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In 1926 the fascists of Italy evolved a plan to establish a camp on the outskirts of Rome. This camp has brought toge-- ther each year since then Ita-- lian youths from practically every country in the world. The youths even though they are citizens of their respective co-- untries must be of Italian pa-- rentage. The organization in-- cludes the Balilla proper; that is, boys from six to fourteen and the Avanguardisti. The "Vanguard" is composed . of adolescents between fourteen and eighteen years of age. Correspondingly, the girls are divided into piccole and giova-- ni Italiane meaning little and young Italians. They-- are in general an organization of boy scouts and girl scouts. This as-- sembly has been given the na-- me Avanguardisti di Fasci Ita-- Jiani -- All'Estero meaning Boy Scouts of Fascist Italy Abroad. The period of assembly was designated the "Adunata." A closer bond of unity among the foreign--born Italians is fos-- tered; the Fascist principles are outlined; games and exer-- cises strengthen them physic-- ally; religious and scientific discourses build them up mor-- ally. The main purpose is to bring up a new type of Italian citizen, to teach the boys the meaning of national dignity and eliminate certain defects typical to old Italy. All these aim to produce an Italian youth Speaking of newer Italy, I shall attempt to give a brief description of Italy as I see it. Our ship has just dropped an-- chor at Genoa harbour. To our left is the "Rex", the magnifi-- cent super--liner, pride of Italy. Steaming in, and yet to drop anchor is the "Count of Savoy", ] u x u rio u s sister ship of the "Rex". At the foot of the sta-- tely three--hundred foot light-- house, two battleships and a light cruiser peer into the mist ahead, their cold, couchant can-- nons clothed in grey canvas. The division into squadrons, m a niples, centuries, cohorts and legions is the same division which was adopted for its army by Imperial Rome. The "campeggio', that is camping in tents, is the "Cam-- po Mussolini", the tent city on the Monte Sacro, on the out-- skirts of Rome. The thousands of foreigners to the camp are made to feel at home during their stay in Italy and taught to be ready to answer when the land of their father calls them. The "campeggio" of the girls bears a less military character. They devote much time to sports but first they are in-- structed in all matters pertain-- ing to their own domain, the home. who will have a keener appreci-- ation of newer Italy. A _ Canadian who has never been in an Italian city before will notice as he enters Genoa that the stony streets are par-- ticularly narrow with high gar-- den walls shutting out his view from the beauties of an Italian garden. Genoa also has its wide streets but they are relatively few. On the street, the vehicles are dominant. A driver merely honks the horn and depends on the agility of the pedestrian to reach the sidewalk in safety. Genoa has erected to Chris-- topher Columbus a colossal mo-- nument. His birthplace and ho-- me in Genoa is preserved and stands as another reminder of this great seaman and scholar. Monuments are many, beauti-- ful, artistic. From here a moun-- tain climber need not travel far to reach his paradise. Genoa is hemmed in completely by snow-- capped mountains. They rise so steeply, so abruptly, so master-- fully, they appear as though to crowd Genoa into the talons of the Mediterranean. Ostia may be famous for its cleanliness, for its long stret-- ches of beautiful beaches or for its ancient ruins; Salermo may be famous for its antiquities and beautiful rural scenery; Naples can boast of a magnifi-- eent opera; Mount Vesuvius can still boast of its dominance 1 BOLLETTINO ITALO--CANADESE My Experience in Italy By Frank Scandiffio . Rome, as you know, is the capital of Italy. In it are the Administration Office and the palatial home of Premier Mus-- solini. Whenever Mussolini ma-- kes a public appearance it is usually from the balcony of his of fice building overlooking Piazza Venezia. The down--town streets during working hours are crowded to capacity. Public Transportation is carried on by busses and street cars. As in most European cities, tables can be seen strewn over the sidewalks in front of cafes and bars. The patrons are served outside where they can wateh the never--ceasing ebb and flow of merry shoppers promenad-- ing the sidewalks. In this way fashion designers and style seekers can and do learn the styles of the day, and the Ita-- lian people are second to none in this art. Being an ancient city, Rome has many old build-- ings. Although only the ruins remain, in them their beauty can yet be seen. The colossal amphitheatre stands dominant over: the ancient ruins. If one were to look down on this coli-- seum from an aeroplane, the scene would appear as a huge wheel with the coliseum as its hub and the numerous principal streets leading to it as its spo-- kes. The home of Augustus Caesar, the Roman forum, the coliseum, the walls of ancient Rome, the Trojan forum and many