FILÒFILÒ

A Journal for Tyrolean AmericansA Journal for Tyrolean AmericansSummer 2015Summer 2015

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An Introduction . . . An Introduction . . .

The Filò is to be published and distributed on a quarterly basis and is targeted to the chil-dren of our immigrant parents. The Filò (pronounced fee-lò) was the daily gathering in thestables of the Trentino where the villagers met and socialized. The intent is to provide asummary of our culture, history, and customs in plain English to inform and provide youwith the background of your roots and ancestry.. If you wish to contact us, call LouBrunelli at 914-402-5248. Attention: Your help is needed to expand our outreach to fellowTyrolean Americans. Help us identify them, be they your children, relatives or acquaintanc-es. Go to filo.tiroles.com and register on line to receive the magazine free of charge. Youmay also send your data to Filò Magazine, PO Box 90, Crompond, NY 10517 or fax themto 914-734-9644 or submit them by email to filo.tiroles@att.net.

Front Cover: Val di Fassa Choir

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Fassa: Ancient Land of the LadiniFassa: Ancient Land of the Ladinilong side the spectacle of the Dolomitieswith their snow covered peaks, the woods,the mountain pastures and their charmingvillages, the Fassa Valley is characterized by

yet another specialty: we are one of the five Ladino val-leys situated around the the Sella massif that are yet tothis day inhabited by a very ancient people that originatefrom the central and eastern alpine arc: The Ladini.

The Ladino language is similar to the other romance lan-guages like Provence, the Catalan, the French, etc.Ladino is certainly the most conspicuous evidence ofthis civilization, a legacy of a culture whose traces are stilltraceable in the territory, in the products and characteris-tics and attitudes of this people. Ladino is a romance lan-guae, that is, it derives from the latin which arrived in theDolimitic valleys at the end of first century BC, when theRoman army had invaded and conquered the inhabitantsof the Alpine territories. The Latin spoken by the mer-chants and by the Roman soldiers proceeded to be com-bined with the languages spoken by the local people, theRhaetians, thus originating a new language: the ladino orthe reto-romance. In the course of the centuries, this

new language absorbed the influences of the localdialects which were prevailing, especially of Germanfrom the north and the Italian from the south therebyfracturing the ancient cultural unity so that the languageand the cutlure of the ladini remained confined to sever-al restricted zones.

The very height of the Fassa Valley determined that thefirst settlements arose in the Bronze and Iron ages andsince then for almost a milenium, the valley was depend-ent on mere subsistence and cattle breeding. In the mid-dle ages, the various villages of Fassa organized them-selves as the Communità di Fassa, the Fassa Communityplacing it under the control of the Principe Bishop ofBressanone (Brixen) while maintaining and cultivatingtheir ancients ways and customs. For example, the woodsand the pastures were seens as Collective or Commonproperty, at first the patrimony of the Communità andsubsequently of the Regole, (rulers and overseers) corre-sponding largely to the notion and structure of commu-nity property of the villages of today.

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Vigo di Fassa Catinaccio & Torri del Vaiolet Pera de Fassa

Marmolada Traditional House with Exterior Mural

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naturalists, collectors, writers and artists who promulgat-ed the assets and specialties of Fassa. As a result, the val-ley turned its attention to new work as alpine guides, skimasters and instructors and the creation of new lodgings,refuges, and tourist resources so that they abbandonedtheir ancient pursuits of agriculture and cattle breeding.

The First World War interrupted this trasformation but itquickly continued especially in the 50`s so that tourismbecame its main industry and trans-formed the valley and its people. The lastcentury also saw the rediscovery by thevery people of their very ladino culturalidentity, no longer hidden but displayedwith pride along with the traditions andthe custom never abbandoned but nowrevisited and revisited for the tourists.The artistic production, the music, the processions andparades in costume, the rediscovery of the traditionalcusine as well as carneval masquerades and the revival ofthe popular theater...all constitute the complex forms,changing and in continuous development articulating theidentity of the ladino community in Fassa. After the res-cuing of the fassana language and culture, in 1975, theProvince of Trento created the Ladino Cultural Institutewhere historical documents are of history, economy andfolk lore are collected and studied.

In addition, there was established specialized library acinematic and a phtographic and documentaryarchive.The institute promotes the knowledge and diffu-sion for both schools and journals, publishes journals andbooks, dictionaries, catologs and audio visuals in manylanguages. This scholarly activism has given birth to theLadino Museum of Fassa, located at San Giovanni inVigo di Fassa....It has become a “treasure chest of mem-ories” for a community that is eager to make known its

history

The museum tour guides the visitor on aideal trip from pre-history to contempo-rary times, from the material culture tothe traditions, to the history of thosethings related to mythology and to reli-giosity as well as to contemporary artistic

expressions. Along with the objects and to explicit texts,the display offers touch screen presentations and over 85film presentations in multiple languages. Along with themuseum itself, there are other sites with demonstrationsof various artifacts that illustrate the Ladino culture.There is the La Si-La Segheria (saw mill) at Penia(Canazei), L. Molin-Il Mulino (flour mill) at Pera of Fassaand the L Malghier-La caseificazione (Dairy) in Pera ofFassa. Written by Daniela Brovodan, Instituto Ladino

Ladini Festivities

Flag of the Val di Fassa

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he conscric (Conscripts or engaged) and theyoung unmarried men belonging to theSociety of the Banner performed not only atweddings, but also as the leading figures of

Carnival, where they represented the head masqueraders:the Laché, the Marascons and the Bufon. Traditionally,on the 17th of January, se deslea l Carnascèr, that is,Carnival was unleashed, and the secular festival beganwith noise, music and uproar of every kind. The merri-est time of year was beginning: a pause for fun betweenthe prayers of Christmas and the penitence of Lent. Stilltoday Carnival in Fassa Valley represents one of the mostvital and significant manifestations of popular culture..The personages indispensable to the formation of a pro-cession in masquerade are the Laché, the Marascons and

the Bufon, who are today no longer played by the con-scric and the young unmarried men of the village,according to tradition. The housewives are responsiblefor dressing them, a process that takes a whole after-noon, also because the costumes have many decorativeelements that “conceal” important meanings. Forinstance, the colored ribbons used to adorn the mas-queraders’ hair were once lent them by the village girls,who removed them from their summer aprons. The boywho managed to have the most ribbons was thus the onemost popular with the girls! Mesacoudes, feathers fromthe tail of the rare and hard-to-catch the black grouse,ostentatiously displayed on a hat, symbolized thestrength of the man who wore them, and his skill at thedifficult practice of mountain hunting. Today these ele-ments no longer bear the symbolic impact of the past,although the costumes still faithfully reflect them. Theprocession begins with the Laché, ambassador and guar-antor of the masqueraders, who recites the formula ofentry, inviting everyone to participate joyfully in the fes-tival. With three great leaps he opens a path through thecrowd, setting the boundaries of the scene. He is

followed by the Marascons, the great masqueraders, whoalways act in pairs or foursomes. They are distinguishedby belts hung with cowbells that ring as they move to therhythm of a dance. In their right hands the Laché and theMarascons always hold a facéra, a wooden mask with acomposed expression, painted in rosy flesh tones, whichis usually not worn but carried. One whose face is insteadalways covered by a facéra with a perennial sarcastic leerand a long, impertinent nose is the Bufon, the hero ofCarnival. With a mischievous expression, jumping aboutthrough the crowd, he proclaims, “Listen my dears, listen

young men, to the wickedness, the defects and the ugli-ness of women!” Through a cucalóch, a telescope, hesights his prey, young girls of marriageable age, andmockingly strikes them repeatedly on the back with hisstica, a Carnival wand made of colored wood. But themost fearful weapons of the Bufon are his impertinentremarks! And his victims are above all the women. He

Fassa RitualsFassa Rituals

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publicly relates every embarrassing thing that has hap-pened to them during the year! The ritual is abundantlytolerant of excess, so that the Bufon’s “prey” are mockedand ridiculed without mercy. Then the Bufon invites theMarascons to enter and perform their ritual dance. Theycomply by circling the perimeter of the scene three timesat a rhythmic pace, with a great clamor of cowbells. Atthis point comes the mascherèda, or farce, one of themost characteristic expressions of the Ladin theatricaltradition. In the past these farces were brought fromhouse to house, where the larger stues were transformedfor the occasion into little popular theaters. They werecomposed in verses that were easy to memorize, andwere based on plots handed down through oral tradition;today instead they are written, and are in prose. In thefarces, everything is made fun of. After the farce begins

the final hullabaloo of the masqueraders, as they dividethemselves into Mèscres a Bel, well-dressed, attractive,elegant, and Mèscres a Burt, awkward, sloppy, invasiveand clumsy. The trades linked to agriculture and crafts-manship are represented in grotesque manner. At theend of all this chaos that seems to reign supreme amongthe masqueraders, the musicians strike up for the finaldance, which usually goes on far into the night. Today atPenia the first Mascherèda is usually held on January20th, the feast day of St. Sebastian, the patron saint ofthe village, and may be repeated several times duringCarnival season. Mad Thursday and Shrove Tuesday arestill today occasions that cannot be missed. The end of

Carnival, the day before Ash Wednesday, was traditional-ly announced by the brujèr carnascèr, a ritual that is occa-sionally re-enacted still today in some of the valley’s vil-lages. A group of boys sets fire to a high pile of drybranches, straw and other combustible material, in thiscase too with great cheering and the ringing of bells. It isthe end of the overturned world and the beginning ofLent, a sad time, associated with the departure of thefarmers for distant lands, the end of wedding festivitiesand the hard work in the fields of springtime, now fastapproaching. Written by Museo Instituto Ladino

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Madonina del VaioletMadonina del Vaiolet

Bela Madonina, da le grazie più care, noscia valenta mare, con noi usa pietà.Pietà de nösc erores, de nosce debolezede chel che no ge volesse per respetar to dolor.Sora dute le stele Segnoredio te à solevàda lassù tu governe la guera eterna col pecià.Sostegni chi che croda e chi che pianc consola.Chiàmene duc chenc apede te.

