LA NOSTRA COSTA'S "OLD RANCERE" HARD AT WORK

THE OLD RANCERE AT 'LA NOSTRA COSTA DAYS REVIVAL II - OCT. 17, 2010
(GRANDSON MICHAEL IVANO ASSISTING WITH TECHNICALITIES)

THE OLD RANCERE AND GRANDSON KRISTIAN AT GUGLIELMO WINERY IN MORGAN HILL - "CORK EQUITY FESTIVAL" -NOV 6, 2010

LEFT- PLAYING THE s "SHAVOLA" - SAME EVENT

HOPEFULLY, THIS WILL DISPEL ANY NOTIONS THAT THE "OLD RANCERE" IS RESTING ON HIS "LAURELS. SEMPRE AVANTI. IVANO

FIGLIO DI SANTA CROCE - JOSEPH ARMANINI ON HISTORY CHANNEL - NOV 10, 2010

IVANO SAYS: LEN KLEMPNAUER FORMER SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL REPORTER AND SCHS CLASS OF '54 GRADUATE ADVISED ME OF THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE BY NADIA DRAKE APPEARING IN THE SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL: www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_16509428

SANTA CRUZ -- During World War II, Santa Cruz native Joseph Armanini frequented the skies over Europe, a member of the 8th Air Force's famous "Bloody 100th" bomb group.

"Big Joe" Armanini was lead bombardier for the squad. Their task? Destroy the German Luftwaffe. Armanini flew more than 25 missions, was one of the few members of the Bloody 100th to complete a tour and returned home a decorated war hero.

On Nov. 10, the History Channel will air "World War II in HD: The Air War," a two-hour special narrated by Rob Lowe that features Armanini and three others during the battles leading up to D-Day. Young Armanini will be voiced by Casey Affleck. The show is a follow-up to the highly rated 10-part "World War II in HD" series broadcast last year.

"Joe dominates the show," said producer Liz Reph.

Reph said she decided to focus on Armanini, one of the original members of the Bloody 100th, after speaking with a historian from the group. Of the people in the 100th bomb group, "Joe is one of the rare individuals that made it through," Reph said. "Only 25 percent of the people who set out to fly 25 missions succeeded. The other 75 percent were killed, captured, wounded or suffered mental breakdowns."

Armanini, 94, was born and raised in Santa Cruz. He graduated from Santa Cruz High School in 1934, then went on to San Mateo Junior College, where he played football and was student body president. He then attended Dartmouth, where he majored in romance languages and graduated with honors in 1940.

On Jan. 25, 1941, Armanini joined the Air Force.

"I loved the idea of flying," Armanini said. But he didn't complete pilot training, and instead became a bombardier. "Everyone wanted to be a pilot or navigator. Not a bombardier. It wasn't as romantic."

Armanini was assigned to the 349th squadron, 100th bomb group -- the Bloody 100th -- and based in Thorpe Abbotts, England. He dropped bombs from B-17s, the four-engined "Flying Fortresses" that carried a crew of 10. The Bloody 100th became the basis for 1949's "Twelve O'Clock High," starring Gregory Peck, and the movie's screenwriter, Col. Bernie Lay, flew with them.

The squadron was tasked with daylight bombing raids before fighter escorts could accompany them to targets. As such, few flight crews survived to complete the required 25 missions before they could return home. According to Armanini, the graphic moniker is appropriate.

"We sustained such tremendous losses. We had a more than 80 percent casualty rate," he said.

Armanini, who now lives in El Cerrito, said mission days often started at 4 a.m. -- with the noise of engines warming up. Breakfast was at 6 a.m., followed by a meeting in the war room explaining the mission.

"There would be a big map of Germany and a pin maybe 600 miles in. The longer the mission, the more dangerous," Armanini said. "You're flying for 12 hours, and you're under attack from the time you leave the British Isles."

Armanini's first mission was to Bremen, Germany, on June 25, 1943, aboard a plane named El Pisstofo. The Bloody 100th lost seven planes that day.

On Aug. 17, 1943, the squadron sent 19 planes to Regensburg, where the target was an aircraft factory. The Bloody 100th flew in the unenviable position of "tale end Charlie" during that mission, or the bottom-most part of a flight formation. They lost nine planes out of 20, and Armanini's plane arrived in Libya minus an engine and plus 200 bullet holes.

"But nobody was injured," he said. They returned to England by way of Marrakesh, in a different plane, similarly unsuited for battle. "The whole Plexiglass nose had been shot off, and was covered in plastic," Armanini said.

