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- Contents 

Fiabesca Vittoriana 

Strad's Secret 

Nozze d'Oro 

: Baptism 

' ____ In Memoriam 

--"", 

, Last Post 

" 

p. 5 

p.12 

p. 13 

p. 13 

p.25 

p.27 

Regular Features 

Due Parole 

The Hill 

Cronaca 

Dall'Italia 

Personaggi 

p. 4 

p. 8 

p. 14 

p.17 

p.32 

Entertainment, Leisure & Sport 

Cinema 

Sportlight 

Italsport 

Tempo Libero 

Mamma's Ricetta 

p.29 

p.30 

p.31 

p.33 

p.34 

,and seasonal: 

Suon Natale e Grazie 

• 

'" 

A vvisi - N otizie 

'Vita dell a nostra Parrocchia p. 19 

Printed by Sterling Printing Co. Ltd. 

164 High Street, Barnet, Herts, EN65XP 

© 1997,BACKHILl, 

136 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1 

- 

Dicembre 971Gerfnaio 98 

3

;##AIIl- '., 

, RIVISI'A DEU.A COMUNrrA'ITAUANA 

Due Parole 

Padre Roberto Russo 

Queste Due Parole, del mese di, 

Dieembre vi portano,' da . parte mia, 

tanta gioia, rna anche tanta nostalgia. 

Cominciarno da quello che ci porta 

nostalgia: e cioe' e' il fatto che' 

questo e' I'ultimo nurnero di Backhill. 

Backhill non uscira ' piu' in questo 

modo: 'dicono che usciranno le inforrnazioni 

della Chiesa e della comunita" 

in un altro,modo: rna io non ci 

credo tanto. Se pero' dovessero uscire, 

allora diro' che ho sbagliato. 

Backhill non puo ' piu' uscire non per 

questioni economiche:' voi 10 avete 

seiripre aiutato ed apjioggiiito in tailti 

modi; Backhill non puo' piu' uscire 

perche ~ . i earl amici e le care arniche 

che 10. facevano non hanno piu' 

tempo. 11 motivo e' sempliee: hanno 

cominciato con me piu' di venti anni 

fa: tanti earl amici e amiche giovani, 

pieni di forza e di entusiasmo. Poi 

tulte. .queste care persone sono 

cresciute: si sono sposate, hanno figli, 

hanno it 'Ioro lavoro.; Hanno falto 

,semple tante cose come volontariato e 

cne Dio Ii benedica: hanno falto bene' 

3Ila ,Chiesa e alIa Comuruta' italiana: 

e insieme con loro devo, ricordare le 

care signore che.hanno venduto Backhill: 

per,tanti anni con tanto coraggio, 

Coli' tanto entusiaSmo, con uinto Sacrificio, 

fuori della, Chiesa anche con il 

freddo e· il tempo. brulto. Dobbiarno 

ricordare tutti quelli che hanno scritto 

gli articoli e mandate le fotografie 

perche' questo ha permcsso alIa 

comuruta' di conoscere la vita della 

chiesa edegli italiani. Dobbiarno 

ricordare tutti quelli che hanno voluto 

la propaganda delle ,Ioro attivita' su 

Backhill, perchc' questo ha aiutato 

enormemente ,a pagare le spese del 

giornale:. io 'ho sempre appoggiato 

Backhill con i suoi volontari in ogni 

circostanza e per piu' di dieci anni. 

Backhill ci ha regalato tanti· mOo 

menti felici: noi vogliarno pensare a 

questi momenti ora che e' il tempo 

del Natale per mettere questi momenti 

felici in quella che io chiarno la gioia 

e la felicita' del Natale e che io 

propongo alIa vostra meditazione 

cOsi' ,con alcuni pensieri come mi 

vengono. 

Noi sentiarno. in questo tempo del 

Natale una carezza di cielo, un birogno 

di rinascenl a vita nuovaeon 

quell'adorabile Barnbino che dopo 

duemila anni e' ancora luee, gioill e 

speranza del mondo. Ovunque c' e' il 

profumo del Presepio, noi sentiamo il 

profumo della vita che Dio ci ha dato. 

11 Natale ha rovesciato la dura logica 

della, vita. Dio e' con noi: Dio falto 

Barnbino. Dio fatto simile a noL 

Fratelli, la porta della capanna di 

Betlenune e' bassa: per entrare bisogOa 

abbassare la testa. Via la nostra 

supeIbia: per entraiC 'nella grotta di 

Betlemme bisogna essere vestiti di 

innocenza. Gesu' altende un dono da 

me, , per' il ,suo ,e 'per il mio Natale. 

Ogriuno di noi scelga il dono che 

vuole fare a Gesu'. Basta guardare il 

Barnbino Gesu'. Ogni dolore, e ogni 

disperazione Viene consolata: presso la 

culla di Betlemme. 

Dalla culla di Betlemme cL viene 

la serenita', che ci aiuta ad allargare 

la nostra anirna e ad abbracciare la 

felicita' e I'infelicita' altrui. Che la 

nostra anirna e il nostro Cuore siano 

pronti a donarsi: perche' donandoci 

sapremo ridere con gli altri e piangere 

con gli altri: in qualsiasi ,circostanza 

della vita, in qualsiai momento della 

vita, insieme a Gesu' Bambino 

saremo' capaci di, ridere e piangere. 

Per noi e con gli altri. E in questo 

modo carnrnineremo insieme verso la 

salvezza. Gesu' 'significa Salvatore: il 

nome di Gesu', la persona di Gesu', 

entra continuarnente nella nostra conversazione, 

nella nostra preghiera, 

nella'nostra vita. Dire Gesu' e' come 

scoprire che Dio non ha'piu' segreii 

nella nostra vita. Noi sappiarno che 

Dio e' Padre e noi crediarno che 

siarno suoi figli insieme a Gesu'. E' 

Gesu' che ci unisce tutti e ci porta aI 

Padre. E' il carnmino 

della nostra vita: 'un 

bel carnrnino anche se 

pieno di' tante diflicolta' 

e di .tanti problemi 

rna e' pieno anche 

di tanta fede e fiducia 

nella misericordia di 

Dio: e' il· carnmino 

della nostra vita che e' 

pieno della forza che 

Dio ci da, per noi e per 

gli altri. 

Jim Auer ,Writes: "Christmas is a good time to get a 

little crazy. After all; God did. God became a human 

being. That's pretty crazy." But then; as Paul writes, that 

foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom. And we 

have not become 'poorer becouse God became so foolish 

as to share our human nature. Are you able to fathom the 

logic of Christmas? Do you allow yourself to be a "fool" 

sometimes that you may experience ihe joy of giving and 

self- emptying? 

Before the Christmas crib, make your own this 

Christmas reflection on keeping Christmas by Henry van 

Dyke: There is a better thing than the observance of 

Christmas Day, that is, keeping Christmas. Are you 

'willing to 'close your book of complaints agasinst the 

management of the universe, and look around you for a 

plaee where you can sow a few seeds of happiness? Are 

you willing to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a 

garden for 'your kindly feelings, with the gate open? Are 

you willing to do these things for. a day? Then you can 

keep Christmas. Are you willing to believe that love is 

the strongest thing in, the world - stronger than evil, 

stronger than death - and that the blessed life which 

began in Bethlehem is the image and brighteness of the 

Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas. And if you 

keep it for a day, why not always? 

. 

4 December 971Junuary 98 

\ 

i'

:t::.~ DElLA COMUNITA'rrALIANA 

Fiabesca Vittoriana Monica Pe/legrini 

C'e improvvisamente un'aria di 

magico mistero alia Royal Academy 

of Arts, Piccadilly, Londra. Dall'uJtimo 

13 novembrc, fate e folletti si 

sono impadroniti della Saclder Wing e 

vi rimarranno fino all'8 fcbbraio del 

1998. Si apre cos! alia Royal Academy, 

con iI sostegno dei Friends della 

Royal Academy, una mostra dedicata 

alia pittura fiabcsca vittoriana (Victorian 

Fairy Painting) che rapprescnta 

la passione di artisti e scrittori per iI 

mondo delle fate e del soprannaturale 

nel periodo Ira iI primo XIX e g1i 

inizi del XX secolo. 

Fate' e folletti sono sempre stati 

parte della cultura folcloristica britannica 

cd irlandese, e· hanno caratterizzato 

opere di Edmund Spencer, WiIliam 

Shakespeare e John Milton. 1I 

revival dell'epoca vittoriana e probabilmente 

giustificabile con iI rionovato 

interesse per iI tcalro di Shakespeare, 

in particolare A Midsummer 

Night's Dream e The Tempest, ·come 

pure I'introduzione di temi fiabesehi 

nel balletto· romantico tanto in yoga 

nel secolo scorso. 

Entro la meta del XIX secolo, la 

passione per I'occulto e 10 spiritismo, 

che dall' America dilago Inghilterra, 

aumento I'interesse per l'irrazionale, 

soprattutto a fronte della rivoluzionaria 

tcoria dell' evoluzione di Darwin. 

Questa nuova tcoria scientifiea, di 

impronta deterministica, contribu! ad 

alimentarc iI bisogno subconscio di 

fuga dalla realta di molti artisti. 1I 

mondo delle fiabe sembrava cos! 

libcrarc I'immaginazione delgi artisti 

vittoriani, e sicuramente deliziava 

coloro che affollavano i tcatri. 

Nell'ambito dell'arte figurativa, i 

pittori di fate non appartenevano ad 

una specifica scuola 0 stile; molti di 

questi facevano Iibero uso di elementi 

del movimento Romantico, deUa 

tradizione pittorica storica e, di tratti 

Pre-Raffaelliti. Alcuni grandi artisti 

.spcrimentarono con iI genere fiabeseo 

produccndo una sola pittura. In proposito, 

nella·prima sala della mostra, si 

puo ammirarc i1'quadro titolato'Queen 

Mab's Cave (ispirato dalla descrizione 

del sogno di Mercuzio in Romeo imd 

Juliet, atto I, seena 4). Si tratta 

dell'unico quadro che ]MW Turner 

dcdicO al soggetto fiabesco e, per 

creare un atmosfera di suggestiva lucc 

e mistero, usa tutte le sue doti di 

pittore romantico. 

