Joseph M. Calisi To Deliver Rousing Presentation On Transportation In Italy For The North Jersey Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society

Wednesday, March 26, 2014, Bloomfield, NJ – The North Jersey Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society will host the renowned International Transportation Photojournalist Joseph M. Calisi for a two-hour presentation about mass transportation in northern and central Italy at 7:25 pm. The focus of his Powerpoint presentation are images that were taken during the fifteen-day Electric Railroader’s Association (ERA) ‘European Extravaganza’ this past May, 2012. 

The photography shown is spectacular in that the images are totally iconic of the places where they were taken as everyday tourist locales were included to show that transportation is in the fabric of everyone’s daily lives – in effect, the images themselves told a story that supplemented the discussion at hand.

The official ERA trip began in Torino on May 10^th, 2012 with a welcoming dinner and was ‘bookended’ with a farewell dinner in Rome on May 25^th. The group of 34 men and women chased after high-speed Frecciarossas, trams, ropeways and other forms of Italian mass transportation. The presentation could not only be summed up as ‘a snapshot’ of the trip but as a thorough discussion that included history, economics, artwork and design.

The photographic essay had a special surprise – the public debut of his unique website, JosephMCalisi.com which features iconic images taken in Italy at that time.

The North Jersey Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society is located at:

84 Broad St (Bloomfield Civic Center)

Bloomfield, NJ

(parking is free after 6 pm)

Media editors: Mr. Calisi can be reached for interviews via e-mail at JMCalisi@verizon.net.

POSTCARDS OF THE MEZZOGIORNO: A PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY OF SOUTHERN ITALY IN THE BARI AREA

A photo essay by Joseph M. Calisi, The International Transportation Photojournalist

Friday, December 13, 2013, 6:30 p.m. at the Italian American Museum in Little Italy (NYC)

On December 13, 2013, at 6:30 p.m., the Italian American Museum at 155 Mulberry Street (corner of Grand and Mulberry Streets) in Manhattan will host “Postcards of the Mezzogiorno: A Photographic Essay of Southern Italy in the Bari Area.” Joseph M. Calisi, The International Transportation Photojournalist, retraced places visited in his youth to capture the sun-splashed beauty of a region rarely seen by tourists. This photographic essay of Puglia, features the beauty of Southern Italy that extends beyond the cathedrals of Rome and the gondolas of Venice. Commentary will accompany the presentation as he explores how the subtle overlay of technology has been interwoven with the classic architecture that endures.

“Mezzogiorno” translated literally means ‘mid-day or noon’, and it is also used as to reference the Southern Italian region. Photographs of Bari, Mola di Bari, Alberobello, Cozze, Conversano, San Vito and Polignano in this presentation captures the magic of the towns including the traditional of the feast of St. Nicholas, held close in the hearts of the Baresi. In surrounding towns, century old homes and streets intermingle with modern palazzi, offering an insider’s perspective of the region.  Traditional ways of life such as area farms, old buildings and open markets are juxtaposed with modern electrical equipment such as solar cells. Historical landmarks meet modern amenities in a curious mix where the populous absorbs the benefits of modern lifestyle but retains older values. 

“Visiting Italy, retracing the steps of my youth, I still marvel at the architecture of the region, how many of the buildings and stores remained the same, yet technology appeared where I least expected it. A visit to the fish market for example showed one vendor using a scale with counterweights and another using an electronic scale. I looked to reconcile the memories I had of the streets, towns and markets and marveled at although much had changed; so much had stayed the same. I also enjoyed hearing the old dialect as I walked through the town. It was music to my ears,” says Joseph M. Calisi.

Joseph M. Calisi has been an International Transportation Photojournalist since 1993. He has contributed to the information world in print magazines and newspapers and electronic media TV reporter, radio broadcaster and as an expert in transportation systems around the world. 

To sample additional works you may visit his website at www.josephmcalisiphotography.com.

“Postcards of the Mezzogiorno: A Photographic Essay of Southern Italy in the Bari Area” will be presented on December 13, 2013 at the Italian American Museum, corner of Grand and Mulberry Streets in Manhattan. The suggested donation is $10. To RSVP for this event, please call (212) 695-9000 or email the ItalianAmericanMuseum@gmail.com.

85th Annual San Gennaro Feast Begins In 'La Piccola Italia'

Manhattan, Little Italy, September 15, 2011 - Despite protests by Yuppie shop keepers on Mulberry Street, the 85th annual San Gennaro feast began on Mulberry Street as always. Like all feasts that have their origins 'in the old country', the patron saint of the local city or town is honored by the populous for a little over a week in the streets. This year, it begins on Thursday, September 15th and ends 11 days later on the 26th which spans from Canal Street to Houston Street. It is a feast that has many ethnic groups as  participants that seems to grow every year, evidence by the swelling crowds. This year, it begins on Thursday, September 15th and ends 11 days later on the 26th which spans from Canal Street in Chinatown to NoLIta's Houston Street. It is a feast that has many ethnic groups as  participants that seems to grow every year, evidence by the swelling crowds.

According to a handout by the Most Precious Blood Church at 109 Mulberry Street, San Gennaro was executed under orders by Emperor Diocletian because he was a Christian sympathizer and gave comfort to other Roman prisoners. When San Gennaro was beheaded, someone saved his head and body and a good woman used a sponge to save his blood and filled a phial with it. The blood liquefies twice a year and is called 'the miracle of the blood'. San Gennaro's body is preserved in a church in Naples, Italy and is the patron saint of that city.

The feast is a popular celebration of San Gennaro by the masses complete with food, music and many Italian symbols. One symbol of Italians in America is the Italian American Museum on Mulberry Street whose mission is to tell the story of Italian Americans with their emmigration from Italy to America. It is the only museum with this mission. This week, the Museum is showing a video of the San Gennaro story in its main viewing room and features photos from a book of Italian American feasts. These are two of the many great topical subjects that are tackled by the IAM and it is worth the effort to visit it. Artifacts such as old passports, ship board passes and other vintage materials can be found in the old Banca Stabile building which still has its original vault and teller cages.

Attending and participating in this feast and you never know what you'll see. It could be the man walking around with his cat sitting on his head, a parade or a procession, cannoli-eating contest or maybe a human-sized tomato.

It is a great feast - stop by and maybe I'll see you there!!!