Francesco II Requiem Masses and Commemorations by the SMOCSG, 1° Reggimento Re and 2° Reggimento Regina, and Movimento Neoborbonico

Members of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George
Photos courtesy of Mirko Speranza and the Fondazione Francesco II delle Due Sicilie

After the National Feast day and Christmas celebrations, the Two Sicilies and SMOSCG community marks annually the death of the late King Francis II of the Two Sicilies, former Grand Master of the SMOSCG, with a series of requiem masses and honor guard ceremonies in Naples, the former capital, as well as in cities through the former Kingdom and abroad.

Requiem Mass was also celebrated
in the Parish of the Madonna del
Carmine in Conversano, Bari

On 27 December 2021 M. Rev. Padre Guardiano Vincenzo Palumbo celebrated Holy Mass in remembrance of Servant of God Francesco II di Borbone delle Due Sicilie with a Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George in the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples, while another mass was likewise celebrated in the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria at the behest of the Movimento Neoborbonico and the Fondazione Il Giglio.

During the solemn occasion in Santa Chiara, the SMOCSG Naples Delegate Dama Commendatore Marchesa Federica De Gregorio Cattaneo presented the Fondazione Francesco II with a Gold Medal of recognition which HRH Prince Carlo di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, Grand Master of the SMOCSG bestowed upon the Foundation represented by President Giuseppe Cerchia, Vice President Don Luciano Rotolo, Spiritual Director Luigi De Filippo, Treasurer Gaspare Arpaio, and Secretary General Umberto Crescenzi and Nob. Cav. Giovanni Grimaldi. The Foundation accepted also accepted honors on behalf of Rev. Don Francesco Scapin, the Archpriest of the Collegiata di S. Maria Assunta in Arco (Trent, where the King died) and Dama Prof. Gallidoro.

During the commemorations a gold Benemerenza Medal was bestowed upon Don Massimo Cuofano, founder of the Fondazione Francesco II delle Due Sicilie

Last year HRH Carlo di Borbone issued a motu proprio to bestow upon the Foundation's founder Don Massimo Cuofano the Gold Benemerenza Medal for his vision and ceaseless efforts to promote the cause for canonization of Francis II. Also present were the Honor Guard of the Royal Tombs, the Foundation's Campania Delegate Cav. Riccardo Spadafora and Trentino Delegate Dr. Marco Ascione (also representative at the Chiesa della Vittoria), and the men of the 1° Reggimento Re.

Members of the 1° Reggimento Re served as honor guard at the royal tombs

The Two Sicilies community thanks the men and women of the SMOCSG, the Foundation and the 1° and 2° Reggimento for their tireless efforts in promoting the cause for the late King's beatification and canonization and for the generous charitable efforts to those in need all year round in the spirit of the late King's well-known kindness, which he and the late Queen continued to practice even from their exile. The community also thanks the members of the Royal Regiments who carry out at their own expense numerous commemorations and who serve as honor guards in Naples and other cities.

~ Cav. Charles Sant’Elia, December 31, Feast of San Silvestro I

Top Ten Posts of 2021

(Top L-R) Fucarazzo di Sant'Antuono in Brooklyn, New York; Charles Coulombe book tour in Annandale, New Jersey; and Eucharistic procession at the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents in Manhattan. (Center) Two Sicilies Pipe Club 'founders' night dinner and pipes in Brooklyn, New York. (Bottom L-R) Fr. Connolly with portrait of Emperor Karl of Austria at Most Holy Redeemer Church in Manhattan; Catholic & Monarchist fellowship in Bronxville, New York; and new reliquary for first-class relic of San Rocco di Montpellier in Brooklyn, New York

01 Throwing Down the Gauntlet
02 Forgotten Master/ The Traditional and Federative Monarchy of Francisco Elias de Tejada
03 Live Dangerously
04 Charles Coulombe Returns to Bronxville, New York
05 Charles Coulombe’s East Coast Book Tour Rolls into the Garden State
06 Solemn Vespers and Lecture on Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria in New York City
07 Happy Twelfth Anniversary
08 Pilgrimage to The Holy Mountain
09 Our Philatelic Pursuits
10 Commemorating la Giornata dell Memoria per il Popolo Duosiciliano

Honorable Mention:

11 A Look at the Sons of the Two Sicilies Smoking Pipe Club Inaugural “Founders’ Night Dinner and Pipes”
12 The Legacy of the Franco-Neapolitan Cottrau Family and Neapolitan Song
13 A Look at the Thirteenth Annual Battle of Bitonto Commemoration in New York City

