The ANNOTICO Report

Adriano Comollo. Last year, the 58-year-old professor from Turino, Italy,
decided that something had to be done to bring a little more Italian spirit
to Salt Lake City.

So, He just went out and did it!!!!

No Recruiting Sponsors, or Contributors, or Developing a Consensus, getting
Permission or Endorsements, or  Committee Meetings. He just went out and
did it!!!!!!

He convinced Tony Caputo to give him some space next to Caputo's deli, and
Adriano filled several bookcases with Italian books and magazines, tacked
some maps and photos of the Mediterranean to the walls and opened the doors
of the Italian Center of the West.

Finally, there is now a place for Italians (and those who simply wish they
were) to speak their native language, watch Italian news on satellite, read
the latest Italian best-sellers, get Italian lesson, lesson to Guest
speakers, and enjoy Italian Book Club night. Thanks to Adriano's
persistence, there is now even a place to play bocce across the street in
Pioneer Park.

Now he's hoping to expand his "Little Slice", and resurrect the area that
was formerly a "Little Italy", that's showing encouraging signs.

Italian Center Utah already has an impressive Web Site!!
Utah has only 20,000 Italian Americans according to their figures and
45,000 according to mine.  But so few, accomplishing so much, so quickly.

Do they give you ideas as to what should be done in your Community,or what
can be done better?

Salt Lake City
Deseret Morning News
By Cathy Free
Thursday, March 3, 2005

They traded the Mediterranean Sea for a briny lake they can't swim in, and
a culture renowned for its glorious cuisine for a place where the
specialities are Jell-O salad and funeral potatoes.

Wineries are scarce, there are no famous museums, and it's tough to find a
good cup of cappuccino. What's a homesick Italian stuck in Salt Lake City
to do?

Enter Adriano Comollo. Last year, the 58-year-old professor from Turino,
Italy, decided that something had to be done to bring a little more Italian
spirit to Salt Lake City.

After convincing Tony Caputo to give him some space next to Caputo's deli
in the Firestone Building on 300 West and 300 South, Adriano filled several
bookcases with Italian books and magazines, tacked some maps and photos of
the Mediterranean to the walls and opened the doors of the Italian Center
of the West.

Finally, there is now a place for Italians (and those who simply wish they
were) to speak their native language, watch Italian news on satellite and
read the latest Italian best-sellers. Thanks to Adriano's persistence,
there is now even a place to play bocce across the street in Pioneer Park.

But don't think of showing up simply to show off your athletic prowess.

"In Italy, you play bocce to have fun, not just to win," says Adriano over
a Free Lunch of homemade lasagne from Caputo's. "The American way is very
different. Everybody is so competitive. Any Italian can tell you there is
more to life than winning."

Adriano is proof of that. He left a job teaching Italian studies at the
University of Utah to become director of the Italian Center and hang out in
Salt Lake City's own "Little Italy."

Already, he has hoisted an Italian flag outside Tony Caputo's deli. Now
he's hoping to convince officials to put up a "Little Italy" sign and make
improvements to promote the area as the "most international" part of the
city.

"This section of town is so rich in culture — there really used to be a
Little Italy here, and a neighborhood called Greektown, too," he says.
"When the Salt Palace and the freeway went in, it cut everything in half.
But now, it's slowly coming back."

A former professor at Brigham Young University who immigrated to the United
States in 1985, Adriano lived in Utah County for eight years. "To be
honest, I couldn't live there any longer," he says. "How can I say this? I
needed a place with a little more culture."

So he moved to Salt Lake City — home to many of the state's 20,000
Italian-Americans.

"It is destiny that I am here," says Adriano, a tall, elegant man with
laughing eyes and an engaging smile. "After my time at BYU, I wanted to
move back to Italy. But my wife convinced me we should stay, and it was for
the best. We never could have afforded to have four children in Italy."

He now spends his time lining up guest speakers to share Italian
experiences, teaching Italian classes at the center and meeting new friends
over cups of steaming cappuccino on Italian book club night.

Playing bocce or a game of chess on a sunny afternoon, "you almost forget
that Salt Lake City is one of the more isolated cities in the country,"
says Adriano. "So many people who move here from other countries become
assimilated and don't care about their culture anymore."

But for any Italians who want to hold on to something of their heritage, he
says, "this is the place."

More information can be found at .www.italiancenterutah.com

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600115941,00.html

freelunch@desnews.com. You can also write me at the Deseret Morning News,
P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110.

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