By this time, Armanini was part of Sammy Barr's crew, aboard Torchy -- a plane named after navigator Jim Brown's "good-looking wife. She was a redhead," Armanini said.

Armanini flew in the lead plane on at least five missions, an especially precarious position.

"They always wanted to knock down the lead plane," Armanini said. "It was the only one dropping bombs on the target."

And while some missions, like the one targeting Bremen, were significant for the squadron, others are etched in Armanini's memory for a different reason, like one targeting Leipzig, where they only lost one plane. In that plane was Armanini's friend William Griffith, a classmate of his from bombardier school.

"We had more fun together than you could shake a stick at," Armanini said. He didn't find out what happened to Griffith until he was back in the United States after the war was over, when he learned that Griffith drowned when his plane was shot down.

When he came home, Armanini worked for several years at Bank of America.

"After all that exhilaration, the bank was kind of tame. You didn't know what the hell to do with yourself half the time," Armanini said.

He then worked as an executive at British Motor Cars and for Maserati Imports until 1985, when he retired at age 69.

Armanini returned from the war with a Bronze Star, two Flying Crosses, the French Croix de Guerre and numerous Victory and Air Medals. Despite the decorations, he doesn't think his role in the war was any more significant than anyone else's.

"It was just a matter of luck that you finished," Armanini said. "If you ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. ... You had to be lucky."

--------------------------------------------------

IVANO SAYS (CONT'D): Although I would not begin to compare anything that I did as a Police Officer, with what Joe had to go through, I did write the following regarding police survival tips in my book "La Nostra Costa"(pgs. 335 - 336):

"Experienced police officers worth their salt will have their own personal short list (held in their minds, at least) to augment survival techniques taught during their training. Having said all this I still must admit I truly believe the ultimate determiner of survival is just plain luck. In retrospect, I was very lucky, regretably, Richard was not." *

* San Jose Police Officer Richard Huerta was killed in the line of duty, August 6, 1970. For articles on Richard and the circumstances surrounding his death, type his name in the search block at the top left hand corner of this page and click on the spy glass.

LA NOSTRA COSTA DAYS REVIVAL II - A GREAT SUCCESS

Thanks To: Everybody for showing up despite the rain. A special thanks to those who brought a side dish and/or wine to share. It complimented the exquisite cuisine prepared ‘Bear’ and his Swanton Berry Farm Staff. And thanks to all who made generous donations to off-set our costs.

As you can see from the photos, our plans to have an outdoor ‘picanica’ were dashed by la pioggia (the rain). We took it inside and had an old fashion ‘cookahousa’festa. It reminded me of the times we went to the Rodoni Ranch (La Nostra Costa,page 201) ‘cookahousa’ on one or more of the holidays, and Andreina Rodoni cooked a fabulous meal for the ranceri
and invited family friends. We, kids and all. crowded around the tables to gorge ourselves with the delicious food. Then we would entice Bronco, my father, to sing some Italian songs. Unfortunately, the “Old Rancere” doesn't possess Bronco’s great singing voice; however, with the aid of an “Italian Sing-Along” record he attempted to sing and emulate Bronco’s gestures, etc. Hopefully, he was able to entertain you all and give you a sense how it was inside the ‘old cookahousa' su per la costa.

Again thanks to one and all for being there. Your presence help make “La Nostra Costa Days Revival II” a great success. Hopefully, we will have better weather for LNCD Revival III. Then we can have that ‘picanica’.

Sempre Avanti con la historia della Nostra Costa (Our Coast). ivno



BTW: Peter McGettigine was there to video tape the Event for Santa Cruz Community TV. Those of you who do not live in the Santa Cruz Community TV area, might want to entice some friends who do live in the area to video tape it for you when it airs.

THE 'OLD RANCERE' AND AL WILSON - ONE LAST REMINDER- "LA NOSTRA COSTA DAYS REVIVAL" SUNDAY, OCT 17, 2010

AL WILSON (LaNORMA'S HUSBAND AND LNCDR OFFICIAL VIDIO CAMERAMAN) WITH THE OLD RANCERE GIVING US ONE LAST REMINDER THAT THE "LA NOSTRA COSTA DAYS REVIVAL" EVENT WILL BE HELD THIS NEXT SUNDAY, OCT 17, 2010

WHERE: JIM COCHRON'S SWANTON BERRY FARM

( http://www.swantonberryfarm.com/ )

TWO MILES NORTH OF DAVENPORT, CA.