Atri 'pittori come John Anster 

Fitzgerald, Robert Huskisson e John 

Sinunons fecero del mondo deUe 

fiabc la loro speciali!A. In molti casi 

le loro rappresentazioni sono una 

combinazione di minuziosi dettagli 

naturalistici con personaggi fantastici, 

Una curiosa mescolanza che d a ai 

quadri inisteriose qualitil oniriche. 

La seconda sala ospita iI maggiore 

pittore di fiabe vittoriano: Richard 

Dadd (1817-86). Inizialmente dedicatosi 

alia pittura paesaggistica,' sujlerati 

i vent'anni d'e!A. questi comincio a 

dipingere immagini fiabesche sullo 

stile, dei Vecchi Maestri. Dopo avere 

ucciso iI padre, Dadd fu rinchiuso 

nell' ospedale di Bethlam per essere 

poi trasferito a Broadmoor. NeUa sua 

vita di rccluso, crcO un mondo di fate 

del tutto persouale. Si veda, ad esempio. 

iI suo Contradiction: Oberon and 

Titania 1854·8), nel quale iI re e la 

regina del mondo delle fate Iitigano a 

causa di un bambino indiano. 

, Le,opere deL pittore scozzese Sir 

Joseph Noel Paton (1821-1901) sono 

un tipico esempio di rappresentazione 

fiabesca con toni Pre-Raffaelliti. NeUa 

rafligurazione di The Reconcilation of 

Oberon and Tilania (sopra) le figure 

addormentate dei due amanti evocano, 

come per'incanto, la corte delle fate. 

L' osservatore, davanti a un tale dipinto, 

si vede aprire una finestra nel 

mondo del soguo e deUe a1lucinazioni 

dell' anista. 

John Austen Fitzgerald (1823- 

1906) era noto come 'i1 Fitzgerald 

delle fate' per iI suo ossessivo uso 

dello stile fiabesco. Le sue pitturc sui 

tema del Dream ritraggono I'anista e 

giovani'ragazze tormentaU da incubi 

dovuti a1I'uso di sostanze stupefaeenU. 

11 tema deU'irrcale legittimava, 

a110ra, I'uso della nuditil e, in proposito, 

John Simrnons (1823-76) rappresento 

Titania con iI piu ineffabile 

dei veli. 

La terza sala diI accesso aI mondo 

della pittura fiabesca degli anni intomo 

aI 1830. 1I balletto romantico, 

con protagoniste delle silfidi dalla 

bellezza evanescente, candidamcnte 

vestite e volteggianti come per magia 

sui palcoscenico, indirettamente inlluenzl> 

la pittura fiabesca. L'allora nota 

ballerina Marie Taglioni, leggiadra cd 

eterca sulle scaI)lCtte a punta nel 

molo principale de La Sylph/de; fu 

tratta in sei acquarclli da AE 

Chalon (1845) i quali godettero 

di enorme successo 

quando furono pubblicati 

cOme stampe. Era questo iI 

periodo in cni, con I'introduzione 

degli effetti luee e 

di nuove tecnologie sui palcoscenico, 

le scene di magica 

trasformazione scenica in teatri, 

balletti 0 opere, diventavano 

di rigore per la produzione 

di qualsiasi contenuto 

fiabesco. 

Come e visibile quando si 

entra la quarta sala, 10 stile deUa 

pittura fiabesca muto notevolmente 

intomo agli anni 1880, sperimentando 

con iI mondo del soprannaturale, deUo 

spirtismo e deU' occuIto. 

Charles Doyle fece riferimento 

aU'ossessione dei tavili che si 

muovono ad opera di fantasmi deU'ol 

!rctomba e a110 spiritismo nel suo 

Self-Portrait: A Meditation, e fin! aI 

Montrose Lunatic Asylum. 

In quest'u1tima sala deUa mostra e 

presente anche iI quadro di Estella 

Canziani Piper's Dreams (1914), terminato 

a110 scoppio deUa prima 

guerra mondiale. Da quel momento in 

poi iI mondo deUe fiabe, che per 

qualche tempo aveva popolato I'immaginazione 

degli adulti, fu relegato 

alia rcaltil infantile. 

Royal Academy of Arts, 

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Orar/o di apertura: 10.00-18.00 

Entrata: £5.50 biglietto in/ero; 

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Dicembre97 7

The Hill 

~rJAJII- 

'RIVISrA: DEU.A COMUNlTA'rrAUANA 

.' 

Olive Besagni 

I know how s3d many of you must 

be at the news in last month's isSue 

that this is farewell to BilCkhill, our 

magazine, that evolved from an idea 

that began with dear Vic Heissel and 

was taken up by these young enthUsiastic 

Anglo Italians and has given so 

much enjoyment to so many. Backhill 

has been the only link for a large 

nuinber of the older Italians, (ex Hill 

residents) the majority who riow live 

in the suburbs' or further afield, who 

were ,born and bred in 'Il Quartiere 

ltaliano'. The mag' has also kept 

many of you in touch with current 

events in and around our church and 

Social· Club. We know "nothing lasts 

for ever, good or bad. In this instance 

it is the end of something good. I 

have often wondered how Francesco, 

your,Editor, and his ever willing band 

of helpers have kept BACKHll.L 

going for all these years, but they 

have, in spite of their. many other 

commitments: family, Careers· etc. I 

personally would like· to' thank them 

from the bottom of my heart for all 

the pleasure that BACKHll.L has 

given' to so niany acrosS the years. I 

would go on (as I ,do) but I know that 

it wouldn't go down well with them. 

I must tell you that when I 

decided to write my late motherin-law's 

story I didO't know that it 

would be the ,last family stoir that I 

would tell, but I think that it's fitting. 

So without any further ado I will 

conclude Anita's story. 

Anita and Giovanni Besagni 

They began their first venture as a 

married couple when they opened a 

small cafe in King's Cross Road. They 

were both good cooks and many of 

their paesani had started in this line 

and made a. success of it. Anitaand 

Jobnny had a good start, but, then the 

babies started. arriving: Renaldo, 

1923, Rita in 1924, Bruno in 1925. 

They, were unable to continue with 

the cafe. Jobnny soon found work on 

the asphalt for the Ragusa Asphalt 

Company. It was hard work but the 

wages weren't bad. It also meant that 

he travelled around a lot. Most of his 

co-workers were Italians, which accounted 

for his strong accent. .. 

They soon found a self contained 

flat' in Victoria Dwellings - a large 

triangular block of dwellings encompassed 

by Clerkenwell Road, Farringdon 

Road and Little Saffron Hill 

(Herbal Hill). Anita was happy to 

move into a: flat on the ground floor 

No 57. There were only two rooms 

which would have been average accommodation 

for a family at that 

time. The ground floor was a plus, 

remember that now there were already 

three ,little ones and a fourth 

baby's 'arrival was imminent.. Fortunately 

her parents were living. close 

by and the school, 'St Peter's Italian', 

was only a stone's throwaway .. There 

were many other Italian immigrant 

farililies living in the dwellings, so 

she was never lonely. 

During the early years in the, new 

home' Anita needed her mother and 

the help and support of her neigh 

. bours for their trials were many. In 

1926 they lost their first born. Renaldo, 

to pneumonia. He was only 

four and a beautiful child. The loss of 

a child that age waS common eriough 

then but the effect on' the mothers in 

particular must have been traumatic, 

but theY had' to carry on for the sake 

of their other children. 

The years that followed were very 

hard for Anita. She spent most of her 

days Inclnta so the close proximity of 

her mother helped. Maria spent most 

of her time with Anita and the 

children. The children adored their 

Nonni and loved to go and visit them 

down in Leicester Place where there 

was always a sweet in an apron 

pocket or a drawer. Jobnny was rarely 

home. His work took him away 

for days at a time and even 

when his work was nearer 

home he worked long hours. 

Anita's lot was . not easy, she 

kept her little ones spotlessly 

clean. the rooms neat and tidy - 

she was always scrubbing and 

cooking. 

Shortly after the death of 

Renaldo their little daughter 

Famlglia.Besagnlln 1948. 

Lldia already in the u.s. 

Rita ended up spending years in and 

out of Carshalton Children's Hospital, 

the . result of being run over by a 

eyclist. What at first seemed·, to be 

minor injury developed into Ostiomylitus 

which plagued her for the rest 

of her days. Then Lidia developed 

rickets and wore leg braces and had to 

stay in the same h!>SPital for periods 

of time.' Throughout all these trials 

and depiivations many of Anita's old 

neighbours would tell you how hospitable 

and kind she was and how, in 

spite of her own trials, she always had 

time and sympathy for their problems. 

In 1938 the family had increased. 

There were now 9' surviving children 

but Anita's life was a little easier - 

the older childferi helPed with the 

babies and the housework, - the girls 

anYwayl In spite of all the ups and 

downs, Anita had progressed: she had 

learnt to read English by perusing the 

daily newspapers, she made the chil 

,dren's clothes. She was an excellent 

cook and could nlake a dinner go 

further than anyone I ever met. lf the 

family were having dinner and a 

visitor Called or even the children's 

friends, another chair would be put at 

the table and whoever it was would 

be pressed to mangla - mangla. . 

The highlight of the year was the 

annuru procession of Our Lady of Mt 

Carmel. All the children walked in the 

procesSion as soon as they were old 

enough, and Anita .would make .all 

their costumes, until Rita, who became 

an excellent dressmaker, took 

over from her Mother. 

The only one of the family who 

ever got holidays at the seaside·was 

my husband Bruno, who, being the 

eldest ooy in the family, had several 

holidays with his young Z!as" Rosa 

and Elisa Fassini. The two girls had 

blossomed into beauties and whenever 

they went on holiday, usually to 

Clacton-

Anita, but she had her lohnny and her 

children and she made the best of it. 

Then 1939, with the' advent of 

World War 2, came really bad times. 

The older children remained at home. 

Rita was working, Bruno was about to 

start work. Lidia was in Italy on one 

of the Ballila holidays. Pino, Olga, 

Ines and Remo were sent to Wooton 

Basset in Wiltshire under the schools' 

evacuation scheme~ Anita remained in 

London ,with the two youngest, Maria 

and Dorina. The first year Passed 

Lidia who bad left the main party to 

stay with relatives in Vernasca didn't 

know what to do. She was only 

thirteen and as it began to look, as if 

Italy was going to join in the War, 

she was determined to get home. She 

ffound a woman who was coming back 

to London and she, persuaded her to 

bring her back. Fortunately there was 

no bombing in the first year, but soOn 

there were traumas going on in 

Wooton Basset with Olga and Ines. 

