A Story of Resilience and Reinvention

Posted on October 1, 2020 by babbityjean

Giovanni Jacuzzi (1825 – 1929) and his wife Teresa had a large family of 13 children.  A farmer in the village of Casara della Delizia, 80 km northwest of Trieste in the northern region of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Giovanni became increasingly disillusioned with the government’s hawkish policies.  World War I was the last straw:  Giovanni ordered the eldest seven Jacuzzi brothers to set sail for America.  Endowed with an entrepreneurial spirit, Rachele, Francesco, Valeriano, Galindo, Giuseppe, Giocondo and Candido settled in the San Francisco area and quickly became productive.

For a short time, Rachele worked in a mechanic shop owned by a Mr. McDonnell, who later established the renowned aerospace corporation.  Soon thereafter Rachele designed a propeller called the Jacuzzi Toothpick.  His design became the military standard, as well as the prop choice for Charles Lindbergh.  The brothers poured their energy and creativity into the burgeoning aviation industry.  They designed the Jacuzzi J-7, the first enclosed cabin monoplane, which attracted widespread interest.  But then tragedy struck:  In a flight from Yosemite to San Francisco, the plane carrying Giocondo crashed killing all four passengers and the family’s involvement in the industry.  By this time the entire Jacuzzi family had moved to San Francisco.  Father Giovanni forbade further involvement in aviation.

It was time to reinvent.  Based on his knowledge of aerodynamics, Rachele had invented a pump that moved water using water.  The family decided to market the pump for irrigation purposes to the farmers in the nearby San Joachin Valley.  Candido, the youngest son, was a successful salesman, and soon pump sales took off.  Business boomed, and the family purchased a factory in the Richmond area where the building still stands today, on Jacuzzi Drive.

As Candido rose in the business, his family grew.  His fourth child, Kenneth, as a toddler became ill with strep throat that resulted in the complication of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.  It is a painful autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation and stiffness.  Doctors prescribed drugs, physical therapy and hydrotherapy in a whirlpool tank—a tub that used a pump!  The family then designed the first submersible pump, a metal canister that could be placed safely in a tub of water and called it the J-300.  Ken’s physician was impressed and encouraged Candido to manufacture pumps for other patients.

The Jacuzzi family was skeptical about developing consumer-based products, but Candido persevered.  One of his marketing ideas was to give away jacuzzis as prizes on “Queen for a Day” (1945 – 1964), a popular daytime television show watch by millions.  The Jacuzzi name caught on.  Innovation and evolution continued:  Air jets and water were incorporated into the sides of large bathtubs producing the modern Jacuzzi, which became the ultimate romantic symbol of the 1970s and beyond.

The family eventually sold the business, which is now headquartered in southern California and has become a multi-billion-dollar company.  But the Jacuzzi entrepreneurial spirit lives on in northern California.  Valeriano’s grandson opened the Jacuzzi Family Vineyards in 2007.  The buildings and operation are a tribute to the Jacuzzi family history and home in Casarsa, Italy…at the gateway to Sonoma, California.

Posted in Abitudini, California, English, Foto, Immigrazione, Italia, Italoamericani, Medicina, Storia, Trieste | 2 Comments

Un Classico

Posted on September 24, 2020 by babbityjean

C’era una volta…–Un re!—diranno subito i miei piccoli lettori. 

No, ragazzi, avete sbagliato.   C’era una volta un pezzo di legno.

Così iniziava nel 1881 il primo episodio della “Storia di un burattino”.  Originariamente pubblicato in forma seriale su una delle prime riviste settimanali per bambini, “Le avventure di Pinocchio” di Carlo Collodi in seguito fu infine pubblicato come libro.

La storia inizia in Toscana dove un falegname, mentre stava scolpendo un pezzo di legno per fare un tavolo, rimase esterrefatto quando il ceppo si mise a gridare. Dà il lego al suo vicino Geppetto, un povero uomo che ha l’intenzione di guadagnarsi da vivere come burattinaio. Mentre Geppetto stava scolpendo il legno per fare un ragazzino, il burattino dava già segni di birbonata: dopo aver scolpiti i suoi piedini, infatti prende a calci il povero Geppetto, gli ruba persino la parrucca e poi scappa.

Quindi, iniziano le avventure – o disavventure di Pinocchio.  Si mette nei guai giorno dopo giorno: molti incontri sono umilianti e alcuni persino violenti. Ad un certo punto si trasforma in un asino; in un altro episodio è costretto a vivere in una casa per cani, indossare un colletto con le punte e servire come un cane da guardia. Mangiafuoco, il direttore del Teatro delle marionette, minaccia di bruciarlo come legna da ardere, ma alla fine lo libera e dà al burattino cinque monete d’oro da regalare a Geppetto. Invece Pinocchio incontra la volpe “zoppa” e il gatto “cieco”, i grandi truffatori. Convincono Pinocchio a piantare le sue monete nel Campo dei Miracoli perché daranno vita ad un albero che produrrà 2.000 pezzi d’oro. Inutile dire che il povero burattino viene ingannato.

Ci sono tre mentori nella vita di Pinocchio: il Geppetto, che è paziente e indulgente, il Grillo Parlante, che rappresenta la voce della coscienza e la Fata dai capelli turchini, che è materna e premurosa. Insieme cercano di insegnare a Pinocchio l’obbedienza, il valore della scuola, del duro lavoro e la necessità di prendere buone decisioni ed evitare le false tentazioni. Gli insegnano anche che il disastro è sempre una possibilità. Per la maggior parte Pinocchio si fa beffe del consiglio; deve imparare queste lezioni nel modo più duro.