TIME: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

WHAT: FOOD, SONGS AND NORTH COAST TALES OF OLD

FEE: DONATIONS ONLY

WHO:

IVANO FRANCO COMELLI IN HIS GUISE AS THE 'OLD RANCERE'

CAVALIERE LIDO CANTARUTTI, DIRECTOR OF THE MARIN COUNTY ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL (http://www.italianfilm.com/)

PLUS LOCAL AUTHORS with their books:

Robert W. Piwarzyk & Alverda Orlando, authors of Davenport Cement Centennial, Limekiln Legacies, and Valley of Redwoods.

Nancy Lynn Jarvis, author of 3 mystery books set in Santa Cruz County: Buying Murder, Backyard Bones, and The Death Contingency. Website: http://www.bonny-doon.info/
.
Joe Aliberti, author of Joey, the autobiography of a Davenport Native describing life on the North Coast of Santa Cruz during the 1930's, 40's, 50's........ Website: http://www.authorhouse.com/

Ivano Franco Comelli, author of La Nostra Costa (Our Coast) A Family's Journey to and From the North Coast of Santa Cruz : http://www.lanostracosta.com-a.googlepages.com/

DIRECTIONS TO THE FARM:

TAKE COAST HWY 1 TO DAVENPORT (ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF SANTA CRUZ). PROCEED NORTH FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES (PAST THE CEMEX CEMENT PLANT ON YOUR RIGHT)TO THE THE COAST HWY 1 AND SWANTON ROAD INTERSECTION. STAY ON HWY 1 AND GO ANOTHER 500 FEET NORTH THEN TURN RIGHT AT THE FIRST DRIVEWAY. YOU ARE THERE. LARGE ORGANIC FARM SIGNS ON HWY 1, WILL ALERT YOU TO YOUR APPROACH TO THE FARM. BUONA FORTUNA AND SEMPRE AVANTI. AND REMEMBER: DIRVE SAFELY.

IVANO SAYS: ALSO CHECK OUT DONNA MURILLO'S

"FOOD FOR THOUGHT" IN THE SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL FOR WEDS. OCT 13

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_16323703

or: www.santacruzsentinel.com

LA NOSTRA COSTA (OUR COAST) DAYS REVIVAL II - SUNDAY, OCT. 17 - JUST AROUND THE CORNER

My Grandson, Kristian (photo above) reminds us that that LA NOSTRA COSTA (OUR COAST) DAYS REVIVAL II is just around the corner - Sunday, October 17, from 1-4PM, at Jim Cochron's Swanton Berry Farm: http://www.swantonberryfarm.com/

Remember that this historic setting is a working ranch, so wear your best rancher's clothes (hats and 'shavolas' are optional'). Food will be served; however, if you wish you can bring your own 'picnicka' basket with your favorite wine. Also if you have a favorite dish you want to share, please do so. So, come along and enjoy a fun day, of food, music and stories as told by his friend the "Old Rancere". And don't forget that Lido Cantarutti, Director of the Italian Film Festival http://www.italianfilm.com/ will be our special guest. In the meantime enjoy some of the photos taken at "La Nostra Costa Days Revival I. For further info and photos scroll down this "Blagga" Page ( http://www.nostra-costa.blogspot.com/ )

LA NOSTRA-COSTA DAYS REVIVAL - SUNDAY - OCTOBER 17, 2010

JIM COCHRON AND THE SWANTON BERRY FARM
PRESENTS
LA NOSTRA COSTA DAYS (OUR COAST) REVIVAL
SUNDAY, OCT 17, 2010

Ivano Franco Comelli, Author –Screenwriter of
La Nostra Costa/Turbulent Quest

In his guise as the “Old Rancere,” Ivano will re-create (with stories and songs), historical events as they might have occurred on the North Coast of Santa Cruz (1923-1983).

Come join us for a fun afternoon of food, music, and “tall tales of old.”

Location: Swanton Berry Farm – 2 miles north of Davenport.

http://www.swantonberryfarm.com/


Time: 1:00 PM to 4:00PM

Fee: Voluntary Donations Only

SEMPRE AVANTI

AN AMERICAN STORY BY GINO CAMPIONI

MARY OKAMOTO IN FRONT OF HER PORTLAND, OREGON FRUIT STAND

GINO SAYS:
After reading the current discussion (re: restrictions placed on Italians during WWII) on the LNOSTRA-COSTA BLOG, I feel prompted to share this story with you and your fellow bloggers.