Beautiful Madonina, of the graces most precious,Good mother of ours, indulge us with your compassion.Have pity for our errors and for weaknesses, and thosethings that we should avoid in respect for your sorrows.The Lord God has exalted you above all the stars Where you control the eternal struggle with sinSupport who fall and console the sorrowfulBeckon and call all to yourself.

he Ladini have had a special religious traditionso much in evidence in religious expressionsconspicuously displayed on the exterior of theirhomes, way side shrines, and churches. Here is

a prayer in song, a veritable liturgical expression that issung in their churches and their gatherings. It is addressedto the Mother of God, as the diminutive Madonina, littleMadonna and associates her with the Cime Vaiolet, a dis-tinct dolomitic group of peaks in the Catinaccio group.Permit a personal recollection ...looking down and acrossat the Vaiolet from the Catinaccio peak, the peaks andspires resembled a gothic cathedral. The song was writtenby Luigi Canori (1907-1991) of Moena. His tender andsimple song prayer is one of the best known songs orhymns in the Val di Fassa. It is presented in Ladino. Check the Youtube rendition:www.youtube.com/watch?v=x96r0y_WPH8. While sung by the more classic ensemble of Canticum Novum,remember the formula: Do Trentini..un coro. Two Trentini..a choir so that for sure it is most probably hummed andsung by individuals or with friends in kitchens, streets, pastures and peaks!

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The Ensemble Canticum Novum is unlike the usual andlocal valley choirs that have been featured in past issuesof Filo`. Canticum Novum with 32 members is more a“concert choir” and led by the talented and dedicatedIlario Defrancesco. For the past 21 years he has heldover 300 concerts in Fassa and local valleys as well asnational and international sites. The choir has producedseveral CD’s regarding “sacred music” and has collabo-rated with the Ladino Institute to revive and produce thedevotional music of the Fassano composer Luigi Canoriof Moena of the Val di Fassa and the composer of theMadonina del Vaiolet. Added to his classic repertoire,Ilario Defrancesco has delved into musical sounds andexpressions of an ethnic modality exploring and discov-ering the traditional songs of Fassa and those of othercultures. Visit their website to appreciate their musicaland cultural contributions.

www.canticumoena.it

Ensemble Canticum Novum led by Ilario Defrancesco

Cime Vaiolet

A LA MADONINA DEL VAIOLET

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Family Stories: Zia CarolinaFamily Stories: Zia Carolinaarolina Menegatti Andreatta was a mail orderbride it is pronounced with a hard C. Kar-lina. She lived in Walsenburg, on a well-tend-ed lot in a little yellow house with an enclosed

porch. You stepped down into the house, as if the worldhad built up around it. The house had no clutter, no dustand no dirty dishes. There were lots of chairs and anowner who made the house feel huge. She made every-one feel welcome. Everyone sort of ended up at herhouse. Somehow she produced a full meal for all thosepeople. I met her in 1975 when she was 81 years old. Shehad the bluest eyes I had ever seen. Carolina, an onlychild, was born in Quaras, Seganzano County onSeptember 19, 1894. At 17 she agreed to wed CandidoAndreatta in America. Can you imag-ine, travailing that far to marry astranger. By the time she arrived shewas 18. She had gone through ElisIsland, crossed the Mississippi Rivertraveled the plains to the RockyMountains alone: to meet a stranger.

It was not a smooth first meeting.Candido said Carolina would becomefat. What an emotional abrupt end to agrand adventure! Truthfully, he waslooking for an excuse to call off thewedding: If he found a local gal that hewanted to marry. What makes a prettyyoung woman leave her home, her fam-ily and travel through a county that spoke a different lan-guage to marry a stranger?

We will never know what motivated a young woman totake such chances, but history does have a hint. The malepopulation had moved away. Europe was a politicalhotbed. Austria/ Hungary and Italy had formed thetriple alliance with Germany. For generations all maleshad been required to serve in the military. The com-manding officers of the triple alliance were German.There was a huge language barrier. In response, Russiaand France formed an alliance. War was slowly brewing. As luck would have it, Louis (Gigo) Andreatta remem-bered Carolina from the old county. Gigo was born inQuara on Oct 22, 1888. His parents had immigrated,leaving him with his grandparents. He followed them toColorado when he was 12. He was also Emma’s oldestbrother. Gigo and Candido Andreatta were not related.

CC Within a month Gigo and Carolina were married. Theyhomesteaded on a ranch close to Gigo’s parents. Theyhad no children. Gigo worked in the coal mines whichkept him away from home. Carolina got very homesick.Her mother had remarried and Carolina had a little sistershe had never met. The coal mines claimed a lot of lives,which left children without parents. Gigo and Carolinatook in an orphan. It did not help her sickness. TheDoctor told Gigo to take her home. They sold the ranchto Emma and Candido and moved back to Austria. Thechild stayed with the ranch. A year later they returned.

This time they lived in Walsenburg and worked in theAndreatta Store and meat shop with Gigo’s brothers.

They also ran the Andreatta tavern.The couple lived on the second floorof a duplex. Carolina had 22 steps tocarry groceries, wood and coal up andashes back down. Most of Gigo’sbrothers and sisters lived out onranches. Many went to Carolina andGigo’s house to eat when they came totown. They brought with them littlebits of this and little bits of that.Carolina fed them all. She baby sat thelittle ones so their parents could shop.She enjoyed her role as hostess andAunty immensely, and was extremelygood at it. She was a role model ofhospitality.

She cared for her elderly mother and father in-law. Theylived in the duplex for 43 years, until 1963 when theybought the little yellow house on 7th street.

After Gigo died Carolina would cook dinner and wait tosee if company would show up. She did not like to eatalone. After she ate she would set the food on the count-er to cool down before putting it in the fridge. It was alsoeasier to reheat if someone did show up.

She died at the age of 86 and is buried next to Gigo, inthe Masonic Cemetery in Walsenburg, The success ofGigo’s marriage convinced two of Gigo’s brothers tosend for and marry mail order brides. Written by Theresa Springer from South Park, Coloradoand is a Wildland Fire rehab specializing in floods afterfires.

ur Tyrolean cuisine is hardly an elaborate cuisine. It is rather the improvisation of a poor people usingwhatsoever they had available in their poverty and scarcity. Strangolopreti is often referred to as spinachstyle Trentino gnocchi. They are a “gnocho”…a dumpling but without potatoes. We saw this variationfor the Val di Ledro who enjoy the Gnocchi dei Boemi…Bohemian style dumplings made with flour

and yeast and stuffed with prunes. They had learned this variation when their entire valley was evacuated to Bohemiain the Czech Republic to escape from the aggressive intrusion of Garibaldi and the Italian Army, the aggressiveinvaders of our lands. Strangolopreti are made with old stale bread, milk, cheese and…chard or spinach. I wouldthink that chard or coste was more available since like in my own personal garden, it is hardy, does not bolt to seedand lasts until the fall. For this recipe, I deliberately try to use the ingredients dei nossi…of our people. Hence, Iavoided using some current ingredients such as ricotta or “fancy” ingredients that were simply not available oraffordable to our poor relatives. The very word “strangolopreti” is translated as “priest chokers or stranglers”. Witha smile, I would suggest that there was an element of both derision and an astute sociology since the priest class didnot suffer the poverty of their parishioners. In fact, in our dialect, there is an expression…maiar come I preti…eatlike the priests. What can one say other than fiddle-dee and fiddle-dum!

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Our Cuisine: StrangolopretiOur Cuisine: Strangolopreti

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Ingredients:4 bread rolls, staleI lb of spinach or chard2 eggs2 table spoons of flour (or more)3 tablespoons grated ParmigianoButter

Cut the stale bread rolls into chunks and soak in the warm milk. Cook the chard (or spinach) and squeeze out. Mixthe bread with the Swiss Chard (or spinach), the eggs and enough flour to make a soft but fairly firm mixture. Rollinto cylinders and cut to make small gnocchi or dumplings. Place them slowly into abundant salted boiling water.When they rise to the top, remove with a slotted spoon.

While the dumplings or gnocchi are boiling, prepare the butter or the burro fuso (fried butter). I added sage leavesfrom my garden…Place the gnocchi into the fry pan. Pour out onto a dish and sprinkle formai grata` (dialect), grat-ed cheese..Parmigiano or Grana Trentina which I bring back from my trips to the Province. It became my supperwhich I ate at my counter with en toc de pan, a piece of bread and class of wine.

n the winter months in the Val di Fassa, mitolog-ical figures filled the valley: the Salvan(calledSalvanel in other valleys) and the Vivenes and theBregostenes. And finally there were the

Stries...the witches. The Salvan was a little man, a dwarf,with a white beard, long hair with his body covered withfir like a monkey. The Salvan was a wild man(theSalvadech of other valleys) who would pursue the shep-herds and taught them the secrets of processng milk andmaking cheese. He was not always well behaved.Sometimes he did pranks, overturning the hay cart andscattering the oxen who were hauling the cart.

