Tha annual AVC Christmas Cena at Blackwood’s Maes Manor Hotel has been announced for Sunday 29th November.

Make sure you let everyone know, do not keep it to yourself – tell your family and friends – especially those without access to the net – and do come along and support.

Book with any committee member ASAP please.

Contact: Mary Strinati (01443 771397), Paul Pelopeda (01443 862634) or any committee member.

There’s a second chance to hear Liz Brown’s documentary about the origins of Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Italian community this Sunday (6th September) at 3pm.

Tune in on 107.9fm or listen online at www.gtfm.co.uk.

UPDATE:
by Dino Carpanini

With a forecast of an unpredictable summer for us to look forward to, Sunday June 21st did not prove to be an exception. The day dawned cloudy with the heavy scent of dampness in the air. As usual, the AVC committee were first on the scene to prepare for the day – setting up the bocce rinks, the sound system, car parking etc.

Mass was celebrated in the Abbey Church at 12 noon (in the absence of the organ, music by accordion!). This was followed by a picnic, by this time the slight rainfall we experienced prior to mid-day abated for all to enjoy their al fresco lunch.

The first event of the day being the draw and the commencement of the bocce knockout competition. Comprising of 32 teams, playing in pairs, the winning team would take away the prestigious AVC Challenge Trophy. During this long competition, other events took place in other parts of the field, including the childrens sports with short distance athletics races, throughly enjoyed by all our younger members – and of course, the great finale of these events being the tug-o-war with parents, grandparents and friends joining the boys and girls to make it an all action, fun loving event.

The raffle sales and prize winning draw proved its usual success, as the revenue it made along with the nominal entry charge for adults (children were free) helped to defray the expenses incurred on the day – such as charges for bouncy castles, sound systems, medals, trophies, prizes plus a contribution to Belmont Abbey for the use of their facilities.

The bocce competition ended late in the afternoon, with a large supportive crowd cheering on the finalists – Paul and Mark Tambini versus Domenico Casetta and his daughter Nesta. After a very close finish, Franco and Sandra’s sons emerged triumphant – winning by just ONE point. So well done the Tambini Bros. and better luck next time the Casettas!

A measure of the days success being that late into the evening, with the setting of the sun, a great number of AVC members and friends and guests were still engaged in a “firosso” on a grand scale. Catching up on news, events of the past and looking forward to meeting again in the summer in Bardi.

We look forward to seeing you all next year.

ORIGINAL POST:
Boce and Sports, Bouncy Castle and more… the Scampagnata is always a fun filled day for the whole family. Mass will be at 12:30pm.

Location: Belmont Abbey, Hereford

Date: Sunday 21st June

Price: £5

Born in 1937, Aldo spent most of his life serving the people of Rhondda in Bacchetta’s Restaurant and delicattessen in Porth.
In the 1950′s he served, with twin brother Mario, in Berlin with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Returning to Wales, he continued in the family business and became involved in many activities outside the shop.
He joined Players Anonymous, performing in many of their productions.
His interest in local history led him to co-publish books on old rhondda.
He was a keen and active member of the Amici Val Ceno Galles and Trustee of the Vision Foundation.
A member of the Cwmbach Male Voice Choir, he performed with them in Bardi, on their visit there last year.
More recently, even when struggling with his illness, he was a founder member of the newly formed Arandora Star Memorial fund for Wales.
Throughout his life he maintained a strong love for his family and for his church, where he was chairman of the Parish Advisory Council.
For some years Aldo and I gave talks across South Wales on the Italian connection and we also worked together in helping arrange the Choir’s visit to Italy.
In all our activities he was positive and enthusiastic to the end.
Along with the rest of the Amici Val Ceno Galles committee – I can only say – “Aldo, thanks for the memories!”.
Romeo Basini

BBC Wales News online has featured an article about the Arandora Star and the lives lost when it sunk during WWII.

Read the article here: Innocents killed on sunken liner

Aldo Leonardo Bruno Bacchetta
Beloved husband of Mary
Loving father and grandfather.
Passed away on 29 April 2009
aged 72 years

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of A.V.C. member Aldo Bacchetta. Aldo, a passionate member of the Welsh-Italian community and Cwmbach Choir of Aberdare, will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Aldo’s family at this time.

UPDATE

Our Pasta Night at the Maes Manor Hotel was again a successful evenong with Music and MC by Tony Kingsbury.

Raffle Prizes included cloth and table settings woven in Ethiopia especially for this event.

