Introductions in Italy
Rollando
Sheer rock and the rough sea harbors the small town
of Vernazza. All the villagers gather on the small
dock to wish Rollando Pucini a safe trip. He stands
with his back against the sea, which some would seem
unlucky, but for Rollando, luck always kneels at his
feet. His figure is silhouetted against the red and
orange sky; his hands resting on his hips, his eyes
gazing into the crowd, his broad shoulders built from
heaving the heavy fishing nets filled with the ocean’s
creatures and his mind waiting patiently for the
voyage ahead of him. Rollando was born into a family
of poor fishermen. He has been driven by his pride to
work the sea as hard as he can and to catch the
biggest fish the town has ever seen. Even though he is
envied by all the fishermen for catching the most
delicious fish and is followed by flocks of admiring
women of the town, arrogance has never touched his
soul. In reality, humans tend to be weak to the power
of reverence, but let the idea of an uncorrupted human
be preserved; he is the protagonist. He looks around
at the people of his city and smiles.
Vernazza
The small fishing town,Vernazza, one of the five
towns in the region Cinque Terre, prides itself for
housing the true experts of the sea. Each generation
is brought up to pulse the tendencies of the ocean in
their blood and to breath in the waters of past
generations in continuing the tradition of excellent
craftsmanship of ships and skills needed to survive
the ocean deadly
wrath and perilous temper. Vernazza is embedded in the
cliffs of Italy and harbors the most luxurious and
mellow wines as well as the most juicy and flavorful
fish. The town is small and cozy. The houses are built
in clumps which encircles a small cove of water where
fishing boats are sometimes anchored. The water is
rich in color- a rich blend of greens and deep blues.
Greenery surrounds the rest of the town and continues
up the coast. If one weren’t looking for the town, one
would pass it by and have never known it existed.
Giovani
He awaits his best friend on the ship, tapping his
fingers on the side of the boat and letting the salty
sea breeze tickle his nose. Giovani is easily swayed
by the slightest wind of doubt which makes him a very
awkward and self conscience person. He is a gentle guy
and is passionate about every thing he does. He is
observant and as kind and careful with his words as he
is with his family. Ever since he and his family
argued about his future and his annoying indecisive
tendencies, a tense and foreboding silence has been
lingering in their household. Everyone wishes that the
awkward tension would pass, but feelings can only be
suppressed for so long. Giovani’s devotion and
attention to his friends has set him back from his
future goals, which would explain his sporadic life
style, but he has never raised his voice in anger
because of this, mostly because he doesn’t care. He
loves to entertain and make everyone around him feel
significant and unnoticed. He is the one who would go
out of his way to blow a kiss to una nonna or smile
and tip his hat to una nonno out of respect. He
essentially brings a pleasant humble presence to his
surroundings; like a quiet breeze.
La Sua Signora
His Lady is the ship in which Giovani waits. It was
bought by Rollando, furnished (fishing rods, pillows,
table, etc.) by Fabiano, and is taken care of (washed
and repaired) by Giovani; therefore they agree on a
mutual understanding of equal ownership. La Sua
Signora is a
masterpiece of craftsmanship and the largest and most
powerful boat in the region Cinque Terre. It extends
550 feet from bow to stern. It rises above water to
nearly 50 feet and is the pride and glory of the three
men. It is painted a dark emerald and cerulean and has
two brick red fishing poles off the starboard side. It
overshadows the small harbor in which it is anchored
and the crowd that always comes out to wave the boat
off with white handkerchiefs each time it departs.
They stand in awe of the marvelous sight of the boat.
When they see the boat it means food, that they are
eminently honored to cook with, awaits them. Rollando
bought the ship about ten years ago from an old sea
dog was close to being called insane. The ship was
rusted over and the paint was falling off when
Rollando bought it. “Captain” Stephan built it with
his own rough sea bitten hands, but failed to actually
keep the boat clean and intact. The men were men and
decided to tear the ship apart instead of just
repainting the boat. This was a stressful time and
caused many fights and the buying of drinks to repair
the old (15 years to be exact) friendship but, it
always came down to Maria to pat the boys on the back
and bring them to reasoning. The ship is a memorabilia
of friendship; work, devotion and the trust that
everything will run smoothly.
Maria
Maria, Rollando’s sister, often goes on trips with
the men. She is five years younger than Rollando and
is under the careful eye of her brother, which
explains why she often goes fishing with them instead
of joining the other girls in their sun dresses, on
the dock, in the company of relishing and taunting
boys (it might be stereotypical for a brother to look
after his sister, but it is the most common thread
that knits through brotherhood and Rollando has good
reason to look after his sister). Maria is a tall,
slender girl with dark brown hair that is as liquid as
the movement of the ocean. Her hair is thick and goes
down to the middle of her back. She has light eyes and
a quirky smile. Maria is a spunky young woman and
blames that attribute of her personality on the fact
that she grew up with an outgoing and as equally
spunky brother. Maria has a kind
tongue and is very family oriented. She is very much a
lady, even at such a young age of fifteen.
Fabiano
Maria’s crush (which makes dodging her brother’s eyes
even harder). He is tall, dark and handsome; an
enthusiastic athlete and scholar; overly confident and
very much self absorbed; a real heartbreaker. He is
the Ares of Vernazza, the temple for women and the
friend of fiends. His knowledge of the sea astounds
the eldest of men and his ambition has embraced
(almost even commanded) the attention of his fellow
townsmen. Like the townsmen, Maria has fallen victim
to his demanding presence. She has lusted for him, has
lived a good portion of her life hiding her secret and
spent countless hours daydreaming of him. However, the
only attention she would get from him is a gentle pat
on the head. A pure gesture and heartbreaking reminder
that he is her brother’s friend and will stay loyal to
his friend, Rollando, and not get involved with his
sister. He has been one of Rollando’s companions ever
since the first day he went fishing. It seems just
days ago, in mid August, when he and they went
fishing. They were both about five years old. The
water was mellow and lapping against the multi colored
pebbles on the small beach. Their fathers decided it
was time to teach the young boys the tactics, passed
down by their fathers, to battle the sea’s powerful
and unforgivable temper. Ever since that day in August
Fabiano and Rollando have been a part of each others
lives. Boyhood brought desperate competition, but
eventually adulthood brought a higher understanding of
friendship which they still cherish close to their
hearts. However, there was a time when a girl had come
between them.
