Padanian-American Roundtable

The Padanian-American Roundtable is the administrative arm of the PAL, just like any other club with officials. Currently there are no formal positions.

In many local clubs/heritage societies, we see where there are officials in which they are all white haired males, and their idea of openmindedness is bringing in some guy under 50. What is unworkable about that, among other things, is that they are often totally unapproachable, apathetic, closed-minded, and view the whole thing as a "men's club." An all-male club is fine, in and unto itself, but it doesn't work well in this capacity. We envision something different than that, which props up a program, and people are chosen based on their intelligence, dedication to serve our community, creativity, use of new technology and infrastructure, and lastly (but not least), their ability to support that program.

For example, there are many groups which don't even have a simple website, much less any presence on YouTube, Facebook, Blogspot, BlogTV, or any other type of media. Now where's the logic in that?

William Wallace was a little known historical figure before the release of the movie 'Braveheart' in 1995. Then, suddenly, he was back in dramatic fashion and large living color. There's a lesson somewhere here, I know it!

For the time being, the following e-mail will serve as a the only direct line of private communication to us: camunlynx@live.com
.

Padanian-American Foundation

Record of Past Donations

2008

Bonnie J Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
c/o White Space, Inc.
601 4th Street, Suite 215
San Francisco, CA 94107

Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation






2007

Evanthia Pappas Transplant Fund
c/o San Francisco Police Credit Union
2550 Irving Street
San Francisco, CA 94122

Ailing Woman Hangs Hopes On A Long Shot



Prior to 2007

"Friends of Julia, Inc."
202 Bay 46th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11214

The website is not currently active

Surnames from Place Names

I thought that it would be interesting to take a look at surnames of which the root is a place name for our own origins, or at least possibly might be. I will just stick to the major names, and which apply to us.

Lets begin with Langbard, in the larger sense. This name has so many variations, that I can only put a selected few here. It appears that there are many very early Lombard connections, from Northern Europe, that branched off in many other directions (Germanic invasion of England, Visigothic invasion of Spain, etc.).

[Above Right: Modern Milano, Italy]

In the Italian peninsula, most of the names are in Southern Italy, due to the fact that it was more unique for someone to be descended from Lombards (or trade partners), so a surname would be a more natural descripton. Those names include Longo, Longa, Longi, Langbardi, Longbardi, Longbardo, Longobardi, Longobardo, Lombardi, Lombardo, Lombarda, Lombardazzi, Lombardozzi, Lumbardi, Lumbardo, Lumbarda, Lombardangiulo, etc., etc. There are so many variations that I have to stop. I could put many, many more.

From the early days, there are many German or central European connections and offshoots. For example Longobard, Lombardallen, Langbardt, Lange, Lombardam, Lombardabram, Lombardand (French?), Lombardash, Lombardaskin, etc., etc. In the British Isles, Lombard is fairly common, as well as some offshoots, such as Langton or Langdon. Also, sometimes this could be from the origin of the Lombard bankers on Lombard Street in London. There were Italian bankers, but not necessarily from Lombardia. Another one is the surname Lombardy, as well as Langbard and possibly Lang or Langton. The classic American actress Carole Lombard comes to mind. She likely had a forefather who was a northern German of Lombard origin, or a Lombard banker in the Middle Ages. Lombardarmstrong sounds like almost a Scottish variation. It should be noted that some of these may have a different origin, or the connection stretches so far back that none of us can tell for certain.

A few other curious ones are Lombardafarian (no Lombards were in Armenia I don't think), Lombardakis (Lombards in Greece?), Lombardao (Portuguese?), and Lombardaraujo or Lombardas (Spanish?). Needless to say, I'm sure there are ones in Russian and Eastern Europe as well. The great majority of these names have nothing to do with the Italian peninsula, but it's remarkable.

What I was particularly interested in was the place names, but it's so difficult to not be sidetracked with the Langbard/Lombard connection. There is a surname "Padania," but coincidently, it's of some type of Middle Eastern origin. Again, only coincidence, like the English surnames "Young" or "Lee," and the Chinese surnames "Young" and "Lee." There is a surname, an uncommon one, called "Lombardia." It's probably of the same derivation as the Lombardi names, largely in Southern Italy.

