Photo of the Week: Marble Lion, Colonnade of the Basilica Reale Pontificia San Francesco da Paola, Piazza del Plebiscito, Naples

Photo by Andrew Giordano

A Look at the Second Annual Sons of the Two Sicilies Pipe Smokers Club Dinner & Smoke in Brooklyn, NY

A commemorative photo with the diehard revelers

Members and friends of the Sons of the Two Sicilies Smoking Pipe Club gathered at Amunì Ristorante (7217 3rd Avenue) in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Thursday evening for their Second Annual Dinner and Smoke meet up.

(Above & below) The backyard dining patio was festively decorated
with Carlist, Habsburg-Lorraine, Bourbon-Two Sicilies,
and Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George flags 

(Above & below) A makeshift shrine was erected for San Giorgio Martire; Blessed Maria Cristina, Queen of the Two Sicilies; Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria; and Servant of God, Good King Francis II of the Two Sicilies

Partygoers brought plenty of cigars, pipe tobacco, and spirits

(Above & below) After our delicious Sicilian repast we enjoyed a smoke

Caponata con crostini

Sfincione

Carciofi fritti

Arancini

Busiate con pesto alla Trapanese

Pasta al forno

Insalata Verde

Braciola di maiale al forno

Milinciani alla parmigiana

Bistecca alla pizzaiola

(L) How it started. (R) How it ended

Profiterole

Traditional Ossi dei Morti (bones of the dead) cookies for All Souls Day

Around the Web: Sud e Civiltà — La Meravigliosa Storia di Uno Stemma Che Vorrebbero Farci Dimenticare

About Sud e Civiltà: Nella luce della Tradizione, il riscatto del Sud. Mai più vittimismo, mai più rassegnazione, riprendiamoci insieme il nostro destino.

Watch the episode on Youtube

Photo of the Week: Equestrian Statue of King Ferdinando I di Borbone, Largo di Palazzo

Equestrian statue of Ferdinando I di Borbone, King of the Two Sicilies,
by Antonio Canova (completed by Antonio Calì), Largo di Palazzo
(Piazza del Plebiscito), Napoli. Photo by Andrew Giordano

Amazon’s The Rings of Power is an Abomination

As someone who genuinely dislikes almost every new TV show, commercial or film I’ve seen in recent years, even I am shocked by how awful Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is. Considering J.R.R. Tolkien’s universal popularity, the show’s ludicrous budget (a purported half a billion dollars), and all the promotional hype that went into making this adaptation, I can honestly say without a trace of hyperbole that this show is the biggest dumpster fire in television history. In plain language, it is an unmitigated abomination. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about it: the acting and dialogue are rubbish, the story is imbecilic, the costumes are lame, and the CGI is subpar.

Foolishly hoping beyond hope to be pleasantly surprised and that the horrible reviews were exaggerated, I now realize that they were actually not critical enough. In just eight boring and inane episodes, the show runners completely desecrated Tolkien’s masterpiece and perverted the lore in order to push their own vile agenda. Like all talentless and unimaginative people, these envious halfwits with boundless inferiority complexes despise everything sane and beautiful, and true to form they will do all in their power to tear down their betters. 

Predictably, reeking of desperation and unable to admit failure, Amazon and their shills are blaming the poor ratings and legitimate criticism of The Rings of Power on racism and sexism. Among other things, they called the critics “patently evil,” “far right,” and “fascist-adjacent.” Thankfully, these barefaced scare tactics are losing efficacy and have not silenced the well deserved condemnation.

Unlike other beloved franchises the woke mob ruined, Tolkien (to their great dismay) will assuredly stand the test of time. Long after this despicable show is relegated to the ash heap of history, generations of new fans will still be reading The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. I just hope they'll be able to buy them at mom and pop book stores.

