Giuseppina Bozzacchi - World famous Lombard ballerina even though she only lived to the day of her 17th birthday

Giuseppina Bozzacchi

Giuseppina Bozzacchi (November 23, 1853 – November 23, 1870) was an Italian ballerina, noted for creating the role of Swanhilda in Léo Delibes' ballet Coppélia at the age of 16 while dancing for the Paris Opera Ballet.

Bozzacchi, who was born in Milan, had come to Paris to study with Mme Dominique. The choreographer Arthur Saint-Léon and the director of the Académie Royale de Musique, Émile Perrin, had been searching for a suitable Swanhilda, after deciding that none of the ballerinas previously considered – Léontine Beaugrand and Angelina Fioretti – were suitable, while Adèle Grantzow, the favorite ballerina of Saint-Léon, had started to prepare the role with choreography in 1868 but then fell seriously ill. In 1869 they even asked the composer, Léo Delibes, to seek out a suitable Swanhilda on his trip to Italy. He returned empty-handed; in the meantime, Saint-Léon and Perrin had discovered 16-year-old Bozzacchi.

She created the Swanhilda role on 25 May 1870 in the presence of Emperor Napoleon III. She repeated her success in the following weeks. In July an international dispute broke out between France and Prussia over the succession to the Spanish throne, and on July 19 France declared war. Bozzacchi danced Swanhilda for the 18th and last time on 31 August, when the Paris Opéra closed for the duration of the Franco-Prussian War. The Opéra had stopped paying salaries, and Bozzacchi, weakened by lack of food, became ill. She contracted smallpox and fever, and died on the morning of her 17th birthday. She was buried at Cimetière de Montmartre in Paris.


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Giuseppina Bozzacchi (Find A Grave)

Ballerina, She became famous for creating the role of 'Swanilda' in "Coppelia". Her career was one of the shortest of record. Trained with Amina Boschetti, a prima ballerina of Milan, then studied in Paris with Mme Dominique, she danced in "Coppleia" for the first time in 1870 but was only to perform the role 18 times before she caught a fever and passed away on her 17th birthday

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Coppélia

The Creation of Coppélia

Coppélia coming to Walnut Creek, CA March 21, 2020

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Alfa Romeo "Giulia" Super Bowl commercial

Official 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super Bowl Commercial | "Dear Predictable" | Extended Cut

Alfa Romeo USA

Leave predictable behind. The all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia stirs your soul, feeds your desires and delivers a permanent escape from monotony. The Alfa Romeo Giulia says goodbye to “Predictable.” A common emotion that comes from driving any other luxury sedan. Giulia has found her true love - a driver that appreciates her for more than just her beauty. Someone who feeds her passion and embraces her power. Therefore, she must say farewell to Predictable for good.

Learn more: https://www.alfaromeousa.com

SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ALFA ROMEO USA VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/user/AlfaRomeoUSA

To ensure a positive online experience for the entire community, we may monitor and remove certain postings if we find them to be inappropriate.

Follow the Alfa Romeo brand on social:
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alfaromeousa
· Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlfaRomeoUSA
· Instagram: https://instagram.com/alfaromeousa
· Tumblr: http://alfaromeousa.tumblr.com/
· Google+: https://plus.google.com/+AlfaRomeoUSA

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There were several ads on the Alfa Romeo YouTube channel under "official" Super Bowl commercials, but this one was the Giulia model. In any case, this is interesting in that is seems to suggest a major upsurge of business for Alfa Romeo USA. This model is in the $42,000 price range, making it a little more affordable than most of the other popular luxury sport cars. Of course, Alfa Romeo being from Milan, Lombardy; but now is a subsidiary of FIAT, headquartered in Turin.

Alfa Romeo Giulia - Car and Driver




Official 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super Bowl Commercial | Mozzafiato

AlfaRomeoUSA

Mozzafiato: To take one's breath. The Alfa Romeo Giulia gives it back.