There are names, probably linked to "Eastern Lombard." Specifically of Orobian origin. A small ancient tribe (Orobi), which wandered around the region at one time, and whose name (and mountain range) is very loosely linked with what some call the "Orobic dialect" (East Lombard). Those surnames are Orobia, Orobico, Orobica, Orobi, etc.

The surname "Brescia" is usually of Southern Italian descent, possibly via the similar usage of Lombardi, Lombardo, etc. There are the variations Bresciani, Bresciano, Bresciana, Bresciane, and possibly Brescianei and Brescianetto. While on the subject of surnames of ancient Lombard origin, the name "Gotti" is actually a common name in Lombardia. It's either Lombard (Gotland origin), or of the Goths. The Ostrogoths to be specific. In either case, both the Lombards and Ostrogoths were in the Naples area, the origin of infamous criminal John Gotti. I now lean a little more towards an Ostrogothic origin.

There is a surname "Camonica," and it's a little difficult to imagine it being of any origin other than the Valle Camonica in Northern Brescia. There are a few variations, like Camuni, but many seem like a bit of a stretch, so I won't try to name them. Also, there are a number of similar ones, which are Hispanic (from Spain), like Camunias, Camunos, Camunoz, etc. However, the Camunian Valley is so small, that I would call it impossible. The Camunians were in the mountains, very few in number, and were only native to Lombardia.

Of course, there are surnames named after all the other provinces of Lombardia, as well as Ticino. Probably also noteworthy is the surname "Milano" (Milane, Milanesi, Milana, Milanesa, etc.), the major city of the region. Again, it seems to be of mostly Southern Italian usage, but I'm not positive. It might stem from another origin or word. Maybe I've got that wrong. Correct me if needed, but it does appear as though it is not very common to see at least the Lombard variations in Lombardia or Northern Italy. Another one maybe worth mentioning, just east of Brescia across Lake Garda, are the surnames Verona, Veronese, Veronesi, or Verone.

Another time we can go over the variations, in different languages, of place names. That is actually more interesting. There can be many variations in different languages, from different periods (Roman, Lombard, etc.), and of different dialects.

************************************************************

10-28-08:

There were two more root names that I wanted to add here without making a "part two." The reason is that there are really almost endless variations, and I would like to wrap this up now.

One is possibly from some form of offshoot of the ancient Lombards, maybe in France: Colombard or Columbard, and later Columbardi, Columbardo, Columbari, Colombari, Columbardi, Columbardo, Columbardoni, and I'll just stop there. That should give an idea. Later probably, I'll see some in other languages, stemming from this.

The other is actually more interesting, stemming from the former name of the Lombards: Winniler, Winnili or Winnilli. There is a surname "Winiler," and it probably is linked to the Lombards in some form, maybe German. This would have to be an ancient connection, because that name hasn't been used as a tribal name since almost Roman times. Others are Winilier (French?) and Winilis (English, via the Norman conquest?). I could dig up some more, but I think I'll just end it there. It's interesting that this ancient connection still exists.

What is the Padanian-American League?

On our main page has been a page entitled "What is the PAL?" We would just like to move it here, because much of what we will do is evolving and expanding, and we would like to continue a process of reinventing ourselves as we need to. This is actually pretty up-to-date. One issue, which probably needs clarification, is that da Vinci or Columbus were not "Padanians." Leonardo da Vinci was of the "Tuscan Nation, Christopher Columbus was of the "City-State of Genoa, and the same for any Venetian, Lombardian, etc. Padania refers to the Po River Valley, and to us is simply a modern name for "Langbard." Langbard should not be confused with Lombardia, even though Lombardia was the main hub of the Lombard ruling class of that time.

[Above Right: A symbol of Genoa (Genova) with two Genoese griffins. A great percentage of Padanian-Americans are of Genoese (Ligurian) descent.]

***************************************************************************

WHAT IS THE PAL?