other famous ruins are being rebuilt. When this huge undertaking is completed, Ro-- me will appear as a city within a city. St. Peter's Cathedral, the world's largest and most beautiful church, remains as a magnet to draw thousands of tourists daily. In it are the masterpieces of world--famous artists and seulptors. When filled to capacity it can hold over 65,000 people. The Vati-- can City directly behind the Cathedral is the home of the Pope. One cannot visit the Pope in uniform. A pass from a dis-- tinguished person is also neces-- sary . Thig being Holy Year, the Pope conducted the Mass ser-- vices at the confessional altar in St. Peter's Cathedral. It was attended by missionaries from all parts of the world. The Avanguardisti were given a privileged section in front of the altar. Before and after Mass service the people receiv-- ed the Papal blessing. On one other occasion did our group have an opportunity to attend a Mass service conducted by the Pope. At this service over 100,-- 000 people crowded the streets in front of St. Mary Magdalene Church. Many visitors com-- mented on how such a large crowd could remain so orderly but enormous gatherings are not unusual in Italy. over other Volcanoes; and Mi-- lan can boast its beautiful Ca-- thedral, but--1 doubt if any can and may ever credit itself with anything as unique and beauti-- ful as the fountains and cas-- cades at Villa D'Este in Tivoli. I 'have seen many beautiful cities and villas in Italy but none that can compare with the Grand Cascades of Tivoli. When one visits this place of grandeur such as only nature can form, one cannot help but gaze for hours at the never--ce-- asing torrent of water flowing smoothly out of the mountain-- side, rushing headlong into the trees below only to end in a me-- andering stream. The peasants line the shores every washday and scrub their soiled laundry at the brink*of the Cascades. The "Adunata" was held this year in the Roman Forum. This was an ideal location for so great a performance. It has the appearance of a huge bowl; the Roman Forum in the centre and the elevated Capitaline and Palatine hills sloping about it. People thronged both hills but were prohibited to enter the Forum. It was illuminated by numerous large torches posted midst the ruins, presenting a fearful but interesting scene. On the main section where the drilling was being conducted, stron g searchlights played. Mussolini was present during the entire performance. He was jovial, smiling almost continu-- ously throughout the exhibiti-- on. Every Avanguardista was a participant in it. Only after he had delivered a fine speech in Italian did he leave the Forum. Patriotism towards Italy was emphasized in his speech. He also praised the boys and girls in their performance. After expressing the fact the he wo-- uld enjoy another visit the fol-- lowing year from the boys and girls, he saluted and vanished into the background, the dark ruins of the Roman Forum. On the morrow everything at the camp _ seemed to be alive. All were doing something, cle-- aning out their tents, washing themselves with care, shining their shoes, reloading their ca-- meras, drilling, singing or prac-- ticing music. The Avanguardi-- ste (girl--scouts) marched into the camp and took up position before the observation stand. A bugle blast summoned the Avanguardisti (boy--scouts) in-- to a hurried line of march and a command placed them all, 7,000 strong, in line before the same stand. Why this sudden preparation? Mussolini was to be our guest for the morning! He was coming to visit the boys and girls at the camp and was due to arrive at any minute! A car sped up the highway, an-- other car followed. They tur-- ned left and entered the portals of Campo Mussolini. The cars came to a stop just inside the portals. A single thought was on the minds of everyone, ner-- ves were tense, the roaring planes overhead even seemed to cease for that critical mo-- ment. The door opened and out stepped Premier Mussolini. The tension was suddenly relieved by deafening cheers and roar-- ing of planes. The bugle blast-- ed a command and all was quiet again. Mussolini, accompanied by Captains Dini and Parini, and a group of distinguished looking gentlemen, whose na-- mes I have not been able to as-- certain, walked leisurely aro-- und the right side of the field and ascended to the observati-- on platform. Mussolini was clad in a spotless white suit, a white hat and "wore black and white sport shoes. His salute was immediately returned. From the second Mussolini made his appearance on the platform to the second that he departed, a smile never left his countenance. At times he even seemed to be enjoying a joke with the band leader and the result would be a hearty laugh. He delivered another speech, a rather short one concerning his appreciation of our fine singing and again expressed his wishes for our return to Italy. When he was in the midst of his spe-- ech a huge plane manoeuvred low over the stand, the roar of motors was almost deafening, Mussolini simply stopped in the middle of a word and looked up at the plane, laughing, until the noise died away, then resumed his speech. His visit must have been important since Fox movie tone, Paramount, M--G--M and many other large picture con-- cerns had cameramen working the cameras throughout Musso-- lini's entire visit at the camp. Mussolini made his exist midst loud shouts of "DU--CE", "DU-- CE" issuing from over '8,000 mouths simultaneously . 