May 6, 2008

We finally got around to buying Internet access this morning. Hopefully that will mean we can publish this tonight. This morning we went to visit Gruppo Cusimano, which is a local tile and brick manufacturer. Francesco Cusimano, a Rotarian, is the owner and was our guide - he walked us all through the plant. Francesco’s father came from Palermo, Sicily 35 years ago and invested in land in Calabria and now operates a very successful business. One interesting story is that Francesco’s father traveled back to Sicily right before Francesco was born so that he could be “from Sicily” officially. Italians are very proud of where they are from. Gruppo Cusimano exports bricks and tiles to France, China, Japan, and Russia.

Next we went to the University of Magna Grecia where Stefano and Rocco are professors. The school offers three main courses of study: medicine, law, and pharmacy. There are 12,000 students, and the university was founded 10 years ago. Until then, there was no University of its kind in Calabria. The medical school is very competitive; 700 students applied last year, but only 80 were accepted. The tuition costs are paid by taxes which are based upon a sliding income scale. Most students are from Calabria, however some are from Campania and Basilicata. We viewed a nanotechnology lab and saw an electron beam microscope. They are working on their first nano product for commercial use. We also visited Stefano’s lab where they are using computer modeling to research the effectiveness of potential pharmaceuticals. Later they can be tested in the biological lab.

Next we had lunch at Rocco’s house. His wife Anna prepared an amazing lunch with many courses including Ricotta Cheese made from sheep’s milk, pasta made with shellfish, and eggplant parmigiana. For dessert, there was a rum cake that Jason labeled the “flammable rum cake.” It was very good, but everyone was exercising restraint in the food department today. Dazzling guests with delicious food is part of Italian culture, but we are all realizing that we need to say no sometimes so to avoid gaining 20 pounds this month. Rocco presented our team with “strumbolo,” which are hand-made spinning tops. Before we left, Rocco’s sons, Gaetano and Donato performed a crowd-pleasing skit they had prepared especially for us.

Next we visited a military museum that had two parts: Napoleon and Risorgimento. Lots of what you would expect: Medals, Helmets, Armor, Guns, Uniforms, Grenades, etc. We took a golf cart ride around the beautiful park that surrounded the museum, which apparently used to be a garbage dump until 2002. The city of Catanzaro commissioned the park to be built which now includes fountains, an amphitheatre, a skate park, a pizza shop, a bird sanctuary, and lots of things for kids. There was a long tunnel that was covered with fragrant flowering wisteria that someone labeled the “love tunnel.” Today we came to the conclusion that the Italian word Prego can be used for just about anything. In our Italian books, it’s supposed to mean “you’re welcome.” But people say it when they open the door for you and when you say hello, and basically all the time. Nick, Jason, and Martina started saying Prego to each other a lot. I wonder if Calabrians know about Prego spaghetti sauce. I doubt it. Next we visited the Carabinieri – imagine if you combined the army, the navy, the coast guard, the police, the secret service, the marines, and the armored truck companies. That’s the Carabinieri. Apparently it was highly unusual that the general and his cabinet could meet with us. They presented us with a large, velvet box holding the seal of the Carabinieri. By this time we were about 2 hours behind schedule which was causing everyone’s cell phones to ring even more than normal.

We hurried to the next stop – Camera di commercio. Translation – Chamber of Commerce. We met with the President, and he told us there are 200,000 businesses registered. It was an interesting meeting, but somewhat cut short due to the fact that it was 7pm and everyone was ready to go. We got cool gifts there too. Speaking of gifts, the gifting is overwhelming. It is not an exaggeration that we need a suitcase already to transport all the gifts back, and we’re only on day two. Not sure if this will continue. Stay tuned. Next we visited the Rotary club of Catanzaro Tre Colli (3 hills). Here’s an interesting note about both Rotary Clubs in Catanzaro: they have their own offices where the Rotary, Rotaract and Interact Clubs meet and they have large displays of banners, charters, etc. We gave our presentation for the first time in Italy. We all agreed that it went very well. More gifts.

Next we went to dinner at Pepe La Rouge’s. The fare was very typical Calabrian. We had some more Ricotta – Italians eat it plain - as an appetizer. There were fried zucchini fritters, and fried meatballs that were shaped like sausages. Interesting. Then it was time for the main dish, which was Morzello. It’s basically a spicy meat sandwich on a roll. There are two kinds – meat and fish. Jason opted for fish based upon a recommendation from Francesco’s wife, whose name (I think) was Sabrina. Nick went for the meat, being a bit tired of fish. As his meal arrived the locals broke the news to him that the meat was really the internal organs of veal. Upon hearing this, Nick was too proud to decline, and Martina skipped dinner. Jane got the fish, but it was too spicy for her. Check out the picture and decide for yourself. Believe it or not, the next course was raw fava beans and raw fennel. It was actually pretty good. Next there was cake, but everyone declined. Dinner (called cena – pronounced CHAY-na) was followed by a healthy round of goodbyes (Ciao!!!), and Nick got a ride around the block on Stefano’s scooter. A domani and Prego!!