The Padanian-American League is indeed the one and only association for Americans of Northern Italian descent. It means exactly what it says. It is a social, heritage, and cultural society of American-Northern Italians based in San Mateo County, California. Few Americans seem to know that about 90% of Italian-Americans cannot trace their ancestral roots north of Campania. This fact is not anything that is positive or negative, and certainly nobody's fault, but it just IS. Consequently, we have very little identity in America. This paradigm has created a bizarre type of defamation against us. So many of the Italian stereotypes, jokes, and references have little or nothing to do with us! Even light hearted jokes, like the "Italians can't do anything right" concept, doesn't even make any sense. We have a centuries long reputation of being the very best in the world at EVERYTHING we do!

The Padanian-American League gets it's name from "Padania," the "land of the Po." Padanians are the "people of the Po," referring to the Po river valley. It is not a new term, and has been around for many centuries. "League" refers to the historic "Lombard League." Derived from Etruscan, Celtic, and Lombard stocks, we represent the very best that mankind has to offer. However, if you are an American with Padanian ancestry mixed with any other European root stock, you may consider yourself a "Padanian-American." The PAL should be nothing less than our culture reborn in America.

History has stated time and time again that "a nation exists in the mind, not on a map." Northern Italy was a "nation" during the time of the Etruscans for all intents and purposes. It also was a "nation" under the Lombards, in a much more official capacity. It also formed a single national unit when the Lombard League was formed to oppose Germanic rule on several occasions. The most complex linguistic and genetic studies also bear this out. "Italy" was only considered a whole unit since 1860, when numerous nations were merged into one for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire. Generally, the lands which made up the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies made up one region, the Roman State was north of it, and north of that were an endless series of competing small regions and city-states.

The Americas were discovered, at least in an official capacity, by a Padanian named Cristoforo Columbo. The very word "America" is named after explorer Amerigo Vespucci. It could just as easily have been named "Columbia" or "Vespuccia" as well. Two of America's Founding Fathers were of Padanian ancestry, and a third was Tuscan Filippo Mazzei, a radical revolutionary for the American cause. Upon his eulogy, Thomas Jefferson called him "one of America's founders." Despite having such comparatively small numbers, most of the important Italian-Americans throughout the past four hundred years, from Paolo Busti to Enrico Fermi, have been Padanian.

Padanians, mainly from Tuscany and Piedmont, had settled in Jamestown and other large settlements as early as the seventeenth century. Another small migration occurred from 1850-1880 to some of the larger eastern cities, like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and New Orleans. A "Little Lombardy" sprang up at this time in St. Louis, called "The Hill." It was possibly the first Italian-speaking district in America. Eventually, later Sicilian immigrants became the dominant population in the district. Other noteworthy areas of settlement seem to have been in Colorado, northern Michigan, western Pennsylvania, and Valdese, North Carolina.

The third, and by far the largest, migration of our people was in California. Specifically Northern California. I place this as a separate migration because of it's size and separate geography, but also due to the migration's longevity. From the early 1850s to the 1930s, large numbers of immigrants from mainly northwest Italy arrived in San Francisco and the surrounding area, and up through the Napa Valley. Many of them were from Liguria, Tuscany, and Piedmont, and from Genoa and Lucca in particular.

By the mid-twentieth century, there were well over 100,000 people of Italian descent in San Francisco alone. Most were of Northern Italian descent. Large populations lived in San Mateo County and San Jose as well. Needless to say, Northern Italian families played an enormous role in the development of the Napa wine country from it's beginnings. Gallo, Mondavi, Sebastiani, Parducci, Martinelli, Martini and Prati, Monticello, and Sattui are just a few of the many families that go back even to the nineteenth century. Also noteworthy were the traditional Swiss of California, who were from the Swiss Canton of Ticino. Ticino is a very small Italian-speaking region and the only one south of the Alps, and whose root stock are of Northern Italian descent. The relationship doesn't just end because some long ago German King decided that this would be a nice place to put a fence.

When the Northern League Party formed in the mid-1990s, they claimed all of the regions north of Lazio and Abruzzo as "Padania." Abruzzo was the northernmost region of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and certainly part of Southern Italy. Traditionally Rome and northern Lazio has been "northern" in character. It was discluded mostly due to the Northern League's dislike for the central government in Rome. Well, that's the government, not the people. We consider anything between Rome and Ticino to be "Padanian." The politics of Rome is not our affair, and we will do things here as we see fit.