A new feature was a sing-along to the Valtaro Chorus Musette.

Words were supplied and we had a Welsh-Italian gathering singing along to the Valtaro Musette of America and the songs were Val Ceno folk from the distant past. A mixture which worked very well!!

Special guests were a table of Bruna Chezzi students of Italian from Cardiff and we hope to see them again next year as well.

The AVC guys and dolls provided excellent fare and were thanked for their efforts. Again, we hope to repeat next year but we have a special request – we need more young people, of any nationality (!), to attend and we are open to suggestions and ideas.

Watch for next years dates…

ORIGINAL POST:
We’ve announced the date for out Pasta Night and Disco, be sure to come along!

Location: Maes Manor, Blackwood

Date: Sunday March 22nd

Time: 7pm

Price: £12

UPDATE – RESULTS

At the recent Welsh Briscola Tournament held at Miskin RC Church Hall, players and observers enjoyed a successful social evening, with surprising results!

After a few hours play we arrived at the Semi Finals where Mike Romanello and Giovanni Arianna were beaten by Pino Boggiani and Remo Fecci.
And Joe Moruzzi with partner Tony Emmanuelu were knocked out by Domenico Casetta and Nicesio Fantini.

The Final produced the tightest of games when Remo and Pino, leading by 4 to 1, were then inexplicably defeated by 5 games to 4!! How tight can it get? So new Champions are Domenico Casetta and Nocesio Fantini.

Thanks to the ladies who kindly provided delicious tortas, pane dolce and rolls (and Welsh Cakes!).

Also to Mary Strinati, Maria Moruzzi and their kitchen helpers and Domenica Bachetta for admission control.
Congratulations to Winners, commiserations to losers.

Thank you all for your company and hope to see you next year.

ORIGINAL POST:

Our annual Briscola event has been annonuced. Be sure not to miss out of a fun filled evening.

Location: All Hallows Miskin Talbot Green

Date: Sunday 8th March

Time: 7pm

Price: £3

Date: 15th April
Location: Chapter Theatre Cardiff.

“La Casa di Dio” will show in afternoon and at 6:30pm – the 6:30 screening will be introduced by the producer. Just turn up or visit www.chapter.org for full details.

This is about Hellan Chapel and the Italian POW people

Daniel Sidoli wrote a short article about speedflying at the Lakes Charity Classic 2008 for SkyWing magazine. His flying pilot profile also featured in the same edition.

Speedflying at the Lakes Classic

By Daniel Sidoli

In February I received a surprise e-mail from fellow speedflyer and BHPA instructor Gordie Oliver inviting me up to the Lake District with the promise of a party, food and local ale, but above all a scary helicopter ride to a mountain top along with the paraglider acro boys. My side of the bargain? I had to speedfly down the 2,500ft face of High Crag to put on a show for the spectators. Life is hard. Who was I to refuse wish an invitation? It’s not every day I get a lift to launch.

What can I say about the Lakes Charity Classic? Ten out of ten! It’s set in some of the most breathtaking terrain I have seen in the UK. The weather played ball, giving us glorious sunshine and light winds in the evening for the displays. If you have not been to this event in the past I would strongly recommend going – it was definitely worth the 600-mile round trip from South Wales.

Just picture it – a chopper ride for the display pilots to the mountain top, and 2,500ft vertical height over a crystal-clear lake for the acro boys to do their thing in the evening sun. Among them were the Lucky Clowns from Switzerland (if you haven’t seen them fly just check out YouTube!). Some launched from the mountain-top itself; others D-bagged from tandems piloted by equally crazy people! Stalls, spins and SATs… and the UK’s first-ever tumble performed by Scotland’s Terry Stubbs on his Apco Twister.

The speed flying display put on by Gordie and I went down well with the crowds too. Such a long flight, descending the mountain face within metres at some points doing 60-70km/h, feeling very close to nature and more alive than I can describe. If you have to ask you will never understand. All this was topped off with a big party in the evening full of the most hospitable people, making Laura and I feel very welcome. Cumbrian hospitality rules!

Big thanks to all the people I met and all the acro pilots, but particularly Patrik Homes at UK Airsports for the pictures and his continued support, also Gordie Oliver for the invitation to take part in a great event. The Lakes Charity Classic raised £2,500 for local charities, and speed flying has landed in the UK! I will be along next year for sure, but in the mean time I think an August speed flying trip to the Lakes is needed.