They were unbappyand in bad billets. 

lohnny hurried down to Wooton Basset 

and brought the two little girls 

home. Then it all·'happened. Italy 

came into the War. They started to 

intern all the men. They came for 

Johnny. He 'packed his case with his 

wife and children crying round him 

but for some reason' after investigation 

they sent him home. Pietro Was 

sacked from'liis job at the Connaught 

Rooms where he had worked for 

many years. He was heartbroken. 

Johnny lost his job, a job that he 

loved; he had made a n3rne for 

himself in his trade and had a reputation 

bar nonel He took great pride in 

his work. An those years went' for 

nothing. In the midst of all this Anita 

was incinta yet again, and the fact 

that the bombing had started turned 

their lives into tunnoil. 

Anita took Ines and Olga doWn to 

Wales, where her mother, Maria, and 

sister Elisa were staying in a house 

belonging to a friend. She left the 

girls with her sister and returned to 

London to be with lohnny, but the 

bombing had got so bad that she, with 

Maria a toddler, and Dorina stin a 

baby, had to be eVacuated once more. 

So it was back to Wooton' Basset, 

where at' least she would be near 

Remo and Pino who had remained 

there. She was billeted' in a small 

cottage and it was there that she had 

her last baby' Giovanni (young 

Johnny) with even less home comforts 

than Victoria Dwellings. Meanwhile, 

Johnny stayed in London and went to 

work as a cook for his sister Maria 

(Oddi) who with her husband had a 

cafe in'Hammersmith. He got on with 

it, but he was a skilled worker and he 

never really recovered from the 

change. The family were dealt another 

devastating blow. Quite early in the 

war, when the bombing was at its 

height, Pietro (Nonno), who was terrified 

of the air raids, spent his nights 

Sleeping down in Chancery Lane 

underground station. One morning as 

he was returning home on the bus 

with one or two friends, be was sitting 

next to his neighbour Mrs Belli. when 

he put his head on ber shoulder. She 

thought he was joking and tried to 

remove him when she realised that he 

had passed away. Poor, Mrs Belli, 

what a terrible shockl The family was 

devastated. Most of them were still 

evacuated. . 

1946 and after the devastation of 

the war years, financially things were 

improving. Brono. Rita, 

Lidia and Pino were working,lohnny 

(papa) stayed in 

the job at the cafe in Hammersmith. 

Gradually the 

children returned. The family 

had increased, so they 

rented another flat in Victoria 

DWellings. Little Maria, 

who was now eight years 

old was sleeping with her 

Nonna Maria in the rooms 

in Liecester Place. She 

woke up one night to find that her 

Nonna hadn't come to bed. She found 

her sitting in the armchair and couldnot 

rouse her. So the little girl called 

a neighbour then ran up the road to 

call her parents. Nonna had slipped 

away as she dozed. Maria remembers 

clearly to this day, running as fast she 

could along the ill lit turning. Little 

Saffron Hill. it could only have been 

a three minute walk but to the little 

girl it seemed like a mile. Poor Anita, 

her beloved motherl She mourned for 

a long time. They had been through 

so much together. 

The war had also had an effect on 

Lidia, when at the age of eighteen, 

American Gl's were spending their 

leaves in London. Many of these 

young men were Italian Americans 

and when' they realised that there 

were a considerable number of young 

girls around the area who were of 

Italian extraction, they would make 

themselves known by calling out "Eh! 

Paesana". Lidia brought several of 

these young men home, where Anita 

would give them a plate of pasta and 

make them feel at home. When the 

war ended, Lidia would settle for 

nothing less than to go to America. 

Her' father lohnny was against it, but 

Anita who understood the desire to 

beller oneself, backed her uP. and off 

she went. 

The sad days weren't over for 

Anita. Her beloved lohnny had been 

unwell for, a short while, and he 

developed, cartenoma and died, leaving 

Anita a: widow whilst still in her 

40's. The resilience of Anita was 

amazing; unfortunately, I, have to 

condense our stOlY, because it would 

need a book'to cover, everything that 

happened. Four of the girls followed 

Lidia out to the States where they all 

married Americans, the first to return 

home for a holiday was Lidia, 

Nine years had elapsed and she 

came home on the Queen Mary with 

three of her children. Can you imagine 

the exciteinent created by this 

visit. The' tears, of happiness, this 

time. Anita, once her children were 

all gro'Ml, began' to live. She went to 

the U.S. numerous times, where she 

Zia Eliza with the chaperone 

would be treated like a Queen. I will 

never forget the first time she went. 

Bruno took her to the ship. his mother 

always sociable. a good mixer was 

soon chatting'to her cabin mate. He 

waved goodbye to his mamma who at 

the time was soberly dressed looking 

every 'bit the Italian, m,!",ma. She 

stayed six months with her daughters. 

On her return Bruno and I went to 

meet her at Victoria Station. When 

she alighted from the train, there was 

this smart young· woman with a 

modem hair style, red shoes and red 

hat - well! Dark pink nail polish, she 

looked fantastic. From that day on, 

Anita's life took on a new dimension. 

She flew back and forth to America 

as if it were Brighton. Trips to Italy, 

the mountains and the seaside pretty 

often. Always a wonderful mother and 

nonna to' her children's children. Her 

last years, when she lived with her 

daughter Olga in Highgate were good 

years for her. Her daugliters from 

America made frequent visits and no 

invite to a party was tUrned down. 

Anita returned' from a party one 

night. said to Olga that she Was tired. 

sat on a chair in the hall and left us - 

what a sad day for her children and 

for her family, but what a lifel And 

~hat lovely memories she left behind. 

Dlcembre 971Gennaio 98 

9

1 

It 

-b tvIrAJIt- '. 

-P: RlVISTA DELLA COMUNITA' ITAUANA. 

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11

Strad's Secret 

$~-' 

RIVISrA DEl.LA COMUNlTA'ITALIANA 

ju/iafl Brown 

I 

Ii,, 

,i I 

Antonio Stradivari was bOrn in 

1644, into a respected family of 

craftsmen in Cremona, a northern 

Italian town that was already famed 

far afield for its violins. . 

Stradivari was apprenticed to' the 

instrument maker Nicolo Arnati at 

aroUnd the age of 12 and by the time, 

he'died, aged 93, he had made around 

a. thousand .violins and at 'leaSt 300. 

oilier stringed instruments, including 

,cellos, lutes and guitars. . 

A productive life, certainly, and a 

reasonably well-rewarded one: he sOld 

most of his output for the equivalent 

of around four pounds each, ,and 

apjX:arcd WeIr satisfied with the mOd~ 

erate, middle-class income and lifestyle 

his craft brought him and his 

family. Stradivari' conld never have 

dreamt that; 250 years after ,his death, 

his violins are auctioned 

and reach 

prices anywhere 

from £200,000 to 

several million. 

What makes a 

Sti'adivaiius violin 

(he usually signed 

his work with the 

Latin version of 

his name and was 

careful to ensure, 

during his lifetime; 

that no instrument 

except those made 

completely by his 

own hand bore his 

label) so valuable and so special? 

I had a rare chance to find out for 

myself when a 'Strad' came up for 

auction at Sotheby's. As a keen 

amateur violinist, I had always wondered 

whether sueh an instrument 

would make a dramatic difference to 

my playing, so although the guide 

price of £300,000 was beyond my 

means, I went along to IIy it out. 

The Strad, its centuries-old varnish 

gleaming with a deep, red bloom, lay 

waiting in an anteroom. I picked up 

the instrument, tuned it and played. 

The effect was electrifyingl The violin 

resonated and sang out in a way 

that I had never experienced before. It 

was like driving a high performance 

racing car after a clapped-out Mini - 

pure exhilaration I 

But driving high performance cars 

requires great skill. And the same 

applies to Strads. A Strad won't 

suddenly turn you into a virtuoso. 

Still, for a few 'brief moments, I 

glimpsed it's magical properties. 

During his career Stradivari made 

certain subtle changes in the proportions 

of the violin, gradually increasing 

the instrument's power. While his 

early work followed the traditions of 

his ,teacher Arnati, by the close of the_ 

:17'h century the Stradivarius had become 

. flatter and· broader, and the 

bridge began to look'as it does today. 

'Probably the greatest of the Strad 

known as the 'Soil' of 1714,' says 

Peter Biddulph a London violin dealer, 

who had sold a number of Strads. 

'Many people think this is the finestsoUnding 

violin in the World an(\ it's 

appropriate that it's played by the 

Israeli Itzhak Perlman, probably the 

greatest living violinist'. . 

But violin makers have long copied 

the proportions of 

Stradivarius's instruments 

- without achieving 

the Same results. So 

the secret must lie elsewhere. 

But where?' In the 

deep, lustrous auburnred 

varnish, according to 

one theol}'. But there's a 

problem. Strads have 

withstood nearly 300 

years of wear and tear. 

Not surprisingly, the rich 

varnish on many has 

taken a battering and, in 

some cases, most of it 

has been worn away. Yet these instruments 

still sound magnificent. 

In the 1980s, a US researcher 

ciin1e up with a new theol}': the secret 

lay in the wood. Stradivari used wood 

- maple and spruce - that was delivered 

to Cremona by being floated 

along the Italian canals; perhaps the 

contact with water had changed its 

character. The idea was initially supported 

by electron microscope pictures 

of the violin's surface: Strad 

wood was found to be riddled with 

tiny, open pores, while those of 

modem instruments were closed. 

But later research suggested that 

whether the pores showed as open or 

closed under examination was not 

dependent on the violin' but on how 

the wood sample had been cut and 

prepared before examination. 

Electron microscopy, however, 

may yet provide the answer. Recent 

research in Cambridge has found a 

layer beneath the Strad's famed varnish. 

Under the electron microscope it 

appears like a: seam of manipan 

sandwiched between the cake of wood 

and the icing-like varnish. 

This turns out to be consistent 

with another idea put Jor;ward in the 

1980s. For some time experts had 

been arguing over whether the craftsmen. 

of Cremona had used a wood 

sealant before applying varnish to the 

instruments they were making. 

John Chipura, an American geolo 

,gist and violin enthusiast, published a 

letter in the magazine The Slrad 

suggesting that this sealant may well 

'have been a'layerof'Roinan cement. 