***************************************************************************

[ADDITION 12-11-08]

These are parts from two e-mails which we responded to, and we wanted to include them here as a sort of FAQ addition:

1) Hello. We support Padanian independence, and Padanian cultural awareness on the five continents where we live, including a plan for a type of unifying institution. Something more substantial than the existing "Padani nel Mondo." The two emergency areas are 1) Padanian Independence, and 2) Aid to tens of thousands of Padanian-Afrikaners and Padanian-Rhodesians.

Join with us. We don't have an official membership at this time, but we can still operate. Although it's only natural that we are headquartered in Northern California, where most of us live, we need various state councils and involvement. We need media. People who can write articles, make videos, music, graphics, as well as historical revisionists, artists, etc.

2) (We) "...previously had a yahoo group, initially called the "Padanian-American Association", but didn't consider it anything more than a small endeavor. A small show of pride. Well, all that's changed..."

There are those who would say that "Padania" was never a nation. That's clearly is not the case. "Padania" is not a new term. It simply meant the area of the Po River Valley. The "Kingdom of the Lombards" (Langbard) was a nation, specifically of Northern Italy, as I have proven already. The black eagle flag was the flag of that nation. It's a perfect flag, in that it's red Odal Rune was originally of the Etruscan people, and meant something like "our land." The rune stones migrated to Northern Europe via the trade routes, and served as an alphabet. The Romans, while stemming from the Etruscans, soon very deliberately destroyed anything Etruscan, but the runic alphabet continued on in Northern Europe after the Etruscans cultural demise.

Queen Theodelinda was the Queen of the Lombards. Literally the supreme ruler of Northern Italy at one point. A poorly produced, less-than-flattering image of her was created eight or nine hundred years after her death. She had become a religious icon, and a Catholic icon is not supposed to be beautiful. In fact, according to the historical record, as the Lombard ruling class desired to intermarry with other ruling classes, King Authari traveled to Bavaria so he could see this German princess he had heard about, who was available for marriage, and the record clearly reflected that he wanted to see her first before agreeing to marriage. When he cast his eyes upon a tall beautiful young woman, he very quickly agreed.

Since she was the one who brought the Roman church to the Lombards (i.e. Saint Patrick), and she also reflects a sort of pagan-rooted image, she is the perfect icon I believe. Like a patron saint. In other words, she was a Roman Catholic, but she also represents the genome, the blood, which symbolically places a limitation on the universalist church. Like the Japanese flag is a red drop of blood, such as our blood red Odal Rune. For all we know, she may be the 50-great grandmother of you, me, or any of us; further adding to that concept. I always admired, for example, the Greek Orthodox church. Not a universalist Orthodox church, but a GREEK Orthodox church. Also, they honor their mythology, while remaining staunch Christians. The perfect blend.

Currently there is no official membership. Naturally we will establish that at some point. We also will need people in the various states. A simple blog would be a good start (ex. "PAL - Nevada"). It wouldn't have to be much of a commitment, just updated every couple of months at least. In Northern California, where most of us live, it would only be logical as the base. However we don't want to ignore other states with a sizable representation (Nevada, Arizona, Missouri, Pennsylvania, etc.). I will be hitting the streets with this program. It will involve, among other things, social, cultural, and commercial activities. It should also be a mostly youthful organization, where merit is predominantly judged on an individual's dedication to the program; and not an over-60 men's club, as so many Italian-American organizations have become.

The Langobardi (title to remain invisible)
The immense and fighting spirit, still,
Shall quicken and control.
Living they were the land, and dead,
Their soul shall be her soul.

The immense and fighting spirit (of the warlike Langobardi), still (currently a dormant spirit),
Shall quicken (the spirit coming back to life) and control (to lead their descendants).
Living they were the land (rulers of the land of Etruscan civilization), and dead (now literally [and allegorically: "the land"] merged with the refined daughters of Etruria and no longer the distinct pagan culture of the "Langobardi" in the ancient sense),
Their soul shall be her (the land's) soul (Lombard and Etruscan as "one" forever [allegoric: "male and female"]; their soul shall quicken inside of our hearts).