Click here to see last year’s results

This Day in History — The Battle of Garigliano (1503)

El Gran Capitán
Gonzalo Fernandez de Córdoba

I would rather choose to be buried instantly one foot forward, then by retreating a few yards backwards to prolong my life a hundred years. ~ Magnanimous resolution of Gonzalo de Córdoba at the Garigliano

On December 29, 1503, the Spanish army led by General Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, First Duke of Santángelo, defeated at the Battle of Garigliano a much larger French army under the command of Ludovico II del Vasto, Marquis of Saluzzo. The engagement proved to be the decisive battle in the Third Italian War and ultimately gave the Spanish Empire dominion over the Kingdom of Naples for the next two centuries.

Background

Following the first and second phases of the Italian Wars fought for the mastery of the peninsula by France, Spain, and their allies, the Treaty of Granada was signed on November 11, 1500, which secretly partitioned the Kingdom of Naples between the two belligerents. Pope Alexander VI not only ratified the iniquitous pact, but sent a Papal Army and 16 Roman prostitutes to support the French under the command of his illegitimate son Cesare Borgia, the butcher of Capua.[1]

Invading in 1501, the French and Spanish quickly deposed King Federigo of Naples, bringing the Aragonese Dynasty to an inglorious end.[2] Dividing up his Kingdom between themselves, the northern portion of the realm, including the city of Naples, was taken by Louis XII of France, while the southern half was seized by Federigo's cousin Ferdinand the Catholic. 

Naturally, tensions flared as neither side were satisfied with their share of the spoils and open hostilities were soon renewed. Quickly escalating, skirmishes over disputed territories turned into pitched battles for control of the entire Kingdom. The French under Louis d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours and First French Viceroy of Naples, laid siege to Barletta in Puglia, but failed to subjugate the port city before Spanish reinforcements arrived. 

It was during this period that the famed Challenge of Barletta took place. Captured during a foray, a handful of French prisoners were invited to eat with their captors and brashly insulted the manhood of the Italian warriors during the meal. Challenging them to a duel, thirteen French knights faced off against thirteen Italian knights on the field of battle on February 13, 1503. To a man, the Italians defended their honor and the French were soundly beaten.

In the aftermath of Spanish victories at the Battles of Seminara and Cerignola in April 1503, and Naples in May, the French withdrew north to the fortress city of Gaeta. After the Duke of Nemours fell in battle at Cerignola, the Marquis of Saluzzo was now in command of the French army. 

Unable to take Gaeta, the Spaniards gave their desperate foe a chance to recover and prolong the war. Reinforced from Genoa, the French garrison regrouped and drove the besiegers back over the Garigliano River, with each army taking defensive positions on opposite sides of a bridge.

The Battle of Garigliano

The Spanish in their trenches and redoubts were able to repulse the repeated attempts by the French to cross the swollen river, which lead to a temporary standoff. Hindered by the bad weather and muddy banks, it looked as if both armies were digging in for winter. However, the Spanish secretly built a pontoon bridge several miles upriver from the main French camp, allowing their forces to cross over undetected and overrun the smaller, unsuspecting French outposts at Suio and Castelforte.[3]

Hearing news of the breach, the French sounded a general retreat and attempted to dismantle the bridge. Barges laden with heavy canon and supplies capsized at the mouth of the river, with almost three hundred men drowning in the treacherous waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

On the morning of December 29, Córdoba set upon the withdrawing French in a brilliantly executed pincer movement. Outmaneuvered by the Spanish, several thousand Frenchmen and Swiss mercenaries died in the field.

Put to flight, the Marquis of Saluzzo’s army once again retreated to Gaeta. In their haste, the sick, wounded, and nine pieces of artillery were abandoned and fell into the hands of the Spanish.

Chevalier de Bayard defending the bridge during the Battle of Garigliano
by Hénri Felix Emmanuel Philippoteaux (1505)

Relentlessly harried, the French only avoided heavier loses thanks to the heroics of Pierre de Terrail, the courageous Chevalier de Bayard, known as “the good knight without fear and without reproach.” On a narrow bridge near Scauri, Bayard and a handful of loyal men-at-arms staved off an attack by some two hundred Spaniards, allowing their fleeing kinsmen a chance to reorganize. Amazingly, Bayard himself was able to get away.

