In July 2016 two UCLan students visited "dal Mississippi al Po" festival in Piacenza, Italy.
This blog is a record of the adventures we had, the people we met and the culture we experienced.
Seba Pezzani is a man with many strings to his bow. Not only does he organise and run the festival, he is a gifted musician, translator, writer, and journalist. Seba has translated many academic books including books by ark Twain, Aldous Huxley, Jeffery Deaver, Clive Cussler, Joe Lansdale and Will Kaufman's book on Woody Guthrie. He's also a published author and has written three books; novel 'Tuttifruitti' with his friend Luca Crovi and two non-fiction books, 'Americrazy' and 'Istruzioni per l'USA'. As a journalist, he's written several articles for two national newspapers, Il Giornale" and "l'Unita', usually focused on American pop culture, arts, music, and books.
Despite being exceptionally busy he always found every available moment to come to ensure that we were happy, well fed and enjoying our experience.
Our wonderful friend and tour guide Camillo at one of the venues in town
He told us a little about dal Mississippi al Po:
"The festival started 12 years ago from an original idea of Davide Rossi, who thought of conceiving a little local blues festival, with very limited finances, a couple of Italian semi-unknown bands and the extra plan of making it a real festival and not just a showcase for the involved bands. So he immediately thought of blending music and literature, asking me to talk about a book that had been recently released by a national publisher who I would sometimes work for. The funny thing is Davide and I only live 20 miles away from each other but we had never met. So that is how I first got in touch with him: as a guest of the first edition of the festival. We became fast friends. And we immediately thought of repeating the festival and trying to make it a little bigger. That is what we did in the net two years, adding a series of literary events to the music avenue.
After three years, we decided to become a "serious" festival and started inviting pretty well-known writers and musicians from several countries, bu mostly from the US or anyway creative persons who were either musicians, music lovers or musicians with an interest for books. And we have tried to keep this link the focus of our festival. I direct the literary part and Davide directs the musical part. And then there are all of the other persons you have met. We do it for fun and invest our time in what you have seen. But it is fun to try to bring marvelous creative people together."
Ellie, Judy and Fakra with Seba
Check out the books that Seba has been involved in writing and translating HERE and for more info on 'dal Mississippi al Po', visit the website HERE - (note: the site is in Italian but can be translated to English)
Piacenza is a very welcoming city, home to picturesque landscapes, deep culture and history, and wonderful food.
In our free time, our wonderful hosts showed us the beauty of Travo and Bobbio, both situated in Piacenza. There we were able to soak in the majesty of the spectacular scenery, witness the grandeur of centuries-old churches, observe the architecture of some ancient castles, and experience the exciting hustle bustle of the afternoon markets.
Our first stop was Castillo di Rivalta!
The oldest parts of the castle were built in the early 10th century - the oldest tower featured below. The castle and surrounding hamlet are now owned by Count Zenardi Landi who lives on the site. The count's flag flies when they are in, just like the Queen in Buckingham Palace!
We then visited the Centre of Piacenza where we saw the Palazzo Farnese, Basilica di Sant Antonino the Piazza Cavalli and the Cathedral.
Piazza Cavalli is in the Centre of the city and is the political and historical centre of the city. Built in the 1300's during the construction of the Gothic Palace and is as old as the San Francesco Church opposite. Find out more HERE
The Cathedral was built in the 12th Century and features frescos by Morrazone and Guerchino - the cathedral also features some pieces of frescos rescued from other churches in the province. These have been carefully preserved in partial form due to their age and the fragile nature of buildings.
The palace is built on a former 13th Century fortress and was commissioned in 1556 by the wife of Duke Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Castro and Parma. The palace is partially built, having never been finished. The building was designed by Francesco Pachiotti and architect Giacomo Barozzi and was completed in 1602. The building fell into disrepair after the death of the last Farnese Duke in 1731 and was restored in the 20th Century. I can now be visited as a museum. Camilo and Giulia are descended from the family of Duke Farnese and Giulia has a ring that belonged to the Dutchess, passed down in her family
To find out more about Palazzo Farnese and view museum opening times, visit the website HERE
Eating in Eataly
Lunch at Pasquale's was a real treat. The food there was impeccable. There are no words to describe the starters, numerous mains and refreshing desserts. These pictures say it all. And what can get better than eating lunch at Pasquale's? Eating twice in two days, of course!
Eating in Italy is an event in itself. You will eat your main in the early afternoon, around 1.30pm and continue on until 3.00pm. We first visited Pasquale's on Day 2 of our visit to Piacenza and met some wonderful new friends - James Runcie and his wonderful wife Marilyn, Mikaela Bley and her partner Dag as well as Camilo, Giulia, Valeria and Seba. We began with bruschetta and pizza, which was swept up with great enthusiasm by our party. We followed with a seafood lunch of clams, muscles with spaghetti and finished our meal with some gelato. We were treated to delicious local wine from the region, which came out cool, fresh and lightly sparkling.
