AMHS President Ray LaVerghetta recently traveled to Italy to take part in a book-launching event, which took place in the city of Vasto, in Abruzzo.  The event launched the publication of a book that Ray wrote on the variety of Abruzzese spoken in that city. His book, published by Il Torcoliere, is at once a linguistic documentation of a language/dialect at risk; a description of its grammar in a modern linguistic framework, and a discussion in layman’s terms of key linguistic concepts that shed light on the true nature of this linguistic variety and its relationship with Italian.

The book is titled: “Studio di una varietà linguistica abruzzese – Uâʃtaréule; Documentazione, Analisi e Rapporto con l’Italiano”. The presenter at the event was Professor Francesco Avolio, an Italian linguist and well-known expert on Italy’s central and southern dialects who wrote the preface to Ray’s book. Following Professor Avolio’s introduction of the book and subsequent analysis and commentary, Ray described his research and data collection for the book, summarized its principal sections, and referred to those aspects of the book that have linguistic relevance beyond the variety of Abruzzese in question. After the event, Ray signed copies of the book.

The event, held on May 13, took place in the exquisite conference room of Vasto’s magnificent Palazzo D’Avalos, a former palace looking out over the Adriatic and built on Roman and medieval foundations.  The turnout was excellent and included members from both sides of Ray’s family in Vasto, friends and colleagues of Ray’s from Vasto and Rome, local language and dialect experts, and people interested in the topic who had seen the posters around Vasto publicizing the event.

The highlight of the occasion was the award that the city of Vasto bestowed on Ray. The Mayor of Vasto honored him for the contributions his work has made to the cultural enrichment of Vasto and Italy. Vasto’s Cultural Advisor was there to make the presentation. The award took on added meaning and sentiment because Ray’s grandparents were born and raised in Vasto. As one family member noted, it represented a kind of coming home or coming full circle. Ray’s family and friends were very proud of his achievement. Celebrating it with them added a personal element to what had been a busy preceding week of various meetings in Vasto, not to mention much work done beforehand. It was an exciting event, both for Ray and for those lucky enough to share it with him.

July/August 2022

James Joseph Croce was born on January 10, 1943, in the Little Italy section in the south end of Philadelphia, Pa. His father was Giacomo Alberto Croce (April 14, 1914 – March 8, 1972) who had emigrated from the community of Trasacco (population 6,241 in the 2016 census) in the province of L’Aquila in the region of Abruzzo.  His mother was Flora Maria Babusci (May 28, 1913 – December 22, 2000) who had emigrated from the city of Palermo in Sicily. 

When Croce was young, his family moved to the adjoining suburb of Upper Darby where he graduated from the local high school in June 1960.  He then studied for a year at the Malvern Preparatory School before enrolling in Villanova University where he majored in psychology.  While there, he became a member of the Villanova Singers and the Villanova Spires.  The latter group performed off-campus as The Coventry Lads.  He earned his B.S. degree in Social Studies in June 1965.

Croce released his first album, Facets, in 1966 with only 500 copies, all of which sold.  Later that year, he married Ingrid Jacobson in a traditional Jewish ceremony and converted to Judaism.  He also enlisted in the Army National Guard in New Jersey and served on active duty for four months.  After his release in early 1967, he got his first long-term gig at The Riddle Paddock Bar & Steak House in Lima in adjacent Delaware County, Pa., where he performed with his wife as a duo.  In 1968, they moved to New York City and recorded their first album, Jim & Ingrid Croce, for Capitol Records.  During the next two years, they drove more than 300,000 miles playing small clubs and college concerts promoting their album until she became pregnant .  Their son, Adrian James, was born in September 1971.  They then bought an old farm house in Lyndell in Chester County, Pa.

In early 1972, Croce signed a three-record contract with ABC Records which released two albums, You Don’t Mess Around with Jim and Life and Times. The singles, “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” “Operator,” “That’s Not the Way It Feels,” and “Time in a Bottle,” all received a fair amount of air play on radio stations nationwide.  As a result, the family was invited in mid-1972 to move to San Diego, California, while keeping the farm house back in Lyndell.  Croce first appeared on national television on American Bandstand on August 12, The Tonight Show on August 14, and The Dick Cavett Show on September 20 and 21.  He then began touring the United States, singing on college campuses and at folk festivals.