Barricading themselves in at Mola, the French attempted to make a stand. At first they held firm and put up a good fight, they even beat back the Spanish at one point, but outmatched on the day they were eventually overwhelmed and routed. The rearguard under Lieutenant Bernardo Adorno temporarily impeded the Spanish advance with fifty brave lancers before being killed. This allowed the remnant of the French army to escape to Gaeta.

Aftermath

The Spanish laid siege to the fortress again, but the impregnable walls would not fall. This time, with no reinforcements forthcoming, the demoralized French eventually capitulated on January 1, 1504. According to the agreed upon terms, prisoners of war were exchanged and the French were given safe passage back to France. On January 31, 1504, King Louis XII finally acquiesced and officially abandoned his claim to Naples in the treaty of Lyon.

Spanish stamp honoring
El Gran Capitán (1958)

Earning the name El Gran Capitán for his political prowess and military exploits, particularly his innovative tactical use of pike and shot (arquebus) formations during his campaigns, Córdoba proved to be one of the greatest commanders of the age. Awarded the title of First Duke of Terranova by King Ferdinand, The Great Captain was also given the prestigious honor of serving as Spain’s First Viceroy of Naples.

The Battle of Garigliano marked a watershed in the history of Naples, as the Kingdom was united with Imperial Spain and contributed mightily to the Empire’s glorious Golden Age. To be sure the internecine fighting between France and Spain continued around Europe until the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis on April 3, 1559, and for better or worse Neapolitan Knights and levies were present in these theaters of war, but for all intents and purposes the conflict came to an end in Naples, allowing Córdoba to conduct the affairs of the viceroyalty until 1506.

~ Giovanni di Napoli, December 28, Feast of the Holy Innocents

Notes:

[1] On June 24, 1501, the French and Papal host under Cesare Borgia invaded the Kingdom of Naples and stormed the city of Capua, killing around 3,200 defenders. “As well this,” according to contemporary historian Francesco Guicciardini, “they slaughtered without mercy all priests and nuns they could find in churches and monasteries, as well as the women. Many young girls were viciously raped. The total dead eventually numbered over 6,000.” 

[2] Advancing south to Naples, the French left a path of destruction in their wake. Fleeing to the isle of Ischia, King Federigo accepted the peace terms offered by General Bernard Stuart, 4th Seigneur d'Aubigny, and renounced all claims to the Neapolitan throne. In return, the cravenly King was granted the duchy of Anjou and a generous annuity.

His son, Don Fernando de Aragón, Duke of Calabria, proved to be more problematic, as well as honorable, and continued to defend the Kingdom at Taranto in Puglia. Ultimately falling to Córdoba on March 1, 1502, the Duke was taken hostage and exiled to Spain.

[3] The famed Umbrian condottiero Count Bartolomeo d'Alviano is believed to be the mastermind behind the pontoon bridge scheme.

Bibliography/Further reading:

• Between Salt Water and Holy Water: A History of Southern Italy, Tommaso Astarita, W.W. Norton & Company, 2005

• Politics and Culture in Renaissance Naples, Jerry H. Bentley, Princeton University Press, 1987

• The History of Italy from the year 1490 to 1592, Volume 3, Francesco Guicciardini, translated by Austin Parker Goddard, University of Michigan, 1753

• The historical, political, and diplomatic writings of Niccolo Machiavelli, Volume 3, Niccolò Machiavelli, translated by Christian E. Detmold, James R. Osgood and Company, 1882

• The Earlier Tudors, 1485-1558, John D. Mackie, Oxford University Press, 1952

• The court of don Fernando de Aragón, Duke of Calabria in Valencia, c.1526–c.1550: music, letters and the meeting of cultures, Bernadette Nelson, Early Music, Volume 32, Number 2, May 2004, pp. 195-222 (Article), Published by Oxford University Press 

• The Borgias: Power and Fortune, Paul Strathern, Pegasus Books, 2019

Remembering Our Servant of God, King Francis II of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Andrew and John with the flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

Monday evening, members of the Fratelli della Santa Fede held a modest commemoration for the 127th anniversary of the death of the Servant of God, King Francis II of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. This year's dinner was held at Joe’s of Avenue U (287 Avenue U) in Gravesend, Brooklyn. As per our custom, we prayed for the Beatification of Francis II, the intentions of family and friends, and the poor and forgotten Souls in Purgatory.

We erected a small shrine to Francis II at our table

Vastedda smothered in creamy ricotta and fiore sardo

Sausage and peppers with potatoes

Trippa con patate e piselli

(L) We enjoyed some Nero d'Avola with our dinner. (R) Traditional Sicilian marionette depicting the heroic Orlando from the Song of Roland

Afterward, we took a quick ride to Villabate Allba Pasticceria (7001 18th Avenue) in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn for some caffè and dessert. 

