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Like I did with my older son, Thelonious, I read to my younger son, Travis, when he was about six years old, before putting him to bed. Now he reads by himself. At that time, I picked out books that I liked and which I had hoped he would like. “If you don’t enjoy the story, just let me know and we’ll move on to another book,” I said to him.
We read children’s versions of classics like The Time Machine, The Iliad, Call of the Wild and Pinocchio. The fact was that my enthusiasm was reflected by how much I enjoyed the poetry and story content. And If I read the stories exuberantly, he enjoyed them more. I have to say that I was surprised when we got to Pinocchio. The Disney versions of Pinocchio I remembered were quite different from the original Carlo Collodi book. In the book Geppetto is surprisingly harsh to Pinocchio at times, shouting at him to stop talking or moving even while he’s fashioning Pinocchio from wood. And Pinocchio’s responses, like taking Geppetto’s wig off his head and wearing it on his own, are likewise naughty and unexpected. And just as Geppetto puts the finishing touches on Pinocchio, Pinocchio runs away. “Why did he run away, dad?” Travis asked. The weirdness of the story was thought provoking to both of us. How do you explain impulsiveness to a six-year-old?
Despite the harshness of their treatment towards each other, they still express tenderness and love. While the Disney cartoon is total fantasy, Collodi’s original story is more realistic, showing the give and take of love in father and son relationships. Geppetto is harsh, but he can also be selfless. By selling his winter coat, for instance, so Pinocchio can buy supplies for school he is saying yes, I might yell at you, but you’re my son. I will always love you. Parents can relate to that.
Travis was also able to see through the lies Pinocchio is told. For instance, when the Fox lies to Pinocchio he asked, “Why did Pinocchio believe the Fox about quitting school to come to the fair?” Collodi allows his reader to know more than his character’s do. “Because it sounded like fun and he didn’t know better,” I said, recognizing that someday Travis would likewise field these kinds of challenges as well. People make mistakes. And, as bad as things get, Pinocchio only does more to sink himself. Sometimes by lying. And when he lies, his nose grows. As serious as Pinocchio is, it’s also very funny.
After a string of antics, Pinocchio is reunited with Geppetto in the mouth of a whale. They immediately embrace. Like a good father, Geppetto instantly forgives his son’s foolishness. Seeing him is enough. The whale now ready to swallow them in one gulp, Pinocchio has an idea. He gathers driftwood, hoping the smoke will make the whale sneeze. His idea works. They are expelled from the whale’s mouth. But, in the process, Pinocchio is deposited face down into the mud. Then the Blue Fairy appears. "Pinocchio,” she says. “You saved your father. You proved that you are both brave and true.” She taps his head with her wand. “And now you will be a real boy.” “Father!” he cries out. “Look! I am a real boy!”. “That you are!” cries Geppetto.
Reading that last line, I tried to hide my tears from my son. Life can be both difficult and satisfying. Collodi’s original version makes that clear. Not only does the tension of Collodi’s Pinocchio make for a dramatic reading, but it also doesn’t paint false hopes. And Travis learned something in the process, too.
Mike Fiorito is an Associate Editor for Mad Swirl Magazine and a regular contributor to the Brooklyn newspaper, the Red Hook Star Revue. His fifth book Swimming with Fishes was published in early August 2021. His other books are Falling from Trees, Call Me Guido, Freud’s Haberdashery Habits and Hallucinating Huxley. Bordighera Press is scheduled to publish Mike's sixth book, The Hated Ones, in October 2021. For more info, visit https://fallingfromtrees.info/ and https://www.pw.org/directory/writers/mike_fiorito
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Published just a decade after Italy was unified, Le Avventure di Pinocchio is much more than a children’s book. Carlo Lorenzini, the actual name of the author, was a Florentine journalist and humorist, and he wrote his novel to entertain kids while showing them that behaving well is the way to navigate life. Pinocchio is the proof that lying, stealing, and hanging out with the bad guys only leads to trouble.
But the wooden puppet is also a powerful allegory of how the Italians were back then. Soon after its unification, Italy started to industrialize, causing mass migration: from the rural South to the urbanized North of the country, when not abroad. Italian immigrants share the same Pinocchio’s feeling of perennial displacement, facing a reality they didn’t have the tools to understand. And just like him, they ended up looking naive and often inappropriate.
As well as him, they also lived in poverty – sometimes extreme. And like Geppetto, they worked hard and trusted the process knowing a greater good was waiting for them.
Pinocchio also strives for becoming a “real” boy, in flesh and blood. So did the Italian immigrants, for becoming “real Americans”, aware that the price to pay was giving up at least a part of themselves – as Pinocchio gave up his wooden coat. Have they been rewarded in the end? The puppet finally accomplishes his long-cherished dream, and so do his “fellow” Italians: they succeeded in becoming Americans, somehow preserving their heritage. But if Pinocchio becoming a boy ends his tale, the Italian Americans’ one is still in the process. As their identity, in constant balance between two cultures.