In February 1973, Croce traveled to Europe, performing in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Monte Carlo, Zurich, and Dublin.  In early July, his biggest single, “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” reached number 1 on the American charts.  From July 16 through August 4, Croce performed in London where he sang “Lover’s Cross,” “Working at the Car Wash Blues,” and “I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song” from his upcoming album, I Got a Name.  Upon returning to the United States, he went on tour again.  On Thursday, September 20, 1973, he finished a concert at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. That evening which was foggy, he boarded a chartered Beechcraft aircraft at the regional airport in Natchitoches.  Upon takeoff, the pilot failed to clear a tree at the end of the runway and the plane crashed.  All six persons on board were killed, including Croce and his manager, Kenneth D. Cortese.  Croce was 30 years old.  He was buried in the Haym Salomon Jewish Memorial Park in Frazer near his farm house in Chester County.  Croce was inducted into the Song Writers Hall of Fame in 1990.

Sources, all accessed February 3, 2022:

Miles Ryan Fisher, “The Son of His Father’s Songs: The Story of Jim Croce,” Italian America Magazine, at pages 28-30, Winter 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Croce

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trasacco

July/August 2022

Congratulations, Joey

AMHS member, Joseph Anthony Scafetta III, received his Bachelor of Science diploma from Marymount University on May 14, 2022.  He was enrolled in a five-year, dual-degree program in math and information technology. Joey is the son of AMHS Member Joseph “Sonny” Scafetta, Jr. and Teresa Scafetta. Sonny is also a member of the AMHS Board of Directors.

AMHS Membership

New Members

William DiGiovanni, Marcella Finelli, Eugene Robert Giammittorio, and Mary Ann Re.

Birthdays
Compleanni a Luglio Gilber Misantonio, July 3; Julia Paola, July 7; Dianne Francesconi Lyon, July 6; Michael De March, July 9; Susan Baldassari, July 10; Raymond Bernero, July 12; David Ciummo, July 13; Anthony D’Onofrio, July 15; Ilaria Pirocchi, July 17; Brian Corbin, July 18; Crystal Hovermale, Matthew DiFiore, and Roberto Severino, July 19; Mario Ciccone, July 21; Mary Smargiassi Muth, July 22; Lina Pronio, July 23; and Lynn Sorbara and Robert O’Malley, July 27.
Compleanni ad Agosto Mario Marinucci, August 2; Ray LaVerghetta, August 5; Pietro Masci and Mark Anthony Evans, August 8; Ray Abruzzo and Domenico Cipicchio, August 12; Nancy DeSanti and Susan Di Blasio, August 15; Joseph Ruzzi, Sr. and Karen Grasso, August 16; Rose Ruzzi, August 18; Angela Campanella, August 21; Robert Lucian, John Joseph D’Amico, and Joseph Novello, August 23; and Donna Caruso, August 30.

Anniversaries
Anniversari a Luglio Joseph & Joann Novello and Joseph “Sonny” & Teresa Scafetta, July 4; Berardino Palazzo & Ilaria Pirocchi, July 10; Joseph & Susan Di Blasio, July 13; Robert & Barbara Verdile, July 17; Renato & Rita Orcino, July 19; Greg & Diane Bernabei, July 21; Brian Corbin & Donna DeBlasio, July 25; Stephan & Rita Carrier and David Ciummo & Sabrina De Sousa, July 31.
Anniversari ad Agosto Joseph & Pam Lupo, August 5; Corrado Dal Forno & Julie Finigan-Dal Forno, August 7; Jeffrey Clark & Macarena Fernadez, August 15; Domenico & Julia Conti, August 19; and Guy & Donna Caruso, August 26.

Membership Information
Category                          # of Persons Associate (Couple):         5 x 2 = 10   Associate (Individual):         43 General (Couple):         49 x 2 = 98 General (Individual):         92 Honorary:         11 Scholarship:         2 Student:         7 Total Membership:         263

July/August 2022

The small medieval town of Fontecchio is located in the province of L’Aquila within the Monte Sirente community and the Sirente-Velino Regional Park. It has approximately 401 inhabitants, known as Fontecchiani or Fonticulani.

There is archaeological evidence of the Roman settlement of Fonticulanum down on the Aterno River. In the Middle Ages, a castle was built on top of the hill and the population moved up there.

Today, visitors can see a wonderful and well-preserved historical center. At the sites called Il Castellone and Monte San Pio, pre-Roman constructions were found, and inside the town itself there are Roman remains. The medieval settlement arose in the 11th century from the union of five hamlets (vici), including Fons Tichiae. In 1648, the town was besieged and destroyed during a period of 50 days.

Fontecchio’s historic center preserves the characteristic of a fortified medieval village, with access doors, sections of high walls, towers and majestic palaces, among which stands the mighty fortified palace of the Barons Corvi, from which, according to an ancient tradition, the Marquise Corvi put an end to the long siege by the army of Braccio da Montone by killing the leaders of the assailants with a sledgehammer.

