Hello South

Yesterday I left the cocoon of my beloved Pennabilli, a small village nestled in the remote mountains of Emilia-Romagna. I spent the past three there weeks working on a project called Esperienza, an Italian language and culture institute that is currently being developed. As an artist in residence and member of the management team, I was the photo/video documentarian of the project. I must say— challenging as it was to keep up with the on-the-go pace of the group, it was by far the most enjoyable documentation gig I’ve ever had! And certainly the most delicious— the amount of food consumed is astonishing.

And the beauty…. I never knew much about Emiglia-Romagna, as I’ve spent most of my time in other regions of Italy (cities of Tuscany, Sicily, etc). So I was unprepared for its astounding beauty: mountain capped with castles, churches, and fortresses. Tiny hilltop villages with houses that date from before the 14th century. Layers and layers of mountain ridges in the distance, in every direction; light that changes dramatically every hour of every day. The people who are deeply connected to the land. I fell in love with the region, and if all goes well with the program, I hope to be able to return next year for a longer period of time (more on that later).

Photo-documentation in action in Pennabilli

Photo-documentation in action in Pennabilli



One of the many benefits of my time up north is the opportunity I have had to work on and improve my ability to speak the Italian language. When I first arrived, I was pretty timid— but now, I really don’t care if I screw things up, so I just let the words try to match my thoughts. The result is not only that I can get by with the language, but I’ve actually really taken to it. I’ve spent countless hours talking to people, which has been great because I’ve met so many people and actually have formed some real friendships— all in Italian!

Improving my language was the single most critical goal I had for my first stretch of time back in Italy. Although my residency kept me much busier than expected, I now feel really good about my ability to converse and connect with people. Good news, considering I’m about to step off into a world where English will often be not used at all.

ON the train through Naples, speeding through the countryside:, I see the landscape has changed yet again; the rocky mountains loom over the countryside, stark against the blue sky. I’m heading into the land that wasn’t able to sustain its people, the land where the sun turns much to brown: the trees of the hilltops, the crops in the fields, the skin of the workers

Today began my first day of the next phase of this trip to Italy. My residency is over and I am now able to focus 100% on my project.

I’m pretty sure that as I write this part, I’m approaching the area where I”ll be doing my family research as I move slowly toward obtaining my citizenship. In just a few days I’ll be back here, driving around on my own in search of people who share my name’s history.

Once I get to Naples, I will be renting a car and driving it through the countryside, making my way through different towns that seem to hold clues. I’m starting in Campania, the area around Naples; this is the place where my great-grandfather last lived before leaving for America, and the place where his own father landed, presumably after leaving the barren land even further south. Over the years, my Italian friends have told me that they’d never dream of driving their car to Naples— chances are that if someone doesn’t bang up your car, they’ll steal it! We’ll see what happens….