Articles by: Samantha Janazzo

Il Giro d’Italia or The Tour of Italy is one of the most popular and historic bicycle racing tours in the world. Known for cycling through the entire country of Italy (and sometimes passing through bordering territories) in twenty-one stages, this 3,500 kilometer tour takes one month of complete and is comprised of 22 international official teams from May 5th to May 28, with only two resting days.

The first Grand Tour began in 1909, Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna left his mark as the first prizewinner. In fact, the top two competitors with the most wins are Italian: Alfredo Binda and Fausto Coppi; five wins each. 2017 hails as the 100th competition- during the First and Second World Wars the races were cancelled.

For the third time in history, the race will commence in Sardinia- infamous for its rough up and down hilly terrain and accompanied by waterside views. Racers will speed 575km from Alghero to Olbia, to Tortolì, to Cagliari surpassing spectacles of picturesque beaches, islands plentiful of historic antiquities and mythology, castles, islands, and Roman vestiges.

By May 9 the cyclists take Sicily starting from the small city of Cefalu at the rocky base of Mount Etna for another 150km before transferring to the boot to start on Calabria’s terrain, May 11. The next stage will take the bikers through Puglia for the first Adriatic sightings bringing the cyclists through famous towns and villages of the Italian coast.

The next stage measures 152 kilometers and travels through the Molise town Montenero di Bisaccia. Some argue this is the most physically demanding stage because it brings the bikers to the highest part of Abruzzo. Not only will cyclists be expected to peak the heights of this treacherous feat, they will surpass caves, deep valleys, and harsh canyons. Things begin to flatten out as the course takes the heart of Umbria.

Tuscany and Emilia Romagna welcome the competitors on May 17 where they will cycle through the Florentine hills and bathhouses that date back to Ancient Rome. While the best mountaineers would have excelled through the previous stages in southern Italy, Tuscany is for the sprinters with its wide, paved, flat roads.

Next is Reggio to Tortona, May 19, the most stubborn sector for its 167 km, pedaling through Via Emilia; the unpredictable terrain has tricked bikers for years. May 22 leads the Alpine stage, 222 km and one serious altitude change. It starts from Rovetta, a small hamlet of the Val Seriana, passing Edolo, climbs Stelvio up ends at Bormio.

The most anticipated stop is next, beginning in Moena, the section of the Dolomites between the valley of Fassa and Fiemme, leading to Ortisei in the heart of Val Gardena after 137 kilometers. The bikers will be climbing the most famous passes: Pordoi, Gardena, and Pontives; backed by the UNESCO protected mountain range.

On May 26 the path continues through the mountains. For the first time in the history of the Giro d’Italia the bikers will take on San Candido in Piancavallo, a large and sunny plateau north of Pordenone, among breathtaking bends of the Dolomite summits. May 27 anticipates a 190km stretch, starting from Pordenone with its elegant Venetian old town, and arriving on Via Asiago by way of the slopes of the Treviso Mountains and Mount Grappa. In fact, Asiago stands in the green basin in the heart of the Venetian mountains surrounded by peaks that reach a mile and a halfs high.

The Italian Tour ends on a path through the historic park of Monza in Milan, passing Villa Reale, and arriving in Milan's city center, Piazza Duomo. Each year the Peloton improves, cyclists train tirelessly to survive the Alps, Dolomites, narrow city passageways, and expansive terrains to take home the title as Grand prix of the Giro d’Italia.  

Click here for more informationp;

New York City is more than just the largest city on the east coast, it is a symbol for all things American: from food, to tourism, to art, and more. That is why everyone feels a pull to visit the Big Apple at least once in their life. Milan further proves this with a 150 piece exhibition, comprised of works by Italian artists only, that winds through the Museo del Novecento and the Gallerie d'Italia in the Piazza Scala titled “New York New York: rediscovering America.” It is open to the public through September 17 in partnership with the Electa Publishing House.

“New York New York. Italian Art: rediscovering America” is curated by Francesco Tedeschi, Francesca Pola, and Federica Boragina. Its mission is to captivate the story of the Italian depiction of the free world from the perspective of modern Italian artists who have lived in, traveled through, or simply imagined how the United States physically is or would be in the world- with a particular emphasis on New York City.

An incredible diverse selection of artists with innumerable mediums, styles, and techniques fill the galleries with an expansive variation of New York related interpretations. “Rediscovering America” means to discover its mythology and depict it tangibly through art; this is what the curators are exposing through the perspective of the Italian inhabitants and dreamers alike.  

The greater part of the exhibition is found in the Museo del Novecento. Fortunato Depero’s 1930 New York depiction is acting as the exhibition’s cover photo: the futurist’s geometric colorful style shows an illuminated NYC exploding from its black background as if each skyscraper is made out of fireworks lighting the city so brightly it creates physical instability. From Afro Basaldella's fragmented geography printing, the patriotic and deeply symbolic red, white, and blue Paolo Baratella works, the deeply carved multi dimensional sculptures of Pietro Consagra, and so much more, NYC and the United States shines in many different lights in Milan’s galleries.

Ugo Mulas receives individual recognition of his memorable project "New York: Art and People," which he completed between 1964 and 1967 in New York City Studios in correspondence with artists such as Barnett Newman, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, and Tom Wesselmann. An extremely powerful message ties together the mission of branching Italian artists with the United States.