Then there were the Vivenes, femi-nine creatures, that dwelt in thewoods and lived along the brooksand were very beautiful.Furthermore, they were good souls.They had the ability to predict thefuture, so that they advised humanshow to behave in the face of lifepredicaments and disasters. Besides,they advised the famers as to whatwould be the best day to sow pota-toes or bean and when it would apreferred time to plow and sow seed.The Vivenes understood the lan-

guage of the owls which brought them the news of theworld. They would relate to the women as far as it was

known how to wash clothes,clean wool and would helpthem to comb and decoratetheir hair. In contrast, theBregostènes were wild andmean women. They toolived in the woods, on themountains . The createdmischief for human andeven stole the babies fromtheir cribs. They feared onlythe dogs For that reasonevery family in the Val di

Fassa had a watch dog, the only animal that the Vivenesfeared. The Vivenes were also regarded as the “Stries”,the witches who possessed magical secrets and had thepower to heal with herbs and oils, invoking the devil andwere possessed by him. On night of full moons, theywould gathered in some places around a billy

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Fassa’s Myths: Salvan & StriesFassa’s Myths: Salvan & Striesgoat, lit fire and would howl like animals.They cursedChrist and the Madonna and were frightened by the ter-ror of signs and symbols of the Christian religion. Thenit was believed that they invoked hurricanes and causedheavy rain with frightening lightning.. When a summerstorm was approaching, the woman of the housholdwould burn a olive branch blessed at the EasterVigil.They would recite this prayer: (freely translatedfrom the dialectical form): St Barbara and St Simon, savefrom this thunder, spare us from this lightning, BlessedSt Barbara. To keep lightning and storms at a distance,there were erected on the mountain peaks wooden cross-es. When the clouds were darkened and threatened torain down a storm, they would ring the bells. Theybelieved that the tolling of the bronze bell would squezethe evil spirits that were congured up by the ringing ofthe bells. It was also believed that the witches had thepower to cast spells on bread (that it not rise) and tomake “crazy” the milk that it not coagualte to makecheese

But the story, the real story, relates that in middle of 16century and the first half of the 17th century, there wasa true and actual witch hunt in theTirol. About 235 persons weresubjected to the Tribunal of theInquisition. 82 of them burnt aliveat the stake. Others died in jail dueto the horrendous torture theyendured.Between 1627 and 1631in the Val di Fassa, which territori-ally belonged to the diocesis orprincipato of Bressanone, therewere 6 women along with otherwomen burnt at the stake sincethey were regarded as witches. Inreality, they were simply poorwomen who knew botany and usethis knowledge of herb to dimin-ish pains and lend a helping handto people in need. Since theycouldn be “controlled” by theclergy and the vassals of theLords, there was launched wildhunt as if they were wild and dan-gerous animals. Written by Alberto Folgheraiter, Author & Journalist

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Ancient Mural of Salvan

Drawing of Vivenes

Streghe - Witches

Witches Burnt at the Stake

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he sanctuary of Santa Giuliana dominates theVal di Fassa from a hill above the village ofVigo. Possibly it was the creation of the sameLadino-Tyrolean masters who in the 15th

century created the church of San Giovanni in the samevillage..One enters through the large portal to the interi-or with its a ample nave. To the side of rear of thechurch is a gigantic icon of St Christopher (1775). Thisicon hides one yet more ancient icon. In 1987-1089, thetechnicians of the Province of Trento completed therestoration of the entire edifice. On that occasion, theyfound in the principal alter the act of consecration,imparted in 1452 by the Cardinal of Bressanone,Nicholo` Cusano (1450-1464). In the digging of therestoration, there was found traces of human activity ofpre-historic times. The Franciscan friar, Alberto Ghettaof the Val di Fassa demonstrated that the site had beenon of ancient pagan sanctuary. The inhabitants of theVal di Fassa celebrate the patron Santa Giustina onFebruary 16 according to the Roman calendar. The leg-end of the foundation of the site relates that two oxenwere used. They were tied to a cart and left to roam free.They reach the Hill of Ciaslir and there they rested. Theymarked the spot. A chapel was built and was consecrat-ed in 1297. At the end of the Middle Ages, theRomanesque church was lengthend towards the east.There were frescoes that were buried under the altar. Theapse vault was destroyed so that the actual gothic absi-dale was consecrated by Cardinal Cusano in 1452. It wasprobably the only church in the Tyrol consecrated by aCardinal. Reconsecrated in 1489, the nave was enrichedin a gothic style (1509); in 1533 the romanesque belltower was modified. The Franciscan friar FrumenzioGhetta wrote “”the church of Santa Giuliana served asthe sanctuary of the Fassa Community, always main-tained and enriched with the offerings and the bequestsof the inhabitants of the valley.” The valley’s patron wasso venerated that the fassani took on themselves to payfor the stipend of a chaplain who was obliged every dayto celebrate mass in her honor. The murals that cover thevault of presbytery of S. Giuliana belong to the middle

of the 14th century. It was probably done by the onewho rendered the cloister of the Cathedral ofBressanone.It was this cycle of 14th century frescoesdella volta dell`abside, divided into 21 parts that had thegreater artistic value. They were rendered by an artist ofthe school of Master Leonardo who did his work inBressanone around 1450. Among his paintings, notableand representative of his work is figure of the HolyTrintiy. It is presented as a singular person with threefaces. The middle face has a white beard; the one to theright has a shorter white beard while the one to the lefthas a reddish beard.. This is one of the few representa-tions of the Trinity with triplicate faces in this mannerfrom the 12 century. As seen today, the edifice did notcome about 1650 and towards the the end of 15th cen-tury even its more ancient part. The major altar is workof the sculptor Giorgio Arzt of Bolzano around 1517.The Madonna and child were stolen in August 1966.There occurred other thefts. On the left side of the nave,there is a fresco in 10 quadrants that depict scenes fromthe martirdom of S. Giuliana: the interogation by thetyrant, the struggle with the devil, the tortures of boilinglead, the rack, the boiling oil and the decapatation andthe death of the tyrant. Just above the church, there wasestablished in 1662 a hermitage. S. Giuliana boasts ofoldest bell in the Val di Fassa, cast in 1496. Since it wasthe patronal church, in 1916 during the course of theWorld War I, the Austrians left in their place all three ofthe ancient bells while appropriating all the bronze fromthe other valley churches were taken to cast cannons forthe Austrian army. People would come to S. Giuliana toparticipate in the rogation ceremonies in the spring. Nowpeople come in pilgrimage on the Sunday after February16, S. Giuliana’s feast day. Near the church, there is achaple dedicated to S. Maurizio that is regarded as themost ancient holy place of the valley. The entrance isgothic and the cross on the timpano is romanesque. Itwas reconsecrated in 1489 with the nave and the sidechapels of S. Giuliana. Written by Alberto Folgheraiter.

St. Giuliana: Fassa’s PatronSt. Giuliana: Fassa’s Patron

Santa Giustina-Vigo Val di Fassa

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San Giustina altar piece Trinity with three faces

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The Customs of the LadiniThe Customs of the Ladinilong with the language , the traditions, folkways and customs all combine to render theVal di Fassa as singular, unique and special.On festive days, one wore (and still wear) the

traditional costume, l guant. Men wore wool trousers tojust below the knee, with a red vest of cooked wool thathad a decorative gold border as well as one of decoratedsilk, a white shirt, a jacket and a derby on their head.Across their body, they wore a white sash and a decorat-ed leather belt and a chain with a pocket watch mademore precious by pendant toleres, coins of the AustrianHungarian Empire. The traditional female outfit, yetmore ancient. had a dress, il camejot, that was composedof an full skirt, pleated in the back, connected to close-fitting bodice in colorful material, richly decoratedbraids and tightened in the front with a cord that displaysthe ornamental front part of the bodice. It is worn witha white shirt decorated with cuffs or crocheted or with ilbarel, a decorated square collar. Another model uses avelvet or silk bodice with hooks linked to a neck collarwhile in the upper valley, they used a shawl with fringes.In both models, one would tie an apron around the waist. The apron is decorated with little roses or in damasksilk.The hair is gathered on the neck, bound by combs,peten and by broaches of silver. The favorite jewlerywere earings or a necklace of coral and a long chain witha silver cross. This outfit in past was used on the day ofa bride’s wedding, with a re- arrangement of the usualelements of the traditional dress.

During the carnival time, these traditional clothesbecome part of Maschere Guida. To this day, theCarnevale celebration in the Val di Fassa constitutes oneof most vital and significant manifestations of the pop-ular culture. There was a time when i coscritti assisted inthe interpretation of the principal masks, present inevery procession, in the town squares or in the homes.

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Among the usual characters in the celebration were ilLachè, the Marascons and il Bufon. There were othermasks: the Mescres a Bel, wel- dressed and graceful andthe Mescres a Burt, poorly dressed , inelegant, intrusiveand clumsy. They all wear the facera, the wooden maskcarved and decorated by hand by the local artisans.

Numerous rituals, many of which are still in use, scanand review the principal life situations: birth, engage-ment, matrimony, death, the succession of the seasons aswell as the cycle of the farmer’s agricultural year. Theserituals combine traditionals belief in rites connected tothe popular Christian faith. For example, December 6 isthe feast of St Nicholas, a person representing theBishop Saint, visits the homes of children to distributegifts to “good children”. He is accompanied by an angeland by one or more devils.Just around the Epiphany, it issaid that the animals are able to talk. The Master of thehouse blesses his family’s dwelling including the stablewhere he writes with chauk the initials of three magi:M,C, B (Melchior, Casper and Melchior) along with thecalendar year e.g. 2015. At the same time, groups ofyoung boys dressed as the Trei Rees, the three Magi, visithomes and sing several songs of the Stella...Star toannounce the birth of the Redeemer.

Ladini Carnival Festivities

15

The heart of Fassana home was the stua in a cheerfulroom, paneled in wood, in the past the only room thatwas heated due to the function of the stua. In this room,the family gathered to eat, to talk and pass the time onthose long winter nights. There, too, one spun flax,cleaned the wool of their sheep, repaired agriculturalequipment, sculptured statuetes and cavallini, little hors-es, sang songs and recounted stories conties, brief storieshanded down orally from one generation to the next.

The food of the valley was scarse and poor. Among thecereals, barley was cultivated, a basic element for so manyof the offerings of their cuisine. Rye was also cultivatednecessary for them to make bread. Corn and corn mealflour and the potato arrived from the Americas

course of the 1800’s. They were significant foods andthey often substituted for bread. White bread was a rare-ity and only came into use in modern times. The normal“menu” of a family consisted in the morning of roastedbarley coffee, milk with dark rye bread o winter potatoes.At noon, they would eat polenta with cheese, milk or but-ter along with saurkraut as well as the traditional popacei,flour gnocchi. In the evening, they ate boiled potatoeswith milk soup. On Sunday, they was some variety barley:soup and pork meat. With wheat flour, enriched by but-ter and raisins, they would make sweet confections,

among which was the traditional bracel, a foccaccia orsweet bread. On New Year’s Day, god parents gave theirgod child the traditional bracel or bombona. Traditionalfoods were the ciaroncie, a ravioli made with puffed pas-try and filled with poppy seed and marmelade. For feastdays. For feast days or for weddings, they made i grostoie le fortaes, traditional deserts of fried dough. The prin-cipal mythological characters of the Fassana culture wasla Vivena, the Bregostena, il Salvan and witches. Thanksto this oral tradition, which is an important characteristicof the Ladino culture, the thoughts and beliefs of theladini of Fassa have been maintained for centuries. Written by Daniela Brovodan-Museo Ladino di Fassa.

