Friday, February 17, 2006

Italian Sister City was a Hemingway haunt


By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Lignano Sabbiadoro is located between Venezia and Trieste.

In a northeastern Italian beach town called Lignano Sabbiadoro, there is a 10-acre piece of land called Parco di Hemingway. The piece of land was given to the writer in 1953, but he never used it.

In 1984, representatives of Ketchum and the Hemingway family were present for a dedication of the park for the town. Lignano then proclaimed Ketchum to be its Sister City and held the inaugural Giorno di Hemingway.

Ketchum's then Mayor Jerry Seiffert accompanied Jack, Margaux and Muffett Hemingway to Lignano for the dedication. Also in attendance for the festivities were an Oak Park, Ill.-based sculptor who'd created the bust of Hemingway for the park and the American Ambassador to Italy, Maxwell Rabb.

"It was terrific," Seiffert said. "There were official events under the auspices of the American embassy. Marguax was also doing some filming for a possible documentary about her grandfather's experience. I went to sign the documentation for the Sister City relationship.

"We still have an officially recognized Sister City relationship and we should be doing more with it. It's just a great spot for a vacation. They have a situation like us, it's a resort town, and in August when all the Europeans are on holiday, it explodes with a huge guest population. Europeans have a tremendous appreciation for Hemingway because his world dealt with the catastrophic events of 20th century Europe."

Lignano is pretty much directly east along the top of Italy's boot from Torino, where the Olympics are now being held, though it has a much different climate, more suitable to Summer Olympics.

Sailing, fishing and beach recreation are the primary draws for Lignano. It lies along the Adriatic Sea, northeast of Venice. In fact, Hemingway dubbed the town, "Florida d'Italia," which has been a boon to the area's tourism since he made the statement.

Ernest Hemingway's affiliation with the town began during World War I, when he was an American Red Cross ambulance driver. It was in Lignano that he began seriously writing and where his experiences inspired him to write "A Farewell to Arms" about a romance between a nurse and a wounded ambulance driver. He later returned many times to fish in the lagoons, duck hunt along the Tagliamento River and see friends.




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