************************************************

AN AMERICAN STORY - SUBMITTED BY GINO CAMPIONI
In South East Portland, Oregon, there once was a small but well built fruit stand in front of a nice private home. The fruits and vegetable were always the finest to be found, and arranged in artistic manner. The owners of this business were Mary and Haru Okamoto. Mary was Nisei, a native of Watsonville, California, while Haru, a
Nihon Jin, was born in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Their several children were all born in the United States.

The Okamoto gained a large following of customers, not just because of the high quality and fair prices of their products, but also by their friendliness and courtesy. Many people called them "Oka San" and "Oto San". (Grandma
and Grandpa)

By the time the war began, two of their older sons were already serving in the U. S. military. One of them later was lost in action. When the family was given short notice that they were to be bussed to a concentration camp in Arizona (because of those WWII restrictions against "enemy aliens"), they took with them all the clothes they could carry, plus a tricycle for the small children, and an electric iron and ironing board. Those three "luxuries" were the only ones at the camp, and they were shared by many families.

After the war they were allowed to return home. They continued the business until one morning a car driven by a drunken driver smashed into the fruit stand, and completely demolished it. Neither the driver nor the fruit stand were insured. Mary and Haru received no help to restore their business. It was over two years before they could resume their work, but somehow they managed to return to normal, with no help from those who should have given it.

On my latest visit there, I found the stand looking nice as before, but being run by a young American man. Haru had passed on, and Mary, now very old, was only working part time. Presumably the Okamoto are now both on the other
side of the "Nihon Hashi" or Japan Bridge.

*******************************************

GINO SAYS (CONT'D) It has been many years since the times I used to see these people. Their place was on 52nd Ave. in South East Portland, near the Rhododendron gardens, Reed College, etc. I would stop at the fruit stand any time I was scheduled to work on a TV anywhere near it, and buy something, either "ringo", (apple) "sakurambo" (cherries),"budo" (grapes), or "kaki" (persimmon). Note that persimmon is "cachì" in Italian and pronounced the same. It is also khaki in English, for the color of the leaves of the persimmon tree.

LIDO CANTARUTTI PRESENT THE 2010 ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL

SHOWCASE THEATRE IN SAN RAFAEL (TEL: 415-499-6800)

LIDO CANTARUTTI HAS JUST ANNOUNCED HIS FILM SELECTIONS FOR THE UPCOMING ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL TO BE HELD AT THE SHOWCASE THEATRE IN SAN RAFAEL, CA., OCT 2 to NOV 13, 2010. TO VIEW HIS SELECTIONS, DATES FOR SHOWNG, AND TICKETING INFORMATION GO TO LIDO'S WEBSITE: http://www.italianfilm.com/

IVANO SAYS: Remember Lido is going to be our special guest at the "La Nostra Costa Days Revival" on October 17. Come meet Lido at Jim Cochron's Swanton Berry Farm between 1 and 4 PM. The Film Festival will still be going on and you can ask Lido a bunch of questions. Oh, by-the-way "The Old Rancere" will be there too. That is if he can find his way.

Sempre Avanti

LA NOSTRA COSTA DAYS REVIVAL COMMITTEE MEMBER - LaNORMA

LaNORMA ,pictured above (on the left) with Nunni Radicchi, is an integral part of the 'LA NOSTRA COSTA DAYS REVIVAL
COMMITTEE (LNCDRC). Nunni is the mother of 'LaRosa' Radicchi. LaRosa is also a member of the LNCDRC. Come meet these wonderful ladies at the LA NOSTRA COSTA DAYS REVIVAL EVENT on SUNDAY, OCT. 17 at JIM COCHRON'S SWANTON BERRY FARM BETWEEN 1-4pm. Scroll down on this page to view Event Announcements.

In the meantime, LaNorma has sent us a gem of a story that conjures up many, many memories of the past.

“La Storia del Circolo” (The Story of the Circus) by LaNoma
Circuses are mostly a thing of the past now and most of the ones that do exist do not even have animals.

However, years ago they were magnificent entertainment and everyone looked forward to the circus coming to town. They mostly must have traveled by train (remember the old movie “Greatest Show On Earth” with Cornel Wilde, Betty Hutton, Charlton Heston, etc.)

My Dad used to talk about the circus coming to town by train. I recently talked to Sharon Watson and she also remembers the circus coming to Santa Cruz by train – they would disembark at the depot and then the elephants and horses would pull the cages and wagons and all the equipment trailers down Pacific Avenue to what is now 550 Water Street Medical Buildings (across from the old Adolph’s). This was quite an adventure. Everyone would come down and it was literally a parade that everyone enjoyed until the circus was put up and going!

