Becoming Real

Pinocchio and Jiminy: Disney-style

The Adventures of Pinocchio is a classic, right? Disney put the marionette on the big screen in 1940 and Jiminy Cricket became an overnight success. But the real story is from Italy, Tuscany, to be exact. It actually symbolically represents Italy, as it grew into a unified country.

So we decided to read the book, first penned by Carlo Collodi in 1883—in its original language, as they say—Italian. Little did we know that our simple decision would be such a task. We decided to read one chapter a day. Pretty good, right? Well, no, when you consider that the average chapter is only about 5 pages long, and that includes pictures!

Our Pinocchio kit

Here’s our routine: we have an English version that we keep handy to check our translations; we have an Italian version in which Emerson writes copious notes (definitions, idiomatic phrases, verb forms etc.); I also have the original Italian version on an iPad; together, we use 2 dictionaries and one verb book; and finally, we access a translator online called, My Translator. Once we have our pile of books, pencils, erasers and various accoutrements, we begin just after lunch each day.

Pinocchio fully notated

Emerson reads the chapter title, for example, Pinocchio è derubato delle sue monete d’oro e, per gastigo, si busca quattro mesi di prigione. Translation: Pinocchio is robbed of his coins of gold and, for punishment, is put in prison for four months. Now, we think this is more than a regular title. A title is something like, “A Day at the Beach.” You know, there’s some over-arching topic that captures the essence and your attention. But the Pinocchio chapter titles are spoilers. They tell you what happens BEFORE you read it. Then Collodi goes into all the details of how the chain of events took place, but you already know the poor marionette is going to prison.

In the pokey

The other thing about the title is that we look up nearly every word. For example, Derubato. Oh, it’s a verb and this is the past tense. Okay. Monete. Oh, coins. D’oro. This is a common contraction. The word di means of. When it’s placed before a word that begins with a vowel, you leave out the i because, heaven forbid you put two vowels together. Okay, got it. Di oro = d’oro = of gold. Well, you get the picture. Every chapter is a language lesson as well as a lesson in logic. Why would Pinocchio go to prison? He was robbed. Well, the logic here is that if you’re foolish enough to be duped, you deserve punishment. Really?!

Actually, the Italian culture and thought process is something quite unique. The stories they concoct and the way they choose to say it, are nothing short of original art—funny yet thought-provoking at the same time.

Taccini plate

When we first discovered that Pinocchio is Italian, we went to a town west of Florence called Montelupo (which means wolf mountain), where an artist named Eugenio Taccini lives and works creating unique ceramic pieces. He’s well known for his depictions of Pinocchio. In fact, he actually made pieces of artwork for each of the chapters, exploring their deep psychological meanings. It became a form of therapy for him as he dove into the hidden messages. As an Italian, he wanted to use the original story to explore the process of change and transformation. Beneath the external beauty of Italian life, love and laughter, there are many deep thinkers pondering something profound and meaningful.

Pinocchio's home town

Then we decided to make a trip a few weeks ago to Collodi, the town where young Carlo Lorenzini spent summers and from which he took his pen name. Collodi is now known as the town of Pinocchio. There are restaurants named for those in the book. There’s an amusement park for children with all things Pinocchio. But in addition, there’s an amazing hillside baroque park called Garzoni Gardens. It’s considered one of the most beautiful gardens in all of Italy. It’s another example of the paradox that underlies Italian thinking: the whimsical, childlike attitude juxtaposed with the heady formal, compelling, meticulously planned.

Pinocchio the real boy

So we’re on chapter 21 in the book. My bookmark only jumps a few pages a day. But, for the first time, I’m beginning to understand Pinocchio on multiple levels. As you might expect, the original is much more earthy than the Disney version. He’s more real. And that’s just the wood marionette. I can hardly wait to see how the world changes when seen through the eyes of a real boy.

You may also enjoy visiting our other websites:

The Journey – The Ride of a Lifetime

Under the Tuscan Thumb Blog by C & E

Uncommon Promise Story, Music and Art

New Music—Virtual CD

Uncommon Promise Video Channel

In Touch in Tuscany

Study Group/Sturdy Group

About 7 or so years ago, I enrolled in an Italian language class at the local community center. It was great fun. Not only did we learn Italian, my classmates and I got to know each other and became friends. Because we were dedicated students, we decided to meet outside of class, once a week, to practice our skills and to inspire each other. The group gelled, turning into an Italian family of sorts. How appropriate.