Adriana
Elegant, poised and stunning. A fantasy for all men.
A prepossessing adversary for women who desired the
same attention from the people of the city. Her smoky
eyes could melt the heart of the onlooker and forever
grip the soul of the one who fell for her angelic
presence. Her walk was as confident as God walking on
water. She often wore dresses that flowed in
different shades behind her and emphasized the
perfection of her body. The smell of her hair was
intoxicating; the sweet smell that tasted like fresh
fruit of her conditioner was a powerful aroma that
tickled the back of the passerby’s nose. She smiled
with confidence. It was a twinkle in the shade, the
light at the end of the tunnel and the force of hope
that drew in her victims. This creation of flawless
beauty stood between the friends.
Gili Amici
The friends met when they were young. Like all long
term friendships, they have been though it all; fights
about love and dignity. However, their bond can not be
broken. They are as impenetrable as an iron triangle.
La Comunita
The community looks as charming as the town. It is
essentially una famiglia. Like a family it is a place
of gossip, laughter and of course, disputes. Walking
down the main street in Vernazza it is accustomed to
see the grandmothers and grandfathers playing dominos
or lazily sweeping the dust from their family’s
porches, children in the stone streets running around
under the careful eye of the parents and the teenagers
giggling on bicycles riding down to the pier. The
night life is a spectacular sight to see. The town is
illuminated and the orange glow ignites the small
cove. The water looks as if it were on fire. In day
and night, the town looks like a perfect Italian town,
but, what many don’t see is the chaos behind closed
doors. Fights break out with out any warning. Most of
the time they are drunken fights; many take advantage
of the attractive wines that are made in the town.
Even so, the problems and small disputes that
underline the drunken pandemonium build up in the
small village and impatience can take over even the
best of character. Rollando, for example, exploded
with rage when he heard that Fabiano was sleeping with
Adriana. It was a fight that woke up the whole town.
Rollando stormed into Fabiano’s apartment one night
and threw him outside. Fabiano was only in his briefs,
but Rollando didn’t
care. His fists were clenched and tears dripped down
his face. He was a drunken disaster. The community was
able to calm him down; partly because he was
embarrassed by his tears but also because of the
strength of the people holding him back from viciously
doing something that he would regret.
Il Vino
The wine is grown above the city, on the slopes of
the top of the cliff. The vineyards are the play
grounds for the youth of the town. The wind blows a
little stronger up there and the hands of the children
comb through the movement of the grape vines. They
play hide and go seek and run barefoot along the
aisles. The grapes are harvested by the people of the
town and brought down to the square to be made into
wine. The taste of the wine is dry and harmonic. It is
has a delicate smell and goes well with anchovies and
other fish. It is made from Bosco, Albarola and
Vermentino grapes. They are plump and light green.
Their leaves fan from the top of the cluster and
compliment and shadow the light green grapes by being
a shade of dark green or jade. The people of the town
drink this flavorful wine with all their meals after
mid day. It is slowly sipped to allow the taste to
fully accompany the salty taste of the cooked fish and
home made bread and olive oil. Although the wine is
cherished and respected because of it’s charming
flavor, there is one who exploits it.
L’ubriaco
The drunk is Rollando’s older brother, Bruno. He has
never achieved any form of glory or lived up to his
family’s name. He’s known for sulking in the shadow of
his brother’s ego; his younger brother outshines him;
a depressing situation to think about. He is ten years
older than Rollando and has begun forming a belly that
droops out of his pants. It taunts him. His face
doesn’t have a beard or mustache that could chisel off
a few pounds off of his face and his balding head adds
years to his real age. His best friend is the bar
owner. The bar owner once had
sympathy for him, but after all the neglected words of
encouragement he gave to Bruno and the pain of his
faith being smashed that his hopeful words could help
the poor soul, he gave up on his customer. Bruno
visits his friend twice a week for a glass or two or
three of his favorite drink. They will remain to each
other the customer and the bar owner, nothing more
than mere acquaintances. The drunk lives alone and is
very distant to his town. His parents are the only
ones who keep encouraging him out of his twisted
drunken mind state. Out of fantasy and into reality.
I Genitori
The parents of Rollando, Maria and Bruno are very
well known in the community. They are the parents of
all parents. They are the ones that give both children
and adults warm and breathtaking bear hugs. They are
the ones that kiss a wound no matter how bloody it is.
They are the ones that cheer even the most naughty of
children. They are the ones that hand out treats no
matter what day it is. They are the ones that give
advice to anyone that is willing to listen. They are
the ones who have the softest, most caring shoulders
to cry on. They are the ones that everyone, even
Fabiano, the most egotistical person in the city, has
respect for. They are the ones that take care of the
city. They are the ones that cradle it gently in their
arms.
Rollando
Rollando turns around and faces the sun. The sun is
warm on his chest. His eyes squint and his senses soak
up the elements of the sea; birds overhead, wind and
water. He turns back around and lowers his head with a
smile. He waves as he casts off for another day of
fishing. As he’s pulling on the rough ropes, pride
swells in his heart not because he knows he’s going to
catch the biggest fish, but because he’s going to
catch the biggest fish for his people; his famiglia.