I cannot remember when this stopped happening – Sharon and I are in the same age category and can remember it but the oldtimers remembered it vividly as well so it must have been going on for a long time!

My Dad talked about the circus coming to town and this one episode happened in the late 20’s or early 30’s.

Again – why oh why didn’t I (we) pay more attention to these wonderful stories and remember details!

Anyway the circus had stopped at the depot and all the cages, etc. werw lined up; d the horses and elephants started pulling the wagon, cages, etc. down Pacific Ave. It was a grand parade with both sides of Pacific Avenue being packed with excited people, especially the kids! THE CIRCUS WAS COMING TO TOWN !

About half way down Pacific Avenue, as everyone was excitedly watching the grand parade, a Mother apparently took Her eyes (and hands) off her toddler for just a second. As the elephants got closer to her location - everyone gasped in horror! The little toddler had wandered out right in front of the elephants – probably thought WOW – these guys are huge! No one knew what to do except gasp. A few seconds probably seemed like an eternity. All of a sudden one of the elephants picked up the child with her (or his) trunk. He paused then turned slightly closer to the crowd and gently placed the child next to the mother. Everyone gasped again in sheer disbelief.

Wish I knew more details but that must have been quite and adventure. Guess things change and now the circus hardly comes to town and as I said mostly without animals if it does come……but our memories shall always go on even if some are bit 'fuzzy".

LaNorma

IVANO SAYS: Great Story LaNorma. And to all our "blaggatori" out there we thank you.
If you all come to the "La Nostra Costa Days Revival" on October 17, I'm sure you will here many more stories like this. And NO!! The Monkey is not a LNCDRC member. SA (Sempre Avanti ) ivn0

PHIL NETTO - FIGLIO DI SANTA CROCE- REMEMBERED

Phil Netto passed away Wednesday evening, Sept. 1st after a sudden illness, with his family at his side.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Marie, his two girls Kelly and Kristy Netto, his granddaughter Whittaker Miller and his faithful companion Sulley. He is also survived by his brother David Netto of West Hills, Ca., and many nieces, nephews and Godchildren.
Phil was preceded in death by his parents Manuel and Edith Netto and his sister Loralee Kingdom.
Born and raised in Santa Cruz, Phil graduated from SCHS in 1957. He attended Hartnell College, Cabrillo College and San Francisco State College. He then was drafted into the Army in 1962 and proudly served until 1964. His proudest memory was standing Honor Guard at President Kennedy's funeral, where he stood at attention for 16 hours straight. After serving his country he returned to Santa Cruz and began working for Lone Star Industries in Davenport, Ca. where he continued to work for 33 years. He met his wife to be Marie Maranta in 1964; four months later they were married at Holy Cross Church.
Phil's involvement in sports spanned over 40 years. He coached basketball at every level, girls and boys, sharing his knowledge of the sport that he loved, with patience, passion and a voice that could be heard throughout any gym in Santa Cruz. His involvement with Special Olympics was also very important to him and his family. After retirement he enjoyed tending to his flower garden, feeding his birds and being tortured by his beloved Giants. He had the gift for storytelling; even if you had heard once, he always made you want to hear it again. Phil also enjoyed riding around the Westside with his granddaughter Whittaker in his Chevy pick up.
Known to so many as "Coach" or "Big Phil", this gentle man, with a big heart, strong hands will be missed by all the people whose lives he touched.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be on Monday, September 6, 2010 at Holy Cross Church, 126 High St. in Santa Cruz at 11:00 a.m. The Rosary will be held on Sunday, September 5, 2010 beginning at 7:00 p.m. with visitation starting at 3:00 p.m. at Holy Cross Church. A committal service will be held on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at Holy Cross Mausoleum, 2271 7th Ave. in Santa Cruz beginning at 10:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Holy Cross Elementary School, 150 Emmet St. Santa Cruz, Ca. 95060 or Cabrillo College Woman's Basketball Program, 6500 Soquel Dr. Aptos, Ca. 95003.
Arrangements are under the direction of Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel in Santa Cruz. Please visit our web site www.pacificgardenschapel.com to sign the online guest registry.
Published in Santa Cruz Sentinel on September 3, 2010


IVANO SAYS: In my book, “La Nostra Costa” (Our Coast), Chapter 27 (Rancio Di Bronco, Casa Di Valentina) page 307, I write:

A second-hand Willy’s Jeep Truck was one of Bronco’s first purchases. Bronco (my father) and John (my brother) would park the truck (usually facing the wrong way) along the curb
next to our new house (729 Seaside St.). Phil Netto, the son of Edith and Manuel Netto, had the dubious privilege of attending Santa Cruz High School with me. Along with his parents, brother David, and sister Laurie (Loralee), Phil lived across the street from our house at 722 Seaside St. Phil often told me that he "cursed that infernal truck", for waking him up so early in the morning (when Bronco and John left for the ranch). Sorry, Phil if we had had more money we could have bought a less noisy truck.

