Lunedì Letterario

DELIZIA! The Epic History of the Italians and their Food
by John Dickie
2007

This book is a fascinating history of Italy, from the Middle Ages to the present time, with a focus on food. Reading it was like sitting at a table with the author and having meal after meal of delicious food. I am often attracted to books with an interesting structure. John Dickie has divided the book into six historical sections and then proceeds to describe a meal in three different cities for each section, Each meal includes the historical context, gossip, myths, some recipes and lots of food! The experience of reading DELIZIA! was mouthwatering. (I wish some of the meals were as easy to prepare as Rachel Ray's 30 minute creations!)

Vespers

Today is the Feast of the Holy Cross. On Saturday evening the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross (Crosiers) had solemn vespers in their church here in Rome, the Basilica of San Giorgio in Velabro.

The vespers concluded with a Ritual Blessing of the Four Directions.
The congregation sang the following in Greek, Latin and English between each of the blessings:
Holy God, Holy and mighty one,
Holy and immortal one, have mercy on us.
As we turned to the East
(in Indonesian)
Jesus, our Savior, the people of the East have seen the glory of your cross shining through the witness given by Francis Xavier, Andrew Kim and companions, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta. May the radiant light of your Holy Cross bring joy and peace to all nations of the East.As we turned to the South
(in French)
Jesus, our Savior, the people of the South have seen the glory of your cross shining through the witness given by Augustine of Hippo, Benedict the African, and the martyrs of the Congo. May the radiant light of your Holy Cross bring joy and peace to all nations of the South.As we turned to the West
(in English)
Jesus, our Savior, the people of the West have seen the glory of your cross shining through the witness given by Rose of Lima, Elizabeth Ann Seaton, Oscar Romero, and Isaac Joques. May the radiant light of your Holy Cross bring joy and peace to all nations of the West.As we turned to the North
in Portuguese)
Jesus, our Savior, the people of the North have seen the glory of your cross shining through the witness given by Francis of Assisi, Helena of the Cross, Maximilian Kolbe and Odelia. May the radiant light of your Holy Cross bring joy and peace to all nations of the North.

della Porta Kites

The della Porta kite is one of the oldest recorded Western kites. In a book published in 1589, Giambattista della Porta described a "flying sail," possibly based on traditional Chinese designs. He suggested using it for lifting fireworks or lanterns at night, and even for lifting kittens and puppies.

On Thursday we took our versions of the della Porta kite to the front pitch to see if they would fly.


There was not much wind on Thursday afternoon, but we were able to run and get the kites into the air.

Why Are Our Shoes on the Tables?

Today was the first day of school and our shoes were on the tables! Mom and Dad would never let this happen at home.

As we began our journey in 5th grade, we made contour line drawings of our shoes. It took a lot of concentration to keep the pen on the paper and not lift it up until we were finished with the drawing.

Italians Shun the Bible but surprisingly, flock to Latin Mass

The Roman Forum, a monthly magazine here in Rome, reports the following: A poll revealed that 88 percent of Italians who claim to be Roman Catholics are ignorant of ‘even the most basic facts’ about the Bible. The Catholic Biblical Federation survey found that only 14 percent know whether Jesus had written any of the Gospels, and if the Gospels are part of the Bible. Internationally, 75 percent of Americans claim to have read from the Bible recently, compared to Italy's 27 percent. The Vatican said the findings offered ‘food for thought’, however Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi, head of the pontifical Council for Culture, said that if the survey had included the Vatican, “it might well have produced some surprising results”. Masses held in Latin are luring in both the faithful and curious. Some 500 worshippers attended mass at Chiesa Trinità dei Pellegrini, Pope Benedict XVI's “personal church”, for Catholics appreciative of the rite in its ancient expression.

Back to Work

Ambrit -Rome International School

Today I returned to work for the first day of staff meetings before the start of school. It was great to see other teachers again, returned from vacations all over the world. We have a couple of exciting projects for this year. (1) We are initiating a web-based curriculum mapping program that will enhance our school program. (2) We are beginning the journey to become a PYP School, certified as a Primary Years Program, part of the International Baccalaureate.

I got the class list today and look forward to next Thursday, September 4th, when I welcome my 5th grade students into the classroom "On the Corner." (I have moved from the classroom above the front door of the school to the room that is on the corner of the building.)

I have much to do before the students arrive. I have to clean shelves, unpack boxes, put up bulletin boards and set up the classroom library. All of this is in addition to planning our curricular program with my colleagues who teach the other two 5th grade classes.

This is what my classroom looked like this afternoon.

Granita di Gelsi

One of my favorite treats of the summer is granita di gelsi. It is a refreshing frozen concoction of water, sugar and crushed fruit that is often served with a sweet roll called a brioche. (Other flavors include caffè, pictured above with gelsi, strawberry, melon, lemon, mint... well just about anything!)

What is gelsi? It's mulberry.
I remember the children's song "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush." When I was in elementary school, I studied about silk worms eating mulberry leaves. I have often eaten in Italian restaurants on Mulberry Street in New York City's Little Italy. However, I don't think I ever saw a mulberry tree (or mulberry fruit) before this summer in Sicily.

This is the gelsi tree in Sandro's back yard in Enna.

This is Sandro serving some of his homemade granita di gelsi.