Carnevale di Venezia

This week on Let's Travel! Celebrate Carnival in Venice, a time when, as in many Christian countries around the world, people go crazy for the week leading up to Lent, the forty days before Easter. We learn about Venice, Carnevale, Venetian masks and Venetian food with guests: Consul General of Italy to the United States Dott. Francesco Talo; Dott. Renato Miracco, director of the Italian Cultural Institute in New York City; Dr. Emelise Aleandri, author, singer, actress, producer and host of Italics: The Italian American Magazine, on cable TV and Carolina Perego, chief pastry chef for Cipriani restaurants in New York City.






Guests

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Renato Miracco, Director
Italian Cultural Institute

Study: Lungotevere Flaminio, 60 00196 ROME
Cell: 335.708.1223
Email: renato.miracco@tiscali.it

Personal data

Nationality: Italian

Hometown/Birthdate: Naples, 15 October 1953.

Titles of study: Bachelor in History of Art achieved from the University of Salerno in 1975

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Renato is currently the director of the Italian Cultural Institute in New York City, which is located at 686 Park Avenue.







Dr. Emilise Aleandri, Artistic Director, Actress and Singer

Emelise Aleandri (Artistic Director), is the year 2001 winner of the Elena Cornaro Award from the New York State Grand Lodge Order Sons of Italy in America for her work in Italian-American culture. A singer, actress and folk dancer, she performs both traditional and contemporary Italian and Italian-American music and theatre in both Italian and English.

A TV and film actress, she was featured in the Spike Lee films Crooklyn and Summer of Sam. Most recently she starred as the famous 19th century Italian actress, Eleonora Duse opposite Lilianne Montevecchi in Of Penguins and Peacocks. She was featured in the Walnut Street Theatre production of Italian Funerals and other Occasions and in the Off-Broadway productions of Sweatshop and SHHHHH! For ten years she was the Producer/Host of Italics: The Italian-American Magazine, a nationally-aired cable TV show. She has produced two documentaries for television: Teatro: The Legacy of Italian-American Theatre, and Festa: Italian Festival Traditions.

Her book, The Italian-Americian Immigrant Theatre of New York City, was published by Arcadia and she is in the process of compiling a book of pictures of the Little Italy of New York City and a CD of Italian immigrant music.


Special Memories of Venice at Carnevale 

I was determined to shoot the Carnevale for my TV Show Italics: The Italian-American Magazine so I attended in 1994. I had hoped to wear a mask and costume but when you shoot it is all too cumbersome and I had to be agile and quick in order to get shots of the magnificent masks and costumes.

I spent the whole week there since the festivities last that long. I wasn't acquainted with anyone who could get me an invite to some of the glamorous indoor balls that are held in the palazzi but I had enough to shoot right in the streets where everyone comes to show off the costumes that so many prepare for an entire year to wear for Carnevale. I got wonderful footage, day and night. But it was so crowded that every once in awhile you hear me yell and the camera goes awry because someone knocked me over to get a shot.

People dressed in groups and formed picturesque tableaux against the ancient buildings, columns, statues, fountains, and all the tourists took their pictures. I remember one woman whose dress was so wide that only she could walk down the narrow Venetian streets. The costumed characters also hold rods that extend their costumes wider so that they takes up more space and have more of a presence and impromptu stage area. There are also street theatre performances and little stages built around St. Mark's Square, beautifully painted with historic commedia pictures, and that at night house a band that plays while the crowd dances.

I loved the museum near the Rialto that exhibited the commedia dell arte costumes and paintings and also exhibited the complete collection of official annual Carnevale posters. There was also a wonderful puppet exhibit of traditional theatre characters.

I stayed on Lido and had to take the vaporetto to San Marco, and though people were going to work dressed as usual every day, there were many masked costumed characters mixed in sitting with the regulars on the boat. The effect was surreal. It was brutally cold, always is at that time of year out on the water.


You can email Emilise here or visit her website at www.FrizziLazzi.com 







Carolina Perego, Chief Pastry Chef
Cipriani's

Carolina Perego, the chief pastry chef of Cipriani's in New York City is sharing these recipes from "Harry's Bar Cook Book" with us. Additional dessert recipes are on the Fan Club Page, so join the Let's Travel! Fan Club, sign in and enjoy!


Recipe 1: Baccala Mantecato Con Polenta (Cream of Dried Salt Cod), Page 2: (continued)

Recipe 2: Sarde in Saor (Sardines in Saor)

Recipe 3: Galani




We also found a great Web site for all you "Italophiles":

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