Page 5 - Italian American Herald - April 2021

FROM THE COVER
Mother bear and her cubs forage in the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise.
spectacular blooms can be enjoyed from spring through the summer, and year-round in warmer climes of Italy. In Rome the Piazza di Spagna is blanketed with blooms that provide a canvas of beauty for residents and tourists, and are often a backdrop for fashion shows and other events.
When it comes to our winged and furry friends in Italy, the sparrow is hailed as the national bird of the bel paese. You will often see them swirling through the skies in large flocks, a sight that is truly beautiful to see. The most prevalent of birds whose sounds fill the piazze and streets are the pigeons. They are masters of enticing tourists into feeding them.
La Primavera is also a time for birth for many mammals. Bears leave their dens with newborn cubs, wolves with their cubs and fox with their kits while in the fields you will often see newborn foals and kids.
If you are a fan of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, the markets offer oranges, citrons, apples and pears in early spring. In May you will be able to savor strawberries, apricots and plums. Fava beans, artichokes and fennel also come into season to flavor your favorite meals.
Finally, one cannot imagine spring without the music that fills the air in small
towns and cities across the country. It may be a celebration or a festival or perhaps a strolling cantante singing popular songs. You may be lucky enough to come across someone singing traditional stornelli (folk songs) that you can sometimes hear in smaller towns.
There are several songs that are well known for their exaltation of the joys of spring. Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagione (four seasons) concerto starts with the lively sounds of spring. In 1956 Franca Raimondi won the Festival of Sanremo with her song Aprite Le Finestre (Open the Windows) while the artist Nilla Pizzi had a hit with her song È Primavera. Claudio Villa sang the beautiful Mattinata Fiorentina and Primavera Romana while in more recent years Laura Pausini evoked the season through her song Primavera in Anticipo. With today’s modern technology all of these songs and more can be enjoyed online.
Perhaps the most wonderful sound of the season is the sound of children calling out to friends and laughing as they play in the parks and squares.
So it’s time! Spring is here! Let’s take the time to truly enjoy this season as it offers a new start. Buona primavera! IAH
ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
APRIL 2021 | ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM 5
PHOTO COURTESY OF SALVIAMO L’ORSO
created by Pietro Francavilla in 1608 as
part of four statues representing the four seasons. During World War II the German army destroyed five bridges along the Arno in order to stop the Allied advance. They spared only the Ponte Vecchio but during the destruction the Primavera statue was damaged. The bridge was repaired in 1958 and the four statues were returned to their places. However, the Primavera statue was not fully repaired until 1961, when her head was found buried downstream in the mud and finally rejoined with the rest of the
statue.
Artwork is not the only way to enjoy
spring. Nature also brings a bounty of reminders that winter is gone. Trees and flowers bloom, baby animals are born
and happy birds fill the air with song. Gelsomina (jasmine), Margherita (daisies), fiori di ciliegio (cherry blossoms), Narcisis (daffodils), and Primule (primroses) are just a few of the spring flowers that delight the eyes and evoke the smells of spring. One of my favorites is verbena. The scent of this flower is particularly strong and the
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