The immense and fighting spirit, still,
Shall quicken and control.
Living they were the land, and dead,
Their soul shall be her soul.

More Categories and Endeavors

As stated earlier, we're moving the vast majority of text to this blog. The reason is that it's difficult and time consuming to update web pages, in comparison to just allowing the information and ideas to flow along in a blog. We've now moved another six ideas (for development) here from the main website. I just wanted to enter them, and give a quick description.

Our Patron Saint: This was designated to be Mother Cabrini, the first officially recognized American Saint. She was of Lombardian descent, and seemed to be a logical patron saint. I don't know if this is still a good idea or not, as we have many heros and icons.

Padanian-American Memorial: In New York City's "Columbus Circle," there is a very impressive statue of Christopher Columbus, which would seem to eliminate the possible need to eventually construct a monument. Again, I don't know now if this is still a good idea. Do we even really need "a memorial?" A cultural center would seem to fill that void. However, sometimes there is a need to have a "special place."

Famous Padanian-Americans: We had attempted to make a list, and this is something that we still need to do. For a relatively small population in America, there are a stunning number of very important individuals. Columbus, Cabot, Verrazzano, Vespucci, Mazzei, Busti, Giannini, Fermi, Cabrini, Beltrami, Vigo, etc., etc. That's just off the top of my head in twenty seconds! Remember the scene from 'The Godfather' were the senate is questioning Michael Corleone? One senator, being the quintessential politician, upon leaving, gives his little speech on "Italian-Americans," and goes on to name many of the great Northern Italians in American history. There's a hidden message in there somewhere, I know it!

Padanian-American Singles: A couple of individuals have suggested this, and it is a very good idea. We just want to merge this as a fuction of the Roundtable that we will form, rather than as just a half-hearted effort on a webpage. This definitely will be accomplished.

Padanian-American Historical Icon: This was another attempt to prop up our own historical figures. Queen Theodelinda was the undisputed queen and ruler of the Lombard Kingdom, and she brought Roman Catholicism to the Lombards, similar to St. Patrick. She could also represent the pagan traditions of the past, in some capacity. In conclusion, for now at least, the appearance of the Lombard queen (Northern Italy) on our logo, and Filippo Mazzei (USA) for our "heritage day," is sufficient.

This brings up a larger complex internal and external issue of Christianity vs. Heathenism. I have come to the conclusion that the Greek communities have this correct. In religion they are Greek Orthodox, but their past pagan icons are always part of their identity. In other words, the issue is ONLY an issue if someone wants to make it an problem. It should be no problem for us. So in conclusion, for us, it shouldn't be "Christianity vs. Heathenism," but "Christianity/Catholicism AND Pagan Identity (Christianity and Heathenism). You can love historical icons, or nature, or whatever, without worshipping it (unless you want to). I think we should follow the "Greek model" on this.

Padanian Females Photo Album: This was a good idea, but I don't want to maintain it, as it is time consuming. There are thousands of images of beautiful women of Tuscan, Lombard, etc., descent. Steve Sailer studies and writes about race, genetic, sociological, and anthropological issues, and when confronted with the question of "who has the most beautiful women?", he had the following to say:

"For European beauty, I'd vote for Northern Italian women."

Padanian-American Heritage Day

As part of the process of moving text items, issues, endeavors, and goals of ours from the main website to here, there had been a page on the main page entitled "Padanian-American Heritage Day." The idea was to proclaim Filippo Mazzei's birthday of December 25, 1730, as our "heritage day." We can cover Mazzei's accomplishments at a future time. However, while Christopher Columbus discovered "the Americas" in an official capacity for Europe (in the Caribbean), it was Mazzei who was fundamentally involved in the American Revolution. It wasn't just his written words. He was a revolutionary, and was involved in the war as a defacto "American." Columbus was sailing under the flag of Spain.

