Michele Picciano's visit to Australia

Michele Picciano, Molise region council member, is visiting Australia. On his first day, 17 november, in Perth he met the premier of Western Australia, Geof Gallop, and participated to a session of the Chamber of deputies receiving the salute of president Louise Pratt and the other parliamentarians.

Then he also met the attorney general, John D' Orazio, and the MP of molisan origin John Castrilli, whose family comes from Roccamandolfi (Isernia). With them Picciano discussed the initiatives of the Molise regional council in favor of the Molisani in Australia, while in the evening he met a community of Molisani.

In the course of the evening they spoke about the new law for the molisani in the world and the institution of the emigration museum. The council member moreover spoke on the values, traditions, culture, language and roots that are to be the starting point to strengthen ties to the native land and create a Molise-Australia corridor favoring cultural, social and economic exchange. In the following days Picciano will proceed to Adelaide.

Della Sciucca's "Central park"

"Central Park West Stories" by Glauco Della Sciucca, 32, born in Atri, published by Tracce presented today in Pescara at 17,30, Libreria Feltrinelli. Ten stories and 30 illustrations to tell the story of the hidden New York of intellectuals. della Sciucca works for Raiand writes on "The New York Review of Books" and "The New Yorker".

Celebrations for Mea Carnevale

Anniversary of the death Mea Carnevale in San Vincenzo Valle Roveto, on 17 march 1959 at 30 years of age. The humble shepherdess had stygmata and though illiterate spoke ancient Latin and greek in her ecstatic moments. Miracles were recorded after her death, and great numbers of pilgrims visit her tomb. The beatification process in the church is in course.

The Palm tree: myth and omens

An article by Vincenzo Battista, on il Messaggero, Abruzzo edition of 15 march.
Battista traces the cultural history of the palm leaves - offered by the Greeks to game winners and warriors as a symbol of victory. Then changed into the tree of life for the Christians, a symbol of martyrdom, as the victory of faith, carried by Christ in his hands when entering Jerusalem. And the omens connected to the Palm Sunday in the peasants' folk traditions: if the day is clear, the harvest will be rich; if rainy, the summer will be dry and poor. The palm leaves of the previous year were to be burnt in the fireplace, crosses and candles were to be placed in the fields to help the rebirth of Nature.

Palermi, dubbing king, becomes a US citizen

Luciano Palermi from Pescara, since the early 1990's in Los Angeles, was given American citizenship in a ceremony in the Orange County Hall. Palermi, 39, is in charge with dubbing, casting and adaptations for the Italian viewers - since June he is the Italian voice of Ski gossip channel E!.

19 march in Silvi Abruzzese festival

The cities with the greatest numbers of abruzzesi are not in Abruzzi - in the course of the 20th century 1.2 million Abruzzese left their land and now there are 250,000 in New York, 80,000 in Toronto, 1,500 from Rosciano in Australia, 5000 from Pettorano sulGizio in Hamilton, Canada. Next saturday 19 March the third edition of the "Abruzzesi in the world" festival will be celebrated in Silviand broadcast on Rai Uno Sat live via satellite. Many Abruzzese were successful each in theair fields, as Larry Di Ianni, from Villetta Barrea, now the mayor of Hamilton, but unfortunately many others are not so well off, and the region Law 47 passed in December 2004 tried to provide solutions for them too.

Nicola Calipari Square in Tollo

The mayor and adminitrators of Tollo, prov. of Chieti, decided to name squares, buildings and streets in honor of people who have become symbols of courage for the Italians. Therefore they dedicated a square to Nicola Calipari, the present square piazza Umberto I will change name into "piazza Caduti di Nassiriya", in memory of the 19 italians killed in November 2003 in Iraq, and other namings will follow for the "foibe" victims, Arturo Meschini a Tollo citizen killed in reprisal by the Germans in WW2, judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, killed by the Mafia in 1992.

Gran Sasso summit named after John Paul II

On 18 May for Karol Wojtyla's 85th birthday a summit of the Gran Sasso, known as "Gendarme", will take the name of "Cima Wojtyla" (see website http://www.cimagiovannipaoloii.it/), The summit, on the Cresta delle Malecoste near Pizzo Cefalone, rises over the little church of Saint Peter of the Ienca, where Pope Wojtyla, in his stronger days a great lover of the Abruzzo mountains, a number of times stopped in prayer in the past. Also the path from the small church will be named "Giovanni Paolo II". The official ceremony of 18 May will be followed on the next day by the celebrations for the patron Saint Peter Celestine in the basilica of Collemaggio, L'Aquila.

102 candles in Capistrello

On 8 march for woman's day Paola Ruggeri celebrated her 102nd birthday. Born in 1903 she is second to Ezilde Persia from Civitella Roveto, born in 1902. In Capistrello there are two more over-100 ladies Angela Lusi and Angelina Ricci. First it will have to still complete 102 years, the second one has 101. Capistrello seems to be one of the villages with the highest percentage of centenarians.

"Pizza alla Centerba" at the world championship

Final rehearsals at the pizzeria Amadeus in Brecciarola for the pizza world championship to be held in Salsomaggiore Terme from 14 to 16 March. Last edition's champion Teseo Tesei will prepare for the occasion a "pizza alle tre ricotte e Centerba Toro". The recipe is all made with products of Abruzzo from flour to ricotta, zucchini flowers, extravirgin olive oil and Centerba Toro, the liquor made with the original 200-year-old recipe from an infusion of wild herbs of the Majella without sugar.

A landslide isolates Celenza

The snow - in 2005 the heaviest snowfalls in the last decades - is now melting and the risk of landslides in the Province of Chieti is great. Since 10 March Celenza on the Trigno is almost isolated, after a slide in the area of "Mandrella" blocked road SP 203. A lady driving just at that time barely avoided falling with her car into the ravine. Only very small cars and with great risk can drive now along the only road, no buses or trucks. The condition of possible calamity was ascertained also for other villages in the area.

Super "Sant'Agnese"

Nine of the brotherhoods of Sant'Agnese for total 99 people met for dinner in L'Aquila for the 4th edition of the "Sant'Agnese delle Sant'Agnesi", to establich which of the brotherhoods will organize the celebrations for Sant'Agnese next 21 Jan 2006. The Saint is - only to the Aquila - the patron of maldicenza (gossip). The title went to Luciana Cucchiella, "abbess" of the Devote di Sant'Agnese.

Scanno on Rai International

On Sunday 2.00 pm (Italian time) on Sky Rai International a representation of the municipality of Scanno will be in Saxa Rubra for the TV program "Giostra dei gol", seen on the average by 55 million viewers. They will introduce to the international public the culture, traditions and beauties of Scanno, universally acclaimed as the most photographed village in Italy.