House Visit of St Nicholas è

Ladino Folk Dance

Museum of the Ladino Institute

Traditional Ladino Kitchen with Woodclad Walls and Stua

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Family Stories: The Bertolini’sFamily Stories: The Bertolini’sn 1903 there were many Bertolini immigrants tothe USA from the Ragoli, Montagne/Binio areaof Trentino. Most settled in Southeastern, Ohioto work in the coal mines. Many then moved on

to New York. Among them were my Biological (Birth)grandfather Elia Bertolini and my adopted grandfatherCelestino Bertolini. After finding jobs they sent for theirwives and children. In 1905 Elia’s wife Margaurite

(Ballardini) with daughter Emelia, age5, and Celestino’swife Clementina (Ballardini) with daughters Cesarina, age5 and Ernesta, age 3 left Montagne together and sailedon the same ship to New York.. They settled with theirhusbands in Midvale, Ohio to start a new life. Elia movedto Alliance, Ohio in the 1920’s to work in the factoriesinstead of the mines. He and Margaurite had 4 children,Pietro, Orlando, Catherine and Saunta.They all had suc-cessful marriages. Emelia married Pio Cerana fromRoncone and had 10 children. Saunta (my mother) mar-ried Jack Pelamati from Genoa. She died at my birth andI was then raised by the Aldergate family. Celestinoand Clementina stayed in the Midvale area and had 9 chl-dren, Cesarina, Ernesta, Frank, Ernest, Rudolph, Henry,Regina, Anna (died at age 5) and Anne. Frank, Ernest andHenry worked in the mines. Rudolph chose to work inlocal manufacturing. The ladies all became sick in 1919

during the typhoid/flu epidemic. Cesarina then becamehead of the family. She was always called Sis after that.Cesarina married Giuseppe Aldrighetti from Ragoli andthey had four children, John, Clara, Louis and Dawna.After becoming a US citizen, somehow on his naturaliza-tion papers Giuseppe became Joseph Aldergate.and thatbecame the family name. After Saunta died at my birth,Jack Pelamati realized he was to young to raise a child byhimself. Joe and Sis Aldergate agreed to raise me and Ibecame James Aldergate,called Jack.. I legally changed myname to Aldergate in 1956. I sure was lucky as I becamepart of two great Bertolini families. Since these two fam-ilies emigrated together they were always a close knitgroup. They shared all special events together with theannual family reunion the highlight of the year. All kindof ethnic food, card games, Bingo, Morra and musicfrom a local accordion player Raymond Bezzozi. PeteBertolini was always accused of cheating at Morra.Example: He had half of his index finger cut off andwould call 5 and a half and throw out his half finger. Youcan imagine what happened after that The Picture ofErnest is on his retirement day from the Midvale mine in1969. This was from a newspaper article that said themine shaft had a 35 inch ceiling. He is pictured on theright shoulder of Clementina in the Celestino picture.The families of Elia and Celestino all became good lawabiding, hard working Americans. They earned their way.During WW2 many of the grandsons served in thearmed forces, some being wounded. However, we are allstill Trentino proud.Written by James “Jack” Aldergate, Alliance, Ohio

Celestino’s Family 1918: Front: Rudolp, Regina, Anne Henry. Middle: Celestino,Frank, Ernest, Clementina. Standing: Cesarina & Ernesta

Top: Clara, Louis, John Front: Dawna, Cesarina, Joseph, James and Joseph

Elia Maugerite Ernest

II

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Legend: The Pale MountainsLegend: The Pale Mountains

n a time a very long time ago, there lived in the Valdi Fassa a most beautiful prince. He was alwayssad and melancholic. He had one strong desire toclimb to the moon. The King and the Queen used

to organize balls and receptions so that he might findlove and know happiness. But no girl was able to enterthe heart of the sad prince. One night dreamed of a verybeautiful woman dressed all in silver and white. He fellmadly in love and he swore to himself that he wouldmarry none other than her. There passed days andmonths and years but the Prince did not recognize herface in no girl that he came to know from time totime.His parents therefore decided to send him for sometime to live in the Dolomites to be in touch with the col-ors and the fragrances of nature. One day, the Princewhile hunting became lost. Desperate and frightened, hebegan to climb on horseback up a mountain.Arrived almost to the top, he was faced by asmall silver fog. At that point, there appeareddue elderly men with a white beard sitting onthe hightest peak. They were the ministers ofthe King of the Moon. They proposed to thePrince to ascend with them to the Moon. ThePrince accepted immediately without knowinghow he found himself in the kingdom of theMoon. It was all white and silvered colored as well. Thatnight the King of the Moon invited him to a ball andwith an enormous surprise, he met the Princess of theMoon and he realized that she had truly the appearanceof the girl he had dreamed many years ago. She was trulythe woman that he had always loved. It was love at firstsight even for the princess.A few day passed and the twoyouths decided to wed and to return to togeth-er to the kingdom of the Prince. But soon henoticed that the Moon girl was wasting away inplain sight. The light of the sun was taking awayher eye sight but she was unable to separate her-self from him so she decided to live there. Aftersome time, he noticed although that her sightwas fading. Had she remained there he would havebecome blind in just a few days. The two spouses hadregretably to separate. The princess remainded on themoon and the prince returned broken hearted to theearth bringing with him only a bouquet of edelweisswhich from that time flourished on the mountains of the

Alps. Hence, the young couple found no peace, wouldnot sleep at night, and would not eat. They were franticand despairing.One day, during a horse back ride, thereexploded a violent storm. The Prince found shelter in adeep cave. Inside, waiting for him was the King of theSalvani, a race of elves.The King of the Elves made a proposal to the discour-

aged Prince and said to him...If you help us,granting us hospitality, defending us from menwho seek us out to rob us of the gold from ourmines, we pledge to return your belovedPrincess here to our earth. We will gather foryou the rays of the Moon and will clothe thesemountains so that they will have a light equal tothat she had been accustomed to, She will beable to return to you so that you can finally live

together and with happiness and joy. The happy Princeaccepted the agreement. After several hours, when thestorm had already ceased, a veritable army of mendressed in red gathered at the feet of the Dolomites.They climbed up and gathered one by one all the rays ofthe moon making an enormous ball like a ball of yarn.We clothe and decorated all the peaks and slopes with

these beautiful threads of moon rays. In lessthan seven days, they dressed and clothed themountains with the light of the moon so theyseemed to be clothed with silver.. Thereremained some of the elves to overlook the hap-piness of the couple. They are still there ...the

red lilies of the mountains which at night are most cer-tainly transformed into dwarf miners in the deepestmines of gold. The Prince therefore went to get his brideand lived her with always happily, among the Dolomites,those mountains which are called by everyone the “PaleMountains”Written by Verena DePaoli, Terlago. Author

IIEditor’s note: The Dolomites are also called the “Monti Pallidi”, the Pale Mountains. It is an observable event especially at night whenthe mountain is illuminated by the lunar light. It is a phenomen due to the composition of Dolomitic rock, a color and a mineral com-position distinctly different from other Alps. There is another fascinating explanation: The Ladino Legend of the Pale Mountains

Brenta Dolomites at Dawn

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Tyroleans of UtahTyroleans of Utaht the turn of the last century, a group ofTyroleans migrated to Western America, andeventually found their way to Weber County,Utah. Most arrived in the United States to

work in the coal mines of Wyoming. Only later did theirjourney take them further west to Utah. Tyrolia endedup sending their young men to the coal mines ofWyoming around 1900 by the persuasion of U.S. compa-nies, including the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroadsand mining corporations believed that if they importedilliterate foreign workers, the unionization attemptscould be forestalled. However, the Tyroleans they wereimporting came with enough education to read andwrite. Within a few short years, the Tyroleans themselveswere “unionized”. Letters home from the early arrivals,telling of employment opportunities in such places asRock Springs, also strongly influenced others to follow.

Wyoming was sparsely populated, desolate, and cold.Snow remained for six months out of the year and thewind blew continually. Coal was needed for steam loco-motives and coal mining paid well. It was common forpeople from the same village to settle in the same townsand thus they maintained small islands of friends, family,culture, and language. In the frontier societies of RockSprings, Superior, Reliance and others, coal miningbecame the way of life, and the company housing, store,and Union Halls were at their core..

There are hundreds of stories of how the Tyrolean mensent back to the “old country” for women to becometheir wives. Generally, there was little courting or dating.Many times the acceptance of a marriage proposal wasbased on the recommendation of friends, relatives, orfamily acquaintances. These women took on the life of acoal miner’s wife.

Among their many duties were running boarding hous-es for bachelor miners and doing the cooking and laundry for the men. By the 1920’s, approximately 60percent of the coal miners in Rock Springs and sur-rounding areas were immigrants. Austrians accountedfor 300 miners.

Many miners sought the medicinal qualities of hotsprings. One favorite location was Utah Hot Springsnear Ogden, Utah. Here the rich farmland near Ogdenenticed many of these Tyroleans to move to Utah basedon patriarchal traditions to own land, and to provide abetter life for their children.. Thus a second migration.Those who moved to rural Utah found neighbors whowere predominately of the Mormon religion ofScandinavian descent. The Tyrolean people held differ-ent religious beliefs and a different language. Here thedifferent cultures and religions co-existed, if not in com-passion, then at least in tolerance of each other. ManyMormon neighbors showed and educated the new immi-grants on how to farm and use the irrigation waters. Thefirst day of school for the children was often their firstexposure to English. Thanks to many dedicated teachers,the Tyrolean children were soon Americanized.

The exodus of Tyroleans from the coal mines ofWyoming began around 1910 and continued through the1930s. Besides Ogden, they came to the rural communi-ties of West Weber, Warren, West Warren (Reese),Taylor, Plain City, Wilson Lane, Kanesville, and Hooper.About 50 Tyrolean families bought farms in WeberCounty. The area in West Weber even became known as“Little Tyrol.” Some common Tyrolean names in WeberCounty as a result of the migration included: Anselmi,Bertoldi, Bertagnolli, Colleni, Conti, Costesso, Cologna,Cristelli, Daplias, Degiorgio, Genetti, Martini, Prevedel,Rauzi, Ravarino, Rizzi, Ropelato, Tome, Torghele,Tremea, Vincenti, and Zuech.

