From the Editor & A Message from the Publisher
From the Desk of
Paul Sciria
I probably got the “gardening
bug” watching my nonno at work
in his garden alongside his house
near E. 177th on Harvard Avenue.
He didn’t fence it off and I don’t
recall him ever having any problems
with deer. Rabbits, however, did
cause issue here and there. Nonno
was good at what he did. After
all, he was a fruit peddler Monday
through Saturday, and I got to work
with him closely on Saturdays. On
those days, I had to get up early
and join him at the Northern Ohio
Food Terminal on E. 40th Street and
Woodland. It seemed like all of the
Italians were there loading up their
trucks to make deliveries on their
regular route. My best recollections
in those days are that Nonno would
buy from Sanson the “Banana Man”,
Geraci the “Celery King”, Kelly at
Comella’s, and of course, the Volpe’s.
As for Nonno’s garden, he didn’t
buy vegetable seeds like you do today.
He recycled seeds from last season’s
harvest and started them in small
flats and pots. When the plants were
big enough, he transplanted them to
alongside the house to receive full sun.
IN THIS ISSUE
FROM LA GAZZETTA
03 From the Desk of Paul Sciria
03 A Message from the Publisher
NEWS
04 News from Italy
05 News from the Consulate
BOOK REVIEW
06 "An Italian Wife"
SPOTLIGHT SERIES
07 Writer: Anthony Marotta
FEATURE
08 Springtime in Tuscany
08 Gardens of Italy
09 L'Altaro di San Giusepe,
La Tavola di San Giuseppe,
La Festa di San Giuseppe
09 The Local Monastery and
Convent Gardens
PEOPLE
11 Cooper was One-Half Italian
11 Radio Flyer Toy Wagon
11 Queen Consort Margherita of Savoy
2
Local Gazzetta
LOCAL NEWS
EVENTS IN ITALY
25 Bay Properties Co. Celebrates 32 Years
25 Beppe Gambetta in Concert
25 Teresi's Happy Return
26 Pantheon in the Italian Garden
26 Remembering Father Tony Cassese
26 Cleveland's Little Italy: Remember When!
Current Events 12
LINGUA ITALIANA
Notizie Dall'Italia 14
Primavera in Toscana 14
Luca Carboni 15
Generation 16
SPORTS
Coach Auriemma is a Round Ball
Record Champion 16
Rome Candidate to Host the 2024
Olympic Games 17
Tony Verna Made History with Instant
Replay 17
Time to Play Ball! 18
"Don't Knock the Rock" 18
WHERE YO BUY
La Gazzetta Online 19
La Gazzetta Print 20
FOOD & WINE
Healthy Italian Cooking 21
Goose in Spring 21
Paul Sciria,
Managing Editor
tomatoes, zucchini and he’s
got a dozen fig trees; figs are a favorite
of mine. Joe Mulea in Mayfield
Heights overloads on Swiss chard and
endless varieties of lettuce, including
Mesclun. I make great salads with
his greens and some arugula from
Gino Colage off Lander Road.
Win, lose or draw with my garden,
it’s a great time to be outdoors and
the exercise is just what I need.
SUBSCRIBE TO LA GAZZETTA ITALIANA
March 2015
ENTERTAINMENT
I remember one time
when there was a bunny
helping
himself
to
Nonno’s greens, until a
couple of BB gun blasts
sent him running off.
I, myself, have always
had a rather large garden.
I’ve raised everything
from
rapini, Sicilian
zucchini and broccoli to
San Marzano tomatoes,
cucumbers, beans and
peppers, although I’ve
had very little luck with
eggplants. Each year, it’s
a delight to watch the v i n e s
on my Sicilian squash reach out to
nearby trees, hanging eight to ten
feet in the air. They’re as large as a
baseball bat. I do have a problem
with deer, despite the fact that my
son, Scott, puts up a six foot fence.
If the deer and other animals get
to my produce, I have a backup plan.
I’ve always made it a point to raid
the gardens of friends and neighbors.
Dante DiFiore in Highland Heights
always has more vegetables than
he can consume. He loads up on
YOUNGSTOWN
27 Century-old Cleveland Product
APRIL PREVIEW
The April edition of La Gazzetta Italiana is
dedicated to our Easter traditions, those in
our local Italian parishes as well as those in
Italy. Along with our spiritual traditions, we
will take a closer look at the Easter lily and
the special pastries served on this holy day.
We will also continue to look ahead to Spring.
Please submit all letters to the editor to
Angie Spitalieri at aspitalieri@lagazzettaitaliana.
com. We are currently looking for writers
for the newspaper. If you are interested,
please let Angie know at the above email.
If your company would like to place an ad
in our upcoming issue, please contact Paul
Sciria at 440-461-9836. All advertisements
must be submitted by March 16th. For more
information on becoming a distributor, please
call Angie Spitalieri, Publisher, at aspitalieri@
lagazzettaitaliana.com or by calling 216-229-1346.
LA GAZZETTA ITALIANA | MARCH 2015
CLUB NEWSLETTERS
28 Italian American Cultural Foundation
29 Le Radici
30 Americans of Italian Heritage
31 Benvenuto Americans of Italian Heritage
32 Club Molisani
33 Casa Italia Foundation
34 Little Italy Redevelopment
35 Home Family Club
38 Loggia Baranello
39 Order Italian Sons & Daughters of America
40 Nothern Ohio Italian American Foundation
41 Rionero Sannitico Recreational Club
42 Solon Italian Club
43 Southwest Italian American Club
44 Wickliffe Italian-American Club
45 The Patrons of the Arts
46 The Italian American Brotherhood Club
Take out a subscription to La Gazzetta Italiana! It's a great gift
idea... Sign up today at www.LaGazzettaItaliana.com.... Share
with family and friends!
SUPPORT YOUR ONLY ITALIAN NEWSPAPER!
A Message from the Publisher
soon, so our garden experts can get
started for spring. M arch is always
a great month; a time to prepare
for the beauty that will blossom
all around us. It is also a time to
get ready for an American favorite
pastime – baseball. Teams will
be heading to Spring Training.
This month we have some
great
articles
dedicated
to
spring. The International Film
Festival in downtown Cleveland,
March 18-29, features many
wonderful international films,
eri, including a movie we will be
ali
Angela Spit blisher sponsoring, and the Orchid
Pu
exhibit runs through March
8 at the Cleveland Botanical
March is here, and Gardens. Also, from our writers in
hopefully this means a warm-up, Italy, we will give you a glimpse of
the beautiful gardens in Tuscany.
Each month, my staff and I
try to bring you the latest in news
and content from here AND from
Italy. We are always looking for
writers to share their experiences.
If you are interested in writing for
us, please contact me. You can write
for every issue, or just one! To learn
more about this, please email me at
[email protected].
La Gazzetta is also online!
We encourage you to purchase
your subscription today. Please
visit
our
website
at
www.
lagazzettaitaliana.com. We appreciate
your feedback. Until then, stay
warm and hopefully we will see a
taste of spring before too long!
PHOTO EXHIBIT
36 GARDENS
KIDS CORNER
47 Homework / Nonna
LA GAZZETTA ITALIANA | MARCH 2015
3