She looks like any other 80-year-old Italian woman. Her body is weathered but lithe. Her hair is cut into a smart bob. She sits at a café with her arms folded, gazing into the distance. In another image, she is at the stove, her great grandson playing at her feet.
The Roman forum was a public space: the key political, ritual and civic center. If I were to compare it to a modern day equivalent in Melbourne, then Cafè Brunetti in Carlton meets the criteria. It is my third year working at Brunetti and it has been more than a part time job while attending university.
In 2006, I remember making one of the hardest choices in my life, having to choose between supporting Italy, or supporting Australia in the 2006 World Cup prior to the Italy vs Australia round sixteen match. I distinctly remember siding with Italy rather than Australia,this prompted my brother, James, to buy me an Italian National Football Team beanie for me to wear to show my support.
March of 2014 signalled the beginning of a new and exciting life for the talented Erika Lancini, her husband Manuel, and their three daughters, Martina, Alexandra and Maya. After long discussions and reflections about what a future remaining in Italy would look like, they packed up their life in Brescia and moved to Melbourne; a move neither regrets.
As a child, when I met with boredom I would often look out from my bedroom window, or, that of my parents. Sometimes, I would head onto the balcony to observe the world that lay on the other side of the bars and grates of the windowsill.
Reflections upon the concept of communication and barriers that people from different cultures and languages come up against when they find themselves in conversation.
“Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita” (halfway through the journey of my life) I have become an immigrant… The major consequence in one’s life of becoming what today is called an ‘immigrant’ is, above all, the loss of control.
Many other trees are renowned for their supremacy. We all know what are the tallest trees in the world: the famous Sequoias of North America, which reach up to 120 meters high, while an oak (Quercus Cerris) will reach about 40 meters.
Last month marked exactly two years since I last walked on my native soil. It was a day blessed by the warm colours of the spring when I greeted my family, friends and homeland. Two days later I started my journey in the “Terra Australis Incognita”, as the Europeans in the Seventeenth century nominated it when it was still a legendary land.