4 A mong the other notables whom I have seen at the camp are, S. E. Prince Umberto, who is heir apparent to the throne of Italy and S. E. Ciano, the Governor of Rome and Minister of Interior. Each in turn gave us words of encouragement to continue our good work. Both Parini, head of all Italian fas-- cists abroad, and Captain Dini second only to Parini in the sa-- me office and head of the Royal Police in Italy, kept private tents in the camp and spent a great deal of time among the boys in the interest of the Policemen guarded the camp grounds night and day. In the camp were a hospital tent, a doctor and approximately two hundred yards away a, large brick building built purposely as a hospital for the sick cam-- pers. A great deal of care was taken for our safety. Captain Dini, though a very busy man in state affairs, found time to accompany the nineteen Cana-- dian boys in their trip from Ro-- me to Marseilles. It was his wish to see us depart safely. He and S. E. Ciano took especi-- al interest in the Canadian con-- tingent. § Now, dear reader, I will take you back to earth again, this time to a farm a good distance from any large city. Two very large rooms, one, a combination kitchen and dining room, the other, the bedroom, constitute the farmhouse. The affair is of solid mortar. Usually steel bars are embedded in the mortar across the square window--space securing it against prowlers. Doors are securely bolted and locked at night but open to strangers during the daytime. Strangers are treated with hos-- pitality. Wine flows freely; figs, grapes, pears, apples, le-- mons and oranges are plentiful. In fact, fruit is grown in such abundance that apples, one of our most delicious fruits, is used in Italy as a food to fatten hogs. Land is allotted as by the old Feudal System of Fran-- ce. If a maniowns a very large tract of land, more than he can cultivate, he divides it up amon-- gst poor families. It is then the duty of each family to cultivate the land given to their care. A fraction of the output goes to the family, and the remainder to the land--owner. In this way a poor family can live happily on another's farm.. I attended only one carnival in Italy. This carnival took pla-- ce in Sora during my visit to relatives. It lasted fully three days and nights. The shop-- keepers in Sora locked their doors early each day of the car-- nival. Peasants from the sur-- rounding districts attended in bright--coloured garb. The stre-- ets were illuminated by bright-- coloured lamps. The one--hun-- dred--piece municipal band of Naples supplied music for the people in the main piazza (square). The peasants need only the least excuse to give cause for a feast. When I first arrived at Sora I heard the name Vincent repe-' ated often in conversations. Whenever two persons greeted each other, usually one or the other was hailed Vincent, or Vincenzia, the feminine gender. I asked my friend why so many people were named Vincent or Vincenzia. He explained that many miracles were performed over the tomb of St. Vincent who was buried about two mi-- les north of Sora. Each family believes in having at least one of their family a namesake of this great Saint. Enquirin g further into the matter, I fo-- Upon my return to Canada, I brought with me a few pack-- ages of Italian cigarettes. By tests I have learned that Cana-- \dians think the Italian cigaret-- tes very strong, a great deal istronger than their own. Per-- haps the fact that the Italians drink a great deal of strong ~coffee accounts for their pre-- Eference for strong cigarettes. Tea is very rarely used in Italy. The high price of tea may be lthe cause of its scarcity. Highways throughout Italy are numerous and ultra mo-- dern. Although used by heavy wagons and trucks equipped with heavy rubber tires, they seem to be always in first--class condition. On the highways there is no speed limit but the police will not tolerate reckless driving or racing. Each side of a highway is lined> with white posts and in many cases the ro-- ads are electrically illuminated.' Bicycles are within the limits | of all purses. The upkeep of & motor car is costly. The gener-- . jal preference is for a small car, | , one the size of a Canadian Baby Î Austin. | und that natives of other dis-- tricts were similar in naming h ildren after their patron Saint. The weather during the sum-- mer days is very uniform and a cloud is seldom seen. One can-- not help but notice the bluish haze hanging low over the Me-- diterranean. More unusual still is the bright circle around the sun, the circumference of which appears to the naked eye as though growing and shrinking alternately in size. The railroad service in Italy is