Readily available, the cement was the 

Italian 'Polyfilla' of its time and was 

made from local volcanic ash, whose 

mineral constituentS are vel}' similar 

to those revealed by Barl

------ --- - 

~ADEU.A COMUNrrA'ITALIANA 

Nozze D'Oro 

Setvirii e Ciacon 

On 16 th November 1947, 

Marinetta Servini and 

Giuscppe Giacon met at St 

Peter's Italian' ChUrch in order 

to exchange' their vows of love 

and to commit to each other. 

50 years later to the day, they 

gathered once more to give 

thanks and praise to God for 

their life together. 

To join them this time, 

along with family and friends 

from Italy and the U.S. were 

ten of their 17 grandchildren, 

four of their six in-laws and all 

five original bridesmaids. In 

the photo, right, are Marinetta 

and Bepi with their nine children 

including their daughter 

Maria from Rome' and son 

photo: I.Sierhnl 

:fonirio who delighted his parents by making a special journey from Tasmania as a SUIprise. 

Whilst celebrating the MaSs, Bishop Victor Guazzelli SUIprised the couple by announcing that. His HolinesS the 

~ope had made Bepi a Knight and Marinetta a Dame of the Order of Sl Gregory for their work for the Church, 

Catholic schools and their fellow man. , 

~er the Mass everyone moved on to The Elephant on the River where they were greeted by family friend Luigi 

Buosi and where the memorable evening continued. 

The couple had asked that, instead of presents, they would appreciate a donation to the cancer research being done 

by Professor Lynch at UCH. under whom their daughter, Giovanna had been successfully treated six years ago. They 

were overwhelmed, by the generosity of their friends and family, mth £4,SOO being raised for this cause. 

Baptism 

Thomas France 

The France and Williams families 

mth their friendS gathered at St Peter's 

Italian Church to mtness the Baptism of 

Thomas Anthony France by Father Russo 

on Saturday 18 th September 1997. 

The picture shows proud parents 

Bernard and Claire holding young Thomas 

at the font just before Father Russo 

poured the cleansing water of Baptism on 

his unsuspecting head. 

Thomas is the latest grandson of 

Bernard and Anna France, long·time 

supporters of,Backhill and of St Peter's 

Italian Church. 

Afterwards the families and their 

guests assembled' at the Club for a 

delicious buffet lunch. 

It was a day full of happiness and joy 

and everyone present "ill always remem 

ber the wann welcome they received 

from'Father Russo. 

j 

Dicembre 971Gem1aio 98 

13

:tf:#NIl- 

.. RIVISl'A DEU.A COMUNlTA'ITALlANA 

Cronaca 

Attivita della comunita 

( Forza Vecchi ) 

Che simpaticissima riunione c'e' stata. nel Club. I 

giovani di un tempo,. diventati ora uoniini di affare, 

mariti, padri di fainiglia, si sono riuniti per una festa 

insieme.·E' stato molto bello, moito commovente. E' stata 

una spinta di entusiasmo e di coraggio. Ora si vcdono i 

frutti di tutto il lavoro morale e sociale che il Club ha 

fatto duiante tutti questi anni. Ci sono stati errori' e 

peccati e ci sono ariche adesso: ci sono cose tecniche cd 

organizzative che bisogna correggere ma c'e' tutta una 

vita. lanciata con coraggio verso il futuro e che non 

bisogna dimenticare 0 voler distruggere. Migliorare tutto 

si, ma cOn 3treito c amicizia tra tutti noi, senza guardare i 

difetti e i pe=iii, ma considerando sempre iI bene che 

ognuno porta nel cuore e nell'anima: e' questo bene che 

va avanti. . 

La festa piena di a1legria ci ha rivisti insieme, intorno 

aI vino cd aI mangiare preparato in modo supeJbo dai 

cuochi del earavaggio. E'. stato regalato un orologio a 

Vittorio in segno di stima e di ringraziamento; proP.rio in 

quei giorni Vittorio ha perso la mamma; ma I'afl"etto che 

lega- ancora Vittorio e i vecchi-giovani,. e' stato un 

momento di' fortissima commozione nella vita di tutti. 

,'- , .. 

.... ' i~" :.- 

14 

December 97/January 98 

_J

:J; ~ DF:lLA COMIJNITA'rr.UlANA 

( Festa Groparello ) 

Dcvo proprio dire: Gropparello non e' solo un nome, ma e' una 

vita che va avanti. Nato alcuni anni fa e' gia' passato al secondo 

Prcsidcntc. 

Dobbiamo ringraziarc tutti e duc questi Presidenti: prima di tutto 

pcrchc' tutti c duc sono due brave c care famiglie: con figli che 

vcramcnte si impegnano nella vita: differcnza di eta' fra i vari figli, 

c' chiaro, ma 10 spirito e' scmpre quello; e poi perche' veramcnte 

mcttono il euore in qucllo che fanno percbc' hanno tanta fiducia 

ncll'aiuto di Dio. Sono tanto belle queste :feste di paese: special. 

mcnte I'ultima scrata era piena di giovani. Andiamo avanti cosi' 

scmplicemcte, ma con tanto entusiasmo. Dio guarda anche I'entusi· 

asmo che vienc dallc feste e le bene dice. 

FOIo: Rob

-b~ .. 

..P . RlVISTADEILA'COMUNITA'ITALIANA 

- - --- - -- ------ --- --- - 

THE 

GARTHHOTEL 

BANQUETING & CONFERENCE SUITES 

, ~.' "''';':'.-:-,- 

... 

The hotel has two new purpose built conference and 

banqueting suites capable of accommodating up to 300 people. 

Each suite is elegantly furnished and equipped to the highest 

standards with purpose built bars, full audio 'visual and lighting 

facilities, which help to provide the atmosphere for any occasion. 

A selection of menus are available for banquets with an 

emphasis on Italian cuisine. 

For more information or a brochure pack please contact 

Mr Marino at the Hotel. 

otH 

GARTHHOTEL 

Hrodon w'Y' Crickkwood • London NW2 2NL 

RESERVATIONS 

081-209 1511 

16 

Dicembre97

Dall'ltalia 

;J:.~ DFJLA COM\JNITA'ITAUANA 

news from Italy 

Non-European citizens represent 1.6 

percent of Italy's population. according 

to the new report on the 1990 

immigration law recently presented to 

Parliament by Social Solidarity Minster 

Livia Turco. There are currently 

943,530 non-Europeans residing in 

Italy, 116,114 more than a year ago. 

The majority of the non-EU citizens 

come from Morocco (119,481), followed 

by Albania (63,967), the Philippines 

(57,071), and the United 

States (54,562). " 

L'introduzionedella moneta unica 

curopca costera' complessivamentc 20 

mila miliardi di lire I,'amio" per !re 

anni, ai Paesi intercssati, c alia sola 

Italia 4.500 miliardi (1.500 ogni 

anno). E' questo iI dato sottolineato 

dal vice presidcntc della Commissione 

cconomica e inonctaria del Parlamento 

Europco, Riccardo Garosci. 

Arriva una lottcria "per la ,ricostruzi" 

one dclle citta' tcrrcmotate" delle 

Marche e dcll'Umbria ed" uo'altra 

estrazione che servira' a finanziare iI 

restauro della "CapPella del Guarini" 

dcl Duomo di Torino doveveniva 

conservata la Sacra Sindone. La novita' 

e' contcnuta nella bozza di' 

decreto che iI ministro delle' Finanze 

Vincenzo Visco ha mcsso a punto per 

istituire le lotteric tradizionali del 

prossimo anno. 

Svolta nelle indagini sull'omicidio 

dell'anziana uccisa a Megliandino San 

Fidenzio (padova). Un uomo e' stato 

arrcstato dai carabinieri e la sua 

identita' sara' rivclata durante una 

conferenza stampa. L'uomo potrebbe 

cSscre un parontc della' vittima. II 

delitto, particolarmentc efferato, e' 

avvenuto !re giorni fa. La donna 

aveva 63 anni, cra vedova e vivcva 

sola. 

Thc Lower House approved the govcrnmcnt's 

VAT reform decree aftcr a 

marathon session and four days of 

opposition filibustcring. The decree to 

hikc VAT rates is a. key factor in thc 

1998 budget. The vote was 312 in 

favour, nonc against. The' required 

quorum'was 157 votes. 

Internet access costs 50% less for 

Italian 'schools thanks to a deal 

between the government and the privatised 

Italian telecommunications 

group Telecom Italia, telecoms under 

~retaJy Vincenzo Vita announced. 

'"'".- .... " 

The beads of the public radio and 

tclevision broadcaster Raj and the 

commercial Tv group Mediaset signed 

a code of conduct to apply to prograinming 

seen by young viewers. 

At the erid of a ceremony in the 

premier's office marking the completion 

of the code, Premier Romano 

Prodi said the new rules aimed at 

safcguarding under-age viewers were 

"ample, organic and original." 

Per la prima volta nella storia trentcnnale 

dei sinodi dei vescovi, nessun 

preSule si e' iscritto al gmppo di 

lavoro in latino; e' accaduto a1l'asscinblea 

sinOdale sull'America, cominciata 

in Vaticano. La lingua dei padri 

dclla Chiesa c' stata snobbata,(o forse 

c' poco conosciuta) dai 297 vescovi e 

cardinali del Nuovo Mondo, i quali 

hanno preferito i "Circuli minores" 

(gruppi di studio) nelle Iingue "volgari": 

inglese, spagnolo, portogbese e, 

pcrfino, italiano. 

La guardia. di Finanza ha trovato a 

sud di Brindisi piu' di un quintale di 

marijuana in una macchina che i 

militari stavano inseguendo. La droga 

vcrrebbc dall'A1bania. L'auto sospetta 

cra stata abhandonata in una stmda a 

Torre Mattarelle. 

E' croUato un ponte sui torrente 

Mazzocco, nel pcsarese, lungo la ex 

statale 258 che collega Novafeltria a 

Rimini. II crollo e' avvenuto a Tore- 

110, frazione di San Leo, e ha travolto 

un autocarro. II conducente e' stato 

soccorso e portato in ospedale. 

A1l'origine del crollo cl sono probabilmente 

le fom piogge che cadono sulla 

zona. 