And in a Chapter Endnote on Page 315 I add: "Phil Netto was a star basketball player at Santa Cruz High School, circa 1956 to 1957. Credible reports have it that his father Manuel, who worked for many years at the Portland Cement Plant, had been even a better player than Phil."

Addio Phil. Until we meet again "Across Il Ultimo Ponte"

LA NOSTRA COSTA DAYS REVIVAL - SPECIAL GUEST- LIDO CANTARUTTI

LIDO CANTARUTTI - FIGLIO DELLA COSTA has agreed to be our Special Guest at the "La Nostra Costa Days Revival Event" on Sunday, OCT 17, at Jim Cochron's Swanton Berry Farm

(1-4PM).

To re-introduce Lido to you I post an article that first appeared on this "Blagga" in 2006.

(Photo) Lido Cantarutti (Right) with his mother, Evelina and brother, Reno (Left). Photo taken at the Cantarutti family home in Richmond in 2002. Evelina celebrates her 98th Birthday this coming December (2010).

Lido Cantarutti was born in Santa Cruz, at the old Sisters' Hospital, which was located at Bay and West Cliff Drive (near Cowells Beach). His parents Guido and Evelina Cantarutti with their first born infant son Carino (Reno) immigrated from Italy to California in the mid-1930s. For the first couple of years of his life, Lido lived in a wind-blown shack which was located about 7-miles north of Davenport. ("La Nostra Costa" p.140). From these meager beginnings (All they had according to Evelina, was the clothes on their back and that infernal coastal wind in their faces), emerged a most honored "Figlio della Costa."

"Born of an Italian family from the Friuli region, Lido Cantarutti grew up in the Bay Area. He attended U.C. Berkeley, earning a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Romance Languages and Literature, and "Highest Honors" and Phi Beta Kappa recognition.

After college, Lido served as a U.S. Army officer, followed by a corporate career in marketing administration and human resources. Throughout his career he has maintained and enthusiastic interest in Italian cultural activities. In 1980 he assumed leadership of a fledgling Italian film program at the College of Marin. His presentation of the program, as a "festival" and not just a movie, with live entertainment, informative and entertaining introductions, and personal "family style" greeting of guests, produced a winning formula for popular success.

Since 1985, most Festivals have been sold out. Special series featured great neorealist (1985) and comedy classics (1986 and 1987) of the Italian cinema. In 1988, Mr. Cantarutti offered two shows in the open-air setting at Dominican College's Forest Meadows Theatre. In 1989, the Festival moved to the Showcase Theatre at Marin Center in San Rafael, affording improved patron conveniences and 35 mm film projection.

Also in 1989, Lido was honored with Italian knighthood, and the title of "Cavaliere", or "Knight" of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He was named Marin County's Italian American Citizen of the Year by the Cristoforo Club of Marin in 1995. In 1996, he received two awards in Italy - the Merit Furlan and recognition from the Friulian branches of the Alpini national soldier association. For the academic year 1998-1999 at the College of Marin, Lido was honored for his teaching of Italian with the award as Outstanding Faculty Member (Part-Time). In addition he has served as the host of Northwest Airlines' inflight video program showing Italian films.

More recently, Lido was again honored by the Italian government with a promotion to "Cavaliere Ufficiale" or "Knight Officer", and by his family's native town in Italy with the conferral of honorary citizenship."

Well done Lido! All those honors and please add one more :"Figlio Della Costa - Speciale", conferred on you this day by your 'amico della costa" Ivano Franco Comelli.

BTW: The Italian Film Festival is held annually (usually in October). New releases for this year's festival will be posted soon on Lido's website:

http://www.italianfilm.com/

LA NOSTRA COSTA DAYS REVIVAL - SUNDAY- OCT 17, 2010

JIM COCHRON AND THE SWANTON BERRY FARM PRESENTS:

LA NOSTRA COSTA DAYS REVIVAL

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010

(1:00 PM - 4:00 PM)

FEATURING AUTHOR/SCREEN WRITER

IVANO FRANCO COMELLI

Join us as Ivano, in his guise as the "Old Rancere" re-creates (with stories and songs) events and

how they might have occurred 'su per la costa' (up the coast) during
the 1930s and 40s.