The Gallerie D’Italia displays Umberto Boccioni and his avant-garde use of space when describing NYC; Giacomo Balla’s attention to light and dark detail to create incredible organic shapes and sizes; Carlo Carra infusion of words and images in his very own creative voice; and the work of Giorgio Morandi, who has left his trademark on NYC and is known for his use of clarity and purity of his pictorial language. In 1949 in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, each of the aforementioned artists belonged to an exhibition called “XX Century Italian Art.” The rest of the exhibition is made up of works from the 1950s and 1960s to encapsulate modernity.

In a sense, the Museo del Novecento is a representation of the works of the creative teachers, while Milano Gallerie D'Italia in the Piazza Scala creates a premise for an entirely different set of Italian protagonists. The Italian perception of the World War I and World War II in America is a powerful message that resonates a commonality through many of the pieces, including images of skyscrapers and national colors, especially when it's depicted by Italians.

Milanese publishing house Electa is proud to promote the event for their own mission, ingrained in promoting modern and contemporary arts through their catalogues, books, art guides, and magazines. Italy is a powerhouse for the arts from publishing to the music to the years of history covered in their world-renowned museums. It is an honor to have an Italian art display dedicated to New York City. 

On April 11, La Casa Italiana hosted opera expert Fred Plotkin for an inspiring interview with 34-year-old maestro Daniele Rustioni. Together they discussed Rustioni's recent debut in the renowned Giuseppe Verdi Opera, Aida, at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera. They also touched on his journey to success, inspirations, aspirations, and much more. Plotkin began with the phrase largo ai giovani or “make way for the young ones,” a fitting start for such a budding talent.

Rustioni’s first musical experience, other than listening to his mother sing, was voice choir at the age of eight at La Scala in Milan, where he fulfilled his instrument requirement with the cello–the instrument he feels most closely resembles the human singing voice. He explains that one must complete a one decade composition course before beginning conducting courses; luckily Rustioni started at the age of eleven. Describing himself as "old school," Rustioni feels that taking up piano, cello, and singing has aided his success today. When he receives a new score, he will play through it himself and sing the words before approaching the orchestra.   

His first experience conducting was at the age of 21 in Abruzzo at the Pescara Academy, where he was the maestro for a mixed orchestra of retired and current professionals and students. Though he struggled with self-doubt in the beginning, and realized how truly difficult it was to produce–and audibly portray–what he had in mind through the orchestra, his fascination for conducting became a passion, and he knew he was following his calling. 

Delving into the technique of being a maestro, he states, “You are constantly learning at the podium; the orchestra is your best teacher.” He elaborates by referring to something he calls the "maestro’s aura," or the energy passed from the conductor to the orchestra that truly connects the orchestra to the desired sound. This aura is passed not only through the waving of the conductors arms, keeping time, and giving cues, but also through his eyes, his movements, and of course, lots of practice and communication.

“A conductor changes the sound of an orchestra,” explains Rustioni, saying that conductors should not even have to speak the same language as the people in the orchestra, commenting on the time he spent conducting in Sankt-Peterburg, Russia. It is the maestro’s job to connect the stage to the orchestra; that is his main duty, and an extremely difficult one. In the end, what is produced by the orchestra is the vision of the maestro. “Music is a way of transmitting our feelings,” Rustioni stated, "They can simply use opera terminology along with unspoken communication to transmit a successful sound."

The suspense finally broke when Fred Plotkin inquired about Daniele Rustioni’s experience with the impressive cast members of Aida, a Verdi Opera that takes place in Egypt. Rustioni comments on how he must work as a conductor with the cast and the orchestra–both separately and together. For example, the character Aida is played by Krassimira Stoyanova, who as Rustioni describes, has a very different italianità. Plotkin agrees, and further adds that Stoyanova had him “on the edge of his seat” because her style was both unique and wonderful.

Rustioni explained that there is an adjusting process that occurs during rehearsal and a connection that needs to be constructed between the conductor and the performers. “She is a singer and an artist,” Rustioni said as he described the way Stoyanova reads a score and sings it without listing to recordings; this is her own method of envisioning the pieces and perfecting them. “When you find an artist like this, you want them to be who they are,” adds Rustioni. It is the maestro's job to match the orchestra to the stage, not vice versa. 

He speaks highly of the other main members as well. James Morris has performed at the Metropolitan Opera many times and Riccardo Massi is a fabulous tenor. He has worked with Violeta Urmana twice before; her style greatly differs from Stoyanova, but they compliment one another quite beautifully.

“You are managing many different types of artists and a large orchestra. Even though you are young in your career, you are very able to do this. How do you make the whole thing work when the variables are so difficult?” asks Plotkin when discussing the variety of talents on the stage, to which the maestro answers with one simple word: “rehearsal.” He goes on to explain that even though he and Violeta worked together before, they have to adapt to each other each time. As a conductor, one needs to know also how much the orchestra is able to listen and relate, keeping in mind that every orchestra is different.

Largo ai giovani is true in this case; Daniele Rustioni’s budding career is truly impressive, but he credits the pioneers of opera such as Rossini, Verdi, Comencini and more for his success. As he boasted about Italian culture and how it radiates through the operatic scene around the world, Daniele Rustioni exclaimed, “Italy has the trademark to Opera; it was created here.”