Pilot Profile No 177: Daniel Sidoli

Daniel started flying on sailplanes in 1998 and soon after gained a PPL in Florida, where he took the opportunity to do a tandem skydive. He was also involved in freediving and twice took part in the UK Freediving Championships. After leaving university, paragliding took over from skydiving and he flew in south Wales for several years before becoming disenchanted by the long days spent waiting for the right conditions. In 2006 a passing comment from a former instructor got in him interested in the use of smaller wings to get more airtime. He bought a 12m wing and quickly realised it was too small to ridge soar, but found a new direction in skimming down hills at speed. “It’s all about the line down a hill… it’s not about ridge soaring in high winds. Flying down the faces of hills and mountains is simply exhilarating and makes me feel alive.” The slow learning curve led him to set up www.speedfly.co.uk to help others find out about the sport, although his advice is often to forget it and take up something else. In June Dan gave a spirited speed fly demonstration at the Lakes Charity Classic at Buttermere. He plans to try his hand at speed riding competitions next year, and he and some BASE-jumping friends are working on a speed wing D-bag system. We will be hearing more from him soon!

Age? 29.

Marital status? In a long-term relationship with the long-suffering Laura.

Born? Caerphilly, South Wales.

Where do you live now? Cardiff.

Occupation? Building surveyor, I’m respectable from 9 to 5, but then it’s me-time!

Previous occupations? CAD technician, barman, factory worker, the list really is endless.

How and when did you start flying? I always wanted to be a military pilot. I learned to fly sailplanes at 10, then did my PPL at 19 with the intention of going into the RAF but failed selection a few years later with the comment, “You’re not quite outdoors or adventurous enough”. I got into paragliding five or six years ago while at university as I didn’t like all the red tape associated with light aircraft.

How and when did you start flying? Speed flying for me was a natural progression from paragliding. Had I taken up skydiving the progression would have been into BASE-jumping. I needed something new with more excitement, and speed flying came along at the right time. Two years ago it was so hard to get a speed wing – there was no info about wing loads, sizes etc. Now there is lots of info out there.

Which pilots most influenced you? Rob Whittall, just for the memory I have of him. I was trying to decide between paragliding and skydiving and watching the video Super Fly Hard. It was seeing Rob that sold me on paragliding – he was smiling and laughing and looked like he was having so much fun. I also admire a number of other pioneering pilots in skydiving and BASE-jumping and of course speed flying, but in general it’s anyone who is not afraid to be different and push the envelope of what can be done.

Where and what was your most memorable flying experience? The invitation to demo speed flying at this year’s Lakes Charity Classic, no contest. How often do you get offered a helicopter ride to the top of a 2,500ft mountain, to then blast down the face of it in the clam, warm evening air? Such a buzz. The Lake District is speed flying heaven. The people really made the event for me and the misses, they are so welcoming.

What is your favourite flying site in Britain? The Lake District now, but closer to home the Brecon Beacons are great.

What is your favourite site in Europe? I’ve only been speed riding in the Alps, but will be taking my speed wing to Italy in August. Mount Baldo over Lake Garda has a gondola to the top which I think is about 6,000ft. It should be interesting!

What is your favourite site in the world? Any place big, wild and with some sort of lift to launch.

Who do you most admire in the sport? I admire anyone who speed flies or speed rides. It takes a certain type of person.

What trait do you most deplore in yourself? I change my mind a lot. No, wait… erm…

What trait do you most deplore in other people? Pompous people who believe the hype about themselves and talk down to others.

When not flying, what do you do for recreation? Camping with the misses. We always seem to end up camping near hills though. I have been downhill mountain biking recently but seem to fall off all the time.

What is your favourite piece of music? I like dance, trance, pop, rock, metal and classical. So whatever suits my mood at the time.

What is your favourite book? Any books on space and science. It’s so big up there I love thinking about the possibilities and the adventures our lucky great-great-great-great-great-grandkids will have once we get off this rock.

What is your favourite film? So many I can’t pick just one. Flight of the Navigator, Predator, Alien, Terminator, The Goonies – all the films I was raised on back in the 80s.

What is your greatest fear? Looking back on my life with regret. Trying things out, even if they go wrong, is what life is all about.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? A warm, calm, summer’s evening at the top of a 10,000ft mountain with a chair lift to launch and a bar in the landing field, with the misses at the counter waiting with a pint of Cumbrian ale!

What would your motto be? Don’t forget where you come from, and always have time for others – you might need help one day.

How would you liked to be remembered? As a decent person who enjoyed like in his own little way.