New Book — Storie Dalle Due Sicilie: Racconti e Altre Verità

Forthcoming title that may be of interest to our readers. Available at www.edizionimea.it

• Storie Dalle Due Sicilie: Racconti e Altre Verità by Gennaro De Crescenzo

Publisher: Edizioni MEA

Publication Date: December, 2022

Paperback: €19.00

Language: Italian

Pages: n/a

Read description

Click here to see more books

Listing does not imply endorsement

Ponderable Quotes from ‘The Menace of The Herd: Or, Procrustes at Large’ by Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn

The essence of modern capitalism is not slavery of the antique pattern but the possession of the expensive tools of production by a small plutocratic group which controls frequently also the tools of persuasion. (P.58)

Europe’s rise is written in the terms of Christianity and Monarchy, Europe’s decay in the terms of Republicanism, Progressivism and Godlessness. (P.122)

The main emphasis was now shifted from "culture" to "civilization. This change was deplorable but almost necessary. Culture is personal and something rooted; civilization on the other hand is "international," interchangeable, and ambulant. There could be no melting pot, no Americanization on the basis of a new synthesis of Slovakian peasant dresses, Sicilian songs and Swedish folk dances. Only the jalopy, the overall, the ice-cream soda and the corner drugstore could serve as common denominators. In order to denationalize and to re-nationalize the "Bohunk." American society at large had to make its change from the emphasis on culture to the acclamation of depersonalized, collective, and common civilization. It was self-sacrifice for the native and often torture for the newcomer. It is difficult to see how this procedure could have been avoided. We still feel the effects of its aftermath. (P.231)

Even the great victories of the "democracies” over the semifeudal, semibureaucratic, seminarliamentarian monarchies were largely due to the fact that the "democracies" (still mitigated by their strange, liberal tradition) could rally a mass enthusiasm which could not possibly be "organized" by the states with a predominantly hierarchic tradition. Quantity defeated quality. (P.317)

Feast Day of Blessed Karl of Austria at the St. Thomas More Chapel in Front Royal, Virginia

Photo of the Week: Palazzo Reale di Napoli

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Pontifical Requiem Low Mass for the 2nd anniversary of Monsignor Ambrosio’s Passing at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Newark, New Jersey

Saturday, October 15th at 2:00 p.m. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 259 Oliver Street, Newark, New Jersey.

Pontifical Requiem Low Mass for the 2nd anniversary of Monsignor Ambrosio’s passing.

Celebrant: Bishop Arthur Serratelli

Source: sthughofcluny.org

Sanfedisti Getaway Part 3: Visiting Little Italy in Cleveland, Ohio

Historic Little Italy street sign

Originally planning to revisit the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky and maybe Nashville, TN after the Catholic Identity Conference [See Part 1], our trip had to be dramatically shortened do to unforeseen circumstances at work. So instead of going south again, we took an impromptu trip north-west to spend our last day away in Cleveland, Ohio’s historic Little Italy.

(Above & Below) Holy Rosary Church

High Altar with the Madonna del Rosario di Pompei

Santa Maria Assunta

(L) Madonna del Rosario di Pompei. (R) Santa Maria Assunta

(L) San Michele Arcangelo. (R) Pope St. Pius X

San Biaggio

(L-R) San Mariano and San Giacomo,
patron saints of Rionero Sannitico, Isernia, Molise

Warmly welcomed in Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Tuesday morning we prayed the Holy Rosary with members of the congregation and celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Normally they close the doors after Mass, but they kindly allowed us to finish our prayers and take some pictures of the church.

Christopher Columbus Monument in Tony Brush Park

Unfortunately the Italian American Museum was closed

Mia Bella Restaurant

Trattoria on the Hill

Toli Tavern

La Barberia University Spa

Exploring the charming neighborhood a bit, we discovered a variety of old-school Italian trattorias, bakeries and cafes. Randomly choosing Guarino’s, we enjoyed a delicious Sicilian repast in their verdant outdoor patio fortuitously decorated with statues of San Francesco d’Assisi.

Guarino's

Statues of San Francesco d'Assisi in the garden

Looking to watch the Napoli Champion’s league match against Ajax, our waitress sent us up the street to Borgata Bar, a friendly neighborhood watering hole that was surprisingly hopping for a Tuesday afternoon. 

Borgata Bar

Celebrating Napoli’s 6-1 victory over the Dutch side with a shot of Punch Abruzzo, a smooth and tasty digestif from Sambuceto, Chieti, we paid our bar tab and grudgingly said addio to Cleveland.

Punch Abruzzo

(Above & Below) Some pastries and espresso from Corbo's Bakery for the road