There are about 25,000 foreign prostitutes 

in Italy, according to figures 

released by the United Nations inte~national 

. crime .. prevention centre., 

Between 70 and 80 percent of them 

work, on the' streets, most of them 

from Nigeria, Albania and eastern 

European countrieS, and at least 2,000 

of the women have been forced into 

prostitution, the report said. The data 

was presented at the,second international 

conference', cn· the sexual ex 

~.""-,,,,,,,"...... ,ploitation of women. ,wIiich said that 

prostitution was increasing dramatically 

and had become a "business" 

generating at least 5 trillion lire a 

year (3 billion dollars) in Italy alone. 

Continua a dare segnali confortanti 

I'economia nazionale. In base alIa 

stima prcliminare deU'Istat, iI Prodotto 

interno lordo e' aumentato nel terzo 

trimestre del '97 dell'l, 9%, rispetto 

a110 stesso periodo del '96 e dello 0, 

4% suI trimestre precedente. 

Yields on 12-month Italian Treasury 

bonds (BOts) tumbled below 5% to 

4.75%, down by 0.28 points, while 

3-month and 6·month yields sank to 

record lows of 5.130/ .. down 0.13 

point since the previous auction, and 

to 5.010/ .. down 0.14 points. 

As private as his reputation for 

reservedness suggests, Mediobanca's 

honorary chairman, Enrico Cueeia, 

marked his 90th birthday mth not 

even his own staff knomng how he 

spent it. Seerecy and avoidanCe of the 

limelight has been the Sicilian-born 

banker's style since he came to Milan 

and then set up Mediobanca as the 

fulcrum of Italian reconstruction after 

World War 11. 

Dicembre '97IGerlliaio98. 

17

Oggetti Religiosi 

Ogni domenica dalle 9.45 am - 2.00pm al No.2 Back Hilt 

Potete trovare tutti gli oggetti religiosi per: 

Prima Comunione, Cresima, Matrimoni, Benedizione del 

Papa, Rosari, Bibbie, Statue, it Nuovo Catechismo delta 

Chiesa Cattolica, quadri, ecc ... 

18 

- . 

December 97/January 98

:e~DEUACOMUNlTA'rrAUANA 

La Vita deUa nostra Parrocchia 

Sono nati alia vita di Dio con it Santo Battesimo 

Jordan Mattco Walker: MaIk Walker e Liliana Gusclli 

Fabio James Vincenti: Giuseppe Vincenti e Teresa Nixon 

Matthew A1essandro Vincenti: Giuscppe Vincenti e Teresa Nixon 

Gemma Nadia Vincent!: Giuseppe Vinceoti e TeiesaNixon 

Jack Antonio Davis: Neil Davis e Oriaona Perotti 

Paolo Pretara: Mario Pretara e Sevil Mehmet 

Francesca Nicola Amorette Mammato: Peter Mammato e Nicola Reeves 

Louisa Mana Gallo: Maurizio GaIlO e Carolina Dioan 

Santino Lysandrou Napolitano: Giovanni Napolitano e Eva Mamas 

Luciano Salvatore Maggistro: Giacomino Maggistro e Veline Contenta 

OIivia Teresa Duarte: eatlos Duane e Claudia Casale 

Leila Vene:zia Viglione: Riccardo Viglione e Maria Martino 

Thomas Anthony France: Bernard France e Claire Wiliiams 

Clara Anna Adriana Sartori: F1avio Sartori e Monica Solari 

SashaElcna Spadafora: Giuseppe Spadafora e Carmelina Mareo 

naria Micle: Angelo -AntoRlo Miele e Luisa Falace 

Stefano Antonio Miele: Silvano Miele e Maria Falace 

Sasha Samuel!: Joel Samuels e Gabriella Ponzini 

Amy Virginia Pe:zzin: Claudio Pezzin e Elena Cereia Varale 

Dulcie Jacqueline Braddell: John Braddell Cl Svetlana Morrone 

Kristoffer Antbony Bnlno Magro-Pergrossi: Fausto Pergrossi e Karina Magro 

Paul Stepbcn Menozzi: Stephen Menozzi e Traey Mullen 

Nicholas Callum MenOZli: Stepben Menozzi e Traey Mullen 

Giovanni Nicco)o' Povinelli: Paolo Povinelli e Pauline Barham 

Hannah Trenbolm: John Trenholm e Patricia Bellieni 

Roberto Evangelista: Silvio Evangelista e Graziella Di Ponle 

Erika SCbiavone: Tony Schiavone e Gina Borella 

Sonia Martinelli: A1berto Martinelli e Massima Salvadori 

Alexander John Leslie Read: Leonard Read e Caroline Lovett 

Francesca Margarita Annc Read: Leonard Read e Caroline Lovett 

Rebeeca Sopbie Maearee: David Macaree e Lucia Bagnoli 

Donato Annessa: Domenico Annessa e Mary Balfe 

Pierluigi Valencia: Jorge Valencia e Gabriella Bragoli 

Hannounito le loro vite davanti a Dio nel Matrimonio 

Marco Silva e Amanda Rossetti 

Giarmi Ponzini c Antonia Merola 

Marios O'Connell e Adriana Imerini 

Lucio Mingoia e Christina Delmi Michele Moscatiello e Lorelta Zucconi ~ 

Bernard Webb c Gina Yeales ~ 

Lawrence Manani c AnnaMaria Opel 

A1do Davies e Giuscppina Croci 

Riposano nella Pace del nostro Signore 

Slefanolti Giovanni 

Maurizio Ptitwlu 

Dean Monserrat Francesco Pacinclla 

Luigi Leccacorvi Giuscppe Pellicci Elisabelta Delle Donne 

Renzo F3bbri 

Elisabeth Heissl 

Eriano Qualtromini 

Maria Bertolini 

Mario Longazelti 

Luigi Cennamo 

Rosa Marzocchi 

Marina Indorni 

Giuscppe Vella 

Anthony Phillips 

lola Pini 

Dlcembre 971Gennalo 98 

19

HIGH POST 

--- - 

NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS 1997 

There will be strict dress code' of No Jeans or Trahiers in Enzo's 

Nightclub, but we would hope you will take the opportunity to 

really dress up. We always have a great time! 

JO!N US FOR THE NEW YEAR;S EVE BREAK 

WITH CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH 

Arrive early on 31st December to take full advantage of the fine 

facilities at The Inn. All the rooms are en-suite, with satellite 

televisZon;tea and coffee making facilities, direct dial telephone etc. 

T,he Inn is set in countryside with a golf club opposite. The ancient 

and fascinating city of Salisbury is nearby, and there are many places 

of interest to visit. Alternatively spend the day relaxing here. The 

Leisure Club has a fUlly equipped gymnasium, a large sauna, a 

wondetful heated swimming pool, and a big jacuzzi - it is amazing 

how you can switch off in the bubbles. 

The celebrations begin at 8 p.m, although the bars are open from 6 

p.m for drinks or cocktails. Enjoy the Gala Dinner and Celebrations 

until 2 a.m. (officially!). On N~ Year's Day morning, from 10 am-I 

pm, we will be serving a super Bucks Fizz Brunch to set you up 

- . 

again. 

£85 per person 

Accommodation prices are per person, sharing and double or twin room. Single supplement is £15 per night. 

Check out time i. 1 p.m on -1st January. 

M3 West out of London, filter onto A303 just past exit 8, signposted SalisburylExeter. 

Straight Hon to Amesbury. Turn left iD the A345 at Amesbury, and we are three and a 

half miles on the right, opposite the High Post' Golf Club. 

Phone Marilyn or Gillian . on 01722 . 782592 

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Dicembre 97 21

~~ 

RIVISl'A DELLA COMUNITA'rrALIANA 

Cronaca 

Continua da pagina 15 

( Halloween al Youth Club ) 

E' stata beIlissima la serata di Halloween nel nostro 

Youth club. I nostri bei bambini si sono mascherati e, 

come vuole la tradizione erano paurosi: ma sono sempre i 

nostri bei bambini. E' stata bella la serata perche' sono 

intervenuti anchc i genitori. E' stato un' ritomo nel 

passato: i genitori si sOno rivisti tutti bambini quando 

venivano qui nel Youth Club. Ed e' stato anchc 

commovente per tUtti: i bambini e le bambine di un tempo 

sono ora papa' e mamme che combaltono con i loro 

figlioli. Ve 10 abbiamo delto tante volte: mandate i vostri 

figli a qucsto Clubl C'e' sempre un gruppo di genitori (i 

vostri amici)' che controllano la situazione. 

Ad oghi modo la festa e' andata bene: mangiare e bere 

(coca'colae arariciata) e le gare Per le migliori maschere; 

C'crano prclni:.:'riechissimi: pensate, 10 sterline aI primo 

e 5 sterline aI sccondo. Ma' anche con iI primo c iI 

sccondo, i nostri bambini erano tutti belli (0 brutti?). 

Quello che e' stato --:eramente bello era 10 spirito di 

divertimento e di entusiasmo c che Dio cc 10 conservi. 

22 


:e.~ DFll.A COMUNlTA'ITAUANA 

( Cavalli, Correte! 

) 

E' stata organizzata una corsa di cavalli nel nostro 

Social Club: c' stata organizzata dal comitato dell'OGI 

del Sl Peter's per raccoglicrc fondi per le Olimpiadi. 

Grnzic, earl Amici, per iI vostro impegno: tutti vogliono 

cbe si faccia qualcbc cosa per i giovani. ma bisogna 

rimboccarsi le rnanicbe c muovcrsi rimcttendoci tempo e 

dcnari. 

Ad ogni modo ricordiamoci semprc cbe il Signore non 

si lascia vincerc in generosita' . . 

FOIO: Roberto RuIlO 

I 

~ 

augura a tutli i suoi fedeli lettori e 

sDslenilori un oalale di pace e gioia ed 

~~:w. un tranquillo 1998 ~_~ 

Dicembre 971Gennaio 98 23

$~ . 

~ RIVISl'A DELLA COMUNITA'rrALIANA 

(~_____________ C_e_n_a_a_l_F_il_ef ____________ ~) 

E' stata organizzata dalla F1LEF una simpaticissima anche se, diciamo cosi', dolorosa festa. Una cinquantina di 

amici si sono riuniti a cena ed hanno raccolto una somrna considerevole per un bambino paralitico che vive in Italia. 