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Bugatti Veyron Super Sport hits 246 mph on public road

 
Although the company having changed hands internationally over time, and now owned by Volkswagon; the name "Bugatti" will always be tied to its Milanese founder Ettore Bugatti.


From the video description (TheStradman):

1200 HP Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Pur Blanc hits 246.4 MPH!!

This $2.8M, 1200 HP Bugatti Veryon Super Sport Pur Blanc 1/1 hit 246.4 mph to set a new course record at the 2014 Sun Valley Road Rally!

The Pur Blanc is a One of One commissioned for Ben Chen. The Super Sport is a limited edition version of the Bugatti Veyron that set the production car record for top speed. Only 30 Super Sport Veyrons exist. The Super Sport set the record for fastest production car with a top speed of 267mph.

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is powered by a 8.0L W16 that produces a whopping 1200 horsepower. The standard Bugatti Veyron produces 1,001 horsepower. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is valued at USD $2.8 million. The Bugatti Veyron is quad turbocharged; it has 4 turbochargers. The Bugatti Veyron gets 8mph in the city and 12mpg on the highway.

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport hits 246 mph on public road (gallery in link)

By Jeff Glucker - MotorAuthority.com - July 28, 2014

Going fast on a private stretch of race track is quite enjoyable. Especially when there happens to be enough room to really let the car stretch its legs. That is why Volkswagen owns the Ehra-Lessien testing facility in Germany, which comes with a 5.4-mile long straight. It's also the perfect place to find the upper limits of a Bugatti Veyron. Sometimes though, an owner might get a chance to push his machine in a setting that's not quite as prepared for such an endeavor.

The 2014 Sun Valley Road Rally recently took place near Ketchum, Idaho. This event turns the beautiful stretch of Highway 75 into a closed-to-public-traffic roadway that sees high-powered vehicles running as hard as they can. The proceeds go to a charity, people have a good time, and fast cars are exercised extremely well.

It was at this event where a handful of Bugatti Veyrons took to the road to see just what they could accomplish. One of the Veyron beasties in attendance happened to be of the Super Sport variety. Actually, to make it even more rare, it is also a Pur Blanc. Of the 30 Super Sports built, Bugatti produced just one in Pur Blanc guise.

The driver of the car managed to hit a top speed of 246.4 miles per hour at one point, about 21 mph down on the car's record top speed. Nevertheless, this is, as you might imagine, a new record for the Sun Valley Road Rally. Thankfully, someone captured a brief piece of the run on video, which you can see above. It's pretty amazing to note that what sounds like a jet in the distance... is the car.

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Real Madrid CF vs. Inter Milan on July 26 in Berkeley, California

Real Madrid CF and Inter Milan Stage Showdown on Cal Campus

BERKELEY – Relevent Sports, a division of RSE Ventures announced that top international clubs Real Madrid CF and Inter Milan will face off at Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium on the University of California, Berkeley campus on Saturday, July 26, as part of the Guinness International Champions Cup.  Kickoff for the contest, which will be broadcast internationally in more than 150 countries and domestically on Fox Sports 2, is set for 3 p.m. PDT.

“It’s a unique opportunity to bring two of the world’s biggest soccer clubs to the world’s leading public university,” said Berkeley Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance John Wilton. “It's part of our strategy to diversify revenues, and financially support our athletics programs and our core mission of excellence and access in academics and research. As part of the agreement, 25 percent of the soccer match guarantee will be dedicated to academic scholarship support. The match will also give us a chance to share a beautiful part of our campus with soccer fans across Northern California and will have a positive economic impact on the city of Berkeley.”

Exclusive presale tickets for the Real Madrid v. Inter Milan match will be available Monday, May 12, at 9 a.m. PDT for pre-qualified fans, while the general public will have access to tickets beginning Friday, May 16, at 9 a.m. PDT through the Cal Athletic Ticket Office by clicking here. Tickets for this game will start as low as $45. Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to purchase an Ultimate Fan Pack, which includes one supporter’s section ticket, team gear and priority access to select team training. Also available are VIP Team Travel Packs that allow fans to experience the games alongside their favorite teams, including Real Madrid and Inter Milan, providing VIP tickets, charter travel and world-class accommodations to all of their teams’ Guinness International Champions Cup games. All tickets and packages are available at www.internationalchampionscup.com.

