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Playlist: Nancy Greenleese's Portfolio

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Italian Tailors: An Age-Old Tradition Unravels

From Nancy Greenleese | Part of the Made In Italy...For Now series | 08:20

Skilled tailoring is a dying art. Many of the best tailors hail from Italy where the tradition is unraveling due to a lack of training opportunities and the rise of designers.

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Skilled tailors are no longer on every main street in America.  Those nimble hands that took out pants and redesigned your mother's wedding dress for you were often Italian.  The country has a centuries-old tradition of tailoring that is disappearing due to a lack of training opportunities and too much attention placed on designers.  Soon  not only fashionistas, but anyone who needs clothes altered may be forced to buy new, instead of giving new life to a garment through tailoring.

 

Italian Artisans: Shuttered Workshops in the Renaissance’s Birthplace

From Nancy Greenleese | Part of the Made In Italy...For Now series | 07:37

Italian artisans craft exquisite objects with their hands, particularly in Florence. Yet aging artisans crippled by Italy’s bureaucracy aren’t able to train the next generation. An artistic tradition predating Michelangelo could die out.

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Aging Italian artisans are regretfully closing their shops in Florence.  The artistic ancestors of the Renaissance’s Old Masters aren’t able to find capable hands to continue their work.   Soon no one will know how to craft these unique objects made from metal, leather, marble or wood.  Italy’s onerous bureaucracy is preventing the artisans from training apprentices.  However, a U.S. company has a fresh idea that could rekindle the tradition.   

Italian Bakers: Mafia Slicing Into Profits

From Nancy Greenleese | Part of the Made In Italy...For Now series | 06:09

Italian breads and pastries are favorites among foodies. But Italian artisan bakeries are shutting down. Changing eating habits, the crisis and the Mafia are slicing into profits.

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Italian bread and pastries, such as cannoli , are gobbled up worldwide.  However, the traditional artisan bakeries in Italy are suffering since people are eating less bread and often the mass-produced varieties offered in supermarkets.  Bakeries are feeling the pinch even more in southern Italy where organized crime wants a slice of the already limited profits.  Many bakeries can no longer handle the heat and are deciding to close.  However, anti-Mafia groups and some brave bakers are fighting back. 

Gelato Museum

From Nancy Greenleese | 05:09

I scream, you scream, we all scream for...gelato. The first museum dedicated to gelato has opened in Italy.

Automezzo_carpigiani_con_a_bordo_macchina_soft_alla_fiera_di_bologna__1958_-_archivio_gelato_museum_rgb_small Americans have discovered and are licking up Italy's sweet treat - gelato.  This magical mix of milk, cream, sugar and more is lighter and prepared differently than all-American ice cream.  Gelato's history spans the centuries,  beginning when ancient Greeks created cool treats with spring water to the preparation of gelato as we know it for royal families in Italy and Europe.  Those wanting a taste of the history, the culture and the changing technology need to head to northern Italy.  The first ever museum dedicated to gelato has recently opened outside Bologna.

Letterboxing - Hide and seek for the young and not-so-young

From Nancy Greenleese | 04:29

There is a breed of modern day treasure hunters who need the Internet, a knack for orienting and solving puzzles, and a sense of adventure. They will not find riches, but might discover what these 21st century explorers call a letterbox.

Img_5743_small Many Americans go in search of hidden treasures in their own towns or while traveling.  They’re not wearing eye patches or brandishing swords.  They’re carrying rubber stamps and notebooks and searching for waterproof containers called letterboxes.  They often have to solve complex literary or historical puzzles to find their treasure.  This distinguishes letterboxing from the higher-tech hobby of geocaching that uses GPS devices.   Letterboxing originated in England and made the hop across the pond to the U.S., thanks to a New Hampshire professor. 

Sicilian Grandmother Takes on The Godfather

From Nancy Greenleese | 04:21

An 84-year-old grandmother and business owner is taking on the mob in Sicily. Organized criminals demand that business owners pay protection money to the Mafia. Those who don't pay may watch their store go up in flames. But Pina Grassi is telling her peers to join forces and say "no" to the Mafia.

Pina_small In  Sicily, an 84-year-old grandmother is standing up to the Mafia.   Organized criminals demand that business owners pay what is called pizzo .  They call it protection money but it only protects the businesses from the Mafia itself.  Those the refuse to pay could find their business torched or worse. Fear propels many to pay yet this little old lady says banding together they can protect themselves and do the right thing. 

Sicilian Grandmother Takes on The Godfather

From Nancy Greenleese | 04:21

An 84-year-old grandmother and business owner is taking on the mob in Sicily. Organized criminals demand that business owners pay protection money to the Mafia. Those who don't pay may watch their store go up in flames. But Pina Grassi is telling her peers to join forces and say "no" to the Mafia.

Pina_small In  Sicily, an 84-year-old grandmother is standing up to the Mafia.   Organized criminals demand that business owners pay what is called pizzo .  They call it protection money but it only protects the businesses from the Mafia itself.  Those the refuse to pay could find their business torched or worse. Fear propels many to pay yet this little old lady says banding together they can protect themselves and do the right thing. 

Slow Wine

From Nancy Greenleese | 04:04

The Slow Food movement has changed how we eat in the last quarter century. The Italian organization encourages us to dine on flavorful and healthy food created with respect for the environment. But how do we wash down our Slow Food? With Slow Wine - the latest addition to the Slow Menu.

Img_6795_small For a quarter century, the  Slow Food movement has encouraged us to load up our plates with food that is “good, clean and fair.”  This means flavorful, healthy food created with respect for the environment and traditions and offered at accessible prices.  But how do we wash down our Slow Food?  With Slow Wine, of course.  The movement founded in Italy has added Bacchus’ beverage to its slow menu.  They hope to take wine making back to its roots in order to save its future.

Italian Fast Food: Spleen Sandwich

From Nancy Greenleese | 04:05

In Sicily’s capitol, Palermo, fast food is available on nearly every corner with nary a golden arch in sight. People fill their bellies with chickpea fritters, fried rice balls…and even spleen sandwiches.

Img_4923_small In Sicily’s capitol, Palermo,  fast food is available on nearly every corner with nary a golden arch in sight.  Sicilians devour what they call street food at affordable prices for a population that’s struggling to get by.  One in every three Sicilians lives below the poverty level, according to the government.  Many fill their bellies with chickpea fritters, fried rice balls…and even spleen sandwiches.