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# 60 • MAY 17 , 2015
# 60 • MAY 17 , 2015
discover our new column The Italian Way
THE ITALIAN WAY:
Addressing the Italian
Stereotypes, Myth 2
“THE PIZZA”
By Elda Buonanno Foley, PhD
leisure and high society life for
Prince Federico II Gonzaga.
Religious buildings include
the Duomo (or Cattedrale di
San Pietro), with its Romanesque bell tower, its gothic right
side and neo-classical facade,
and the Basilica of Sant' Andrea designed by Leon Battista
Alberti, which houses works by
Mantegna, Correggio and Giulio Romano.
What to do
Full of priceless art treasures,
Mantua, the birthplace of the
poet Virgil, captivates with its
aristocratic charm.
One of the best ways to see it
is to travel by bike, observing
every street which guards the
traces of those powerful Gonzaga who so loved it, and who
gave the town beautifully decorated palaces.
In addition to the city, the surrounding areas also have long
and well maintained bike paths, which allow you to explore
the urban and suburban fabric
practically with no limits.
Do not miss visiting the beautiful Sabbioneta, a small urban
jewel of inestimable value, created by the humanistic dream
of Vespasian Gonzaga and
which has become a UNESCO
site along with Mantua.
A recent spot by McDonald’s on the Happy
Meal broadcast in Italy has caused outrage all
over the huge community of pizza makers and
pizza lovers. In the spot, a young child prefers a
happy meal while at the pizzeria with his parents and, as we always do, they address the child’s
request and end up in the famous fast food outlet. Now, where is the outrage?
tion of what a real pizza is, how it should be
made, when it should be cooked and which
drink should accompany it.
Thus, let’s explore one of our best myths, la pizza. As per common knowledge, the dough of
the pizza has a very old origin and it has been
sang by poets and artists all over the world. In
the words of the famous French writer AlexanObviously, if you ask this question to an Ita- der Dumas “At first sight, the pizza appears to
lian, or better to a Neapolitan, who holds the be a simple dish, upon examination it proves to
crown for the best pizzaiolo in the world, they be a compound. The pizza is prepared with bawould be almost offended by even thinking of con, with lard, with cheese, with tomatoes, with
the comparison between the sandwich and the [petits, “small”] fish. It is the gastronomic theralmost millennial dish. There is an entire philo- mometer of the market. The price of the pizza
sophy about pizza and an even older percep- rises and falls according to the abundance or
14 | WE THE ITALIANS
WE THE ITALIANS | 15
www.wetheitalians.com
www.wetheitalians.com