AA

Boarding House for Immigrants

Superior, Wyoming 1910

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The ethnic cohesion formed in Wyoming, also continuedin Utah. Weber County only had a yearly precipitationaveraging about 16 inches, but the soils were productiveand rich. Water was delivered in canals from reservoirsand streams in the mountains, and allotments or “waterturns” were regulated by how many “shares” a farmerowned. The adjustment to farming was coming to gripswith the uncertainty and the lack of a regular paycheck.Farming was very hard and took a lot of labor.Implements were horse powered or drawn. Even thechildren were expected to help and many took days offfrom school each year when harvest time came.Irrigation of the crops was a never ending task in thesummer. Typically, they grew wheat, barley and alfalfa tofeed the farm animals, and sugar beets, tomatoes, pota-toes and peas for “cash” crops. Most farms had scoresof chickens, a dozen or two milk cows which weremilked by hand, steers for meat and sale, two or threepigs for sausage and meat, and three or four work hors-es for the farm machinery.

The weekly sale of eggs and cream from the milk cowsadded to a little “regular” income. Most families also hadlarge gardens for fresh vegetables.

Adjusting to a new country and language was not alwayseasy. The social structure and beliefs of the Mormoncommunities were also challenging. As a result, farm lifewas lonely for many Tyrolean women. Not knowing theEnglish language was a barrier, and early on, there werefew family members around. There initially was no elec-tricity and no indoor plumbing. Ironing was done withstove irons and washing was done on a wash board; andmuch of the family’s clothing and garments were madeby knitting or crocheting. The members of the Tyroleancommunity maintained strong friendships and continuedthe culture and traditions established in Wyoming. TheUnion Hall in Superior, Wyoming was replaced by theFriendly Club in Weber County around 1937. This was a

place to socialize. Dances were held and it was a placefor wedding receptions and anniversaries. It was so tiedto the Tyrolean culture that many second generationTyroleans met their future spouses there. Other socialevents such as the yearly “Canyon Days” held in OgdenCanyon brought the old people and families together,and the old men would often group around lawn bowl-ing or if younger, softball, while the women would sitand talk and knit or crochet. The language was alwaysthe special dialect called “Nones”.

With the outbreak of World War II, many Tyroleans,with their newly acquired American citizenship, proudlysent their first generation American sons to defend theirnew country and adopted homeland. Although encum-bered by shortages and rationing, the War also broughtemployment opportunities and higher wages in thedefense facilities of northern Utah. Many Tyrolean girlsworked in the defense plants. Those Tyroleans who hadnot obtained U.S. Citizenship were required to register asforeign aliens, and communications and mailings to rela-tives in the “old country” was forbidden. The only cor-respondence was allowed through the Red Cross.

After World War II, the first generation Tyrolean sonswere taking over the management and running of thefarms. Tractors were replacing horses and modern milk-ing machines had entered the scene. This mechanismallowed the farms to expand. Other Tyrolean sons leftthe farms for other careers. Today, all of the originalTyrolean emigrants have passed on. A good deal of theirhistory vanished with them. Most of the legacy that isleft include memories, a few pictures, some traditionalfoods, and stories they told their children. Many surviv-ing children are now in their 80’s and 90’s.

The old people from Tyrol were a generation that expe-rienced going from proverty, horse and steam power, andtwo World Wars to what we have today in America. Wehere in Utah are their sons and daughters, grandchildrenand great-grandchildren. We are grateful that much ofwhom and what we are was shaped by them.

Written by David Prevedel, a thirdgeneration Tyrolean American,retired fron the U.S. Forest Service,resides in Hooper, Utah, author of“The Tyroleans, A Journey ofHope” ISBN 978-0-557-20030-6,available on Lulu.com orAmazon.com.

Nato Prevedel,Aldo J. Prevedel, Flavio Prevedel. Floriano Prevedel, Dennie Prevedel

Val di Fassa

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Family Story: Carlo RiccadonnaFamily Story: Carlo Riccadonnaho was Carlo Leno Riccadonna? He wasmy Nonno for 30 years and although notlarge in stature, he was a huge presencein my life. This is a capsule of his life as

I try to portray the life of the man I called Nonno.�

Carlo was born on March 27, 1913 in Marazzone, in theTrentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol region of Italy (Austria atthe time). In 1914, when Carlo was only a year old, hisfather was called to service in World War I. He waswounded in late March by the Cossacks in the Kingdomof Galicia, in the Carpathian Mountains and he died aweek later on April 5, 1915 in a Budapest Hospital.Without a father and with the ravages of World War I,life in Northern Italy (Austria) was difficult for Carlo andhis family. His mother, now widowed, had no income,was left with four children, had to eek out a life for thefamily. With all of the hard work that she did it still was-n't enough and Carlo often reminisced about how hun-gry and malnourished he was as a child.�

At 17, Carlo boarded a ship for America to find work. Heleft Genoa Italy on June 13, 1930 with his cousin EttoreRiccadonna on the S.S. Conte Grande. Carlo arrived inNew York on June 23rd at Ellis Island and was headed toForce Pennsylvania. He went to Force to stay with hismother’s brother, Uncle Giuseppe Fenice and his family.There he found a job as a bituminous coal miner for theShawmut Mining Company on July 6, 1930.

Carlo’s life as a coal miner was not an easy one. The min-ers worked long hard hours in dark, dirty and dangerousconditions. Life in the towns that had been built uparound the mines was also difficult and dirty. The townsdidn’t have running water - just wells that were oftencontaminated, no sewage systems - only overflowing out-houses, garbage wasn’t collected on a regular basis andthe roads were muddy dirt streets. One such mining townwas called Cardiff, and that was where Carlo met hisbride, Amabile Scolastica Serafini, who was born inCardiff Pennsylvania on March 20, 1922.

On November 4, 1939 Mabel and Carlo married at St.Joseph’s Church in Force. Together they bought a housein Penfield Pennsylvania and started a family - AliceAngelina, Guido Joseph, and Ronald Cletus. While thefamily grew, Carlo worked hard in the mines, in his gar-den and at various other jobs. On February 27, 1956

WW Carlo got a job at Speer Carbon in St. MarysPennsylvania. With the commute between Penfield andSt. Marys long, Carlo and Mabel sold their house inPenfield and bought a house in St. Marys around 1970.Carlo worked at Speer Carbon for 17 years and retired in1973 after suffering the first of two heart attacks. Duringthe 21 years of his retirement, Carlo enjoyed his family,grandchildren, and his garden, he played the piano, andhe listened to music. He also nurtured a weak heart, glau-coma, and black lung from his work in the mines. OnJune 25, 1994, Carlo’s body gave in to the ravages of hiswork and he died in St. Marys at the age of 82.

Carlo came to America to find work and to live the“American Dream”. He lived it! When he arrived inAmerica in 1930 he had nothing, he lived with extendedfamily and he started his career hundreds of feet under-ground in the mines. When he retired at the age of 60,he had a nice pension, good benefits, assets and a healthysavings account. Although Carlo himself never finishedhigh school, his children and grandchildren went to suchcolleges and universities as Columbia, Cornell, MIT,Penn State, Princeton, and Yale. His children were alwaysfinely dressed and Mabel had a closet full of beautifuldresses, shoes and some nice pieces of jewelry. Theirhome in St. Marys, while not large, was completely paidfor and was luxuriously decorated. If anyone lived the“American Dream” it was Carlo Leno Riccadonna.Although he died 21 years ago, his family is so proud ofhim and his legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of hisfamily here in America and in Italy. Ti ricordiamo e ti ami-amo sempre! Written by Wendy Dunkle Dziurzynski

Mabel and Carlo Riccadonna

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Family Stories: I Miei Nonni Family Stories: I Miei Nonni onato Endrizzi was born in Cavedago,Tyrol, Austria in 1888. Seeking work in thewinter Donato and his father, Pietro, wouldtravel south to clean chimneys. He was

small enough to go up the chimney and scrape down thesoot. In the summertime they would stay in Cavedagoand work on their little farm. In 1907 at the age of 19,Donato made his first trip to America. He found a job inNew Paltz, NY working on a tunnel that would bringwater to NYC. In 1914 he sailed back to Tyrol and mar-ried Angelina Viola, also born in Cavedago in 1893.While Donato, also known a Nato Bello, was home, hewas drafted into the army for WWI. He left his pregnantwife and was sent to the Russian front. While he wasaway, Angelina gave birth to a little girl who died a fewmonths later as did his father. The war ended in 1918.Donato and Angelina had another daughter, Augusta,then a son, Santo in 1921. After Santo was born, Donatoreturned to America to work in the coal mines inMorgantown, WV. After a couple of years he returned tohis family in Cavedago then under Italy’s rule. Angelinabecame pregnant, Donato returned to America.Giuseppina was born in 1924. Donato began working asa carpenter. In 1926 while using an electric saw he had anaccident that cut off three of his fingers on his left hand.He received workmen’s compensation and returned toCavedago to plan a new home for his ever growing fam-ily. Angelina became pregnant, Donato returned to NY.His wife supervised the building of a new house. What astrong woman Angelina was! While pregnant with herfourth child, she cared for their three children, tendedthe cows, cultivated the land and built a house withouther husband present. Not to mention caring for her sickmother-in-law. Baby Albina arrived in 1927. In 1929Angelina and her four children moved into the beautifulpink house. Still visible today are Donato’s initials overthe door frame and in the wrought iron railing. In 1930Donato returned to find la casa rossa completed. Aswork was non existent in the town, he borrowed moneyto return to NY. Donato returned to Cavedago in 1932.Once again Angelina became pregnant and anotherdaughter, Ada, was born in 1933. Things were not goodwhen he returned to New York but he managed to finda position working in a hospital for $1.00 a day andmeals. In 1936 he had earned enough money to bring hiseldest daughter, 18 years old and his son, 15 years old toAmerica. After eight days at sea, they arrived on April 23,1936 on the ship Conte de Savoa from the port of Genoa.

