4/23/24

Bingo is a weekly event in Colledimezzo. It’s a chance to hang out, laugh, and catch up. Like evenings in the piazza, where men banter and play cards, this is a space for women.
I missed the person who would introduce me to the bingo crowd and as I watched one woman after another enter the house, I was torn what to do. Then the door cracked open and I was waved inside.
One of the women spoke english, and after a lighthearted grilling, I was in. The host brought me a chair, a coffee and some pastries, giving credit to the brewer and baker, and the game began.
Gender lines are strong here, and though the glass ceiling seems to be common, this country is currently led by women on both the conservative and liberal wings of government.
Italy is known as a matriarchal society and the women here are strong. My own mother was ill and distant much of my life, and I never met my father’s mother, so I never developed the kind of maternal relationship that Italian men famously have.
When I think of icons of Italian female identity, I have to pull from filmic history. I go to Sophia Loren—strong and sexy, talented and powerful. I saw an interview with her some years back and I was struck with her brilliance and self-possession. A worthy role model for any gender and I like to imagine my nonna like that.