Iva Zanicchi
Polenta di castagne

Welcome everyone, dear friends. Excuse my formal tone, but not without emotion, today, always with You, but above all, and primarily, for You, I debut in the column "Interiori" of Debaser, reviewing a book by a singer, entertainer, show business woman and even politician whom I greatly admire: Iva Zanicchi, symbol of an ever-evolving Italian Padania, between tradition and modernity, from the '60s to today.

There is no doubt that the multifaceted Iva - also known as the Eagle of Ligonchio from the remote hometown - has ridden the wave of the boom, the post-boom, the reflux, and the advent of the second Republic with bold autonomy and enviable awareness: from dance halls to Sanremo, passing through the centerfold of Playboy (she wasn't even bad at the time, in my opinion!), subsequently reaching "Ok il prezzo e giusto" to take the baton from the late Gigi Sabani and, finally, Sunday afternoons with her guest appearances, antics, and revelry, without holding back even with the politicians of whom, for some time, she was a part.

"Polenta di castagne", released by Mondadori in 2001, is at once a sort of autobiography of the national Iva and a reflection, made by a simple woman without too many superstructures derived from forced education and the forced urbanization of the now dying peasant culture, on the evolution of the customs of our Country, and society in general. The small - specifically, Zanicchi’s life events - becomes great, reflecting in an "exemplary" manner the story of a successful Italian woman, between daring descents and ascents that every human being, in life, faces, and thus describing the very origin and possible destiny of a Country like ours.

The book is smooth and easy to read, thanks to a style that does not want to be too polished and limits itself to narrating, almost as was done in the past at domestic hearths, the life of an ordinary family, poor yet happy (even in moments of desolation that are typical of existence), reconnecting Iva’s rise in the Italian musical and social empyrean to family tradition and her peasant roots: there is thus a continuity between the singer's grandmother - Desolina - and the grit that the Eagle brought to her concerts. Hence, Iva’s career, her success, are the product of a genetic and cultural predisposition to sacrifice and an inner strength that blends instinct with simplicity.

Thus, the chestnut polenta, a humble yet tasty dish, in which the local tradition of a "minor" provincial Italy emerges strongly, is somewhat the symbol of a possible path to redemption, of what I like to define as an Italian (or at least Padanian) Way of Life: it is precisely by starting from simple values, from the emotion that stems from memories of the grandmother, the family, one's origins, that every individual - and not just Iva Zanicchi - can take destiny into their own hands and overcome it, being somewhat the blacksmith (or cook) of their own fortune, in a sort of heroic voluntarism that fascinates.

Thank you, therefore, Iva, I admire you and (unlike your boyfriends and many freelance professionals) I will never abandon you.

Bookishly Yours

Il_Paolo