determined to find a way to visit
them, and spend Christmas Day with them. Left: Lori Benacci, Mary Joy (DiPlacido) Aumer, Norma (Mangin) Flynn
After several requests to various com- Right: John Benacci, Charles Mangin, Kathleen (Mangin) Flynn
manding officers, I was given a five-day
leave, only because I could fluently speak the Po River, walked several miles,
As I got off the trolley, I noticed that I
Italian.
Now that I was granted the rode on a train, and finally at 6 a.m. was out in the country at what seemed to
leave, my next problem was how to get the following day I arrived in Lucca. be an intersection. Only two of the four
to Lucca.
Most of the transportation
My next challenge was to locate my rela- walls were remaining. My next decision was
to select which of the four roads I should
take. I decided to take the one going up
the hill as I could see a home with lights
in the distance. The time was now about
8 a.m. and after about 1000 feet up the
hilly road, I noticed an elderly gentleman
with a cane coming down the hill. As we
met, we greeted, and I asked if he knew
where the Bernacchi’s or Lucianis lived.
He looked at me strangely and asked
in Italian, “Who are you?” I identified
myself and told him who my parents
were. He dropped the cane, threw his
arms around me and told me he was my
dad’s schoolmate and closest friend. He
then personally escorted me to the Bernacchi home up the road, where I was
greeted by uncles, aunts and cousins.
The festivities started almost immediately, and for two hectic days in a simple
and humble fashion, I was treated like a
king. But the best was saved for Christmas
Eve and Christmas Day, for it was then that
I was able for the very first time to meet
my maternal grandparents, the Lucianis.
Needless to say, it was an emotional and
joyous reunion. The celebration started with
Midnight Mass at the family church, followed by a family reunion on Christmas Day.
December 26 came too soon, for
I was again traveling through the countryside returning to my ship. Yes, a dream
had come true. This was to become my
most
treasured
Christmas
memory.
Traditional Abruzze Christmas Dinner
Alicia Mazzi
contributing writer, Cleveland, Ohio
I piatti del tipico cenone di Natale abruzzese continuano a
mantenere vive le tradizioni e la storia di questa regione. Ingredienti semplici e locali danno vita a ricette deliziose tramandate
di generazione in generazione, che preservano nel tempo il
piacere di raccogliersi attorno alla tavola per celebrare le festività.
The holidays and good Italian food go hand-in-hand.
Mention Christmas Eve, and it is sure to conjure up
memories of the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes.
However, for those who could not bear to eat fish as
children, Christmas Day became the actual feast day
to celebrate and give thanks for all we had been given.
On Christmas, families celebrated the birth of our
Lord and enjoyed an entire day devoted to the family.
For many in the region of Abruzzo, not only
was Christmas special, but the 12th day - the Epiphany - was the most important day to celebrate. Coincidentally, my grandmother was born on the Epiphany.
Both
of
my
grandmothers
began
menuplanning for Christmas Eve and Christmas day
weeks in advance. Christmas Day’s menu consisted of lasagna.
The leftover dough was used
to make “sagna pats” (piece of lasagna noodles cut into
squares that would be used for the Epiphany dinner.)
The bar was covered with delicious antipasto spread and
plenty of wine. This was and still is my favorite part of the
dinner. It was the one time of the year where ALL the Italian
meats, cheeses, olives, roasted red peppers, lupini, marinated
12
eggplant and mushrooms were served. There were always
plenty of leftovers for the entire next week. Dinner began
with a prayer and a champagne toast, even for the children.
The meal began with meatless lasagna, roast beef, roast
chicken, liver sausage (this was special and only my great
grandfather ate it) served with the salad and roasted vegetables. At Christmastime there was Torrone (which to
this day I can only eat at Christmas), biscotti,
cookies, cakes, and of course the chestnuts for
dessert. Dessert was served hours after the meal.
The children went to play, the adults
cleaned the dishes, and everyone sat around
talking and laughing. The wine was either
homemade from relatives, or we served
Riunite.
We never had expensive wine.
These are the traditions I became accustomed to as a child. With most of the family
gone, I did some research and was delighted
to find that our dinner was almost identical
to what the Italians in the region still eat
today. They begin with wedding soup, almost
identical to ours except they use cardons
instead of swiss chard. The Italians also serve
meatless lasagna for Christmas with roasted
meats, vegetables and salad. They have all
the same cookies as well as Torrone and chestnuts to serve as dessert. They enjoy their
meal, and then sit around talking for hours.
