Dear Readers,
Author Goffredo Palmerini, who hails from the land of the “forte ma gentile” people in Abruzzi, Italy, has recently gifted the Italian reading public around the world with another gem of a book “L’Italia Dei Sogni” and his fans who have been waiting since 2011 (L’Altra Italia) couldn’t be happier.
In his latest book “L’Italia dei Sogni” (Italy of the Dreams), the author expresses the dream that Italy might one day free itself from the pessimistic vision of having lost all the quality values that exist in its land and in its people. Palmerini feels that “The Italy that we all dream of exists right now, but in order to be able to see it, we have to look up, to raise our eyes in order to be able to see over the problems which undeniably exist and will continue to exist. Drawing from what we have, which is good, beautiful and in large quantity, we’ll be able to get the strength necessary to overcome and assert again Italian supremacy in culture, traditions and history”.
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“L’Italia dei Sogni” (Italy of the dreams) is Goffredo’s 5th book. All his books express his tremendous love for Italians living in Italy and for those emigrated to other countries of the world.
After traveling extensively around the world for several years and meeting innumerable Italian emigrants, Palmerini knows almost everything about them but mostly knows how sincere is their love for the land that gave them birth.
In the book preface, Errico Centofanti, professional journalist and writer, brilliantly stresses Goffredo Palmerini’s mission in life: the building of a bridge that will enable people to cross a gorge, the gorge of reciprocal indifference that decades of misinformation and negative propaganda have generated between the Italians of Italy and the Italians living outside of Italy.
All the books written by Goffredo excite the fantasy, the figment of the imagination of the reader, because they all refer to two different suitcases: one is the real piece of luggage that all emigrants carry along, filled with the few common items usually needed in daily life; this piece of luggage also includes a large load of hopes, aspirations and dreams that each person would like to transform into reality through hard work and perseverance. The other suitcase is the metaphorical baggage, it is the baggage that Goffredo usually carries: it contains all the dreams of other people, of immigrants that he has met during his travels around the world. Most of the dreams Goffredo recounts in his book, have already come true.
Mostly, they are Abruzzese emigrant dreams, with happy endings all over the globe. Nevertheless, in back of even the best dreams are shadows of those dreams that never materialized. Dreams that make you guess the pain suffered in leaving family members behind, the hardship that comes with migration. “Partire è un po’ morire”, says the old Italian proverb (leaving is a little like dying).
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“L’Italia dei Sogni” is a metaphorical trip toward new horizons, interpreted as the trip of many Italians that emigrated to foreign lands just like Christopher Columbus did in 1492. Palmerini also mentions Pope Francis, Jorge Bergoglio, born in 1936 in Buenos Aires to Italian parents from Piedmont. Francis became pope when Benedict XVI suddenly resigned (February 28, 2013). However, it was reading the happy ending emigrant dreams of thenot so famous in such diverse places as New York, Denmark, Philadelphia, Torino, Pasadena, L’Aquila, Brazil, Australia, the Vatican, plus a dozen other places, and “meeting” people throughout the world vicariously via Palmerini’s prose, that had me enthusiastically reading each short chapter in “L’Italia dei Sogni” cover to cover.
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Goffredo Palmerini was born in L’Aquila, capital of Abruzzi, where he worked for over 30 years at the City Hall as Consigliere Comunale and Administrator. He writes for several papers and magazines, both local and international. In 2008 he won the XXXI Premio Internazionale Emigrazione as journalist and International Prize “Guerriero di Capestrano” for his contribution to the circulation of the Abruzzese culture in the world.
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The author is also an official member of CRAM (Consiglio Regionale Abruzzesi nel Mondo) and a member of Collegio Scientifico del Dizionario dell’Emigrazione. Palmerini is well known overseas and is continuously involved in an intense activity of public relations with the Italian communities around the world. Palmerini is scheduled to visit the U.S. later this year, but I am including his contact info in case Abruzzesi & Molisani club officers wish to contact him now:
Goffredo Palmerini
S.S. 17 Bis, 28/A- Paganica
67100 L’Aquila-Italy
Tel. 011-39-0862-68416
Mobile +39 328 6113944
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“L’Italia dei Sogni”, by Goffredo Palmerini, was not available at Rizzoli Books the last time I checked, but you can easily get a copy for yourself or all the Abruzzesi in your life by visiting the IBS (Internet Book Shop) website. www. ibs.it/code/9788889568354/palmerini-goffredo/italia-dei-sogni.html. The cost of the book and shipping expense in Euros, translates to approximately 33 U.S. dollars with all major credit cards and PayPal accepted in “Pagamenti”. The IBS “numero di telefono” is +39-02-91435230 should you require or desire any “client assistenza”; Readers fluent in Italian will also find at the I.B.S. website a treasure trove of videogames, movies and musical offerings.
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