Sponsor: Pirelli Tire Company from Milan

The Guinness International Champions Cup is a unique tournament featuring eight of the world’s best and most recognizable soccer clubs: Real Madrid CF, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool FC, AS Roma, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Olympiacos.  Twelve round-robin contests will be hosted across North America with matches in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, Denver, Berkeley, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Dallas and Ann Arbor from July 24-August 2. The tournament will crown an overall champion on Monday, August 4 at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium. For more information on the full Guinness International Champions Cup, including the tournament bracket and team information, visit www.internationalchampionscup.com. The game between Spanish and Italian giants was originally scheduled for University of Phoenix Stadium, in Phoenix, Arizona.

“The Bay Area has long been a soccer hotbed and we are thrilled to bring the first professional soccer game to Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium at University of California, Berkeley,” said Relevent Sports Chief Executive Officer Charlie Stillitano. “Real Madrid and Inter Milan are two of the most famous clubs in the world and always draw huge crowds; we are confident this will be no different when they kick off their 2014 Guinness International Champions Cup on Kabam Field.”

The world’s most decorated club, Real Madrid has won a record 32 La Liga and a record nine European Championships/UEFA Champions League titles.  The club was named FIFA Club of the 20th Century and received the FIFA Order of Merit in 2004. Madrid fans consistently pack the 80,000+ Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in downtown Madrid since 1947.

Founded in 1902, Los Blancos currently field a roster featuring the reigning Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) as well as Gareth Bale (Wales) and Spanish talent Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso.  Led by former Roma and AC Milan midfielder and first year manager Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid returns to the Guinness International Champions Cup after winning the inaugural tournament, beating Chelsea 3-1 on the strength of two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo.  For more information on Real Madrid, visit www.realmadrid.com. “Real Madrid is thrilled to return to the Bay Area of California for the first time since 2010.  The team is proud to play the first-ever soccer game at California Memorial Stadium and there’s no doubt it will be a great event when the club takes on a top European club like Inter Milan,” said Real Madrid CF.

F.C. Internazionale Milano, popularly known as Inter, is one of the most famous clubs in world football. Since its foundation in 1908, it has always played in Serie A and has captured 18 Serie A titles, three European Cups/UEFA Champions League, two Intercontinental Cups, One FIFA Club World Cup, three UEFA Cups, seven Italian Cups and five Italian Super Cups.

The club is currently managed by Walter Mazzarri and is led by legendary Argentine captain Javier Zanetti alongside his countrymen Rodrigo Palacio and Esteban Cambiasso.  In September, Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir became the majority shareholder of the club.  Thohir also owns Major League Soccer club D.C. United.

Further details about the Guinness International Champions Cup can be found at www.internationalchampionscup.com. Teams required to qualify for 2014-15 international competition based on 2013-14 domestic league finishing position may be subject to change.

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Milanese singer Laura Luca's hit single 'Inutilmente Tu' (1978)

Laura Luca was a mainstream Italian singer from Milan. I don't quite feel like saying that she was a "pop singer," but she was perhaps something close to that. I found this charming hit song by accident, as I was unfamiliar with her. She was active from 1978 to 1998, and appears to be retired, at least officially. A music video of this song can be found here, but you may prefer to just listen without distraction. The YouTube channel "LauraLucaFanClub" has other hit songs by her taken live or in music video form, and there are other songs by her on YouTube if you prefer the studio quality.

When I first listened to this song one evening last week, I guess I was in my daydreaming mode; as I imagined a special town I'm long familiar with, and what it may have been like there in 1978 when this song was popular in Italy but not in the U.S. So it was like comparing the 70's California and the 70's Europe. I imagined the typical sunny day there overlooking the tree covered northern California mountains, then I imagine the sunny Italian peninsula.. Lombardy. The landscapes and weather of California is very similar to Italy. It was like a spiritual-connection for me, as she is Lombardian like me; and the quasi-connecting of time and place via this nice song. Anyway, I imagine that special place as it may have been in 1978 when I listen.

