Pictures from La Festa di Guardiaregia A Story of Long Lost Cousins

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1 MondoGuardiaregia November 2005 Newsletter Ciao a Tutti! Since there was such good feedback on last month s newsletter, I ve decided to go ahead with the new format and even make some improvements! (Well, at least I thought I made some But I might be a little biased!) This newsletter is going out to well over 150 people now, and is by far the biggest yet in terms of content. With five pages, there is plenty of information on the upcoming Festa di Guardiaregia coming up in Canada this month (For more details see page 5), and plenty of pictures from local Italian events that went on during October, the National Italian Heritage Month for both Canada and the States. Like always, let me thank those of you that are receiving this newsletter for the first time We couldn t do this without your support. Hope you all enjoy the newsletter, also. I ll be looking forward to meeting many of you at this Month s Festa, though! Pictures from La Festa di Guardiaregia 2003 A Presto - Pete Rag. Giovanni Mastrogiovanni Il Sindaco di Guardiaregia - The Mayor of Guardiaregia A Story of Long Lost Cousins Due Cugine Guardiole Insieme Finalmente! Dalla Sinistra: Maria Pallotta, Franco Sampogna, e Sorelle Cugine Assunta Sampogna e Maria Galeazza 1 The Festa di Guardiaregia is a great place to discover long lost family and meet new friends. Three years ago, after cleaning out my grandmother s entire house, I came across many letters and pictures Some of which dated back to well over a century ago in Guardiaregia! One letter in particular stood out, though. This letter, written in Italian, was from a niece to an uncle. That uncle was my Bisnonno (Great-Grandfather) Carlo Sampogna, it was just a casual letter from his sister s daughter Assunta telling him that she was well. My grandmother, who would be Assunta s first cousin, had never met her Sampogna family in Toronto, and in fact didn t even know their names! The letter was lost for over 50 years forgotten through time. So, with the help of Maria Bandiera, we made sure that both Assunta and my grandmother, Maria, would attend that year s Festa, but without letting them know that the other would be there! Needless to say, after meeting, the reunion which took almost 83 years to take place drew more than a few tears from both Guardiole, and they still keep in contact to this day. 1 - Translation: Two Guardiole Cousins Together Finally! From the Left: Maria Pallotta, Franco Sampogna, and first cousins Assunta Sampogna and Maria Galeazza

2 Albany Mayor, Jerry Jennings Leading the March with the American-Italian Heritage Association (left) New York s Capital District Celebrates Italian-American Heritage Month! The Hudson Riverfront Park - Downtown Albany - Capri Lead Female Vocalist Mary Anne Curro-Ferrarese The learn more about the band Capri, you can see their website at; There was a great turnout, with both young and old showing their support for out proud Italian Heritage Che Cavalli! - Above, the Albany Mounted Police - One of the many local Italian-American groups marching in the parade this year On Sunday, October 11th, Albany, NY celebrated Columbus Day with it s 14th annual Parade and Italian Fest. The Parade, which started on Washington Avenue and went on through Downtown Albany, passing the Capitol and other historic landmarks, and finished by entering the picturesque Hudson Riverfront Park. Over looking the Hudson were thousands of Italian-Americans enjoying authentic music and food. Although it was a cold and cloudy day, it didn t stop the local ItalianAmericans from coming out and showing their support!

3 Minturnesi both young and old gave our local Italian Community a one-of-a-kind show on October 11th The City of Albany also took great pride in welcoming the Monte D Argento Cultural Association, a group of Italians who came all the way from the beautiful city of Minturno, which is located in the Province of Latina. Those who braved the weather on Sunday were all in for a real treat, with performers, both young and old, playing folk instruments and dancing traditional dances, most of which has been lost to Italian-Americans through the generations. For a wonderful show and a great cultural experience, MondoGuardiaregia and the American-Italian Heritage Association ( would both like to send their thanks to those in Minturno receiving this newsletter Allora, Ringraziamo a Tutti!!! To Learn More About This Beautiful Marina City, You can Visit Their Official Website at: The Visiting Italian Youth performing a tradition Italian Wedding Dance

4 Welcome to the Troy Music Hall Where Music Lives! From the Left: Frank Farina, Michael Amante, and Pete Farina Flanked by Two Guardioli, Here s Quartetto Gelato With Pete Farina (left) and Domenic Vecchiarelli (Right), son of former mayor of Guardiaregia, Pietro Vecchiarelli. The landmark Troy Music Hall also took part in this month s festivities by welcoming Michael Amante, Syracuse, New York s favorite Italian son, and Toronto based Quartetto Gelato. Both put on fantastic shows, masterly utilizing the hall s famed acoustics. The famed tenor, Amante, who s roots lie in Sicily, filled the hall with his beautiful voice singing everything from show-tunes and operas to Neapolitan favorites such as O Sole Mio. He takes great pride in preserving the Italian Heritage through his music, and in his youth even studied Italian at both Syracuse University and in Calabria. Quaretto Gelato also put on an equally impressive show, filling the air with classical music from around the world. Founder of the group and violinist, Peter De Sotto, also takes pride in preserving the Italian culture through his music, which is evident with many of the pieces that he chose to play that evening. His roots lie in the picturesque city of Sora, located on the Abruzzo-Lazio border, in Frosinone. To Keep Up-to-Date on Both Michael Amante s and Quaretto Gelato s upcoming shows, please feel free to visit their websites, located in the captions above. To Learn More About the City of Troy, hometown of the beloved American Icon Uncle Sam, you can visit it s official website below. The Troy Music Hall also held it s Fourth Annual President s Reception for its members on November 2nd, preceding the much anticipated Wynton Marsalis concert that night. Shown above is President of the Board of Directors, John Tomassi, with a Guardiola Elizabeth Galeazza. Mr. Tomassi, who s roots lie in the town of Locana (province of Torino), is very proud of his Italian heritage and particularly enjoyed welcoming both Michael Amante and Quartetto Gelato to the Hall this past month. This was also the first trip to the renowned hall for Galeazza, who just recently received her masters in Music Education from Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. If you d like to show your support for the arts and become a member simply attend an event, all the information is provided on their website at:

5 La Festa di Guardiaregia 2005 The Annual Guardiaregia Dinner-Dance ~ Toronto, Canada ~ Every year, more than 600 sons and daughters of Guardiaregia from around the world travel north of Toronto to attend the elegant Guardiaregia Dinner- Dance. Held by Club Guardiaregia of Toronto, this year they will be once again welcoming, a special guest, Mayor Giovanni Mastrogiovanni of Guardiaregia. A full premium bar will be available, alongside a multiple course dinner. Throughout the night awards will be given, speeches be made, and new friends and family will be found. Tickets are still available, and you can reserve yours by simply calling either; Franco Sampogna (President, Club Guardiaregia) - (416) Maria Bandiera (Founder, Club Guardiaregia) - (416) Pete Farina (Founder, MondoGuardiaregia) - (518) All Reservations must be made by November 21st Festa di Guardiaregia 2005 La Primavera Banquet & Convention Centre 77 Woodstream Blvd. Vaughan, ON L4L7Y6 (CANADA) PRICE: $65 Adults $35 Children (Under 12) Bar Opens: 5:30 Dinner Starts: 6:30 Music Until: Closing! Lodging Recommendation: Montecassino Hotel 3710 Chesswood Dr. Downsview, ON M3J2W4 Central Location between Toronto and the banquet house, alongside economical rates, makes this a great hotel for traveling Guardioli this month. A Map of the Banquet House La Primavera