(26 February 2016) Food, traditions, history, and emigration: the relationship between Italy and Chile is the focus of an event scheduled in Santiago as part of the celebrations for the 112th anniversary of the Italian Community in Capitán Pastene (in southern Chile, Lumaco, Region IX). For the event, the documentary “Los Nonnos de la Terra Nostra” will be screened. The documentary by Claudio Sacca Balocchi tells the story of Italian emigration to that area in the early 20th century by colonists from the Emilia-Romagna region, depicting an interesting yet little known phenomenon. In this corner of Chile, people eat lasagna, ham and tortellini; they use the Modenese dialect mixing it into Spanish and preserving cultural traditions, such as music and dance, born in the Apennines. The documentary “Los Nonnos de la Terra Nostra” pays tribute to the cultural relations between Italy and Chile, testifying to the formation of the Italian community of Capitán Pastene through the stories of the early Italian settlers who, over a hundred years ago, arrived in Southern Chile in search of a new life thousands and thousands of kilometers away from home, while maintaining their cultural and culinary traditions. “The screening will be a new opportunity to reflect on the cultural relations between our countries, even at the gastronomic level” underlines the Italian Cultural Institute in Santiago that houses the event scheduled for Monday 7 March at 7:30pm (Triana 843, Providencia). The meeting was organized in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy, the Emilia-Romagna Region, Casa Artusi, the Emilia-Romagna nel mondo Consul, and the Association Capitán Pastene. “After the screening, there will be a tasting to highlight how the two culinary traditions, the Italian and Chilean one, can mix with excellent results,” concludes the Institute. The tasting, by Emilia-Romagna chef, now residing in Chile, Roberto Illari, who will prepare a dish traditional of his land, enriching it with a typical element of the Chilean cuisine: tortellini with Merken (a mixture of aromatic substances). The tasting will be accompanied by the Sangiovese wine, produced in Chile by Giorgio Flessati (Mayu vineyards) in the Elqui Valley. (Red)