It’s interesting to observe how groups form and define themselves. This particular group can be described as caring, sweet, kind and funny. Each member of the group has those characteristics—individually as well. We span about 3 decades, age-wise, with all the significance that brings. Allow me a brief description of each cherished member:

Vittoria

There’s Victoria, Vittoria who is a petite brunette with large soulful eyes. She’s in the middle decade—those who are making decisions and have concerns about aging parents. Vittoria is gregarious, quick to smile and someone you can count on. She’s curious and inquisitive. Sometimes there are no answers to her questions, or I should say no obvious reasons behind why a particular Italian word or phrase is the way it is. So when she asks, “Perchè? Why?” the only answer is “Perchè no? Why not?” While the “answer” may not be satisfying, Vittoria accepts it with a beautiful laugh that puts everyone at ease.

Monica

Then there’s Monica, (a difficult translation to Monica) another petite brunette. She hails from South America, so Italian is often similar to her native tongue. She’s sparkly and sweet, quick to touch your arm as she listens to you. She has teenagers, so is an attentive mom. How she fits our study group into her already full schedule, I’ll never know. She understands the structure of Italian language, which is certainly a huge part of the battle, and that helps us all a lot.

Luisa

There’s Lois, Luisa who is the most gracious hostess in the world. After at least 5 years of meeting in her kitchen every Tuesday morning, she never fails to greet each member at the door with a hearty, “Benvenuta! Welcome!” Lois is an athletic, energetic woman, full of enthusiasm and optimism—perpetually young. Her positive mood is absolutely contagious. I usually come away from study group more upbeat than when I arrived. No matter what the topic, Luisa is an attentive listener, always offering practical encouragement. Her presence is bubbly and simultaneously soothing—in many ways she holds the group together.

Rodolfo

Then there’s Rudy, Rodolfo—the only man of the group. He’s become our leader due to his great sense of organization, direction and desire. His patience with our detours and deviations is commendable. He’s a cheerful sort and laughs easily. He’s also an extremely fit individual, with salt and pepper capelli, hair. Bright and articulate, he offers insights and suggestions about how we learn, modifying our curriculum to better address our needs and goals. His observations help keep us on track. A man in the group means that we can’t defer to the feminine form of Italian words. He keeps us gender-neutral—which in Italian means using the default masculine form of words when both are present.

Paola

Then there’s Paula, Paola who is yet another petite brunette, with a razor-sharp wit. Her sense of humor is matched by her kindness. While some of us forget to thank Rodolfo for the hours he spends readying our “lesson” of the week, Paola always remembers. She’s also a techno-wiz, always at the ready with her iPhone to double check a fact or alert us to an interesting new website. In addition, Paola is a gourmet cook. She has brought us fabulous food for munching while we conjugate verbs or read aloud to each other. In her time away from the group, she seems to be a model mom. Her high school daughter is a lucky girl.

NOT Valeria - A Temporary Blond Substitute

There’s Valerie, Valeria who is the blond of the group (but not stereotypically “blond” in any way.) She’s funny and sweet. When we were in class together, I often sat beside her. She’s a very good and dedicated student—always has her homework completed and correct. But I noticed something about her. I can make her laugh, and I must admit that I can be a disruptive influence in the classroom. When we were all in a formal class together, I could whisper something to Valeria and she would turn to look at me or just laugh—then of course our teacher, the vivacious Barbara (yes, that is an Italian name) always caught Valeria “misbehaving.” I enjoyed this mistaken blame tremendously.

Caterina

Then there’s Kathy, Caterina who is the retired high school English teacher. I only include this fact, because she knows all the correct parts of speech and their corresponding elements in Italian. She sometimes explains the function of a particular word for us—in English, so that we can understand the Italian counterpart. Caterina has sparkling eyes, loves traveling and photography. The group has definitely benefited from her creative talents.

Although they are not physically present on Tuesday mornings, there’s no shortage of the influence of Italian grandmothers. Vittoria and Paola each have a nonna, grandmother from the “old country.” This adds to the spark and spice of the conversation. Sometimes, it’s as though one of them is actually there with us.

So all in all, it’s a wonderful experience. I love being part of this Italian family. We’ve taken countless photos over the years and you could identify each of us by my descriptions here. Even me.

After you’ve identified the others, I’m the one left over: I’m the lucky one.

You may also enjoy visiting our other websites:

The Journey – The Ride of a Lifetime

Under the Tuscan Thumb Blog by C & E

Uncommon Promise Story, Music and Art

New Music—Virtual CD

Uncommon Promise Video Channel

In Touch in Tuscany