Under the Shadow of the Bell Tower, Part I

The two greatest challenges to the Italian Craft Beer movement are the Italian tax system and the regionalism known in Italian as Campanilismo or bell towerism.

Under the Shadow of the Bell Tower, Part I

by Bryan Jansing

Campanilismo is a term that expresses the intense Italian regionalism. Campanile in Italian means bell tower. Each town had its own church with its bell tower that sounded off not only the hour, but when farmers were to be out in the fields, when it was time to return for lunch, when it was time to end the day. The bell tower also marked when the town was in peril due to fire, or if there was an oncoming invader. The bell tower was in its time what our cell phones are today. You couldn’t imagine leaving your home without having your cell phone. Nor could you imagine in the serfdom times of Italy living without your bell tower.

The entire town and the larger close-knit communities in the area survived by way of their church bell towers. In turn, this came to represent you, your town, your community. Italians are in essence their bell towers. It’s a rare moment for an Italian to pronounce themselves ‘Italian’. In general, Italians introduce themselves as Romani, Vicentini, Milanesi if they’re from anywhere close to these major cities. Otherwise, they will refer to the province, Liguria, Lazio, Campania. Even deeper, an Italian might consider himself brethren not to other Italians so much, rather to the ancient Etruscans, Lombard or Romans before Italian.

This concept is a far cry from our American patriotism. True, we are proud of where we’re from, but even if you’re a Texan, you’re an American and will chant ‘USA, USA’ at any given event. Ever hear Italians chanting “Italia, Italia” at a regional game? Not likely. The only time you will hear an Italian chant Italia is perhaps at the World Cup. But even then, they’ll be rooting for a player from their home town.    

This also gives way to another Italian issue, one of mistrust and the lack of willingness to work together. Where here in the U.S. we have the American Brewer’s Association that is nationally strong, able to promote their members and lobby the government, the Italian brewer’s associations tend to be something more akin to clubs, rather than national associations. Therefore, they struggle to unite and to truly take on any of the larger breweries. But the mega-industrialized breweries of Moretti and Peroni aren’t really their Goliaths. It’s the Italian government that they must take on to survive and doing so regionally isn’t enough.

Birra Birra Everywhere

What a strange sight to be sitting at a restaurant in Italy with the same wooden tables, flimsy straw chairs and everybody of all ages drinking beer...with no pizza or wine to be had.

 As you may know, if you’re reading this blog, Paul and I just returned from Italy from a ten day tour of Italian craft breweries. We met and interviewed several brewers including Agostino Arioli of Birrificio Italiano, one of the founders of the beer movement in Italy, Giovanni Campari from Del Ducato who’s the most awarded brewer in Italy, the Lambrate crew, also one of the first and Leonardo Di Vincenzo from Del Borgo, perhaps one of the most innovative Italian brewers and certainly a major cog in the gears keeping the Italian craft beer movement alive. We spoke with Bruno Carillo from Toccalmatto, whose imagination brings to life some of the most interesting brews and whose push across Europe is spreading the Italian suds well beyond the Alps and obscurity.

We had an opportunity to meet Teo Musso from Baladin, another founding father whose influence is felt throughout the Italian craft beer community, as well as Fabio and Emmanuelle, owners of Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fa` and Bir e Fud. There’s no doubt that these two innovative pub owners set the pace that is now off and running. Without their entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm for beer, things in the Italian craft beer world might look a little different. Without a doubt, this book wouldn’t be in the works.

Of course, there are many, many other pubs and breweries, but we only had ten days, so we touched upon the most important within our reach. We will be returning for more interviews, but this trip has rooted our cause in firm, fertile soil.

We learned two essential things about the Italian craft beer movement: One, that the people behind these locations are basically nuts for even thinking about brewing Italian craft beer and two, they are most definitely passionate. In short, they love craft beer and wanted to drink it, so they made it. Their innovation in crafting fine beers is limitless. They set their bar very high whether it be in craft or taste.