Collodi aveva intrapreso il giornalismo, sia di finzione che di saggistica, come mezzo per sostenere il Risorgimento nella sua lotta contro l’Impero austriaco. La struttura della storia di Pinocchio segue quella delle storie popolari di contadini, che si avventurano nel mondo, ma sono ingenuamente impreparati a ciò che trovano e talvolta si trovano in situazioni difficili. Questo era un grave problema nel periodo in cui Collodi stava scrivendo, derivante in parte dall’industrializzazione dell’Italia dopo l’unificazione. La crescente necessità di lavoro nelle città indusse molte persone a lasciare i campi e ad avventurarsi in luoghi con condizioni sconosciute.

Inizialmente Collodi termina la storia al capitolo 15 quando il burattino è stato impiccato! Ma su richiesta popolare dei lettori, Collodi continua gli episodi nel 1882. Il libro finale contiene 36 capitoli e ha un finale molto più felice. Alla fine Pinocchio lavora duramente per sostenere Geppetto e regala i suoi soldi guadagnati duramente per aiutare la Fata malata. Quella notte sogna di essere visitato dalla Fata che lo bacia. Quando si sveglia, alla fine è un vero ragazzo.

Collodi è stato un pioniere nella letteratura per bambini. Il suo contenuto e il suo stile erano nuovi, aprendo la strada a molti scrittori nel secolo successivo. Pinocchio ha avuto un impatto enorme sulla cultura mondiale. Ha ispirato innumerevoli spettacoli teatrali, film e merchandising. La maggior parte delle immagini del burattino mostra il naso del lungo bugiardo; in effetti, questo è un evento raro nella storia di Collodi. Forse viene dal film d’animazione di Disney del 1940, che la Library of Congress riteneva così culturalmente significativo da essere selezionato per la conservazione nel National Film Registry degli Stati Uniti. Il capolavoro di Collodi è stato tradotto in oltre 300 lingue, il che lo rende il libro non religioso più tradotto al mondo … e il più letto.

Posted in Arte, Film, Foto, Italia, Italiano, Libri, Storia, Toscana | Leave a comment

A Classic

Posted on September 24, 2020 by babbityjean

Once upon a time…– A king! – my little readers will say immediately.

No, children, you are wrong.  Once upon a time, there was a piece of wood.

This is how the first episode of “The Story of a Puppet” began in 1881.  Originally published in serial form in one of the earliest Italian weekly magazines for children, Carlo Collodi’s “Le avventure di Pinocchio” or simply “Pinocchio” was eventually published in a book.

The story begins in Tuscany where a carpenter, who had planned to carve a block of wood into a table, was frightened when the log shouts out.  He gives the wood to his neighbor Geppetto, a poor man who plans to make a living as a puppeteer.  As Geppetto carves the wood into a boy, the puppet instantly becomes mischievous.  After his feet are carved, he kicks Geppetto, steals his wig, and runs away.

Thus, the adventures—or misadventures—begin.  He gets into scrape after scrape—many are humiliating and some are violent.  At one point he is turned into a donkey; in another episode he is forced to live in a dog house, wear a collar with spikes, and serve as a guard dog.  Mangiafuoco (literally, fire-eater, in Italian), the director of the Great Marionette Theatre, threatens to burn him as firewood but eventually releases him and gives the puppet five gold coins to give to Geppetto.  But then Pinocchio runs into the “lame” fox and the “blind” cat, the ultimate scammers.  They convince Pinocchio to plant his coins in the Field of Miracles where they will grow into a tree that will produce 2,000 gold pieces.  Needless to say, the poor puppet is deceived.

There are three mentors in Pinocchio’s life—the long-suffering and forgiving Geppetto, the Talking Cricket (il Grillo Parlante), who represents the voice of conscience, and The Fairy with Turquoise Hair (la Fata dai capelli turchini), who is maternal and caring.  Together they try to teach Pinocchio obedience, the value of school and hard work, and the need to make good decisions and to avoid life’s false temptations.  They also teach him that disaster is always a possibility.  For the most part, Pinocchio scoffs at the advice; he has to learn these lessons the hard way.

Collodi had undertaken journalism, both fiction and non-fiction, as a means of supporting Risorgimento in its struggle with the Austrian Empire.  The structure of the story of Pinocchio follows that of folk tales of peasants who venture out into the world but are naively unprepared for what they find, and sometimes get into difficult situations.  This was a serious problem at the time Collodi was writing, arising partly from the industrialization of Italy following unification.  The growing need for labor in the cities induced many folks to leave the fields and to venture into unknown places and conditions.

Originally, Collodi finished the story at chapter 15 when the puppet is hanged!  But by popular demand from the readers, Collodi continued the episodes in 1882.  The final book contains 36 chapters and has a much happier ending.  In the end, Pinocchio works hard to support Geppetto and gives away his hard-earned money to help the ailing Fairy.  That night he dreams that he is visited by the Fairy, who kisses him.  When he wakes up, he is a real boy at last.

Collodi was a trailblazer in children’s literature.  His content and style were new, opening the way for many writers in the following century.  Pinocchio has had a huge impact on world culture.  It has inspired countless plays, movies and merchandising.  Most images of the puppet show the long liar’s nose; in fact, this is a rare occurrence in the Collodi story.  Perhaps it comes from the 1940 Disney animated film, which the Library of Congress deemed so culturally significant that it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.  Collodi’s masterpiece has been translated into more than 300 languages, which makes it the most translated non-religious book in the world…and the most widely read.

Posted in Arte, English, Film, Foto, Italia, Libri, Storia, Toscana, Uncategorized | 1 Comment