Knowing that my family kept these traditions, and that we are still connected to our
region through the food we eat, is very special.
Today Christmas is smaller; many family
members have passed away or moved away, and
we are more spread out than in the past. But
we still try to keep these traditions alive regar-
dless of the food we eat. It is the love we share for our
family on that special day that connects us to our past.
These are all traditions that should be celebrated as our
connection to the past and not forgotten as the years go by.
This year, take time on Christmas to sit down with a glass
of homemade wine, enjoy your meal, pull out old photos to
share with the family, and talk about our beautiful history.
LA GAZZETTA ITALIANA | DECEMBER 2013
A Christmas Season in Italy
Laurene Cirino DiCillo
contributing writer
Tante sono le feste e le tradizioni celebrate in tutta Italia
durante le festività natalizie,
iniziando dalla ricorrenza di San
Nicola il 6 dicembre per finire con
l’Epifania il 6 gennaio. L’elemento
che le accomuna rimane l’importanza
della famiglia, del cibo e della fede.
From the Feast of St. Nicholas
on December 6 to Epiphany on
January 6, Italians have found
many ways to honor the birth of
Christ beyond the calendar day of
December 25. Activities based on
the importance of saints, customs,
and traditions vary among different villages, cities and regions.
In joyful anticipation of Christ’s
coming and commemoration of his
birth, specialty foods, music, processions and bonfires are at the
heart of most of these celebrations.
The Feast of St. Nicholas
on
December
6
celebrates
the momentous arrival of the
saint’s remains in Italy in the
11th Century.
Though St.
Nicholas was of Greek descent,
born in Asia Minor and made
Bishop in Myra during the 4th
Century, his partial remains were
secretly moved to Bari, Italy by
Italian sailors in 1087. Christians feared that when the Turks
invaded Asia Minor, they would
be unable to make pilgrimages to
Myra to honor the saint at his
tomb, and so the sailors took off
with the human relics so that
he could be honored elsewhere.
Nicholas’ history was one of
endurance through the Christian
persecutions. His dedication to
Christianity, his love and generosity offered for those in
need, and the multiple miracles
attributed to St. Nicholas made
him a widely venerated figure.
He is a patron saint of many—
children, maidens wishing to be
married, scholars, mariners, and
prisoners—just to name a few.
The Basilica di San Nicola was
built in honor of St. Nicholas in
Bari. Each May, the statue of St.
Nicholas, or Nicola, is taken out to
sea for the day. While the statue is
at sea, throngs of people, including
dignitaries of the town, gather to
welcome the statue back to Bari.
A candlelight procession helps to
lead the statue back to the basilica.
On the eve of December 6,
cities such as Molfetta and Trieste
await the coming of San Nicola
as other cultures would wait for
LA GAZZETTA ITALIANA | DECEMBER 2013
Santa Claus. Children leave letters
for him asking for gifts and promising good behavior for the following year! While the children
are sleeping, San Nicola leaves
chocolates, candies and other
special things.
Family patriarchs dress up as St. Nicholas and
hand out gifts. Coal is given to
children who have misbehaved.
The Feast of St. Lucy, or
Santa Lucia, comes next in the
holiday season on December 13.
Lucy was a young girl from Siracusa, Sicily who tragically suffered at the hands of pagans for
her devotion to Christ. Specifically, the man to whom her mother
committed her for marriage was
so embittered by her refusal of
marriage, that he turned her in
to authorities. Dragged by oxen,
eyes torn out in an attempt to get
her to refute her Christianity, no
amount of torture could get Lucy
to give in. History recounts that
around the year 310, a fire was
set to torture her but the fires just
wouldn’t stay lit. She was then
stabbed in the throat with a dagger
but appeared to only die once she
was given the Christian sacrament.
She is known as the patron saint
of those with eye problems.
St. Lucy’s remains can be
venerated at the Church of
San Geremia in Venice. Her
head was sent to Louis XII of
France and still remains there
in the Cathedral of Bourges.
To mark the Feast Day,
torchlight
processions
and
bonfires
commemorate
the
young girl whose name means
“light.” This also goes along
with the winter solstice which
occurs around the same time.
The meal most commonly
associated with the feast day is
Cuccia, a cooked wheat porridge
that can be made savory or sweet.
As the story goes, during a famine
in Sicily, the people invoked St.