That summer Donato, Augusta and Santo worked in theCatskills Mountains at the Grandview Mountain Housein East Windham, NY. They did all the repairs, cut thegrass and prepared the resort for the guests that werearriving that summer. He instilled a strong work ethic inall his children.

In 1937 Donato brought his wife and three daughters tojoin the family in America. They sailed from Genoa onthe Rex arriving in December 1937. That summer theentire family worked at the resort. The family, happy tobe all together, lived in an apartment at 164 WyckoffAvenue, Ridgewood, NY and 387 Suydam Street,Ridgewood. In 1949 Donato realized the Americandream of owning his own home. The family moved to400 Woodbine Street, Ridgewood, NY. They had a smallgarden where they grew tomatoes, salad, beans and figtrees. The entire family would gather there for every spe-cial occasion. The family dinners consisted of canederli,krauti and luganaga, tonco and polenta. Every Fridaythey made gnocchi di patate. Donato and Angelina livedthere for 32 years. They were married for 67 years andhad 12 grandchildren. They were truly blessed as we wereto have them in our lives!

Submitted by Marion Endrizzi Whelpley of Mequon,WI, granddaughter of Angelina and Donato Endrizzi

DD

Seated are Angelina, Ada, Donato Endrizzi Standing: Augusta, Giuseppina, Santoand Albina

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The Fassani . . . The DecoratorsThe Fassani . . . The Decoratorsor centuries, the houses of the valley displayeddecorative murals of saints, symbols of theirhistory and of their daily lives.Walkingthrough the villages of the valley, one encoun-

ters these images were displayed for protection, fulfill-ment of vows, to measure the hours , to recall someepisode of the family or village’s history. Passing through

the narrow streets, the small court yards one sees theseimages that serve as guideposts that were easily under-stood by the passerbys indicating passages of time, thework rhythms of their times and place for prayer andmeditation. The images are ones of the supernatural anddevotional: Christ, the Virgin and her child as well assaints. Truly, the living in an environment of theDolomites possibly accentuated an artistic-pictoral sensi-bility and disposition in the Fassani, the people of theVal di Fassa. In the past centuries, the Fassani earnedtheir livings as “pittores decoratores”, image painters.They emigrated not to the Americas but they left theTyrol seasonally and went up to Baveria and Austria andas far as France to ply this craft. As their religiosityinspired their craft, the local political environment ofbeing a feudal state of Brixen Bressannone promptedtheir movement to the lands of the Hapsburg.

FF After the Council of Trent, the on-going imagery or theiconography of these murals flows from the churcheswith the depictions of the chruch themes serving as acatechistic didactic as did the images present on theFrench Gothic cathedral. The Council of Trent with itseffort to counter reform or overly asserted its traditionalvalues and images that became visible and on display onthe walls of the houses of the valley.

In the valley of Fassa, religious imagery develops a tradi-tion. This tradition runs parallel to imagery found oninterior and exterior walls of the churches. The render-ing of these images is modest. One finds external fres-coes created by the same masters that adorned the inte-rior of the churches while many other such murals werecreated with the poorest of means by unknown artists orcraftsmen. These latter images had a devotional valuewhile a far less artistic value even though they requiredtime, effort and treasure to realize them.

As time passed on, these murals could be eliminated,substituted according to the dangers and hazards expe-rienced during a period so that there emerged images ofnew patronal saint that served as a protector. Among themost popular devotional saint of the Fassani is

25

St Christopher who carries the Infant Jesus and has hisfeet sumberged in the raging waters and aided by hisstaff. He was venerated as the protector against pesti-lence but also the protector of travelers who facedunknown dangers, sudden dangers and horror butdevoid of the sacraments.

Another popular figure seen in themurals is St Floriano, the protectoragainst fires as well as St JohnNepomuceno, protector against floodsand finally Our Lady of Help, who wasinvoked in all circumstances of theirlives. Each of the villages emphasizedtheir devotion and reverence for the vil-lage’s patron. This is evidenced by thenumber of specific and dedicated dis-plays. The village of Mazin is particu-larly and specifically adorned with theirvery own patron.

The capitelli - the wayside and nicheshrines of individual homes -- are also“canvas`s” or occasions for more paintings. They wereinspired by individual villages or flow from the specific

devotional religiosity of an individual family or an indi-vidual.

As economic and social conditions developed andchanged, there began appearing images of mountain

peaks of Fassa, scenes of rural livig, alpin-ismo and tourism almost to imbed thetransformation of the valley to moderntimes. This is scene often the walls ofhotels and tourist lodges.

In these more contemporay images, there isan effort to recall and preserve Fassa’sancient roots and customs. These imagesare quasi-snap shots of myths and legendsof the Ladino community, traditions, fami-ly geneological trees as well as significantlocal residents. The subjects change but thephenomenon of these murals continue toreminsce and demonstrate the immutableartistic diposition of the Fassani. i. Just lookaround without and within to enjoy thisartistic catalog of their lives and values.

Written by Elisa Salvi, Ufficio Stampa, Val di Fassa.

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Nos Dialet . . . Our Dialect # 10Nos Dialet . . . Our Dialect # 10he language of our people…or the dialects of our people were different from valley to valley and thusthey became differentiated further in their valley. The dialects were not languages but the language wasdifferentiated by those dialects. A symbol or a proof of this is to note the published dictionaries of indi-vidual valleys. The illustrations refer to the dictionaries of the dialects of San Lorenzo in Banale and

Montagne. There are many more such dictionaries e.g. Dizionario del Pinzoler, the dialect of the Val Rendena. Thereare exceptions where one finds actual languages of actual linguistic minorities e.g. Ladini, the Cimbri and theMocheni.This issue of the Filò presents elements of Ladino of the Ladino community, the language, their customs.See also a ladino hymn and proverbs in the pages of this edition. Significantly, our languages…the historical pres-ence of the various communities or linguistic minorities in the Province were the very elements that earned theProvince the status of Autonomy. . Do consider going to the web site of the Museo degli Usi e Costumi della GenteTrentina (The Museum of the Ways and Customs of the Trentino People) to hear film clips of the sounds and into-nations of our people in the Province speaking the dialect…Here is their websitehttp://www.museosanmichele.it/alfabeto-delle-coseinterogative also in dialect..also in red and the English in black.

TT

Mi ero stàTi te eri stàLu l’era stà Noi erem stadiVoi ere stadiLori I era stadi

(io ero stato)(tu eri stato)(egli era stato)(noi eravamo stati)(voi eravate stati)(essi erano stati)

DIALECT SHOW & TELL #4 La Tavola - The Kitchen

Let’s look to the illustrations on the opposite page, observe their labels of the items. Starting fromthe top and going left to right…We will cite the dialectal word in the illustration and literally trans-late it into English. The Italian equivalent will not be cited. These words and nomenclatures arederived from the dialect around Tione.

Mi èronte stà? Ti èret stà?Lu èrelo sta?Noi èrente stadi?Voi ère stadi?Lori èrei stadi?

I had beenYou had beenHe had beenWe had beenYou had beenThey had been

It’s time for another tense of the verb to be…its past perfect tense…First the dialect in red, Italianin blue, the interrogative in dialect, also in red. and the English in black.

LampadariPiat dala luceFil dalla lucePirletLampadinaCanton/Spigol

LampReflectorElectric CordLight SwitchLight BulbCorner

VedrinaCasetPortelaPortafiorPortasugaman

China ClosetDrawerDoorFlower StandTowel Rack

ColtrinaArloi a pendolArloiRazaArloi

Window CurtainPendulum ClockWatchClock HandPendulum Clock

Taola/TagolaPiac a costeChicheraPegol/Gamba

TableSoup Dish with SideSmall Coffee CupTable Leg

Bicerin/bicerotTolinScanela/BanchetaSpasegio

Small GlassSmall TableStoolChild Walker

Carega de paiaCarega de legnCaregon

Straw ChairWooden ChairHigh Chair

TOP

MIDDLE

BOTTOMMinellaStropaCestinBalanza

Measure for GrainsWillow / BranchBasketScale

Piat dala BalanzaRampinMarch/pes/peso

Scale PanHook

PestarolBrac

Meat PounderArm

The illustrations opposite are those of Helen Lageder; they appear in the Dizionario delDialetto di Montagne di Trento by Corrado Grassi, produced and distributed by the Museodegli Usi e Costumi della Gente Trentina, San Michele all’Adige

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Fassa’s Seasonal MigrantsFassa’s Seasonal Migrantshere was no emigration to the Americas - tothe United States, to Brazil or to Argentina.Well, maybe a few did emigrate to thoselands, but the people of this valley took part

in seasonal migrations to areas close by. Some engaged inrather original activities, such as that of wandering musi-cian. And from the 1880's onward, there was a notableseasonal exodus of women, a very unusual occurrencefor the valleys of the Trentino in that period. In short,the Valle di Fassa played a rather unique role in thepanorama of those years of emigration.

The villages of Fassa lie at altitudes between 1200 and1600 meters above sea level. It was necessary for theheads of household of that area to leave their homesduring the 'dead' season for agriculture that is fromSeptember or October until April, in order to make endsmeet. Mountain agriculture did not yield enough to sus-tain a family for a whole year. Certain activities which inother regions could provide a reasonable income werejust not feasible at these high altitudes. Consider wineand silk! Vines did not bear much fruit and the mulberrytree, whose leaves the silkworm thrived on, does notgrow there!

There is evidence that, as early as 1300, bands ofmigrants left the Valle di Fassa several times a year forweeks at a time. Most went to Bolzano, which was nottoo far from Trento, attracted by the fairs held there peri-odically. These fairs were frequented by large numbers ofpeasants and craftsmen who were both buyers and sell-ers of farm animals, agricultural products and miscella-neous other items. The visitors from Fassa were notthere to sell their own wares - their butter, cheese andskins were needed at home, but they were at the serviceof the merchants. At first, they served in humble jobs -as porters and clerks - but eventually they took on more

important jobs, such as interpreter or even as a salesagent. With their earnings the heads of household wereable to round out the income which came from theirfarm activities at home.

