Ciao a tutti,
What can I say about the eternal city? And it's in Italy to boot, pun intended! Since I was there for work and for pleasure and for only a short time, I crammed a lot into my days and yet, it was perfect.
To start off, I have to say that I was invited to stay at a Bed and Breakfast run by my friend Anna Rossi who graciously opens her home to friends and guests for a modest price and lots of Italian care and hospitality. This is a picture of her home, and my room is the one on the top right. I say "is" and not "was" because I intend to go back again and again. Grazie Anna for helping make my stay memorable.
I was there to give get some Italian interviews for our show "Filippo and the Chef;" to develop some Italian relationships that I have with Italian counterparts in the entertainment field, and of course to see family, "famiglia," and friends, "amici." It was great, the Italians really take to Italian-Americans that are into their heritage. The feelings were mutual. They treated me wonderfully and I was happy to be in their company, living amongst them, learning more about my heritage and about some of the most beautiful ways of living.
I got to interview some people in politics which was new for our show, but as you all know, politics is big in Italy. I stayed bipartisan, or should I say tri-partisan, or multi partisan, because there are many political parties in Italy. I don't want to give the guests away because I want to keep them secret until we get to actually put the interviews on radio, but some of the pictures might give them away.
The gentleman I am pictured with here for instance is Walter Veltroni, the mayor of Rome. Among other things, as you will hear on the show, hint, hint, I asked him if he had a message for the Italian-Americans of the States and he said, (paraphrasing), "You are part of our family, we love you, come visit us." That was the last thing I expected a government official and a political figure to say. But hey, this is Italy and the people are loving, and even the mayor of one of the biggest and greatest cities of the world can extend love to people thousands of miles away, in physical distance, but obviously emotinally close enough to his heart for him to have said that. See what I mean about a wonderful Italian way of being?
I won't comment too much on all the pictures because I do want to save some of the stories for the radio show. I do want to post the pictures here however because it's fun and I thought you all would enjoy them. This gentleman who doesn't need an introduction to any Italian and maybe some Italian-Americans who watch Italian TV and Films, is the great Italian actor Gianni Rivera.
I wanted to interview this next gentleman in particular for reasons that become clear when you hear the interview on the show. He is Mirko Coratti and his Position is that of Presidente Del Consiglio Del Comune Di Roma. By the way, we took a more formal picture at his desk with all the official flags behind us and everything, but then I noticed that just outside his window are the ruins of the ancient Roman city. I had to have another picture in front of that window. Such world history literally outside his window!
I have to tell on myself for this next picture. We actually took two of them. For those of you who don't know him, he is Tonolli and he is the Captain of Virtus, Rome's Basketball Team and one of the leading, and according to some, the leading basketball team in Italy.
But the story is that we took the picture and then looked at it on the digital camera and guess what, Tonoli was towering above me! So we took the picture again, and this one is it. He was smiling in the first picture and I wasn't. It seems from his expression that he didn't think it was as funny as I did. No, he was a good sport, pun intended.
And speaking of teams and players, one of the thrills of the trip was to get to go to Rome's Olympic Stadium and watch the Rome vs. Empoli game from the press box, thanks to www.Sportal.fm. I was interviewed on Italian radio about not only my impressions of the game but the atmosphere of the stadium. Yes, the atmosphere of the stadium, it was like no other game that I had ever attended. There was too much going on to describe here but I hope to have an opportunity to talk about it when we air a few clips live from the stadium on our show one of these days.The interview was conducted by my cousin Pietro who was reporting live from the stadium onto Italian radio and who incidentally owns one of the top soccer websites for Italians soccer fans all over the world, ErLupacchiotto.com, as well as two popular magazines and e-zines www.RomaLocale.it and www.InformazioneSportiva.it. Above is my cousin Pietro and I hanging out after the game finishing our work and waiting for the press conference to start. Don't ask me about the face I was making, I don't know. Here is a better picture of us taken before.
It was great to see so many of the greats play that we got to enjoy during the world cup like Totti and Perotta. I got to go to the Press Conference after the game and was hoping to get to meet them. I didn't get to meet them.
I also wanted to meet the Roma Team Coach, Spalletti but he left the press conference so fast with six men, it was almost impossible to get to him. But my cousin and I were on his trail. I felt like a real reporter hot on a story. Was e finally got through the men and got to speak with him and have this picture taken, again with the face.
And just when I thought I had had my adventure for the day, that night I got together with some friends and we painted the town. And as beautiful and exciting as I expected Rome to be by night, and it was, nothing prepared me for what I was about to experience.
Gentlemen, you have not lived until you ride on the back of a mottorino through the city of Rome in the middle of the night while it is being driven by a real Italian girl! That is all I will say, and grazie Lucia for the experiences of a life time. Or should I say, thank you for sparing my life as you wove in and out of traffic in the dark through the narrow streets. I wish I had a video of this.'An
That next night I got to spend time with the beautiful Laura D'Angelo, TV, Film and Broadway type theater actress in Italy. I will share more about her when we air the interview Chef Richard and I did with her when she was here in the States. As a matter of fact, this is her and I at an outdoor San Gennaro Italian Movie Night event in Hollywood in August.
Laura and I were invited to speak at the event. It was the night they showed "Il Postino," and Laura spoke about her relationship with the leading man, Massimo Troisi before he passed away. Laura spoke in Italian and I translated into English.
At one point because she speaks English, but is a little shy about speaking it, she felt comfortable enough to start speaking English. Without skipping a beat I started translating her English into Italian for the English speaking crowd. The crowd went nuts. Laura got to see how fun loving out Italian-American community was and really got comfortable and to know what happened from there, you just have to ask someone that was there, he, he.
Speaking of wonderful nights, the first night I was in Italy, I was invited to a Fashion Show by some young, hip new designers on the Roman Fashion Scene. Actually, their fashions are coming to the US this year. They were high end lady's fashions and the two young lady designers were really dynamic. Here is a picture of me with them. I look forward to seeing them in Los Angeles later this year when they come out for trunk shows, and possibly interviewing them to see how the line is doing since the launch.
And speaking of the launch, it was held at the top of the Spanish Steps, can you imagine? There were times that I just stood up there looking out over them and pinching myself saying I am not only here but I am at this private event in Rome surrounded by all these beautiful models and architecture and history and thousands of tourists below sitting and drinking and singing on the Spanish Steps.
In this trip I had planned to visit Rome and Milan for many reasons, work, family, friends and because I enjoy the city. But alas, Rome kept me very pleasantly occupied and I never made it out there. Consequently, I did have a couple friends come from Milan to spend some time with me in Rome. One of them, Ornella, brought me an incredible letter from an author I was planning to interview in Milan, Anna Pedrotti, but obviously I didn't get to. The letter was channeled to her from my "Guardian Angel." It was very touching to say the least. I will share more about that later and hopefully get to interview Anna in person on my next trip to Italy.
In the meantime above is Ornella who hand carried that special letter to me from Milan. I am not sure what we are doing in the picture, wait, oh yes, EATING, of course. And speaking of friends, here is a picture of my friend Alberto, Marco and I, hanging out in Rome somewhere. You will be hearing about all these people I am sure as my Blog progresses, especially Marco Missinato because among other things, he is an up and coming composer, songwriter and singer.
Arrivederci Roma,
A presto,
Filippo
P.S. Following is a video clip from YouTube that pays homage to the Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni with clips from many of his films and now famous roles. (No Dialogue, Only Music)
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