The "Old Rancere" says: The best
part of this "Event" is that I get to tell 'tall' tales about Santa Cruz and the Coast from days past. And we get to sing-along to our favorite Italian songs (some American favorites, too). Everyone is welcomed. A Great opportunity to learn more about the history of the North Coast of Santa Cruz.

By-the-way, The Swanton Berry Farm is located just north of
The Coast Road (Hwy 1) and
Swanton Road intersection (about two miles north of Davenport). Look for the Organic Farm signs (on Hwy 1) just north of that intersection. For a map and other information regarding the Farm please go to their website:

http://www.swantonberryfarm.com/

I hope you all will put this 'Event' on
your calendar. I want to see you there. Bring your hats and 'shavolas'.
Trust me! This is going to be a lot of
fun. SempreAvanti.

For more information call : 'LaNorma' at: 831-438-7061 or Ivano at 831-521-0576.
-------

Ivano Franco Comelli is the author of La Nostra Costa (Our Coast) published by Authorhouse (2006). His new screenplay Turbulent Quest was inspired by true events as recorded in his book.

FIGHTING FURLANS (CONT'D) - BY RENO DI CISTERNIA

TOP PHOTO: Luigi "Moro" Degli Esposti (standing center) and comrades in the Italian Cavalry, C. 1920. Photo courtesy of the Degli Esposti Family.




RIGHT PHOTO: Dante Dinelli, Italian Soldier WW I Photo courtesy of Norma Dinelli Wilson.
(For explaination of photos, please see Comments section.)









Ivano's new movie script,brought back to mind the true story of my Uncle. One that I think should be made into a movie. Here it is as I remembered it. (I'm sure some of you have a story like mine --lets hear them).

My Uncle from Rodeano Basso (Friuli) who was a CPA and a newly wed (married to my Aunt) was drafted into the Italian army in 1938. In 1940, with very little training, he and his fellow soldiers,were sent to the Russian front. (Yes, the Italians fought along side the Germans against Communist Russia). My Uncle was never seen or heard of again.

In 1946, my mother and I went to the American Red Cross on behalf of my Aunt to seek information about my missing Uncle. The answer we received was that the Russian's (at the time) were not responding to questions concerning MIA enemy soldiers.
Subsequently, the Russian's did start to release Italian prisoners of war. Problem was that they released them in the middle of Siberia, in the middle of winter -- with NO SUPPLIES of any kind. Among those released, were about 90, originally from our area in Friuli. Only six survived.

The story on how these six survived is incredible (and horrifying) in itself. Having no food to eat, the group decided to draw straws. The ones that drew the short straws,were cannibalized by the others. (Of course the 6 that finally made it back home suffered from severe depression and mental illness.)

In 1990, my cousin found out from the Italian government (after all those years), that the Russian government had finally turned over a list of prisoners and the location of their remains. Incredibly, and to our great relief, my uncle's name was on the list.

My cousin and her husband traveled to Russia in an attempt to find my Uncle's grave. The trip took about 6 hours by train from Moscow. My cousin described it as being in the middle of hell, ice cold with nothing but empty tundra before them . (The area was a mining area. The Italians prisoners worked the mines as slave labors. Of course, many died there.) My cousin did locate the grave site. Imagine the emotion she felt as she actually saw her Father's name (who she had never seen) on the grave. Truly a sad and poignant moment in her life.

AND here is the beautiful part of this story . The people of our part of Italy, sent a group back to Russia to the final resting place of my Uncle and his fellow fallen soldiers. As a memorial to these brave soldiers they built a school and church for the people who lived there. As far as I know, they still stand today as a memorial to these brave "FIGHTING FURLANS".

As incredible as this story might seem, EVERY BIT OF IT IS TRUE. ( Yes, a book has been written about this story. My Aunt sent my Mother a copy a few years ago.)
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IVANO SAYS: Thanks, Reno and yes this story should be made into a movie. TURBULENT QUEST (my screenplay) does take us back to Italy during this time period. It offers a glimpse of what the Italians had to go through under Nazi ocupation.

BTW: FIGHTING FURLANS OF WW II - by Doriano Degano also appears on this Blog. to view, type in Fighting Furlans in the search block located at the upper left hand corner of the Blog and "clicca" on the spy glass. Sempre Avanti

TURBULENT QUEST - A SCREENPLAY BY IVANO FRANCO COMELLI

TURBULENT QUEST

A SCREEN PLAY BY IVANO FRANCO COMELLI

A young immigrant couple from Northern Italy confronts
Fascism, the Great Depression and a World War while
seeking the American Dream.