La festa e' stata aiutata da tanti amici che hanno pagato per le spese: iI bravissimo cantante e. suonatore ha prestato 

la sua opera gratuitamente, le signore hanno fatlo miracoli 

in cucina. E tutti g1i ospiti hanno contribuito generosamente. 

Sono sicuro che iI Signore Dio sara' veramente 

fiero di tutti questi nostri amici e amiche. 

P. Russo 

Attenzione!! 

II gruppo nella lista dei volontari del Consolato Generale d'Italia cerea aderenti disposti a donare una parte del 

loro tempo libcro per portare conforto e calore umano ai vecchi; ai maIati, ai carcerati per non farli scntire 

dimenticati e abbondanati nel periodo difficile della loro vita. 

GH interssati sono pregati di telefonare 0 scrivere: 

Ufficio Mari Sociali, . 

Consolato Generale d'Italia, 

39 Baton Place, 

London, SWIX SAN. 

Tel: 0171 235 9371; 

Fax: 0171 S23 1609. 

Si ricorda che un'impcgno preso sulla parola dcve esscre, per quanto possibile, mantenuto per iI buon 

funzionamento del volontariato. . 

24 December !)7/January 98

,-+ .. 

;e.~~ COMUNITA'rrAL1ANA 

In Memoriam 

R.I.P. 

Le mic sorelle cd io desidenamo esprimere it 

nostro sentissimo ringiaziamento per le numerose 

esprcssioni di condoglianza ricevute e per 

l'enorme appoggio' mostrato da voi a seguito la 

scomparsa della nostra earn mamma. 

Ci e stato di conforto sapere che dal momento 

che e stata _ colpita da un iruarto cercbrale fino 

alia sua morte mariuna ha sofferto Pochissimo. 

Un particolarc ringraziamento .va a Padre_ 

Russo che e aceorso all'ospcdale in,_ tempo per 

aministriule I'Estrema Unzionc.. - - 

My sisters and I appreciate, from the bottom 

of our hearts, the numerous expressions of 

condolence, flowers and cards received folloWing 

our dear mother's'deniise. 

It may be of comfort to uS and everyone to 

know that.Mum didn't suffer a.lot after having 

had a cercbralStroke. Our partiCular gratitude 

also goes to Padre RiJsso who came to the 

hospital just in time to administer the Last Rites. 

- Once niore, thank you 'ru!:. 

Vie Heissl 

Elizabeth Heissl 

Mino Sozzi 

'Mino' Sozzi was born and spent his youth in 

Holborn. He worked at The Savoy, Wheeler's and for 

Forte. He was a1So secretary of the Catering Football 

League. To some people he was known as '11 

Ragioniere'. 

The Sozzi family wish to thank all those who were 

his friends. 

He died peacefully in St 1oscph's Hospice. 

Dlcembre 971Gennaio 98 

25

:/f::.~~ J..\, COMUNITA' ITALIANA 

Specialist Departments ~~:.=~ 

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Specialists in Italian Cheeses, 

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TEL: 0171·607 8777 

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TEL: 01484-514117 

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Open;Mon-Fri Sam-4pm 

Dicembre97

- 

Last Post 

Dear Readers, 

$* DFnA COM\JNITA'rrAUANA 

Francesco Ciacon 

Cari Lettori, 

We have been deeply touched by the many expressions of 

gratitude, regret and good wishes which we have received following 

the announcement that BACKHlLL will cease to be publisbed. 

The reaction that we have witnessed has caused us to reflect 

further and, without making, any promises, we are seriously 

considering publishing BACKHlLL a couple of times a year 

(possibly for the Procession and Christmas). 

In the meantime, out heartfelt thanks to our readers, writers, 

advertisers and distributers for such wonderful support over the past 

21 years. 

Siamo stati molto commossi nei confronti 

delle varie espressioni di riconoscimento, rincrescimento 

e augurio suscitate dalla notizia cbe 

BACKHILL ccssed con questo numero. Vi 

ringraziamo di cuore per il vostro sostegno 

durante gli u1timi 21 anni e per i vostri auguri. 

Rimane la possibilita cbe BACKHILL vcrra 

pubblicato nel futuro un paio di volte all'anno. 

Vi presentiamo alcune tra le numerose lettere 

cbe abbiamo ricevuto . 

• ... Mille grazie per un iavoro ben fatlo per tanto tempo, Saluti, Remo Pozzi" 

·1 really feel I must tell you how sad I was to bear that our friendly family magazine BackhiU is coming to an end. 

It will most certainly be missed by everyone because over the years it has given so much pleasure to so many people. 

I for one always enjoyed everythinng about it from Padre Russo's Due Parole to Mamma's Ricetta. However, I am 

sure everyone (like me) will undcrstand the situation which has been well explained. 

A big ·Thank you· to you all for your very hard voluntary work in keeping Backbill going so well, for so long. 

May God bless you all. In appreciation I will say arrivederci e grazie. Maria Sterlini· 

• ... 1 am very sorry to read about the ceasing of publication of the magazine 'BackbiU'. However, I wish to thank 

everyone concerned for the exquisite magazine. It has been so interesting in every way and brought back many 

touching memories. Once again my grateful thanks to all concerned. Most sincerely, Lina Fe"ari in Tanzi". 

• ... Tanto spiacente cbe questa tanto gradita rivista non arrived piu sulla mia porta. Tante grazie a tutti voi cbe 

eravate involti,. Cordiali Saluti Alba Gredge· 

•... It is with particular sadness and dismay that we read from the November issue of BackbiU that next month's wiU 

indeed be the last. It is with much admiration of the achievement of all in the publication of the rivista that has given 

me and countless others such much pleasure to read since first publisbed ovcr twenty years ago. . 

The journal has been uuique and authentic in dcmonstrating the ways and traditions of the Italian people bere in 

England many of whom no doubt descend from thc early immigrants of the late nineteenth century. Backhill to mc has 

devoted so much and laboured so hard with dedication in promoting friendship and knowledge of the life in the early 

days of the "Hill". We of course will appreciate the great contribution that our English friends have made to the 

publication of Backhill also. 

Many thanks to you all for having done so mucb to promote happiness to so many. With sincere best wisbes. Yours 

faithfully, Aifonso Perrone" 

We would like to remind our advertisers and subscribers that in order for you to receive any outstanding balance 

due,. we need to hear from you by 31 December. Our sincere thanks to all those who have already so generously 

donated this balance to St. Peter's Italian Church. 

Ingredienti 

1 sacco d'amore 

infinita' di comprensione 

1 Y:. kg. dolcezza 

molta fiducia 

baci a volonta' 

Ricetta della Felicita' 

Metodo 

Mescolate gli ingredienti tutti insieme e non puo' 

fallirel 

Recipe for Happines 

Ingredients 

I saek of love 

Unlimited amount of understanding 

31bs of sweetness 

a good deal of trust 

kisses galore 

Metbod 

Mix all ingredients togetber and tbere is no possibility 

of failurel 

Dicembre 971Gennaio 98·

Personaggi 

L. Sttumbella 

Michelangelo Buonarroti 

Nacque ,a Caprcse nel 1475. Fu scultore, pittore e 

architetto. Suo maestro fu il pittore Domenico Ghirlandaio. 

Lavoro a Firenze, Venezia, Bologna e Roma. 

Papa Giulio II g1i commissiono la costruzione del proprio 

mausolco. La statua del 'Mose' (sotto) che si trova in San 

Pietro in Vincoli aRoma doveva far parte del gruppo 

marmoreo di questo 

mausoleo. Nel 1508 

inizio ad affrescare la 

'Cappella Sistina' in 

Vaticano. Nel 1520 il 

cardinale Giulio de' 

Medici g1i commissiono 

la cappellamedicea: di' 

S. Lorenzo a Firenze. 

Nel 1524 si stabili nuovamente' 

aRoma iniziando 

I'affresco' del 

'Giudizio Universale' 

nella Cappella Sistina. 

Mori ncl 1564 dopo 

aver lasciato anche importanti 

opere di architettura 

quali la cupola 

di S Pietro e PaIazzo 

Famese aRoma. 

Publio Cornelio Scipione 

Fu soprannominato I' Africano, per la sua vittoria di 

Zama, ciua dell' Africa. Con' tale battaglia termino la 

second3: guerra pimica. Egli nacque ncl 235 a.C; e, ancxira 

giovane, combatte aI fianco del padre, sui Ticino, contro 

Annibale. Nel 204 saIpO verso.1' Africa e pose l'asseWo a 

Utica, con I'aiuto di Massinissa, re dci Numidi. Sconfisse 

iCartaginsi nei Campi Magni, a Slid di Utica, conl'aiuto 

di Massinissa, re dei Numidi. Sconfisse i Cartagincsi nei 

campi Magni, a sud di Utica, c infine a Naraggara, prcsSo 

Zama (202). Accompagno il fratello Lucio in Asia ma fu 

l' Africano la mente direttrice dell'impresa. In realt\ fu un 

grandc gcncraIe, ma anchc un valentc uomo politico, in 

quanto comJircse I'importanza di convogliare le fonc 

cspansionistichcromane ncl Mediterranco, in Asia c in 

Africa; Mori nel 183 a Litcmo, in Campania. 

EdwardJenner 

Fu il medico inglese (1749-1823) che, per primo, attuo 

la vaccinazione antivaiolosa sull'uomo adoprandosi 

percbe fosse resa obbligatoria. Egli giunse a qucsta 

scOperta quando si accorse che i contadini guariti da 

vaiolo bovino non si amma1avano di vaiolo umano. Si 

persuase che iI vaiolo vaccino era una difesa contro 

quella tcrribilc maIattia chc mieteva vittime in tutto iI 

mondo. Dopo vent'anni di cspcricnZc sugli animaIi, si 

dccisc a inocullare aI proprio figlio e a se stcsso un pO di 

materialc purulcnto, prclevato da pustolc di individui 

affetti da vaiolo' vaccino. In segnito, le suc affermazioni 

furono confcrmatc dalle ricerche condotte nel campo 

deII'immunologia. 