Brioche con gelato

Iris and espresso

Buon Natale! Buon Anno! and Viva ‘o Rre!

Prayer for the Beatification of SG King Francis II of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

O One and Triune God, Who casts Your glance on us from Your throne of mercy, and called Francis II of Bourbon to follow You, choosing him on earth to be king, modeling his life on the very Kingship of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, pouring into his heart sentiments of love and patience, humility and meekness, peace and pardon, and clothing him with the virtues of faith, hope and charity, hear our petition, and help us to walk in his footsteps and to live his virtues.

Glorify him, we pray You, on earth as we believe him to be already glorified in Heaven, and grant that, through his prayers, we may receive the graces we need. Amen.

Celebrating La Vigilia and Other Christmas Traditions

Baccalà in umido with tomato, onion and olives

Like many Duosiciliano Americans, my family still keeps the tradition of La Vigilia di Natale, the Southern Italian ritual of eating seafood and eschewing meat on Christmas Eve. We don’t do the so-called Festa dei sette pesci, or “Feast of the Seven Fishes,” but we do eat a variety of aquatic delicacies.

Despite regular and varied claims to authenticity, I believe the “Seven Fish” custom is a recent fabrication. According to my family’s matriarchs there were never a set number of dishes served. We simply ate what we could afford, and what was fresh and available.

Today, we normally have shrimp, calamari, clams, mussels and scungilli (whelk), which all can be prepared in a variety of ways. Capitone fritto alla napoletana (fried eel) use to be the main course, but nowadays, since the passing of my grandparents, the dish has been replaced with aragosta (lobster), ricci di mare (sea urchin), seppia (cuttlefish), or baccalà (salt cod). This year, we enjoyed baccalà in umido (stewed codfish) and mini lobster tails.

Following the fish bonanza, we had three different types of meatless panzerotti, a delicious deep-fried crescent-shaped dough filled with onions and capers; sweet ricotta; and the classic mozzarella and tomato.

Next came fruit, roasted chestnuts, caffè and an assortment of delicious sweets, including homemade cartellate and struffoli, the quintessential Neapolitan Christmas dessert. There is no panettone in my house.

Between courses we played a few games of chess then attended Midnight Mass. Afterward, instead of going straight home, we took our customary passeggiata through Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, to admire the festive Christmas decorations. My family has been doing this for as long as I can remember, though originally it was in East New York, Brooklyn, where my maternal grand- and great-grandparents were from.

Insalata di mare

Fritto misto di mare

Spaghetti alle vongole 

Sautéed rapini

Mini lobster tails

Panzerotti

Homemade cartellate with fig syrup

Homemade Struffoli

Christmas morning we exchanged presents and went to Mass. Sadly, this year I did not make the Mass at Dawn commemorating Santa Anastasia. 

Normally we would make the rounds and visit family and friends until dinnertime, but unfortunately the Covid hysteria has put a damper on that custom. Out of our control, we had to grudgingly settle for phone calls and text messages.

No less extravagant than the Eve, Christmas dinner was a culinary tour de force with plenty of hot and cold antipasti, insalata, baked manicotti and, for the first time ever, a perfectly cooked prime rib. Fruit, dessert and caffè completed the meal.

Beautifully decorated High Altar at Holy Innocents Church

The crèche at Holy Innocents Church

Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar

(Above & below) Since the Our Lady of Perpetual Help bye-altar
was decorated with the crèche, a temporary shrine to Our Lady
with her Guardian Angel was erected at Holy Innocents

Our Lady with her Guardian Angel

Thank you Santa!

(Above & below) Game night just got more interesting

Conan the Barbarian game piece

Prosciutto e melone

Hot antipasti with polpette di ricotta and focaccia Pugliese

Manicotti

This year's Christmas entrée was prime rib with salad

We had plenty of Southern Italian wine over the weekend

Not quite finished yet, on December 26, the second day of Christmas, we celebrate St. Stephen's Day (my saintly Confirmation namesake) with leftovers and homemade torrone, a sticky candy made from honey and nuts that dates back to Roman times. I like mine with a glass of Strega or Amaro.

Homemade torrone for Santo Stefano

As always, the ladies outdid themselves and treated us to another memorable Christmas. Buon Natale!

