Julius Caesar invaded Gaul (modern France) in 58 BC,  establishing a military camp on high ground near the confluence of two great rivers known today as the Rhône and the Saône.  In eight years, Caesar completed the conquest of Gaul and the pacification of some 60 Celtic tribes inhabiting the region.  A Roman colony named Lugdunum was founded on the site of the military camp in 43 BC. The emperor Augustus came to Lugdunum in 16 BC, spent two years there and designated the city as the capital of the three provinces of Gaul.  The future emperor Claudius was born there in 10 BC.
Lugdunum grew steadily and was embellished by Roman emperors, especially Augustus and Hadrian reaching its zenith during the two-century period known as the Pax Romana (69 – 192 AD). 

   Around 270 AD the Gallic tribes began to revolt and the death throes of glorious Lugdunum began.  The history of Lyon’s evolution and its physical characteristics during the Roman era were very well hidden as a consequence of wholesale destruction followed by many centuries of overlying construction.  Many key discoveries did not occur until well into the 20th century.  The martyrdom of six Christians, including a courageous young virgin who became Saint Blandine, in 177 AD, provided an important key to one of the lingering puzzles of the geography of ancient Lugdunum. The slide presentation will review the birth and ascent of Lugdunum to greatness under the Romans and cover some of the spectacular vestiges that may be seen today. 

   Salvatore Sutera, Ph.D. is the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Washington University, President of the St. Louis-Lyon Sister City organization and an Italian Club member.
 

   From 1907 through 1915 D’Annunzio lived in Paris in self imposed exile.  His writings are prolific yet he cannot keep ahead of his creditors.  He returns to Italy in May of 1915 and shortly thereafter, Italy declares war on Austria.  At age 52 D’Annunzio enlists in the Italian military as a cavalry lieutenant.  During the three years of the war, he participated in some of the most daring acts of combat on land, sea and air.  He lost an eye in a plane crash.  Because of his heroic exploits, his notoriety reaches the heights of superhuman proportions.  Bedridden for months, he dictated to his daughter, Renata, from his hospital bed, a book of poems and two reflective memoirs. 

   After the war, D’Annunzio was decorated with the highest honor that Italy could bestow, including, La Medaglia d’Oro al Valore Militare !  With the rise of Fascism, D’Annunzio become an idol.  He represented the complete manifestation of Fascism, without he himself becoming a Fascist !

   Furious with the Allies’ decision not to have the city of Fiume annexed to Italy, he takes matters in his own hands.  At the head of thousands of Legionari , known as Arditi,  beset with high fever, D’Annunzio leaves the city of Ronchi on September 1, 1919 and occupies Fiume in Croatia, against the wishes of the Italian government.  Sixteen months later, the Italian government pressured by the Allies sends forces to Fiume under General Caviglia to end D’Annunzio’s regime.  To avoid bloodshed, D’Annunzio surrenders the city and evacuates, embittered and disillusioned by the experience.

   In 1922 he purchases Villa Caragnacco on the shores of Lago di Garda.  Eventually, he renovates and builds additions to the property, renaming it, Il Vittoriale d’Italia!
Mussolini and his fascists march on Rome in 1923 and take over the government, Il Duce, becomes the dictator of Italy.  Courted and feared by Mussolini, D’Annunzio is virtually kept under house arrest at Il Vittoriale.  Living with his last lover, Luisa Beccaria, D’Annunzio dedicates himself to decorating his estate. 

   Virtually kept under house arrest at Il Vittoriale.  Living with his last lover, Luisa Beccaria, D’Annunzio dedicates himself to decorating his estate. The Vittoriale is not a house but an estate of 22 acres.  In actuality, it is a small town with its own piazza.  The main house, La Prioria was originally known as Villa Cargnacca.  The floor plan of the manor consists of rooms with interesting names, Corridor of the Way of the Cross, The Monk’s Scriptorium, Veranda of the Little Apollo, Room of the Lily, etc.

   The vestibule, although architecturally not impressive gives an interesting insight into D’Annunzio’s style of dealing with people.  At the landing there are two doors– one to the left and the other to the right– leading to two waiting rooms.  The left room, Oratorio Dalmata, is for visiting close friends.  Suspended from the ceiling is a propeller from the seaplane that Francesco de Pineda flew 55,000 kilometers from Italy to Melbourne and Tokyo in 1925 .  The right room, Stanza del Mascheriao, featured a Venetian mirror.  Here in May 1925, Mussolini was kept waiting for two hours by D’Annunzio.

   Other rooms of note are, Stanza della Musica with ceiling and walls covered with thick black silk drapery.  Stanza della Leda, a room devoted to the presence of women.  D’Annunzio felt that “to possess women, they must first be completely understood”. 

   The blue bathroom was renovated in 1931 with blue as its dominant color with oriental carpeting.  Other rooms, Stanza del Lebbroso, had death as its theme.  Stanza delle Relique was devoted to “images of all creeds”.  The Officina was where D’Annunzio did his writing.  The entrance was designed so it could only be entered by climbing over a threshold barred by three steps which forces one to stoop below a low overhead.