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"Le Avventure di Pinocchio" is an amazing tool to take a closer look at how Italians - and Florentines, in particular - ate in the late 1800s. Curiously enough, the book was published in the same period as the Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well by Pellegrino Artusi, still a pillar for everyone who wants to learn basic of Italian cuisine. Since Collodi's father worked as a cook for the noble Ginori family, he was well aware of what rich people ate, and many of those meals are on display in the novel (even though often just imagined by the almost-ever-hungry protagonists).
No doubt the most sumptuous meal in the book is the dinner Pinocchio has with the Fox and the Cat at the Red Lobster Inn, a parade of the finest and richest food of that time. From the red mullets in tomato sauce to the trippa alla parmigiana (tripe, or offal, a typical Florentine recipe), to any imaginable kind of venison. But, in the end, Collodi tells a story of poor people, and therefore of their food too. So we have more often the polenta, the stewed beans, the cauliflower sprinkled with oil and vinegar, and on special occasions the eggs - boiled, scrambled or just raw.
What about Pinocchio's taste? Maybe because of his wooden complexion, the puppet seems to be vegetarian. For him just pears, walnuts, bread crust, and even - when Geppetto is particularly broke - wild grass.
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We do not just celebrate Pinocchio here, but a mission about to be accomplished. You probably all remember I AM Books (https://iambooksboston.com/), the Boston bookstore that is also a cultural hub for anyone interested in Italian American heritage. They were located in North End Boston, but sadly forced to close when the pandemic hit. Nevertheless, they persisted and throve online. And now, they are proud to announce their upcoming re-opening at 124 Salem Street.
While waiting for the inauguration day this fall, we can keep shopping online. And speaking of Pinocchio, the choice is huge: classical versions, editions for the youngest kids, and a vast array of Pinocchio-themed gadgets.
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Cassandra's Corner - Our Tips for Your Italian Trip
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Welcome back to the actual window on Italy curated by our "personal travel planner" Cassandra Santoro (http://www.travelitalianstyle.com). Since Cassandra is there, and she's going to stay until Christmas holidays, each month she sends us a video from a different spot.
Are you ready to "see" Italy through Cassandra's eyes?
In this August episode, Cassandra comes to us from Sorrento. Of course she does not need to explain neither the beauty of the place nor why it's a must-go. Nevertheless, maybe you are not fully aware of why Sorrento can be considered the perfect hub for exploring the Amalfi Coast in particular, and the region of Campania in general. Tap here to watch Cassandra's video https://youtu.be/mrNXUwieoBY
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Can you imagine a place where Ferragosto is held a month later, so you can keep celebrating one of the most cherished Italian summer traditions? We promise you it's no fantasy: Bronx Little Italy will hold its Ferragosto on Sunday, September 12, and you can bet it will be a day filled with Italian culture, delicious food, and typical entertainment at the famed intersection of Arthur Avenue and East 187th Street in The Bronx, New York. If you want to be part of, go to https://www.ferragosto.com/ and find out all the details.
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Sometimes a cup of coffee is not just a cup of coffee. At The Coppola Cafè (https://thecoppolacafe.com/), in the heart of the West Village, NYC, the espresso - as well as the pastries, the panini, or the gelati - is the gateway to Italy. Opened almost three years ago by Gabriele and Roberta, who come from Palermo, the cafè recreates the cozy vibes typical of the Italian caffetterie: a place to have something to eat or drink, but most of all hang out with people and make some friendly small talk. Italy doesn't just come with the atmosphere: "We only serve Italian quality food, starting from our authentic made in Sicily coffee". But Roberta and Gabriele do not stop here: at the beginning of the summer, not far from The Coppola Cafè, they opened its little sister, Julietta Gelato Cafè. And the story is to be continued...
A discount for Franky's Readers
Just for The Beautiful Life subscribers, The Coppola Cafè offers a 20% off. Just go there and say you are a "friend of Franky" at the checkout. The Coppola Cafè is at 171 West 4th Street, NYC. Their email is thecoppolacafe@gmail.com, and you can find them on Facebook and Instagram too (thecoppolacafe).
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One smile before you go...
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How are things going? Tutto bene! Everything is fine! For its annual Photo Contest, now at its ninth edition, NIAF (National Italian American Foundation) has decided to bet on optimism. This year the challenge is to submit photos that in some way capture an uplifting message of optimism and relief, well deserved after such a complicated year. Photos can be taken either in Italy or in the States, and must be sent along with a paragraph explaining why the picture is significant and how it applies to the theme. Deadline is Monday, November 1st, at 12 noon ET. For details and rules go to http://www.niaf.org/culture/the-niaf-2021-photo-contest/
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