**************************************************

IVANO SAYS:
For the last several months, my colleague, Professor Derrill Kerrick (SCHS Class of ’58) and I have been working on the above script. I wrote the script and Derrill provided editing, feedback and he formatted the script according to the movie industry strict standard. During the scriptwriting process we have experienced several stops and starts, mostly having to do with editing and rewrites. Today I would like to announce that we have both agreed on a final, formatted version, which we intend to market to producers.

TURBULENT QUEST is fiction; however, it is inspired by true events as recorded in my book: “La Nostra Costa” (Our Coast). The time period is 1923 to 1949 and the main setting is the coast north of Santa Cruz, near the little town of Davenport, California. There, as the logline of our screenplay implies the two main characters BRONCO and VALENTINA struggle to seek a better life in America for themselves and their two sons. The screenplay also takes us to a Nazi-occupied Northern Italy where Bronco and Valentina’s families face dire circumstances during World War II.

Derrill and I have no illusions about our own ‘turbulent quest’ ahead of us. This is only the beginning and we know it is going to be very difficult to bring TURBULENT QUEST to the screen. However, this is our dream and we are seeking your help. If any of you know people in the movie business who you think might be interested in carrying this project forward, please let us know. We have prepared a Treatment (Synopsis) of the screenplay. We are happy to make it available to qualified interested parties. You can contact us via the comment section on the LaNostra-Costa Blog: http://www.nostra-costa.blogspot.com/

I have often concluded my writings by the words “Sempre Avanti” (Always Forward). Well, for Derrill and I this is certainly a very big “Sempre Avanti” project. Wish us luck.

Ivano (and Derrill).

ALOHA! WE'RE BACK !!

IVANO SAYS: MY BEAUTIFUL WIFE MILDRED AND I JUST GOT BACK FROM MAUI, HAWAII.

BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE GONE. WELL, WE WERE. UNFORTUNATELY, AS THE 'OLD RANCERE' IS FOND OF SAYING, "ORA E FINITA LA CUCCAGNA". (NOW THE PARTY IS OVER.) IT'S BACK TO WORK I GO. SEMPRE AVANTI!

FABBY DEGLI ESPOSTI (LANCE EGAN) 50TH SCHS REUNION

(L-R)BUNNY AND MARIO - FABBY AND LINDA-ROBERTO AND DEANNA



Hello Ivano,

Thanks for the picture of Mildred, Andrew (Roubal) and yourself. Sorry that we didn't make the performance,Bob had surgery on May 26th.

Our picture was taken last October when Fabby had his 50th HS reunion down in Santa Cruz We were able to get together with Mario& his wife Bunny, ,Fabby and Linda and us two for brunch. Deanna (Degli-Esposti)

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IVANO SAYS: CONGATULATIONS FABBY DEGLI-ESPOSTI AKA LANCE EGAN AKA "LANZIO EGANNI".
And thanks Deanna for the very special photo.

Sempre Avanti.

GREAT PERFORMANCE - A CHORUS LINE- ANDREW ROUBAL

MILDRED AND IVANO - A CHORUS LINE- SACRAMENTO

IVANO, ANDREW AND MILDRED

AFTER THE SHOW

IVANO SAYS: Last Saturday, May 29, 2010, my lovely wife Mildred and I attended a live performance of "A Chorus Line" in Sacramento, California. What a great performance by my Great Nephew Andrew and the entire Chorus Line Cast. Congratulations to one and all. We were thrilled to be there to see you all perform. Sempre Avanti.

LA NOSTRA COSTA STORY CONTINUES - JENNA SWANEY

Ivano:
Joe Gemignani's (La Nostra Costa's 'Figlio di Ferro', Chapter 16) Granddaughter, Jenna, just yesterday got notice that she passed the bar exam!

Maybe she deserve to be on your "Su per la Costa" Blog. Here is a cute picture. By the way, I'm doubly proud to say that she is also my Granddaughter and Great Niece of my sister, Valentina.
Zia Lina.

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IVANO SAYS: Congratulations Jenna. We of the "La Nostra Costa" family are all very, very proud of you. Imagine -- a lawyer and a beautiful one at that. And it's all in the family.
Yes, yes, Zia Lina, she is certainly deserving to be featured on our "Su per la Costa" Blog.
Sempre Avanti.