Leonardo Da Vinci 

Figlio naturale di ser Pietro, notaio, di Vinci nacquc iI 

15 aprilci 1452. Ventenne, divenne aIlievo del, pittore 

Andrea dcl Verrocchi, a Firenze. A Milano, per il duca 

Ludovicxi iI Moro, costrui' congegni vellici, progetto' 

opere di architettura, scolpi' statue e dipinsenel Cenacolo 

di S. Maria delle Grazie "I'IDtima Cena". Lascio' 

Milano per Mantova e per Venezia. Viaggio' in Romagna,. 

aI servizio di Cesare Borgia, studio' problemi,di idraulica 

e di fortificazioni. Gli ultimi anni della .suavita Ii 

trascorse ad Amboise (in Francia), dove mori' nel 1519. Il 

suo ingcgno 10 rcse versatile nella meccanaica" nella 

matematica, nell'ingegneria idraulica, in botanica, in 

anatomia e in fisiologia. Tra le suc maggiori opere di 

pittura ricordiamo '''La Gi0c

Cinema 

;e.~ DFJLA OOMUNITA'IrAIJANA 

Agrifog/io Boseo 

, 

I 

I 

,' 

I 

Crystal Ball 

With so many films in production 

how can one spot a hit from a flop. 

Let's sce,ifyou can. 

Among the remakes' are: Doctor 

DoolUtle: starring Eddie Murphy, directed 

by Betty (Hill Street Blues) 

Thomas. City of Angels: this remakes 

of Wings of Desire deals· With the 

romance of a guardian angel who falls 

in love with the woman he is assigned 

to protect. Whashington Square: this 

time' starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, 

A1bert Finney and Maggie Smith. 

Shaft: first made in '71 is directed by 

John Singleton. Secret Life of Waiter 

MiIty: starring Jim Carey. 

In the meantime John Singleton 

has been busy complcting Rosewood. 

This is based upon the true incident 

about a white mob who attacked a 

Deep South town populated mainly by 

blacks in 1923. Starring Jon Voight 

and Ving Rhames. 

Women are starting to make their 

mark in films. ,Tina Modotti, the 

Italian photographcr, is to be portrayed 

by Madonna. How Stelhl Got 

Her Groove Back may,sound like a 

comedy bilt is, in fact, a drama and 

stars Whoopi Goldbcrg and Angela 

Basset!. Whoopi follows this up with 

Deep End of the 'Ocean with 

Michelle Pfeiffer. Ms Pfeiffer has 

already completed A ThouSand Acres 

co-starring Jessica Lange. Jennifer 

Jason Leigh makes up the third sister 

for this modem day version of King 

Lear which relocates to the US Midwest. 

Jason Robards plays the mad 

fathers. Altjelica Huston, Sharon 

Stone and Kriston Scot! Thomas share 

the Nom Ephron script Cup of Tea. 

Ms Huston' directs the tale of a high 

socicty love triangle set in NY during 

WWI. Chris Columbus directs Susan 

Sarandon and Julia Roberts in the 

drama Step Moln. Sandra Bullock 

(sce photo) leads the Runaway Bride. 

This romantic comedy deals with a 

woman who leaves a succession of 

fiances standing gilted at the altar. 

Things take a twist when a newspaper 

hatchet man looks into the stol)'. 

Hope Floats is next for Sandra this 

time co-starring with HarI)' Connick 

Jr and Gena: Rowlands. LaStly we 

have Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility) 

directing Nicole Kidman in Berlin 

Diaries, the account of Marie Vas- 


siltchikov's time in war tom Nazi 

Germany as a poor Russian princess 

and her involvcmcnt in a Hitlcr 

assassination plot. Guess how that onc 

endsl 

Magic Hour takes us on to mixed 

pairings with Paul Newman, Susan 

Sarandori and Gene Hackman. Robcrt 

Redford is set to star and co-produce 

with Oliver Stone in George Washington. 

Christopher L1oyd, leff Daniels, 

Daryl Hannah and Elizabeth 

Hurley -Were filming My Favourite 

Martitin during the summer last year. 

Adapted from the excellent stage play 

comes Rise and Fail of Little Voice 

with Jane Horrocks reprising the role 

that w3s written for her, though not 

after some heated telephone calls. 

Along side her is Ewan McGregor. 

Sam Mendes, the author, now takes 

his place in the director's chair. 

Don't worry there are plenty of 

films for the boys. Cuba Gooding lr 

won ari Oscar and the title lead in 

Blaze of Glory the story of Otis 

Redding as told by loe Eszterhas. 

From the drama of Copland Stallone 

next turns to comedy. Brand New 

Man finds him as a burglar who 

promises his wife to leave behind his 

life of crime, only to provoke his 

former crime boss who now wants 

him dead. Continuing the comedy is 

Terry Gilliam who directs 10bnny 

Depp 'in Fear and Loothing in Las 

Vegas. On a more serious note Costa 

Gavras directs Dustin Hoffman and 

John Travolta in Mad CiIy. Antonio 

Banderas and Omar Sharif co-star in 

Eaters of the Dead, written. by 

Michael Crichton who was, mCIdently, 

recently paid SIOm for thc 

script Air Frame. David Mamet directs 

Steve Martin and Campbell 

Soott in his thriller Spanish Prisoner. 

Snake Eyes directed by ,Brian De 

Palma co-stars Nicolas Cage and Gary 

Sinise. September was a wrap for 

Saving Privote' Ryan. Directed by 

Steven Spielberg and starring Tom 

Hanks about the WWII Normandy 

landings. Dayid Finchcr (Seven) teams 

up again with Brad Pitt in Crowded 

Room about the 23 multiple personalities 

of Billy Mulligan. 

But perhaps the hardest to predict 

i leave to last. We will either all be 

saying "why did we have to wait so 

long?" or cringe at eyery film frame. 

Neil Simon has put pen to paper and 

scripted Odd Couple 11: Travelin' 

Light. To be directed by Howard 

Deutch and starring lack Lemmon and 

Waiter Matthau. 

Coming Soon 

Kiss Me GiiUJo. Aspiring actor 

Frankie Zito answers a newspaper ad 

for a GWM room-mate, thiriking it 

means "guy with money". His new 

roomie is more interested in "gay 

white male". Starring Nick Scotti and 

Anthony Barrile. Opens 19 December. 

Spiceworld:The .film of the SP!ce 

Girls is rumoured to be SO appahng 

that the distribution 'company are 

refusing advanced preview for reviewers. 

Opens 26 December. 

Hard Eight. Professional gamblers 

in Reno. Starring Samuel L. lackson, 

Gwyneth Paltrow and lohn C. Reilly. 

Opens end December. 

Starship Trooper. The big bugs 

land on earth. Opens 2 lanuary,. 

TIre Jackal A ruthless assassin 

(Bruce Willis) is out to eliminate 

someone at the highest level in the 

US government. Sidney Poitier and 

Richard Gere are out to stop him. 

Opens 9 lanuary. 

The Rainmaker. Written and directed 

by Francis Ford Coppo\a. Starring 

Claire Danes, Danny DeVito and 

Ion Voight. Opens 13 February. 

Amistad. Based on a true story, 

Amistad is the saga of a failed mutiny 

on board a Spanish slave ship. Steven 

Spielberg directs Morgan Freeman, 

Nigel Hawthome, Anthony Hopkins 

and Matthew McConaughey. Opens 

27 February. 

29

~#NIl- ..' 

RlVISTA DELLA COMUNITA'rrALIANA 

Sportlig,ht 

Richard Evans 

As anyone who has read this 

column by now will know, my football 

watching is done at Highbwy 

which means that my perspective 

undoubtedly does have a red and 

white hue. 

You will appreciate, therefore, that 

with Arsenal's disciplinruy record, I 

am entering dangerous territory when 

commenting upon the performance of 

referees. 

' 

It is trite but true thiit if there is 

not proper respect for the decisions 

made by officials then anarchy Will 

u1tiinalllly iUle. COntrast tennis in the 

McEnroc era with Rugby Union - 

although will the referee be able to 

retain his revered position now that 

the latter sPort has gone professional? 

U1tiniately there can only be respect, 

if it is earned. 

In cricket,.it is encouraging to see . 

how many cX"players don the umpire's 

whites at the end of their 

playing careers - 10hnHainpshiie and 

Peter Willey being two recent examples. 

They underStand the pressures of 

playing at the most senior level and in 

turn that, knowledge is respected by 

the current crop of players. The same 

cannot be.said of football. 

Is it just an imruJy, overpaid bunch 

of prima donnas who need to be 

taught a lesson as seems to be the 

view of our footballing authorities? If 

so, the situation can only deteriorate 

and not improve. 

I have attended far too many 

games and seen too many examples 

on television of inconsistent and. poor 

refereeing to believe that the fault 

rests solely with the players. 

First, I am in no doubt that UEFA 

must take its share of the blame. The 

slightest mistimed tackle now requires 

a yellow card. You do not create 

discipline by introducing a penalty 

which becomes commonplace. The 

yellow card should be reserved not for 

the technical incident but for genuine 

malice and a professional foul. The 

red card should be used sparingly for 

extreme examples of those offences. 

I watched football throughout the 

'60s (undoubtedly' an admission of.my 

age) and can only recall two sending 

off incidents. The first was when big 

Ron Yeats and loe Baker' exchanged 

30 

blows in' a fifth round Arsenal -v 

Liveipool Cup tie and the second was 

when Messrs Gould and Sprake had a 

bout of fisticuffs during one of the 

traditionally notorious Arsenal -v 

Leeds clashes of that era. In other 

words, there·was a recognition that 

fans came'to see the players play and 

not the referees refereeing. 

Has football 'really benefited by 

having, as the norm matehes in which 

teams regularly end up With only nine 

or ten players on the field? 

But matters are likely to get 

worse. There is talk from Sepp -Blatter 

of UEFA that he wants to eliminate 

the sliding tackle and possibly tackles 

a1togetherl We really Will be having 

handbags at five 'paces and whilst no 

one wants skill to be destroyed by 

brute force - there must be a happy 

medium. 

' 

One of the great joys for me in my 

considerably younger days was' to 

employ the sliding tackle and come 

off the field covered in mud after 

playing on a traditional mid-winter 

pitch. The essence of skill is to 

overcome reasonable force and not 

eliminate that force altogether .. 

If I can put on my red and white 

glasses for a moment - where is the 

protection of skill when the first 

Arsenal player to receive. five bookings 

is the notorioUsly quiet and eventempered 

Dennis Bergkamp? Having 

seen one or two of his bookings, they 

have been innocuous, mistimed tackles 

i!1 the opposition half of the field. 

What evil does the referee really think 

he is pnnishing .in' those circumstances? 

Yet the Feyenoord tackle on 

Dennis loon went completely unpunished. 

