Hallo,
I dont mind to use english, so no problem.
Dont misunderstand, this is no criticism, not at all, iam very glad that the americans of Northern "Italian" descent are proud of their heritage. But i think you turned to the wrong organisation (LN) for the cultural bridge and Heritage feeling. Ofcourse this is just my opinion, because i saw alot of reffernce to the LN, and i thaught its the only connection. So i said the LN is not the gospel, there are alot of organistions in Lombardy in Tuscany in Veneto to supplie you with all the things you and your community as descendents need and requeest for.
In my opinion, for a local and a descendent a very important aspect of Heritage is ofcourse the Historic Legacy and deeds of the country, and the LN is a very bad source for this. Yes the LN is a good platform for regional needs, however, on regional level it makes mistakes. Like upholding the divide of Friuli and Veneto. Friuli and Friulians are Historically Venetian. or the split of the Emilia-Romagna. Bologna and Ferrara are Romagnol, not Lombard only Picaenza, Parma, Modena and Reggio are Lombardic.
I can tell that you are already influenced by the Lega, when you say that Padania was unified under this and that. This is typical LN nonesense. The Pianura Padana has existed for always. I believe after the last ice age, when the alpine glaciers melted, the Pianura started to exist, and it never dissapeared. So the Pianura was, is and will always be united. Padania is not a nation, its inhabited by nations or people, currently by Lombards and Venetians.
Let me make this clear, Piemonte (means Foot Hill), Emilia (named after the ancient roman road AEMILIA) and Lombardy (meaning land of the lombards) are just the names of the Lombard lands, a person from the piemonte is as Lombardic as a person from Milano or Bergamo. Historically and Culturally we are all Lombards. And a Lombard (whether from Piemonte, Emilia or the Lombardia) is culturally and Historically related to the Tuscans, Ligurians and Venetians. Lombards Venetians Tuscans and Ligurians are in a cultural union like the Irish scots and welsh or like the danes, swedes and norwegians. we should always be united. but we shouldnt create a fake nation out of it wether its called Cisalpina or Padania or else. Tuscans Ligurians Venetians and Lombards have always, are and will always be in unity as we are. There is so much history, so much culture, from the ancient history Etruscans, Ligures, Raetians and Venetii, to the Romans and Langobards. from the genius academics from tuscany, to the Battles of the Lombards, to the Maritime inventions and expeditions of the Ligurians and Venetians, etc. etc.
You see the question here in Lombardy is whether you really need a head title over our culture or wether the regular union and understanding between Lombards Tuscans Venetians and Ligurians is enough. For example, calling a Machiavelli or Da Vinci or Petrarca or Dante PADANIAN, is Fiction, but calling thenm rightly Tuscans, is the reality. Nobody can take that (Tuscan) identity from them, but the LN tries to make padanians out of them, thus minimizing and destroying the Tuscan identity. Tuscans Lombards Venetians Ligurians have flags, Lands, History, Languages, we all have substance. And all of us should focus on this and not on a "new identity" like padanian which never excisted and is fake. Besides all this, the LN is still in process, while Tuscany, Lombard lands (lombardia, Emilia, Piemonty) Veneto and Liguria already exist, and have always existed with flags, lands, languages etc.
i dont think its necessary at all, to fuse the Lombardia, the Piemonte and the Emilia to a greater Lombardia, give it new name and flag. No, History went different. but we are all lombards none the less, so a greater lombardia is already existing in the form of Piemonte, Lombardia and the Emilia. Politically, only the Histoic and legitamate split between the Emilia and Romagna needs to be made. So it all already exists, and one can only now feast on the rich heritage of our culture and history.
This is the I-Net link of the Historic Lombard Society (Societa Storica Lombarda)
http://www.societastoricalombarda.it/index.php?id=
These are good i-net links about the meaning of our Flag
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/3982/rosacam.html
Here is a organised map of the Historic Lombard Lands and their Historic Flags and the Historic Flags of the Lombardic Landscapes within the Lombard lands
img454.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lombardiautf2.png
The Camuni people are already an amazing historic feature, but there is still so much more to follow, that we all, descendents and locals need to stop wasting time with fiction flags and nation names, and start to focus on the true Historic Heritage and Culture of OUR lands. The LN is absolute counter productive with its nonesense. There are plenty of real Cultural organistions to turn to (In the Lombard lands, Tuscany, Veneto and Liguria). Turn to them for all your needs and answers.
Dont give up on St. Louis, i know about the Dago Hill (i know its an insult, but we Lombards are proud of what they achieved and especially you the descendents have to be proud of your history in the new world and that name is part of that history). I read the Mormino book (was difficult but i could read it) he talks about the struggle between lombards and sicilian, the great St. Ambrose cathedral (thats lombard heritage) and the lombard folkways and differnces between the sicilians and Lombards. Very informitve book, i also found out, that the Royce Hall of UCLA in LA is build after the St. Ambrose Basilica in Milan.i know the Lombard Venetian and Tuscan communities are behind the sicilian and Mezzogiorno ones, but you have a long and rich history and culture to look on, and like the medieval Lega Lombarda, you should never give up.
Here is a link to Cristiano Brandolini, an expert on the fields of Pre-Roman ancient Lombardia,
Contacts
http://www.celticworld.it/ad_pg.php?wtd=su&ui=539
His own I-Net page (click on Lavori Svolti, to check all his works what he did)
http://www.branart.com/chi2.htm
The Etruscan Runic alphabet of the Golsecca Culture (West Lombardia) by C. Brandolini (from all the artifacts) from the 5th - 2nd Century BC.
Distribution Map of all the finds of the Golasecca Culture in the Lombrdia and the Piemonte and the Lombard Valleys of Switzerland (Insubres - Lepontii tribes)
Alessio Mezzenzana