~ Giovanni di Napoli, December 26th, Feast of Santo Stefano primo Martire

Amended for 2021

Photo of the Week: The Pappacoda Chapel in Naples

The elaborate portal of the Chapel of San Giovanni Evangelista, popularly called the Cappella Pappacoda, was carved in 1415 by Antonio Baboccio da Piperno. It was commissioned by Artusio Pappacoda, an advisor to King Ladislas of Anjou.

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Meridiunalata XXVII: 'Cantata per il Natale 1834' by Abate Giovanni Conia

Painted wooden bust of Abate
Giovanni Conia by unknown artist,
Museo Diocesano Oppido-Palmi

The Calabrian cleric and poet Abate Giovanni Conia was born in Galatro, Reggio Calabria in 1752, the eldest son of a family of wealthy farmers. Having pursued an ecclesiastic vocation, he was ordained by the Bishop of Nicotera in 1777 and then studied in Rome and was recognized as an apostolic preacher with the privilege of speaking in the Sistine Chapel in the presence of the Pope. He served as parish priest in Caridà and Zungri from 1793 to 1799 and then as Archpriest in Laureana di Borrello and Mileto. In 1824 he headed the dioceses of Oppido Mamertina where he was dean and professor of dogmatic theology in the seminary while also serving as Canonical Protonotary, treasurer and cantor of the Cathedral of Oppido Mamertina.

As a distinguished theologian, orator and scholar he was invited to join the Accademia Florimontana of Monteleone and Don Raffaele Potenza, its founder, welcomed him under the literary nom de plume Florisbo Elidonio. Conia’s seminal work on studying the language of Calabria and the writings in it, in addition to his own poetry, have caused many to maintain that he did for Calabrian what Dante Alighieri did for Tuscan.

At the height of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which invested heavily in cultural and scientific works, Conia published his Saggio dell’energia, semplicità, ed espressione della lingua calabra nelle poesie di Giovanni Conia which was dedicated to D. Nicola Santangelo, Secretary of State and Minister of Internal Affairs of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. (Naples, Faustino e Fratelli De Bonis Tipografi Arcivescovili, 1834) 

Oddly enough, the controversial Veronese anthropologist and criminologist Cesare Lombroso known mostly for disparaging the peoples of the rest of the Italian peninsula, in order to show his esteem for the excellence of the Calabrian dialect and the skill of Calabrian poets, actually transcribed many poems by Conia, citing them as an illustration of the beauty of the language and historical culture of Calabria. The literary scholar Francesco de Sanctis, a native of Campania, was said to have memorized his favorite parts of Conia’s famous Canzone Faceta. Conia’s poetry has endured in Calabria due to the good natured humor and directness he brought to his work through his mastery of his native tongue.

Conia died on 7 February 1839 in Oppido Mamertina and was buried there in the Chiesa del Purgatorio, humbly without even a stone marker. Abate Conia was so well respected in his own day that his memory has been passed down the centuries and in parts of Calabria one still says, ‘u dissi puru ’abbati Conía (“Abbé Conia said it too”) to indicate wise advice or a good proverbial saying. Conia’s modern biographer Raffaele Sergio also sculpted a statue of him which has been on display in his native Galatro since 1974 and which was based on a wooden bust of Conia found in 1920 which is now in the seminary of Oppido.

Cantata per il Natale 1834 Song for Christmas 1834

Abate Giovanni Conia                        Abate Giovanni Conia

Vogghiu mu abballu:         I want to dance:

Chi pretenditi? What do you claim?

No mi teniti: Don’t hold me:

Largu di ccà. Away from here.

Su  menzu pacciu I’m half crazed

La testa fuma; My head is smoking;

Lu cori ajuma, My heart is ablaze,

Posu no nd’ha. There is no respite.

Minu li zumpi, I’m leaping,

M’a pedi fittu: But with heavy feet:

Vi ca vi mpittu:         I’ll topple you:

Fativi ja. Back off.

Già sona e canta Already plays and sings

Tuttu lu celu: The whole sky:

Eu son su jelu: I’m not ice:

Su puru ccà. I’m here too.

Ntra menzanotti         At midnight

Si fici jornu: It became day:

Tuttu ccà ntornu         All around here

Scuru no nc’è. There is no darkness.