as simple as our street car system. The first class: com-- partments are very comfort-- able,whereas the third class are decidedly uncomfortable. The hard wooden seats, incessant clattering of windows, and the dampness in the cars make a long trip unbearable. To travel by air in Italy is cheaper than by rail in America. Travelling in a railway coach is just one tunnel after another 'but the scenery that the Mediterranean on one side and the mountains on the other afford repays fo-- urfold for the discomforture of the tunnels. During my stay in Genoa, a swimming race was held amon-- gst the boys at the school. Over seventy--five boys took part in the race. It was merely a case of taking the boys out from the shore about one hundred yards and having them swim toward shore. A Toronto youth won the distinction of receiving a medal in this race. Very few people in Italy play baseball. Many have never heard of the game. Whenever I played the game with some of the other boys from Canada, the Italians couldn't understand how I held the ball so securely whenever it was pitched to me. No one da-- red to face the ball. If it was pitched toward a crowd they quickly _ scattered and ran for cover. One Italian made a bra-- ve effort to catch the ball and nearly broke a finger. They may be ignorant of baseball, but they set a fine example in the game of soccer. To--day it is their national outdoor sport. The football is one of the most popular good luck charms. _ As I previously mentioned, money is very scarce. Some-- body hit upon the idea that the country needed more money in circulation with the result that counterfeit coins are flowing around in abundance. On many occasions I have seen a person sharply throw down a coin on the pavement to hear the genu-- ine "klink." Everyone, before accepting money, listens for the sharp, ringing sound which de-- signates the genuine. Storekeepers, tellers, barten-- ders, etc., all have a square piece of plate--glass on the coun-- ter for this purpose. The thud of a counterfeit coin can be he-- ard distinctly on a glass coun-- ter. I had been in Italy only a few days when I happened into a tobacco shop. Here I first noticed this glass square men-- tioned above, and asked its pur-- pose. The dealer merely took a coin from the till, threw it down lightly on the glass square and on hearing the sharp klink of the coin against the glass he smiled and told me that was the surest and quickest method of testing for genuine coins. The Italians are very shrewd business people. On the win-- dow of a jewellery store I noti-- ced this sign '"Watches, 50 li-- res. Lowest price possible. Ple-- ase do not ask a lower price." I entered the store and came out with. one--of the fifty lire watches. I paid the jeweler thirty--eight lires and he gladly took the money.--At another jewellery store, I was asked forty--five lires for a wris t watch; I began to walk out of lthe store. The jeweler called me back and gave me the watch for thirty lires. Another one showed me an eighteen--carat gold ring. He asked one hun-- dred and thirty--five lires for it but I finally bought it for thir-- ty lires. I am sure that each dealer must have made a profit on each sale but how they could come so far below their first price and still gain is beyond comprehension. To the fascist organization we owe our deepest debt of gra-- titude. To Mussolini and his fascist cohorts we raise our right hand and say, "Long may you live and forever make the royalty and nation of Italy res-- pected." )0 00000000000880 In concluding this essay, I cannot underestimate the value of the trip. It has given us a keener appreciation of Italy and its social customs. It has aroused in us a curiosity to see other lands and other peoples. It has exceeded our expectati-- ons of Mussolini about whom we have been reading for the past few years. The man and his accomplishments which ha-- ve left lasting impressions on our minds make us yearn again to visit those far--off shores. Education in Italy since Mus-- solini's regime has been com-- pulsory and greatly improved. Schools erected in the memory of great men are filled to capa-- city by pupils eager for educa-- tion. The buildings are modern, each having a large courtyard in the centre of the building used as a schoolyard by the pu-- pils. Gymnasiums, swimming tanks, showers and restaurants can be found in many new ele-- mentary school buildings. The colleges are attended by men from various parts of the world. A 'diploma from an Ita-- lian University is proof of a so-- und education . andate a guardare la data che é segnata al disopra del tallon-- cino -- dell'indirizzo. Quella sta per informarvi che il vostro ab-- bonamento é pagato fino a quel giorno. Se é già scaduto affret-- tatevi a rinnovarlo. L'abbonamento per un anno é di $2.00, ma voi potete rispar-- miare & # 50 Soldi 12 ELM ST, se pagate entro TRENTA gior-- ni dalla scadenza, facendo reca-- pitare al nostro uffieio $1.50. NON ASPETTATE DOMANI Il Nuovo Indirizzo de WAverley 7306 Toronto, 1933. il BOLLETTINO Telefono Frank Scandiffio.. 6 Aprile, 1934