On our second day, we began again with pizza and bruschetta and followed with potato pasta shells, salad, and a lemon sorbet. Both were amazing and gave us a real taste of the Italian experience. Pasquale himself came to the table to greet, kiss and laugh with the party!
"We just sit and eat and the world comes to us" - Marilyn Imrie
Our trip to Piacenza was an amazing journey, which began with our travelling party of four: Fakra Jabeen, Ellie Sutcliffe, Judy Blazer and Professor Will Kaufman. We'd like to introduce ourselves:
The Travellers: (left to right) Ellie, Fakra, Judy and Will
Fakra and Ellie (that's us!)
Ellie - About Me
I am a first-year student at UCLan studying a BA Hons English Literature and Creative Writing. I am a fledgling writer, currently exploring my passions and ideas through academic study. I am also a keen traveller and am steadily ticking off my travel wish list, having visited Australia, Germany, France, Catalonia and, now Italy. I am a lover of good music and good writing, so the opportunity to visit, un Mississippi al Po felt like the right fit for me. I have been raised on jazz music, with both my Father and Grandfather being jazz trumpet players. Since embarking on my academic journey I have undertaken several achievements including a summer research internship focusing on Jazz and Literature, particularly the work of Toni Morrison. I have also written several articles for the university newspaper, Pluto and lead the UCLan Writer's Society during my first year.
You can follow me on twitter @easutcliffe and my blog HERE
About Fakra
I’m a fresh graduate from the University of Central Lancashire! Having studied English Language and Literature at university, I was able to discover the best of both worlds – the linguistic side and the creative literary aspect of language. When I’m not studying (or eating) I play netball, explore different cultures, or learn a new language. Growing up in a multilingual society, I was able to appreciate the various languages of the world that were spoken around me, making me want to learn them too! I am currently fluent in Urdu and Panjabi and can hold a basic conversation in Arabic and Korean. Language and culture go hand in hand after all! However, a much more unlikely pair is Literature and Music – which is precisely what this festival was all about. Literature and Music share a space which brings together cultures, ideas and people from all around the globe. This is exactly what we were honoured to be part of in Piacenza. I am very grateful for the chance of getting to witness such an inter-cultural event and being able to meet some truly inspiring individuals in such an amazing city.
About Will and Judy
Professor Will Kaufman teaches at the University of Central Lancashire as Professor of American Literature and Culture. Will's passion is music and he is a gifted singer and multi-instrumentalist. He has performed and presented his work on Woody Guthrie at Glastonbury, the Bath International Music Festival, the Whitby Folk Festival and the Big Session. He has also performed at un Mississippi al Po festival, taking part in a rendition of 'This Land is Your Land' with Nora Guthrie and three generations of the Guthrie Family, an experience he considers one of the most joyous of his life and career.
Of this experience he said,
"Nora Guthrie and I were at the Piacenza festival in 2009, along with Sarah Lee Guthrie (Woody's granddaughter/Arlo's daughter) and her husband, Johnny Irion. We sang singing "This Land Is Your Land" with three generations of Guthries - Nora, Sarah Lee, and Sarah Lee's two daughters, Sophie and Olivia" (see photos below)
His research on Woody Guthrie has been published in several publications including Woody Guthrie, American Radical (Illinois, 2011) and Singing for Peace: Antiwar Songs in American History (Paradigm, 2015). Most recently he has published a groundbreaking article focussing on Woody Guthrie's experience living in 'Beach Haven' complex owned by Fred Trump, Donald Trump's father.
You can read more about Will's amazing career HERE and follow him on twitter @KaufmanWill for news on his latest projects.
You can find a plethora of videos featuring Will on YouTube. The video below is just one of many, focusing of Woody Guthrie's anthem 'This Land is Your Land':
About Judy
As mentioned in our first post, Judy has a rich and prestigious career on Broadway as an actress, singer and vocal coach and has forged a reputation as a 'professionals professional'. She is co-founder and Artistic Director of the Artist's Crossing Theatre Company and has mentored many young aspiring actors and singers. She has taught Master Classes at many universities, including the University of Central Lancashire. She's also an amazing storyteller and has blessed Fakra and myself with hours of wonderfully enriching tales.
"As a teacher, Judy brings a wealth of knowledge to the table; she is a professional in every sense of the word. She knows exactly what to say and how to say it to ensure I get the best out of myself and the material I'm working on. She is as kind as she is talented and is at the top of her game when it comes to knowing her craft." - Nick Verina, "Young Ben" in Broadway's recent revival of Follies.
This video was created by John Blanchard for The Manhattan School of Music's distinguished alumni award in 2010. Judy has since worked on a number of different projects including A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. Of dal Mississippi al Po, Judy said "“The kind of work that Seba Pezzani is doing is instrumental in making a strong connection between art forms of varying cultures and generations. In these globally troubled times, it is only art and love that can save us and the festival sustains that very philosophy by honoring both those forces.” You can read more about Judy's work HERE