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The Lombard migration in North America: Part II

I had been meaning to post the article from part one, but I had misplaced it. The translation was the best that I could do. I suspect that I misinterpreted several sentences, but the main gist of it was clear I believe. The history of Lombardians in North America is a subject which is extremely difficult to outline and put the pieces together. I don't believe that the interview even scratched the surface of the subject! Any article about Lombardian-Americans should always mention Paolo Busti, Giacomo Beltrami, and Mother Cabrini. There were other well-known settlers and missionaries in places like Wisconsin. Joe Montana and Yogi Berra are at least half Lombardian.

From the article:

The main destinations to which this emigration was focused are St. Louis, Missouri, Herrin and Rockford, Illinois, Barre, Vermont, Iron Mountain, Michigan, Walla Walla, Washington, and then in Texas, in San Francisco (in particular in the area of San Rafael), in New Mexico and Arizona.

I'm well aware of "The Hill," which was a Milanese-speaking district in St. Louis after the Civil War. I once had a great article about The Hill that I had posted in one of my early websites, but I somehow lost the text. I'm not familiar with Herrin, Illinois, but I know there is a Lombard club today in Rockford. Barre, Vermont--from what very little I know--sounds like an extremely interesting history. There is some type of festa Italiana there during Memorial Day, for a week, each year. We've covered Iron Mountain in Upper Michigan, close to where my family settled when they came to this country. There were a few Lombard clubs in other parts of Yooper country (Upper Michigan/northern Wisconsin). The Ironwood-Hurley area and Duluth, Minnesota are two other areas where there existed Lombardian community.

From my own research, I have found quite a number of Camunian surnames in Washington state, and of course, we can't forget the Camunian history of Monongahela, Pennsylvania. I had posted a video here regarding Lombardian-Americans in Walla Walla, Washington; which is interesting in that it was an obscure far west location when they first migrated there. There isn't much to draw from as far as Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico in terms of information at this time. I know that there is some type of Lombard club in San Rafael that I wanted to look into. I had posted a little information about Lombardians in San Francisco before, and there was once a "Societa Lombarda of South San Francisco" long ago.

Of course, there is also the presence in northern California--southern California and northwest Nevada as well--of Ticinese descended people that once formed Swiss clubs in various locations. A few are still around, in particular in Marin County; also Imperial County in southern California. Ticinesi are Lombardian by language and culture. I've covered some ground here that I had covered before, but this article draws a wider perimeter to look at; and it should all tie-in at some point. There is at least some interest in our heritage, but it seems to be so fragmented and not placed under the umbrella of "Lombardian-American" as it should be.

Awhile back, I recall reading a few segments of what was I think a fairly new but obscure book about Italian immigrants in western Canada in the early twentieth century. The part that I read was regarding laborers in southeast British Columbia and southwest Alberta. It didn't mention much about where this community originated. Now I can see that this is another area that needs to be looked at. It was very interesting, much like the wild west. A century ago, western locations like this, or Walla Walla, were rural and very far from Lombardy.

I know that there is a sizable Bergamask club in Toronto, and apparently there is a more recent Brescian-Bergamask emigre community in Ontario. Sometimes I just wonder... how come I feel like the last to know? Ontario isn't very far from where my family settled in Upper Michigan, and it's part of the same "Great Lakes Region" I believe. That's part of the function of this blog. To make at least some attempt to put the fragmented pieces--separated by time, distance, and other factors--together in one reference. Apparently, I should state the obvious. We would like to have contact with Lombardians from around the world. It's like a greater family clan, scattered across the globe. Sadly, even though there is indeed some organization, we're not part of it yet.