To commemorate the siege, every evening the Clock Tower (Torre dell’Orologio) beats 50 times, as many as the days of the siege, thus mixing history, legend and tradition.  The clock, considered one of the oldest in Italy, moves the single hand based on a perfect mechanism of weightsand beats the “Italian hours,” that is, the dial is divided into six hours and the mechanism moves only the hour hand.

Among the many, still very visible, Roman architectural remains are the base of a temple dedicated to Jupiter where the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria was built.  The brick flooring is arranged in a herringbone fashion behind the apse of the church.

Fontecchio was severely damaged by an earthquake in L’Aquila in 1703, and later also from the L’Aquila earthquake of 2009.  After the major earthquake in 2009,half of the town’s homes were condemned as unsafe. The tower hosts a permanent photographic exhibition on the places in L’Aquila before and after the 2009 earthquake.

Today, though, Fontecchio is buzzing with construction and activity, and has become a hub for international artists. 

What to See

• Clock Tower
• Fonte Trecentesca
• Convent of San Francesco
• Church of Santa Maria della Pace
• Church of Madonna delle Grazie
• Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria
• The Piazza del Popolo with an artistic, unique 14th-century fountain
• Church of St. Francis with a fine Romanesque portal

Important Dates

• February 3 – Feast of St. Blaise, the patron saint
• Summer – “Paese in Arte” Festival, featuring several cultural events.

       

Italiano

Fontecchio

   

Tradotto da Ennio Di Tullio

Provincia di L’Aquila, Regione Abruzzo

Il piccolo borgo medievale di Fontecchio si trova in provincia dell’Aquila all’interno della comunità del Monte Sirente e del Parco Regionale Sirente-Velino. Conta circa 401 abitanti, detti Fontecchiani o Fonticulani.

Esistono testimonianze archeologiche dell’insediamento romano di Fonticulanum sul fiume Aterno. In epoca medioevale venne costruito un castello sulla sommità del colle e la popolazione vi si trasferì.

Oggi i visitatori possono vedere un centro storico meraviglioso e ben conservato. Nei siti denominati Il Castellone e Monte San Pio sono state rinvenute costruzioni preromane e all’interno del paese stesso sono presenti resti romani. L’insediamento medievale sorse nell’XI secolo dall’unione di cinque frazioni (vici), tra cui Fons Tichiae. Nel 1648 la città fu assediata e distrutta per un periodo di 50 giorni.

Il suo centro storico conserva la caratteristica di borgo medievale fortificato, con porte di accesso, tratti di alte mura, torri e palazzi maestosi, tra i quali spicca il poderoso palazzo fortificato dei Baroni Corvi, da cui, secondo un’antica tradizione, la Marchesa Corvi pose fine al lungo assedio dell’esercito di Braccio da Montone, uccidendo con una mazza i capi degli assalitori.

Per commemorare l’assedio, ogni sera la Torre dell’Orologio (Torre dell’Orologio) batte 50 volte, tanti quanti i giorni dell’assedio, mescolando così storia, leggenda e tradizione. L’orologio, considerato uno dei più antichi d’Italia, muove la sola lancetta basata su un perfetto meccanismo di pesi e batte le “ore italiane”, cioè il quadrante è diviso in sei ore e il meccanismo muove solo la lancetta delle ore.

Tra i tanti resti architettonici romani ancora ben visibili vi è il basamento di un tempio dedicato a Giove dove fu edificata la Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria. Il pavimento in laterizio è disposto a spina di pesce dietro l’abside della chiesa.

Fontecchio è stata gravemente danneggiata dal terremoto dell’Aquila nel 1703, e successivamente anche dal terremoto dell’Aquila del 2009. Dopo il forte terremoto del 2009, metà delle abitazioni del paese sono state condannate come pericolanti. La torre ospita una mostra fotografica permanente sui luoghi dell’Aquila prima e dopo il terremoto del 2009.

Oggi, però, Fontecchio brulica di costruzioni e attività, ed è diventata un hub per artisti internazionali.

Le attrazioni del luogo:

• Torre dell’orologio
• Fonte Trecentesca
• Convento di San Francesco
• Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pace
• Chiesa della Madonna delle Grazie
• Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria
• La Piazza del Popolo con una fontana artistica e unica del 14° secolo
• Chiesa di San Francesco con bel portale romanico

Date da ricordare:

• Febbraio – Festa di San Biagio, patrono
• Estate – Festival “Paese in Arte”, caratterizzato da numerosi eventi culturali.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontecchio https://www.italyheritage.com/regions/abruzzo/laquila/fontecchio.htm https://www.e-borghi.com/en/village/L’Aquila/328/fontecchio

Issue Date