In time, these activities grew in both scope and range.The great scholar from Fassa, Father Frumenzio Ghetta,in the course of his research, uncovered many docu-ments indicating that his fellow countrymen had joinedwith various traders and travelled to fairs in Trieste,Venice, Bergamo, Lucca, Naples and even to Munich andAmsterdam. We don't know exactly when, but certainlywithin a century or so, as the great fairs diminished inimportance, new migration strategies developed in the

valley. A very original occupation, that of wanderingminstrel, took hold. M.A. Mariani wrote, around 1650that 'They (the people of Fassa), learn how to play thelyre, as well as as other instruments, while still in theirmother's womb, a talent which allows them to wanderhere and there in the world, bringing joy to festivals.' Weknow that music played a significant role in the culture ofFassa, as documents dating back to the twelfth century

TT

Itinerant Fassani Musicians

Fassani descending to Markets

Farming at High Elevations

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speak of the widespread diffusion of Gregorian music.

According to Frumenzio Ghetta, every town had its owntroop of musicians, usually composed of violinists, violaand bassoon players and sometimes a zither player. AfterChristmas, they would leave the valley and push north-ward toward the Tyrol and Germany, or southward to theVeneto. They were hired to play at festivals, weddingsand other occasions, especially during Carnival.

In later centuries, starting in about 1750, a curious pat-tern appeared regarding migration from the Valle diFassa. In what was called the 'lower' valley, that is Soraga,Vigo, Pozza and Mazzin, the trades of stonecutter andmason took hold, while in the 'lower' valley - Canazei,Campitello, Alba and Penia - the men learned the art of'colorist' and passed the skill down from father to son.These workers traveled north. The stone cutters andmasons went to the cities and quarries from Bolzano tothe northern Tyrol, into Bavaria and even into the furtherreaches of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was alwaysa seasonal migration with the men leaving after the hay-making was finished. The hay was essential for animalhusbandry to the mountain families, providing thecheese and butter which was their main source of pro-tein during the long winters.

The 'colorists' took different routes from the Tyrol toCarinthia, Salzburg and northern Austria. But after 1850their main goal was Switzerland. Their specialty wasunique - using oil-based paints, they would decorateshutters and balconies and other wooden elements, bothinside and outside the homes. They even painted wood-en kitchen utensils. Previously, these tasks had been doneby local craftsmen, usually carpenters, but the Fassani didthem better and cheaper! Of course, the locals were nothappy and often went to the authorities to defend theirprofessional prerogatives. One document by a com-plainant in Sottopera, reads “These people from Fassa godoor to door. They do not ply their trade in their homevillages. In fact they do not even take their brushes andjars of paint home with them, but store them in placesthat they return to the following year.”

After the Napoleonic wars, the Fairs at Bolzano had losttheir importance and the mountain people had to findnew ways to bring home earnings to supplement themeager produce from their dairy and farming activities.In their seasonal migration, they left in the spring andreturned in July, or even later, in November.

So their work abroad lasted only six months at most.Those who returned in July did so because that was hay-ing season. The poorer migrants returned later, leavingthe haying to their womenfolk, young boys and old men. The migration of women was a new phenomenon whichthe moral authorities of the valley, especially the priests,were not too happy about. They feared the 'loss ofmorality' which would occur as these women left thewatchful eyes of their community. But, as a matter offact, those women not only brought home their earnings

for decades, but also acquired the knowledge and skillswhich they applied to the development of a tourist econ-omy in their own towns and villages. From the beginningof the twentieth century, and still today, tourism becamethe staple of the economy in the valley of Fassa andthere was no longer a need for the seasonal migrations ofthe past. Written by Renzo Grosselli. Grosselli is a journalist forL’Adige and an author and researcher on immigration.

Fassani Decorators

Beginning of Fassa Alpinism

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The Dolomites of Val di FassaThe Dolomites of Val di Fassahe Val di Fassa is a typical north eastern valley,through which runs the River Avisio and sur-rounded by some of the principal mountain-ous groups of Dolomites: The Sella Group,

Sassolungo, the Catinaccio and the Marmolada, the“Queen of the Dolomites.” Other non Dolomiticgroups celebrated for the richness of their minerals areBuffaure and the Monzoni. Thehe River Avisio’s tribu-taries form several small lateral valleys: Val San Nicolo`and Valle di Pellegrino. Thanks to the several mountainpasses, it is connected to other celebrated Dolomiticsites: Passo San Pellegrino, Passo Fedaia, Passo ofCostalunga also referred to as Karerpass, Passo Pordoi,Passo Sella (Canazei-Valgardena or Groten in German).

Fassa has eight administrative municipalies or jurisdic-tions. The principal Comunes are Moena and Pozza.Then in order of the number of residents, there areCanazei, Vigo, Campitello, Soraga, and Mazzin. 9500people live in the 314 square kilometers. A distinguishingfeature of the valley is its language: Ladino, an ancientlanguage Rhaeto-Romance, or Rhaetian, is a subfamily ofthe Romance languages. "Rhaeto-Romance" refers to theformer Roman province of Rhaetia. It is spoken only inthe Trentino-Alto Adige and part of the Province ofBelluno. There is a common cultural patrimony thatunites this population: its legends, stories and customsthat were catalogued between the middle of 1800`s andearly 1900`s by Karl Felix Wolff. In 1913, he publishedthe first volume of Dolomitensagen. UNESCO recog-nized the Dolomites as a World Heritage site.

The traveler and vulcanist, Deodat guy Silvain TancredeGratet de Dolomieu, son of the Marques of Isere, wasthe first to recognize the mineral found in the very struc-ture of the Dolomities. In 1789, he gathered samples ofdolomitic rock and shared them with Theodore Nicolasde Saussure who proceeded to have the sample analized.Saussure discovered that they had discovered a new min-eral. Dolomite is an anhydrous carbonate mineral com-posed of calcium magnesium carbonate. He named itdolomia in honor of its discover.

The first travelers were mostly British and came to theVal di Fassa in the early 1800s. They were coming fromthe vicintiy of Alpe di Suisi and entered Val di Fassa thevicintiy of Alpe di Suisi and entered Val di Fassa throughPasso di Costalunga. The very first to scale one of the

principal peaks of the Dolomites was Paul Grohmann, aViennese, who reached the highest peak of theMarmolada. Many alpinist followed and thereby gave ajump start to the tourism of Fassa. At the end of the1800’s, there emerged the first group of Alpine guideswho became the very best Alpinists of Europe amongthe memorable guides was Bernard, Luigi Rizzi, Tita Piazsurnamed “the Devil of the Dolomites,” LuigiMicheluzzi and many others.

In recent years, the ski industry has blossomed and flour-ished and has become the valley’s chief attraction with itssummer tourism. The Consortium Dolomiti Superski,begun in 1974, encompasses the Dolomites of Trento,Bolzano and Belluno offering over 1200 kilometers ofski runs. There are about 50 refuges scattered in the val-ley’s scenic mountains. The valley offers the tourist, theexcursionist and the alpinist hospitality and views ofDolomitic panoramas and possibly participate the cele-brated phenomenon of “Enrosadira (in GermanAlpengluhen) at the sunrise and sunset when theDolomites change their colors from pink-red to violet topale white in the moonlight. Enrosadira is the ladinoword meaning “reddening.” The Val di Fassa is an ideallocation for both summer and winter holidays. In thesummer, there are miles of trails for hiking and mountainbiking. Escursionists can reach the refuges high in themountains or pursue “via ferrata”, narrow trails at highelevations equipped with cables to support the hiker.Expert alpinist can enjoy some of world wide celebratedcliffs like the south face of the Marmolada. In the win-ter, it is a winter paradise for skiers and snow shoeing.Riccardo Decarli (Biblioteca della montagna-SAT,Trento) He just published Guida ai Rifugi del Trentino,where he describe the 151 “rifugi” in the Trentino. Thebook is available from Panorama di Trento:editrice_panorama@iol.it (www.panoramalibri.it)

TTMarmolada, Queen of the Dolomites

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The Great War in the MountainsThe Great War in the Mountainss the year 1916 ended, the deathof the Emperor was a trauma-tizing event. Weeks later, ameteorological event as equally

unnerving to both military and civilians. Onthe 12th and 13th of December, a recordsnow fell in Valle and the nearby mountains- a snowfall such as had never been seenbefore. With the snow came the “whitedeath.” At Vermiglio an avalanche destroyeda newly constructed house where both sol-diers and minor officials lived, killing 15.Other avalanches hit barracks in Val di Peio. Also hitwere Val del Merlo, and Val di Strino where there werebetween 12 and 20 deaths. Still other incidents occurredat Montozzo and at Cogolo. Altogether there were morethan 150 victims. The feast of Santa Lucia becameknown as Black Santa Lucia in the local talk.

The food situation for the people became more andmore desperate. In the autumn, the governmentannounced the fourth and fifth 'war loan' - there were tobe eight all told. These levies and various requisitionsbrought the populace to complete exasperation. The airarm came alive on both sides. A fully operating air fieldwas establishedat Croviana and an anti-aircraft battery

appeared at Fazzon di Pellizano. On themountains, the troops were psychologicallyexhausted - it became a daily challengeagainst invisible enemies - the cold, the ava-lanches, the solitude. During the whole yearof 1917, the Alpine front was unchanged,though there were a few bursts of artilleryfire on the peaks of Montozo, the Tonale,Adamello and the Ortles. Substantially thefront remained frozen at the positionsgained earlier and there were very fewepisodes worthy of notice. Taking advan-

tage of better means of transport, the troops on the highridges improved their fortifications, placing batteries atvery high altitudes, such as on Cima Giumella.

The very poor harvest of the previous year made thefood situation desperate, especially in the early months of1917, which are remembered as the worst days of thewar. Hunger, real hunger, was the challenge every day,not only for the Russian prisoners, but for the entire pop-ulation. And not just food was taken, but many othernecessities, such as textiles for clothing and other every-day items. Although strict price controls were enacted,the cost of living continued to rise and the black marketflourished. Metals such as iron, copper and bronze couldnot be found anywhere - even the church bells were req-uisitioned and melted down. Eighteen year olds weredrafted for the first time.

