Serino! Part 2

This is Part 2 of a series about our short visit to our ancestral home Serino, Campania, Italy. It’s even more emotional for me than Part 1.

I will continue with the story from that blog post where I engaged with an elderly woman after I made a series of K-turns on her narrow side street. That story ended with me saying “Mi nonna da’ Serino” and pulling out my cell phone to show a picture of my Family Tree.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Nebalatan Word & Mannerism of the Day (Grandma Joanne-ism) – Menza, menz

But before I continue my story, I want to present my Nebalatan Word of the Day, ”menza, menz”.

Menza, menz – pronounced mens-a-mens. Meaning = typically an expression of feeling not great, but not bad either or “so, so.”

This expression is often accompanied by the mannerism of extending one’s arm and hand with the hand wiggling back and forth.

Used in context with my mother (Grandma Joanne):

Me – “How ya’ feelin’?”
Ma – soon after her cancer diagnosis, “Menza, menz” while trailing off in thought, never wanting to accept fate, but too weak to accompany the words with an extended arm with a hand wiggle.

The Sculpture of Departure (or Arrival)!

In my last post (click here), I introduced a sculpture in the main square of Serino. It was a monument to the dead from a massive earthquake in 1980. Even though the square is tiny, it hosts a second sculpture (pictured below). This may not be the greatest work of art in Italy, BUT, IT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT TO ME! What it represents truly, deeply hits home and made, and makes, me cry.

I’m unsure of the sculpture’s real name, but it could be “A Sculpture of Departure” or as I prefer, “A Sculpture of Arrival.” I’ve searched the web without luck for further details. I’ve reached out to the Comune di Serino via the web for additional information.

At first glance, it’s easy to see a boy, a man, and a suitcase. Immediately, I could envision our Great Grandfather Lucio leaving Serino for Ellis Island while a relative helps him with his trunk. That thought is overwhelming to me.

But now that I’ve spent some time thinking about the sculpture’s elements and what each could mean, I find myself conflicted on several levels.

The boy – holding a tight grip on the suitcase likely with their lives’ belongings all in one trunk while looking longingly out into the future or disparagingly away from his past?
The man’s stern expression, struggling to help the boy, or wondering what his future holds, or afraid to let go of the boy knowing if they’ll ever meet again
The man’s left arm and hand are hugging the boy in a loose embrace of letting go
The archway could represent a few things – leaving Serino and/or entering Ellis Island. An ending and a new beginning.
The crest above the arch – I’m not sure what that is, but you bet I’ll find out!
The rocks on the bottom right likely signify the mountain region in which Serino lies
The most “conflicting” element of the sculpture for me is the man’s unfinished right arm.
1. Very reminiscent of MichelAngelo’s unfinished sculptures in the great hall leading to David in the Academia Museum in Florence.
2. Does it represent unfinished business that the man had with the boy like letting a boy leave before he had fully developed as a man?

Grandpa Lucio was in his mid to late teens when he initially left Serino for Brooklyn, not much older than this boy. Given his adoption, was there a father figure there to see him off like the man in the statue. I CAN’T IMAGINE THE LONGING AND LONELINESS THAT LUCIO MIGHT HAVE FELT. BUT WHAT HE DID, HE DID FOR US!

The Family Tree

As I held my phone, I pointed at the pictures and stated in my stupidly brave Italian, “Io e Rocco, e Ruocco, e Solimena!” I think I was saying “I’m a Rocco, and Ruocco, and Solimena!”

The old woman grabbed my phone! Although old, she obviously was not technology illiterate and navigated the Family Tree picture with her finger and pinched to zoom in and out to view the names of people who originated in Serino as far back as the 1700s.

Then she started several arm movements with a few words. I didn’t fully understand or remember. She pointed down the hill to the roundabout, made a circular motion, and pointed to the right.

I repeated, mostly in English, “Si! Roundabout, take right” and replicated her arm motions.

She replied, “Si,” then some more words, then “Sinestra” and made a left turn arm movement.

I recognized ”sinestra” from both my Latin class in high school and my Italian class in college. I repeated “Sinestra!” and mimicked her arm movements again.

Then the old woman said, “Solimena!”

HOLY SHIT, A SOLIMENA!

More to follow…

Pizza Review – Trattoria del Pesce Fresco, Palermo, Sicily

I ate “pizza” three times while in Palermo, Sicily. Pizza is in quotes because they were sfincione (see Wikipedia here) aka Sicilian Pizza. I’m not sure that I will review each in the blog, but you can find quick notes in the Pizza Table (here)

Date	September 23, 2023
Website	https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100076218514594
Location	Palermo, Sicilia, Italia

Ambiance

Very cool old-style fish-oriented restaurant on Palermo’s bay front.

Staff all in their 60s+ except for one Ethiopian who spoke English.

What Trattoria del Pesce Fresco lacked in sophistication was more than made up by it’s atmosphere of friendliness. Being unable to speak each other’s language results in many finger points and gestures AND THE HOPE OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE YOU ORDERED IS WHAT’S DELIVERED!

And yes, I did try the Polpo (octopus)! Very chewy like a warm piece of Bazooka gum which gets softer when warm or Bubble Yum (see link). It has little taste other than the preparation by the “chef.”

Chef is in quotes because some guy out in the street adjacent to the restaurant’s fresh fish stand had a grill. He’d plop your choice onto his grill and a few minutes later it was done.

I’m sure a US food inspector would have a field day here!

Like many small-time restaurants that are not in the tourist flow, the experience could be more important than the food.

Sfincione was NOT ON THE MENU!

As I found out later (and by the menu) this is really not a pizza joint, and if anything, it was more of a Neapolitan Pizza joint even though the oven is likely electric because I could not see a flame.

Dough	The first hint that Trattoria del Pesce Fresco was not really the place to get a “true Sfincione” The dough was thin, light, chewy with an airy chewy cornicione like a Neapolitan. It was good as you expect a Neapolitan, though, I didn’t order a Neapolitan. Only the rectangular-ish shape make it sfincione-ish!
Sauce	The prime properties of a sfincione sauce are ample pre-cooked onions added to a tomato sauce with anchovy and a large sprinkle of local oregano. Well, the boat was missed. As it wasn’t a sfincione joint, the onions were on top, not cooked in, and there was no anchovy taste (which was fine with me).
Cheese	Sfincione really doesn’t have cheese other than a sprinkle of parmagian or pecorino. I didn’t notice either, but no harm.
Value	E6! Even though it wasn’t a true sfincione, the price was great!
Overall	As with the Nebalatan Word of the day, menz, menz, not good, not bad. Meh for sfincione. Great for atmosphere!
Would I Go Back?	Not likely, as with most of Italy, unless it’s great, there’s no need to return