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B'lieve me, I care.
My friend Rusty was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease and he decided that, whatever time he had, he was going going to go back. So he headed home to Reading, PA where he was birthed, caught up with some friends, and then headed to the L'Aquila Province of Italy, where his grandfather had emigrated from, to either heal or die. But he fell in love with the Abruzzi and the incredible, ancient mountain countryside they made their living from.
Perhaps in part because of this new love, heal he did, and he returned to Philly vowing to start a new life as a restauranteur featuring the cuisine of the Abruzzo region. And his restaurant is a hit, and he travels back and forth regularly still, but his heart keeps breaking, as the region has been hit by two major earthquakes in recent years, and now this landslide. He keeps arranging fundraisers and returning to visit, but his frustration boils over sometimes, because Rusty's politics are not only lefty, but hardnosed, angry, blue-collar Reading lefty. He abhors President Trump with a passion that I fear is going to get him arrested some day soon, or just cause another downturn in his health, but also because he's been warming up in recent years with a passionate hatred of Silvio Berlusconi, the Donald Trump of Italy, and the country's neglect of L'Aquila in the aftermath of their trials.
If you follow them online, they'll hopefully be able to share with you how you can help going forward, as well as news about great Italian meals in Philly at Le Virtu and Brigantessa (he now has two restaurants).
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