   D’Annunzio dedicated himself to decorating his Vittoriale with some of the most bizarre objects imaginable.  In the last years of his life he degenerated into abject decadence and perversion, overindulging in sex and drugs.  He died on    March 1, 1938.  How can one define Gabriele D’Annunzio?  It is an impossible and exasperating task to encapsulate his elusive essence.

   If you feel like I do you are really sick of cold weather and snow by this time.  A little bit of each is interesting. What we have experienced this year borders on ridiculous.  But onto the news about our wonderful organization.  Your officers and board members have been hard at work laying out the goals and objectives for the next two years. You will see some slight changes here and there that I hope you will find positive. 

As you know, at the February meeting we voted to induct Mr. Joe Garagiola as an Honorary Members of the ICSL. Congratulations and welcome!

   You will notice in LaRondine that we will be listing the programs a few months in advance. We hope that you will find this useful and help you with your planning. We dearly enjoy having as many of our members, guests and friends attend as many meetings as they can during the year. 

   In closing, I wish each of you well. If you ever have questions, suggestions or critiques of things inside the ICSL, please contact me via email or phone to discuss. 

   Ciao,  Jim
   jtognoni@earthlink.net

   Due to this change, we will have many contributors throughout the year. The summary of our monthly meeting presentations will be written by four of our members:  Dorotea Rossomanno-Phillips, Marianne Peri Sack, Eugene Mariani and Vito Tamboli. 

   The preview of our upcoming presentation will be written by members of our Program Committee. 

   Carol Mondia has agreed to coordinate La Terza Pagina.

   I will be coordinating the layout of the publication.  Are you interested in contributing to the LaRondine? Please send me any suggestions, as well as, any articles and announcements that you would like to have published. 
 

April 16- "Brunelleschi's Ospedale  degli Innocenti - the First Foundling Hospital", presenter Larry Kahn, M.D.

May 21- "Smartness and Beauty:  Italian Medicine from the Renaissance through the Eighteenth Century", presenter Lilla Vekerdy, Washington University School of Medicine

June 18- “Annual Report from the Vice Consul of Italy in St. Louis”,   presenter Joseph Colagiovanni, Esq.
Presentation of the Italian Heritage Award 
 

April 25- L’Elisir D’Amore 
In this lavish production of Gaetano Donizetti’s amusing and melodic opera, audiences are entertained with such show-stopping arias as “Una Furtiva Lacrima,” and “Quanto e’Cara, Quanto e’ bella.”  Nemorino is duped by a charlatan traveling salesman into buying his “love-potion,” in order to win the heart of the lovely Adina. (2 hours, 9 minutes) 

Siccome siamo nel tempo carnevalesco abbiamo pensato di portare alla luce dati carnevaleschi.  Allora
 

Il carnevale inizio' nel 1094 quando il doge vitale faliero la inseri' per la prima volta nel suo documento ufficiale istituendo questo periodo.  La parola deriva da "carnis laxatio" che sarebbe abbandono del carne o un comportimento casto.  Nei tempi successivi abbandonano questo rigore eccessivo per uno piu' favorevole prima della quaresima.
Proclamarono la festa del senato della Republica.

Il tempo comminciava inizialmente in ottobre, poi cambiarono a dicembre.  Oggigiorno si commincia una settima prima di mercoledi' delle ceneri, cioe' giovedi' a martedi' grasso.

Avevano bancarelle dove vendevano merce di ogni sorte, pasti, vini e certamente qualche ricordo.

L'abbigliamento consisteva di una bautta, un tabarro, un cappello triangolare e una maschera bianca.  La bautta e' un capotto di pizzo col cappuccio si seta.  Il tabarro e' una cappa. Con questa copertura si rimane incognito.

Questo periodo e' la parte che si direbbe dicadente prima che arriva la penitenza di quaresima.  Si festeggia in ogni modo: ballando, cantando, mangiando, bevendo, giocando a giochi d'azzardi ed altre cose.  Forse, e' meglio rimanere incognito.

                "a carnevale ogni scherzo vale"

questa settimana si passa in "bianco".  E' una dedicato a godere e non lavorare tanto.

Quest'anno il commitato di carnevale a venezia hanno pensato a dedicare questo a Federico Fellini.

                  “Mascherarsi per Smascherare”

Federico aveva una relazione con venezia tutto speciale.  Era la sua passione specialmente carnevale.  Rappresentava il suo modo di pensare alla vita.  Registro' in cinema chiamato "Venezia".  Pero' non e' lasciato  la "scatola".  Disse che la base di "Venezia" era il vano attentivo - la assurdita' delle pretese - tramite la media teatrale - la seduzione onerosa di venezia che e' un invenzione teatrale (un sogno)."  e' un gioco continuo a riinventare totto, a mascherare pur di smascherare nel loro ippocrazia.  Si interpreta la realta' tramite la maschera verbale per dimostrare "l'imperatore non indossa vestiti" e di
arrivare all verita' tramite narrativa.

I dati sono forniti dal www.carnevalevenezia.it sezione news.

Speriamo che avete potuto godere un po' il tempo carnevalesco.

Alla prossima, 

Carolina