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Italy turned 150 today, which might surprise you. With so many ancient ruins and all the Renaissance and other historical works of art… you might wonder how the country could be so young.

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And your surprise would be completely comprehensible. The land we now know as Italy was once home to the Roman empire and much later witness to the end of the dark ages and birthplace of the Renaissance or golden age of art and culture.

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Italian hero General Giuseppe Garibaldi

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But as an actual country, Italia has only been around for 150 years. It was in 1861 that General Garibaldi, under orders of the then Re (King) Vittorio Emanuale, king of strongest kingdom in Italy at the time (located in Piemonte and pertaining to the  Savoy) led the Italian unification campaign il Risorgimento. Il Risorgimento (“The Resurgence”, a political and social movement to agglomerate different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy) successfully unified and liberated the peninsula from foreign domination (at that time from the Bourbons and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the last in a long line of foreign dominators). Thus Italia was born.

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Garibaldi & his army of red shirts, or ‘camicie rosse’

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At that time, there were vast regional differences in culture and language throughout the Italian peninsula, a land mass which is also very geographically diverse. Though Italian did exist as a language (that had started to develop and be crafted following Dante’s works), relatively few of the new Italians spoke their now national language with ease.

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In large part, many regional differences (as well as antagonisms and rivalries) still exist today. And most Italians have a strong regional affinity and identification. It is not uncommon to find people who identify themselves first as Roman, Venetian, Tuscan, Pugliese, Siciliano, etc. and then as Italian. And many still speak the dialect of their region, province, or town.

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Somewhere in the 1950s, as television became more widespread in Italy, so did a growing general knowledge and familiarity with the standard language. Today it would be very uncommon if not impossible to find someone who has gone through the public education system in Italy that does not speak Italian.

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And though there may still be regional antogonisms, the anniversario dell’Unità d’Italia (anniversary of the  unity of Italy) is a time to remember past struggles, celebrate the resulting freedoms, and to look forward to a future that both honors regional richness and a national unity and identity consisting of a patchwork of this rich regional tapestry, united perhaps by the love of art, culture, and cuisine that are so much an integral part of this beautiful and diverse country.

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Any comments and observations are welcome — Leave them in the Reply section under the Updates/Sign-up form below.

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Auguri Italia! 

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Mimosa Flowers

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March 8th is International Women’s Day. This day is observed widely in many countries around the world. Oddly, it is not observed in the United States. In fact, the first time I’d heard of it was shortly after I’d moved to Italy.

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In italia la Festa della Donna si festeggia l’8 di marzo.  (In Italy, Women’s day is celebrated on March 8th.)

Gli uomini regalano i fiori, solitamente le mimose, alle colleghe di lavoro e a tutte le altre donne importanti nelle loro vite… mamme, sorelle, fidanzate, ragazze, ecc. (Men give flowers, usually mimosas, to their female colleagues and to all the other important women in their lives… moms, sisters, fiances, girlfriends, etc.)

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Mimosa Cocktails

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Contrary to popular belief, the mimosa is not just a popular cocktail made from succo d’arancia (orange juice) and champagne, though I suspect this drink was inspired by the true mimosa. The mimosa is the fragrant and fluffy yellow pom-pom-like flower of the acacia tree.

California is full of these trees this time of year, as is Italy, which is why this flower is so common on this day.  I love the smell of these flowers — their fragrance zooms me straight back to wonderful memories.

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Here are a few Women’s Day auguri (greetings) for a mini vocabulary lesson:

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Listen & Practice Your Pronunciation!

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1. “Questa mimosa è bella come te che splendi e profumi nel giorno della tua festa.” (This mimosa is as beautiful as you that shine and are fragrant on your special day.)
2. “Auguri a tutte le donne del mondo ed in particolare alla mia che è la più bella che ci sia!” (Good wishes to all the women of the world and in particular to mine who is the most beautiful there is!)
3. “La donna è la colonna portante del mondo, senza te tutto crollerebbe e la nostra famiglia andrebbe in rovina… Grazie donna, grazie mamma.” (The woman is the main supporting column of the world, without you everything would collapse and our family would go into ruin… Thank you woman, thank you mom.)

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Women’s Day is a celebration of all that is wonderful about women, and it is a day to pause and reflect on the accomplishments and importance of the role of women in our world. It is also a moment to consider improvements and changes needed to better the quality of life of women in general, and especially of women and girls whose rights and life conditions are extremely compromised or perilous.

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Remember to give an extra hug or shout out to the women who matter in your life today. And remember also the women whose lives are not what they could be. We’ve come a long way baby, ma c’è ne ancora di strada da fare! (there’s still a ways to go!)

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Have you heard of Women’s Day before? Do you celebrate it? Which mimosa do you prefer, the flower or the cocktail? Leave a comment beneath the sign up form below!

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