Columns

Screenwriter and director Cesare Zavattini was truly ahead of his time when he organized the 1953 film compilation “L’amore in città” (Love in the City), a collection of seven short film essays directed by Zavattini, Dino Risi, Michelangelo Antonioni, Carlo Lizzani, Francesco Maselli, Federico Fellini and Alberto Lattuada. The New York Times did a beautiful article on the collection in 2014 referring to Zavattini as “a pioneer of documentary fiction (sometimes called ‘hybrid cinema’), in which non-actors essentially play themselves, dramatizing their particular situations.” With the exception of Fellini’s short, in which he narrates something that happened to him but …

In the past year or so, I’ve been telling people that I’ve been writing Petals From Roseland for 12 years. Now that September has rolled around, marking the first month I took over from Mario Avignone, I stopped to do the math and realized that I’ve actually been writing the column for 14 years! It was September of 2008 when I was first introduced as the author of Petals from Roseland. I personally paid my thanks to Mario by visiting him in the Manteno Veterans’ home a few times. I also attended the premiere presentation at Casa Italia, along with …

Combining the Imperfetto with the Passato Prossimo   Choosing an Italian Past Tense Let’s start our blog about how to combine the imperfetto with the passato prossimo by reviewing some general rules of Italian grammar. We learned in “Picking an Italian Past Tense” that the circumstances surrounding the event will determine which Italian past tense to use. Luckily, imbedded in many Italian sentences about past events are certain words and phrases that will  indicate whether the imperfetto or the passato prossimo is needed.  The intent of the speaker will be signaled by these phrases, which will then trigger use of the correct …

When the pandemic first hit, there was a surge of home buying driven by a desire for bigger properties. Research today reveals that homebuyers are now looking for quality over quantity. With functionality and sustainability now driving decisions, amateur and professional interior designers are transforming underused spaces before our very eyes. Here are some examples of how dead space in your home can be put to better use. As more and more people work from home, they’re discovering that office spaces don’t need to be bedroom sized. Ever hear of a “cloffice?” Yep, that’s right, closets are being converted into …

Imperfetto or Passato Prossimo? Previous blogs in this series have discussed the basics of how to conjugate and use the imperfetto  and the passato prossimo to speak about the recent past.* As we’ve mentioned before, the conjugation of these verb forms is fairly straightforward; the tricky part is knowing which past tense to choose to describe a particular event.    To make matters more complex, a compound sentence can be created using only the imperfetto, only the passato prossimo, or a combination of both. And in many situations, the same event can be described in Italian using either the imperfetto …

As we head into the final weeks of summer, let’s grab every opportunity to gather outdoors that we can! Chief among them in our neck of the woods is the annual Pullman Family Picnic, slated to start at 1 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Arcade Park. Pullman has many stalwart residents who raised their families there and watched their kids leave while they stayed. The annual picnic is a time for their kids to return to their roots, bringing their friends with them. You’re invited to do the same! Many former residents make it an annual pilgrimage to recharge their …

I recently discovered a treasure trove of documentaries on art produced by the BBC. Subjects range from Michelangelo’s “David” to Sandro Botticelli’s “La Primavera” to Piero della Francesca’s “The Resurrection.” The documentaries are presented in 26 episodes and are part of a series that aired on the British television network. Making my way through them, the one that has impressed me the most is Episode 20 on Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” The documentary reveals the creation of the masterpiece between 1495 and 1498, its almost immediate deterioration and the many restorations it’s undergone throughout the centuries. The film …

My recent columns have been nostalgic trips through our Roseland, Pullman and Kensington memories. For this month’s column I’ve got some great events and happenings that I’d like to invite everyone to attend. Mark your calendar so you can attend these events and share the good times with family and friends. Pullman National Monument is an exciting locale for a summer outing and is a leisurely drive from anywhere in the city or suburbs. The rangers are knowledgeable about the history surrounding the Pullman factory, the 1894 strike and the Pullman Porters. They are willing to answer any questions you …

She has worked with a few masters of contemporary Italian cinema and she is just getting started. Angelica Cacciapaglia was born in Ponte dell’Olio in the region of region Emilia-Romagna and grew up in Milan in a family of artists. Her childhood was spent cultivating a passion for acting. She studied her craft at the Teatro Libero di Milano and employs the Voice Craft method, a technique that maximizes one’s vocal talents. After high school, she moved to Rome and attended a number of acting workshops, studying under the direction of the New York Film Academy’s Anna Maria Cianciulli, and …

The final walk-through before closing is often taken for granted when it is a vitally important step in the home-buying process. Buyer clients will often ask me why we must take part in this event. They are eager to get in and get the deal sealed. But no matter how many times you may have toured the home before the offer, or how confident you feel in the inspection, the final walk-through should never be bypassed. In fact, the results of the walk-through could determine if and when a closing should occur. This is your final look at the home …