Sons and daughters of Veroli celebrating in November
TORONTO – It is not official, but, judging from the number of banquets and delegations from the region, this month of November has “the feel” of a special designation for the Laziali – émigrés from the region of Italy in which Rome is located. I checked, but aside from the Ciociari who represent the largest single community from that region in Toronto, if not Ontario or indeed Canada, most people are busy celebrating events pertinent to their town.
Ciociari are the citizens of the ninety-two comuni which make up the regional municipality (province) of Frosinone. One of those comuni/towns is Veroli. Even though a member of the Lazio Federation, Veroli’s Cultural Society, still recovering from the passing of their founder Severino last year, maintains a firm commitment to keep the tradition of the creativity and cultural heritage of the town alive and growing. It is quite a task, Ciociari or not.
Veroli has much to offer: the oldest Latin inscription known to Western civilization (Fasti Verulani, adorning their original walls just off the center of town); la Chiesa Madre di Santa Salome and its sacred Stairway containing parts of the Cross on which Christ was crucified; the remnants of an original Latin temple at the peak of the town; the Medieval Monastery of Casamari with its famous Library, and, of course the original [cyclopian] walls dating back to circa 1200 BC.
Yes, the town precedes the founding of Rome by some five hundred years. It was among the first to ally with her and to be rewarded with the status that opened the way to full citizenship in Republican and Imperial Rome. The Verulani became an integral part of the Romanitas in language, governance, culture and values that shaped the emerging civilization noted for its values of family, law, public service, engineering and merit that came to define the dignitas (among other values) which distinguished Latins everywhere.
It is a legacy too rich to restrict to one article but on Saturday, November 8, the new executive committee of the Veroli Cultural Society kicked off a campaign to re-ignite pride in things Verolani with a banquet highlighting some traditional servings particular to its “citizens”. As elsewhere, food drives everything, and “my grandmother was universally recognized as its foremost expert” argument puts all dissent to rest!
Gianni Mignardi and Aldo Quattrociocchi; Casamari; a group of young women practicing making “ciambelle”, one of the specialties of the Municipality of Veroli; Santa Maria di Salome (photo: Corriere Canadese)