Chi notti è chista? What night is this?
Chi su sti vuci? What are these voices?
Comu sta luci How did this light
Cumpariu mo? Appear now?
Su di allegrizza Of merriment are
Sti canti e soni:         These songs and sounds:
Nc'è cosi boni, There are good things,
Fortuna nc'è. Fortune is there.
Li petri juntanu         Stones jump
L'omani abballanu Men dance
L'angeli cantanu         The angels sing
La lla ra rà. La lla ra rà.
Mancu li griji Not even crickets
Stannu a lu pratu; Are in the meadow;
Nu nivolatu Clouds
pe ll'aria va. Scatter in the air.
Chi nc'è di novu? What is new?
Tuttu lu beni All goodness
Supra ndi veni:         Rises up:
Ecculu ccà. Here it is.
Lu mundu è sarvu: The world is safe:
Lu Sarvaturi, The Savior,
Lu Redenturi The Redeemer
Cumparsi già. Has already appeared.
Eu sugnu mbriacu I am drunk
Pe tantu preju: With so much joy:
Cchiù non mi reju I no longer can stand
Ma chi nc'è ccà?         But what is here?
Cotrari e serpi, Kids and snakes,
Surici e gatta Mice and cats
La fannu patta;         Make a pact;
Mali non nc'è. There is no evil.
Ficiaru paci Have made peace
Lupi ed agneji, Wolves and lambs,
Farcuni e oceji; Falcons and birds;
La guerra und'è? Where is war?
Mo lu leuni Now the lion
Non irgi crigna,         Doesn’t bristle its mane,
Mansa e benigna Tame and benign
La tigri sta. Is the tiger.
Chi su sti cosi? What are these things?
Vinni la paci: Peace has come:
A tutti piaci To all is pleasing
La carità. Charity.
Lu Ddeu di amuri The God of love
Figghiu divinu Divine Son
Nasciu Bambinu         Was born an infant
Ecculu ja. There He is.

Dassa mu viju…         Let me see…

Oh chi bejizza! Oh what beauty!

Oh chi grandizza! Oh what greatness!

Chi majestà! Chi majesty!

Bambinu caru! Dear Infant!

Sugnu stonatu:         I’m bewildered:

Sugnu ajumatu         I’m set ablaze

Di carità. With charity.

Quantu sì beju How beautiful are You

Caru Signuri! Dear Lord!

Vampi di amuri Flames of love

Minami ccà. Throw to me here.

Vogghiu mu ti amu: I want to love you:

Squagghia stu jelu: Melt this frost:

E poi a lu Celu And then up to Heaven

Portami Tu. Bring me.

Ja mu ti stringi There is gripped

Stu cori meu, This heart of mine,

Figghiu di Ddeu,         Son of God,

Caru Gesù. Dear Jesus.

Si cca nascisti If you are born

Simili a mia, Similar to me,

Ja comu Tia Just like You

Speru mu su. I hope to be.

O cara Mamma,         O dear Mamma,

Poi quandu moru, Then when I die,

Chistu trisoru This treasure

Mustrami Tu. You’ll show me.

Si chissu è fruttu If this one is the fruit

Chi tu portasti, That you bore,

Ndi assicurasti You assured us

L’eternità. Eternity.

Si pe lu Celu If you glimpsed

Tu ndi si scorta,         Heaven,

Poi si la Porta: Then you are the Gate:

Trasimi ja.         Let me enter there.

No, non si perdi         No, don’t lose 

St’anima mia: This soul of mine:

Gesù, e Maria Jesus, and Mary

Grazzia mi fa. Grant me grace.

Dunca dassatimi: So leave me:

Vogghiu sfurrari: I want to let loose:

Vogghiu abballari: I want to dance:

Largu di ccà. Out of the way.

*Translation and Notes by Cav. Charles Sant’Elia

Further Reading/Essential Bibliography

Giovanni Conia, Saggio dell’energia, semplicità, ed espressione della lingua calabra nelle poesie di Giovanni Conia, Naples, Faustino e Fratelli De Bonis Tipografi Arcivescovili, 1834

Giovanni Conia,  Poesie complete, a cura di Pasquale Creazzo, Reggio Calabria, Società Editrice Reggina, 1929

Oreste Parise, L’Abate Giovanni Conia e la questione della lingua calabrese in Mezzoeuro Anno XII num. 9 del 2/3/2013

Mons. Giuseppe Pignataro, Poesie calabre del Canonico Conia, 1980 (reprint of the original 1834 edition)

Antonio Piromalli, La letteratura calabrese, vol. 1, Cosenza, Luigi Pelligrini Editore, 1996

Michele Scozzarra, Sull’Abate Giovanni Conia, 10 October 2017, online at: SULL’ABATE GIOVANNI CONIA - Michele Scozzarra Web Page

Raffaele Sergio, L’Abate Conia, Reggio Calabria, Edizioni Parallelo 38, 1980