Lucy and were rewarded with a
ship appearing in the harbor filled
with grain. A sweet version of
Cuccia is a mixture of cooked
wheat, fig honey, orange peel
and walnuts.
Some Sicilians
refuse to eat wheat on December
13 to honor St. Lucy. Almond
cookies, made to resemble eyes
and served in pairs, are often
served during the Feast of Santa
Lucia so that people recall
the torture she had to endure.
In certain regions of Northern
Italy, St. Lucy is the gift-bearer
during the Christmas season,
and as with other occasions, coal
was left for naughty children!
According to tradition, Lucy
travels around on a donkey to
deliver the gifts. Children leave
coffee for Lucia and a bowl of
milk and carrots for the donkey.
In regions such as Lombardy and Veneto, Goose is the
main fare for the holiday. In
Udine, Venice, where her bones
are buried and many go to pray
to Lucy, frico, or fried cheese
wedges are served to honor her
memory. Children receive candy
and gifts and sing for the Feast.
In preparation for Christmas,
many Italians pray Christmas
Novenas—nine consecutive days
of prayer which ends at Midnight
Mass on Christmas Eve. In Rome
and some other Italian cities, the
sounds of bagpipes can be heard
ringing through the streets to
announce that Christmas is near.
The Nativity, above all else,
is the centerpiece of decorations.
The image of the Holy Family as
seen in the crèche (as legend tells
us was first created by Francis of
Assisi) symbolizes the two most
important parts of Christmas
for Italians: the birth of Christ
and family togetherness. From
living Nativities traveling from
home to home or stationed in
the Piazzas, to the still figurines,
whether small or life-size, these
scenes adorn every imaginable
public place and private home.
Christmas Eve traditionally
begins with a sumptuous meal,
meatless, and usually comprised
of multiple fish dishes—seven
fishes is the number most commonly associated with this meal.
Capitone, or fried eel is a favorite
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Eve that my Aunt Sylvia, never
averse to making jaws drop, had a
giant eel sitting on the table as her
centerpiece of food. We American-born children just squealed
and ran for the other room!)
Following Christmas Eve
dinner, many
attend
Midnight Mass. The Pope presides
over the Mass at the Vatican—
a most solemn and moving
event. Some families stay up
the whole night following Mass
enjoying games and celebrating!
Christmas Day is simply spent
enjoying family time. Christmas
dinner is served midday. Meatfilled ravioli or tortellini is one
of the most traditional Christmas
meals. Lamb and gooseliver are
often included in the menu, served
with accompanying vegetables
and mashed potatoes and lentils.
Sweet breads such as Pannetone (from Milan), Pandoro
(star-shaped from Verona), Pangiallo (Roman), Panforte (a dense
fruitcake from Sienna dating
back to a 13th Century monastery), Panpepato (a gingerbread cake from Ferrara and
Tuscany),
and
Pandolce
(Genovese) are served for dessert.
Almonds, served in a number
of desserts such as torrone and
other cookies, are very traditional and important to include
in a Christmas meal because,
according to folklore, eating
nuts contributes to the fertility of the earth and its people.
Celebrations continue for
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s
Day for Italians. Being in the
company of good friends is very
important for New Year’s Eve. It
is also customary on New Year’s
Eve to discard unwanted items
from the house—from clothing
to furniture. New Year’s Day is
the time to claim others’ discarded
items. One might even find a
Fendi bag among the giveaways!
Typically, the menus served
on Christmas Day are served
again on New Year’s Day.
Epiphany, also known as the
Feast of the Three Kings, is celebrated on January 6 and is the
highlight and the conclusion of
the Christmas Season for many
in Italy. On the eve of Epiphany,
Italian children prepare for the
arrival of La Befana, a somewhat
dilapidated, but lovable witch who
rides her broom around bringing
gifts to good children. Stockings
are hung by the chimneys, much
like in the tradition of Santa Claus.
According to legend, a few
days before the birth of Jesus,
Befana was asked to join the
Magi to follow the star to find
the Christ Child but declined,
stating she was too busy with
her chores. After the Wise Men
left, Befana realized she should
have gone with them and tried
to follow them with a basket full
of sweets. She never found the
Three Kings or the Baby Jesus, and
it is said that on each Epiphany
she flies around on her broomstick still trying to find them.
No matter which tradition is
celebrated, the most essential parts
of the holidays for the Italians still
remain: faith, family and food.
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