Our Daily Heroes: Nino Ricci's Lives of the Saints

In reflecting about her father and her visit with him to his small Italian village some years ago, Linda draws comparisons with Nino Ricci's Lives of the Saints (Penguin/Random House), in which the young male protagonist, Vittorio, must work out how he feels about his mother who flies in the face of the strict moral codes of the Italian town. With reference to other Italian-Canadian writers -- Terri Favro, Connie Guzzo-McParland, Pier Giorgio Di Cicco -- and also the audio book read by Marco Timpano (with great thanks to Penguin/Random House for permissions), the television version of Ricci's novel and Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Madelena, the episode addresses the patriarchal conditions for women in Italy, but also what it means to see our parents as more than just parents, but as people with their own lives, dreams, and regrets. In the Takeaway section -- and perhaps a counterpoint to the episode's discussion -- Linda looks at and recommends Dior's Petit Dictionnaire de La Mode, which she picked up at the recent Dior Exhibit at the McCord Museum in Montreal, Quebec.

Host & Writer: Linda Morra, Co-producers: Linda Morra & Marco Timpano, Music: Raphael Krux