 

 

 

Did you know that in the wine country, beer has surpassed wine as the favorite drink outside of the home? A 2010 study done by Makno for Assobirra found the number of Italians drinking beer while eating out had more than doubled since the previous year and beer had overtaken wine as the preferred beverage enjoyed outside the home (World Atlas of Beer 2012).

More and more Italians are consuming beer. And why not? Apart from the U.S., Italy is the most interesting and creative beer country in the world, combining the traditional beer cultures of Europe with the unique Italian touch, from Baladin’s purposefully-oxidized Xyauyu` to the beautifully blended Beersel Mattina collaboration with Tre Fonteinen and Del Ducato.
Italy's craft beer movement has accelerated in the last few years. They are today, where the Uninted States was 15 years ago. Fifteen years ago a handful of men, Teo Musso, Agostino Arioli, and Leonardo Di Vincenzo crafted a mark on the Italian culinary culture. Their pitch has fermented from 20 microbreweries in 2002 to nearly 500 today.

One of Italy's most impressionable mark on the taste buds of beer lovers has been the chestnut beer. Yes, chestnuts. How very Italian, no?

So next time you're at your favorite beer store, ask about Italian Craft Beers. 

Cin Cin 

 

 

My massive project, the memior of Ron Gonen, is nearly complete. I've spent five years working on this memior about Ron Gonen, an international thief who escaped Interpol and made his way to Manhattan in the early1980s where he became a highend coke dealer. His success got the attention of what would become known as the first Israeli mafia. After turning state's evidence he was hidden away for 20 years in the Witness Protection Program.

There is already a very well written book by David Copeland about Ron Gonen's years as a coke dealer, but this memior encompasses his entire 25 years as a criminal. It's a page turner. Ron Gonen's life as a thief is probably my favorite part. His cu

I will be doing a reading at the Mercury Cafe, 20 Oct. @ 7pm of my story Cold Feet from the wonderful Fast Forward Press, the first all flash fiction press ever with the likes of:

Chase Townsley
Evon Davis
Nicholas Morris
Jamey Trotter
Amy Braziller
Jon Olsen
John Kuebler
Nate Jordon
Shari Jones
Erin Virgil
Rob Geisen
Nancy Stohlman
Kona Morris
John Jaramillo
Shelby Jaffe
Jonathan Montgomery
Meg Tuite
Katharyn Whynograd

If you've not heard of these people, look them up. They are some extraordinary folks and I'm very excited to be in a room with all of them. I will be surrounded by friends, family and some great writers.

The new release of Fast Forward, the only publication solely devoted to flash fiction, is out! Check out my story Cold Feet and come to the reading on Saturday, Oct. 20th at the Mercury Cafe in downtown Denver.

Glimmer Train'sVery Short Fiction AwardTop 25 Winners And Finalists

The finalists, listed in alphabetical order:
Madalyn Aslan for "The Man in the Sky"
Sean Beaudoin for "Planning"
Belle Boggs for "Deer Season"
Michael Busch for "Patterns of Flight"
Peg Cronin for "These Things Will Not Convey"
Stevie Davis for "The Shadow Knows the Corner, the Corner Knows the Dust"
Edmund DeJesus for "Feathers"
Rebecca Epstein for "Broken Things"
Sean Iannucci for "Before The Fight"
Julie Iromuanya for "My Brother Told Me"
Bryan Jansing for "Cold Feet"
Heather Jarrow for "Awaken"
Tom Juvik for "The Last Worst Thing"
Jonathan Kooker for "Measures of Height, Heat and Time"
Tarannum Laila for "Kadamphul"
sandra maddux-creech for "White Fleet Taxi"
jana martin for "Galletas"
Nima Omidi for "Haha, Circa"
Sara Pennington for "Hell Is a Smallish Hole"
Amy Root for "One Dry Dress"
Patricia Traxler for "The Secret of Life Itself"
Anne Wyman for "Hummingbird Feeder"

Glimmer Train Press, Inc.1211 NW Glisan Street, #207, Portland, OR 97209telephone: 503.221.0836