I suppose that it might be said that the St. Ambrose Church in St. Louis is the symbol of the Lombardian existence on this continent. There is some type of organized Ambrosian church here, but I just don't know much about it. There are other Ambrosian churches around in different states. The Ambrosian Rite is from Lombardy, and is also called the Milanese Rite. It is part of the Catholic Church, but I don't think it's quite Lombardian-identity in the same way as the Greek Orthodox Church is "Greek."

What does all of this really mean? We would like to form a "Lombardian-American Society" of some type. Naturally we would like to see an equivalent in Canada as well. It can't merely be some P.O box in some out of the way location, and nobody ever hears from it. It must be brought about in a way that it creates some interest, and encourages people to put some energy into it. When all facets of Lombardian culture, especially as they have existed in some form in North America, are put together and examined; then the endeavor begins to take form. There is a "Lombardian-American endeavor," but when will all of it's bricks come together to form our citadel?

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Ultra rare Bugatti could be world’s most expensive car

The founder of the Bugatti automobile, Ettore Bugatti, was Milanese. We can cover more about that history at a future time. See images on the link below.

Ultra rare Bugatti could be world’s most expensive car

A 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic — one of just four made — sold recently to a private buyer, and its reported price is, in a word, stunning. Just how much, you ask? Well, auction house and broker Gooding & Company is keeping mum, but reports put the transaction at a stunning $30 million to $40 million.

The car used to be the flagship of the Williamson Bugatti Collection and took Best in Show at the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It doesn’t get much better than that.

According to Gooding & Co., the car was derived from Bugatti’s prototype Aerolithe Electron Coupe, and this particular car was the first of four made, whose restoration “has been revered by enthusiasts throughout the world.”

The car’s new owner has not been disclosed, but Gooding & Co. said the buyer is “a devoted connoisseur who will become the guardian of this treasured piece of automotive history.”

“I am extremely pleased to have found the new buyer for the 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, one of the world’s most significant and valuable automobiles that has been in a private collection and rarely seen during the past four decades,” David Gooding, president and founder of Gooding & Company, said in a statement. “It has been a great pleasure to work with the Williamson Family and Trust in this important endeavor.”

As for that astonishing price, reported on Autoblog.com, if it’s accurate the transaction would far eclipse a record set last year: $12 million for a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa.

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The Milan Cathedral: Iconic image of Milan and Lombardy

The Milan Cathedral has long been the single strongest iconic image of both Milan and Lombardy. Incredibly, it took five hundred years to complete its construction. The history of it's construction is so long, and the architecture so complex, that I will not put the entire Wikipedia page here.

From Wikipedia -- Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Milano; Milanese: Domm de Milan) is the cathedral church of Milan in Lombardy, northern Italy. Dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente (Saint Mary Nascent), it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi.

The Gothic cathedral took five centuries to complete. It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the second largest Catholic cathedral in the world.

The American writer and journalist Mark Twain visited Milan in the summer of 1867. He dedicated chapter 18 of Innocents Abroad to the Milan Cathedral, including many physical and historical details, and a now uncommon visit to the roof. He describes the Duomo as follows:

"What a wonder it is! So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful! A very world of solid weight, and yet it seems ...a delusion of frostwork that might vanish with a breath!... The central one of its five great doors is bordered with a bas-relief of birds and fruits and beasts and insects, which have been so ingeniously carved out of the marble that they seem like living creatures-- and the figures are so numerous and the design so complex, that one might study it a week without exhausting its interest...everywhere that a niche or a perch can be found about the enormous building, from summit to base, there is a marble statue, and every statue is a study in itself...Away above, on the lofty roof, rank on rank of carved and fretted spires spring high in the air, and through their rich tracery one sees the sky beyond. ... (Up on) the roof...springing from its broad marble flagstones, were the long files of spires, looking very tall close at hand, but diminishing in the distance...We could see, now, that the statue on the top of each was the size of a large man, though they all looked like dolls from the street... They say that the Cathedral of Milan is second only to St. Peter's at Rome. I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands."

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