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# 72 •novemBER 16 , 2015
nal Cathedral in Washington, D.C. were of Italian
descent. But does anyone
know their names? Ermelindo Eduardo Ardolino is
known for his work at the
Cathedral of Saint John
the Divine, in Manhattan,
but who knows of Luigi Del Bianco's work at
Mount Rushmore?
Another reason why I feel
so strongly about this is
that there's always been a
pejorative image of Italian
Americans. Reality shows
such as "Mob Wives" and
"Jersey Shore" help perpetuate this image. Well,
Luigi can be seen as a
new, refreshing and positive symbol of what it means to be an Italian American, as a role model that
someone can choose to
emulate.
formally do anything.
Michele Bernardo, the
head of the Museo Provinciale Della Bita Contadina
"Diogene Penzi" - Sezione Lavoro ed Emigrazione ( Provincial Museum
of Rural Life - Section of
Work and Emigration) in
Cavasso Nuovo, a town
near Meduno, has established an exhibition area to
all the Friuli people which
prominently features Del
Does Italy, in any way, re- Bianco.
cognize or remember LuiAnd in Meduno itself, a
gi Del Bianco?
local hair stylist named
I know the Italian Consul Andreino Ferroli has turGeneral in New York, Na- ned his barber shop into
talia Quintavalle, knows something of a shrine to
about Del Bianco, but I Luigi. His late aunt was apdon't know if the Italian parently related to the Del
government intends to Bianco family.
10 | WE THE ITALIANS
www.wetheitalians.com
Of course, I'd like to see
more done. This reflects
well on the Italian people, that one of their own
is associated with such
an iconic American landmark and world renowned
sculpture.
And if you permit me, I'd
like to express my gratitude to someone who I never even met: a woman named Maria Cristina Piccini,
of the Pordenone Tourism
Office. I am especially indebted to her because my
mastery of Italian is not
that good … “il mio Italiano è ancora molto brutto”.
Where can our readers
find a copy of your book?