' 

What· we really need is referees 

who understand the problems of playing 

the game at the highest level and 

who are respected by the players. 

Referees who are prepared to blend 

into the background and .let. the players 

get on with the game and' only 

interfere to ensure extreme examplesof 

misbehaviour are curbed. That way 

control will be retained. The quickest 

way of losing control is to have a 

series of petty inconsistent decisions 

which .~imply 

stoke. up frustration to 

boiling point I will not name, names 

or particular matches which I have in 

mindl .. 

So yes, I am advocating the professional 

referee but reCognise that 

money is a' problem. The difference) in 

salary between . a top player and. a 

referee is such that-it is going to (be 

difficult to persuade the lan Wrights 

of this world to put on an all black (or 

green) outfit when they retire in the 

same way as some cricketers have 

done. Nevertheless, I cannot help but 

think thitt highly respected professionals 

from the Nationwide League could 

be encOuraged in' such a career with a 

fast track to make sure that they do 

not languish forever.in the Diadora 

League until they arC too old to keep 

up with the pace 'of play. 

Our footballing authoritieS really 

do need to look at' the' heart of the 

problem 'and not simply regurgitate 

that the referee is always right unless 

he admits a mistake when the videO 

evidence is shoWn to him. 

Yes, the referee's job is a hard one 

and so he should be properly remunerated, 

so that his worth is recognised 

and the proper people are 

attracted to fu1fi1 the role who will 

earn the respect of the players. This 

problem needs to be urgently addressed. 

Here endetb the sermon for the 

final time. Thank you for reading me 

for the last 21 years - I wi~1 miss you. 


ItalSport 

;t:. ~DEUACOMUNITA'rrAUANA 

Sahdro Pratoli 

, 

I, 

Pallavolo: La classifica di Al 

A1pitour Traco CN 14; Casa MO 

Unibon 14; Sislcy Treviso 12; Lube 

Banca Marchc 10; Conad Ferrara 

10; Gabeca Fad Mont 8; Iucker 

Padova 6; Mirabilandia RA 6; 

Piaggio Roma 6; ComCavi Multim. 

4; Cosmogas Forli' 2; leans Hatu' 

B02. 

Calcio: L'attaccante della Lazio 

Giuseppe Siguori (sotto) c' dcciso a 

firmare I'accordo che 10 portera' alia 

Sampdoria. 

Calcio: Ognuna delle 32 squadre che 

si sono qualificate alia fase finale 

della Coppa del Mondo di calcio 

'Francia '98', avra' almeno 3 milioni di 

dollari, circa 5.1 miliardi di lire. La 

somrna, che vena' versata dalla Fifa, 

sara' conscgnata alle federazioni in 

due tempi diversi., La prima 'tranche' 

di mezzo milione di dollari vena' 

versata, come "costi, di preparazione", 

prima dell'inizio della'manifestazione. 

Per ognuna delle tre gare del girone 

di qualific3zione la Fifa dara' alle 

nazionali 800mila dollari ad incontro. 

Questo '''PfcmiO''; che sara' valido 

anche per le altre sfide, pennettera' 

alia squadra campione del Mondo ed 

all'altra finalista digwidagnere circa Rugby: 27-year-old Chester Willianis, 

sci milioni di dollari, circa 10 miliardi. 

Mrican side that won the last World 

the only black· player in the South 

Rugby Cup in 1995, flew in to play 

with a local club, Depofarrna Casale, 

Tennis: The chairman of the Italian near Torino. Casale sui Sile, to give 

Tennis Federation Paolo Galgani 

the town its full name, is in the A-2 

stepped down today after 21 years at pool of weaker clubs in the Italian 

the helm after. a rising wave of protest 

. rugby league, but Williams is hoping 

at the federation's failure to produce 

to use his Italian stay to to help it 

top-level players. 

achieve "important" results. He is also 

hoping to get back into full playing 

Atletica: In occasione della fonn after a serious kDce problem. 

proclamazione a Montecarlo degli, 

"Atleti dell'anno '97", it dancse- Pu'1 t Mi hIP' . '11 ha 

kenyota . Wilson Kipketer e I'ameri- ,.. a 0:. • c e e ICCID o. concana 

Marion Iones, iI presidente della qwstato 11 titolo europeo del su~rfederazione 

internazionale di atletica welter sco~ggen,~o per ko teeruco 

leggera (laa/), Primo Ncbiolo, ha alia nona npresa I mglese McCreesh. 

annunciato iI varo dalla prossima 

stagione di un nuovo 'tomeo di elite, 

nell'ambito del gia' collaudato.circuito 

Grand Prix: si chiamera' "Golden 

League" (Lega d'oro), si articolera' in 

sci appuntamenti 0 forsc sctte e 

mettera' 'in patio un super-premio da 

un milione di dollari, pari a circa un 

miliardo e 700 milioni di lire. Tra i 

meeting della "Golden league" ci sara' 

anche Rorna, da dove la nuova 

manifestiizione scattera' it 14 luglio 

prossimo; 

Basket: L'Italia di Bogdan Tanjevic, 

ha battuto a Ferrara la Repubblica 

Ceca per 84 a 60, gara valida per la 

qualificazione agli Europei del 99. 

Ner primo tempo g1i azzurri avevano 

concluso con un risultato di 45 a 32. 

Gli 3zzurri hanno disputato una prova 

decisamente positiva in particolare 

con iI 'Ronaldo del basket' Carton 

Maycrs, con Pozzecco, definito' iI 

Vialli del basket e con iI giovane 

Menegbin, figlio del popolare Dino. 

Pugile: A1essandro Duran ha riconquistato 

un soll'erto ma meritato titulo 

mondiale Wbu dei welter battendo iI 

sudafricano Peter Malinga. Vittoria 

non unanime con due giudici su !re a 

favore del pugile ferrarese (117-111, 

115-113, 114-114). A menu di quattro 

mcsi dall'incontro vinto da Malinga 

con un discuSso verdetto (il servizio), 

A1essandro Duran, 32 anni, si e' cosi' 

ripreso iI titolo. 

Sti: Brillante prova di Isolde Kostner 

nel primo supergigante di stagione. La 

discesista gardenese e" giunta seconda, 

preceduta di 64 centcsimi dalla tedcsca 

Katja Seizinger che centra iI 

29° succcsso in"cilppa del mondo, iI 

13° in Super-G. Sui podio, ad appena 

due centcsimi dall'italiana. un'altra 

tedcsca Katharina Gutensohn. 

Pallanuoto: II Th~mis Posillipo 

colleziona la seconda vittoria nel 

tumo preliminare di coppa campioni. 

I rossoverdi hanno superato gIi spagnoli 

del Barcellona travolgendoli per 

16-6 

Ginnastica: L'azzurro Andrea Massucchi, 

medaglia d'argento ai 

Mondiali dello scorso anno, e' morto 

in un incidente stradaIe awenuto 

sull'A4 nel territorio di Vercelli. Nato 

a Mortara 23 anni fa, Massucchi era 

un vero' talento . nalurate; arrivo' alia 

medaglia d'argento mondiale nel volteggio 

aI cayatlo. 

Sti: II doppio azzurro costituito da 

Gcrhard" Plankensteiner ed OswaId 

Haselrieder si e' piazzato aI secondo 

posto nell'odierna gara di doppio 

maschile di coppa del mondo di 

slittino, ed e' cosi' salito aI secondo 

posto anche nella classifica generale, 

alle spalle degli americani Mark 

Grimette e Brian Martin, vincitori 

della gara odierna. 

Football: Carlo Mazzone has quit his 

post as coach of the Napoli soccer 

club after four straight losses left the 

first division team in last place. 

"In Italy, after four straight defeats a 

coach has the moral obligation to 

leave,' Mazzone told ANSA, adding, 

"it is for this, and not other reason, 

that I have resigned as Napoli coach". 


31

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:tf:.~EUA CO~I1JNlTA' ITALIANA 

WHATISIT? 

JOIN THE DOTS 

Fill in the,areas marked with a dot. 

Join the dots in the numbered sequence. 

The second, third and fourth pictures each have 5 items missing. what are they? 

I '. 

• The two pictures have '1 items in common. Can you spot them? 

Dicembre'97 33

Mamma's Ricetta Mrs. M. G. 

Let me end at the beginning: as my farewell, I thought that I would reproduce the recipe from the first 

Christmas edition of BACKHILL in 19771 

Ravioli alIa Casalinga 

n Ripieno 

350 gr inuscolo, Y. gaJlina e 0550 di manzo 

170 gr pane gra~giato 

170 gr pannigiano 0 100 gr pannigiano e SO gr pecorino 

y. cucchiaino di pepe . 

y. cuechiaino di spezie 

Y. cucchiaino di noce moscata 

L cuechiaio sale 

4uova 

Cucinate il muscolo, la gallina el' 0550 in acqua salata. 

Quando la came' sar.\ cotta, togliete le ossa ed il grasso e 

passate la came nel maccinino 0 tritatela molto fine. 

Mettete il pane grattugiato in un recipiente. Aggiungete la 

came maccinata, il sale, il pepe, le spezie e la noce 

moscata e mescolate tutto insieme con un chcchiao di 

legno. Aggiimgete 3 tazze del brodo bolleilte. Mescolate 

bene e lasciate -raffredare. Aggiungete il pannigiano poi le 

uova uno alIa volta fincM avrete un ripieno, ne troppo 

soffice ne troppo duro. 

La Pasta 

500 gr farina 

1 cucchiaio sale 

4 uova 

4 cucchiai d'acqua 

Mescolate insieme il sale e la farina. Fate un bucO nel 

centro deUa farina e nel mezzo rompete le uova e versate 

I'acqua. Lavorate tutto insicme con le punte deUe dita. (I 

principianti troveranno piu facile mcscolare in un recipi· 

cnte). Continuate ad impastare suUa tavola per circa 5 

minutLfinche la pasta sia Iiscia e di giusto consistenza. 

Coprite con una salvietta e lasciatela riposare per circa 20 

minuti. 

Home Mad~ Ravioli 

FilIing 

y. Ib leg of beef, Y. chicken and a beef bone 

60z breadcrumbs " 

6 oz Parmesan or 4 oz Parmesan and 2 oz pecorino 

y. teaspoon pepper . 

Y. teaspoon .mixedspice 

y. teaspo

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