In June 1917, the new Emperor granted amnesty to polit-ical prisoners and to interned citizens. Even the people ofVermiglio which had been deported to Mittendorf, wereallowed to return to the Trentino, but not to their ownvillage. Many of them settled in the Non Valley and inthe lower reaches of the Sole Valley, with relatives orfriends. In that same month of June, the sixth war 'loan'was levied - it cost the entire district of Cles four millionkroner. In November came another 'loan', the seventh!All the available financial resources of the people hadnow been taken, leaving them destitute of everything.

But in October and November of 1917, the crushingdefeat of the Italian army at Caporetto sent a shock wavethrough the ranks of the troops fighting among the rocksof Adamello and Ortles. It also raised some hopes, buteveryone realized that the end of the war was still far inthe future and that more sorrow and deprivation would

AA

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be heaped on shoulders already bowed by a thousandcares. For the Trentini and particularly for the Sole valley,1918 was the fifth year of war. The people entered thatyear hopeless and impoverished as never before. Waroperations on the Noce front started up again. On May25, The Italian artillery started a bombardment ofPizzano di Vermiglio which continued for several days.On Monticelli near the Paradiso Pass, at Montozzo, theMarocarro Pass, and at Presena, the Alpini and otherItalian troops captured a few positions, scattering theImperial troops.

On May 31, the Italians besieged the Imperial commandpost at Fucine, but the troops were tired, hungry andwithout hope. One notable event, in June, was theattempt by the Imperial Guard to crack the front atTonale. This operation had been entrusted to GeneralMetzger, with the approval of the Emperor Carl, anddespite the disapproval of General Arz who was plan-ning his grand offensive at the Piave. The attempt playedout from June 12 to June 14, but got nowhere becausethe Italians had been informed of the plan and were ableto defend the position. Other encounters took place nearthe Paradiso Pass, in the Presena Valley, at the CaventoPeak and at the Segni Pass.

One episode which seems unbelievable, given theadverse conditions in which it happened was the con-quest by the Italians of St Matteo Peak on August 13.After an intense artillery attack, four squads of Alpinistormed the Imperial garrison there, even earning theadmiration of their foes. The peak was put under thecommand of Captain Arnaldo Berni of Mantua, whohastened to strengthen the fortifications so as to be ableto withstand the anticipated counterattack. This came onSeptember 3, when the Austrians regrouped at theGiumella Peak and in a bold and unbelievable operation,reconquered St Matteo and all the surrounding lookoutposts. Two Austrians - Lieutenant Tabarelli from Fatisand W. Licka - distinguished themselves, the latter receiv-ing the Medal of Honor from the Empress MariaTheresa. Captain Berni resisted until the end and diedunder the ice of his cave, an immaculate tomb.

This victory did not help the Imperials. Two monthslater, their headquarters at Fucine issued an order of fullretreat. The order was received with jubilation by theImperial troops who set off fireworks and started bon-fires in celebration. But utmost in their thoughts was theneed to secure the road back to their homes. The local

populace was also jubilant, though famished andexhausted by their long suffering. They set upon thewarehouses of the retreating army, and helped them-selves to anything and everything that could be of use.The rampage extended even to the fortifications at highaltitudes, where the villagers, little by little, recovered anymaterial that could be moved. Of course, these expedi-tions often gave rise to incidents - there were shootings,fires, misunderstandings and acts of revenge.

But another calamity followed. The end of the warbrought the lethal epidemic of Spanish influenza whichtook many victims in this population exhausted by yearsof deprivation.

Written by Uldarico Fantelli. He has served inmany capacities in both local and ProvincialGovernance as well as EducationalAdministration. He is a noted author and Scholarregarding the World War I and our people.

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I Proverbi: Ladini Wisdom StoriesI Proverbi: Ladini Wisdom StoriesWhereas we have focused on the Proverbi from the various valleys that the Filo`has focused on with the usualTyrolean or Trentino dialect, for this particular issue of the Val di Fassa and its historic community of Ladini, weare pleased to present to our readers Ladini proverbs in their language and manner. They were gathered by MaraVadagnini of the Ladino Cultural Institute. They are presented in red, while the Italian translation is presented inblue and our translation in black.

Dijea nesc veies: a vegnir a cèsa fora dal bosch zenza se tor o n ram o na ponta, la cèsa vaa.Dicevano i nostri vec-chi: quando si ritorna dal bosco, bisogna prendersi un pezzo di legno o un fascio di rami, altrimenti la casa piange.Our elders would say: When one returns from the woods, one needs to bring a piece of wood and a bundle of sticks.Otherwise the house weeps!

Ge volessa scialdi se didèr fora, perché na man lèva l’autra e duta does lèva l mu. Aiutiamoci a vicenda, poiché unamano lava l’altra e tutte due lavano la faccia. Let’s help each other so that one hands helps another so that both handscan wash the face.

Se te ves ben, te perdones dut, se te odies no te perdones nia. Se ami tutto perdoni; se odi nulla perdoni.If you love, you forgive; if you hate, you forgive nothing.

Canche l’om e la femena à da jir zaonder, l’om se peissa coche l’à da parlèr, la femena coche l’à da se regolè. Quandomarito e moglie escono, il marito pensa come ha da parlare, la donna come ha da vestire.When husband and wife go out, the husband thinks what he will say; the wife, what she should wear

No bèsta emparèr delvers l mestier per doventèr n bon artejan, ma ge vel ence aer amor e ge voler ben a chel mestie.Non è sufficiente imparare per bene un mestiere per diventare un buon aritigiano; occorre anche amare quelmestiere. It is not enough to learn well a craft to become a good craftsman; It is necessary to love it as well.

Vardavene da n om che fila, da na femena che scigola e da la bocia de n cian. Guardatevi da un uomo che fila, dauna donna che fischia e dalla bocca di un cane. Beware of a man who spins, a woman who whistles and the mouthof a dog.

Te l’ostarìa l prum cartin l costa, l secondo l costa ja de manco, l terzo pech e nia e chi dò i no costa più nia del-dut.Nell’osteria il primo quarto di vino è caro, il secondo costa meno, il terzo costa pochissimo, e quelli che seguononon costano più niente. In a bar, the first draft of wine is expensive, the second costs less and the third costs verylittle and those that follow cost nothing.

Canche te sès ló che un à la piaa, no jir a ge grazèr laìte.Quando sai che uno ha una piaga, non stuzzicarla.When one knows some one has a wound, do not touch it.

Se l’om l’aesse scialdi volù più ben ai omegn che ai scioldi e a la roba, no fossa mai stat veres e che bel dapò viver!Se l’uomo avesse sempre amato più gli uomini che il denaro e gli averi del mondo, non vi sarebbero mai state delleguerre, e sarebbe un vivere più felice per tutti! If a man had loved men more than money and the riches of theworld, there would never had been wars and living would have been happier for everyone.

Mort, fech e amor, l’é trei robes che no se sarà mai bogn de scone. Morte, fuoco e amore, non si possono nascon-dere. Death, fire and love can not be hidden.

A l’om dut ge zede, fora che la femena. All’uomo cede tutto, tranne la moglie. Man can give up everything excepthis wife.

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Alberto Chini, Presidente of Father Eusebio Chini Museum, Segno ItalyAlberto Folgheraiter- Author, journalist and specialist in Trentino culture, TrentoChristian Brunelli. Teacher & Technical Consultant, Peekskill, NYTomaso Iori, Museo della Scuola, Rango, Val di GiudicarieGiorgio Crosina-Director-Phoenix Informatica Bancaria, TrentoIvo Povinelli, Director- Federazione Trentina delle Pro Loco e loro Consorzi . Trento- Jim Caola Genealogist, nutritional counselor, macrobiotic chef, Philadelphia, PA Daniela Finardi, Communications Dept.- Museo degli Usi e Costumi della Gente Trentina. San Michele Manuele Margini-Phoenix Bancaria Informatica, TrentoRicardo di Carli -Biblioteca della Montagna-SAT, TrentoRenzo Grosselli-L`Adige, Journalist, Author, TrentoAlexander DeBiasi Trentino Sviluppo SpA Verena Di Paoli.Writer, Researcher, Scholar, TerlagoVeronica Coletti, Teacher, Bronx, NYStefano Miotto, Phoenix Informatica Bancaria, TrentoAndrea Rella, Phoenix Informatica Bancaria, Trento

Jack Aldergate, Alliance, OhioDaniela Brovodan, Museo Instituto LadiniIlario DeFRancesco, Canticum Novum Choir, Val di FassaWendy Dziurzynski, Greenwich, CTMarion Endrizzi, Whelpley of Mequon, WisconsinUldarico Fantelli, Dimaro, Val di SoleDavid Prevedel, Hooper, ColoradoElisa Salvi, -Ufficio Stampa - Val di FassaTheresa Springer, South Park, ColoradoMara Vadagnini, Museo Instituto LadiniAndrea Weiss, APT Val di Fassa

Trentino Sviluppo, Alessandro Gruzza, Daniele Lira, Marco Simonini, Pio Geminiani, Ettore Perazzini, NicolaAngeli, Ronny Kiaulehn, Piero Cavagna; Ufficio Stampa, Val di Fassa; Anton Sessa, Giulio Malfer, Archivio IstitutoCulturale Ladino – Vigo di Fassa; Museo di San Michele, Flavio Faganello, Marc Latzel

Our sincerest thanks to Giorgio Crosina and Phoenix Informatica Bancaria for making thedistribution of the Filò possible throughout the United States. A TYROLEAN IS . . .

T - total in honestyY - youthful in nature R - regard to his fellow manO - obedient ot our lawsL - loving, proud & indenpendentE - economy above allA - always willing to help othersN - nobilityWhen you have met a Tyrolean, you have a friend

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Our Partners are . . . Our Partners are . . .

Our Contributors are . . . Our Contributors are . . .

These words and image were combined into a small card by Dasalina Valentina Davet who lived in Middleport, PA.She was extremely proud of her Tyrolean heritage and identity…and so is the Filò…

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