The idea, and I think that it was a good one, was to backdate his birthday one month. To use November 25th as "Padanian-American Heritage Day" in his name. Either that or December 1st. Certainly the 25th of December wouldn't be a good date for it, for obvious reasons. That time, late in the year, is when I can recall some of my fondest memories. There's a sense of the year ending and the rebirth and hope for the next year. It must be built into our DNA. The late fall/winter, Christmas, the scents, etc. It is a special time and a good time to designate that important date.

This is something that we can deliberate at a future time, but I wanted to post this entry now as a marker. I can recall a few years ago, I read an article by Lou Alfano, entitled 'Filippo Mazzei - Godfather of the Declaration of Independence.' I was unhappy with the "godfather" connotation, even though, from his perspective, I can understand his reasoning. I sent him an e-mail which reflected my disapproval. I suppose that it was not really the thing to do, even though I still don't like that reference for numerous reasons.

Argentine Project

Several months ago, we added a page to the main PAL website entitled "Argentine Project." This was due to what we perceive as the need to connect with our kindred in the "cone of South America." We certainly have not changed our mind about that goal. We just want to move this here to the blog.







***************************************************************************


Buenos Aries, Argentina



























***************************************************************************


Argentine Connections

The vast majority of Argentinians are of European descent, primarily Spaniards, Italians (overwhelmingly Northern Italians, especially Lombardians), Germans (Germans, Swiss, Austrians), British Isles-descendants (English, Scottish, Irish), and other Europeans. It is the home of the largest colony of Northern Italians in the world, by far.

Lega Nord has an office in Buenos Aires. We too would like to establish a line of communication between the San Francisco Metro and Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo. As immigration to Northern California was starting to fizzle out, immigration to these areas was just beginning. For a time our ancestors, and theirs, shared the same ships across the Atlantic ocean.

They often came from the same regions and provinces. Up through the 1880s, northwest Italy (mainly Liguria) was the only part of the Italian peninsula which was open for emigration, which was reflected in the makeup of Northern California. This is also why those who migrated to "the Cone" were primarily from the northeast corner of Italy.

Also, as small numbers of Padanian-descendants from the southern "Cone of South America" (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Sao Paulo province of Brazil) find their way to California and other states, we want to reach out to them.

We're just using the name "Argentina" as a catch-all term for the entire "Greater Argentina" region. Sao Paulo province has the largest concentration of Italians outside of Italy: Six million people! The city and metro of Sao Paulo has more Italians than any city in the world (yes, more than Rome and Milano!). The population of Sao Paulo Metro is almost 20 million people. The population of the Buenos Aries Metro is over 12 million people. Did you know that Italians MADE Sao Paulo into one of the greatest cities in the world out of absolute abject poverty (before they arrived)?

Also noteworthy is the fact that the climate in this "cone" is not tropical, but very much like the USA or Europe.

***************************************************************************

Oktoberfest 2005 - Cordoba, Argentina

Oktoberfest 2005 from Cordoba, Argentina (image gallery)

***************************************************************************

Northern League office in Argentina (Lega Nord)

Associazione Federale Padani in Europa e nel Mondo
Indirizzo Avenida Centenario 1891 - C,p. B1643CGF
Beccar, Provincia di Buenos Aires, Argentina

***************************************************************************

Sao Paulo, Southern Brazil

Wine Institute - 'California Wine' Insert

[Above: A view of the vineyard of the Ceago Vinegarden on Clear Lake]

With September being touted as "California Wine Month," a couple of weeks ago many Californians received an insert entitled 'California Wine' in their newspapers. This was courtesy of the Wine Institute, which is called "The Voice of California Wine." With the recent passing of Robert Montavi, who probably did more to put Napa and California wine on the map than anyone else, I thought this would be an interesting thing to take a peek at.

The first advertisement was from Gallo Family Vineyards, which is the third generation of the Gallo California winemakers. I believe the Gallo family is originally from Piemonte. On the first page, Wine editor Jon Bonne states "Wine is an enormous part of California's past, present, and future. And California has an undeniable love affair with the vine, buying 192 million cases of California wine each year. Another 50 million is shipped around the world, according to the Wine Institute. Yet those numbers barely define the success story. What's more amazing is how broad the wine industry's growth has been. Last year, California hosted 2,687 bonded wineries - more than triple the number in 1990."

There was one advertisement to promote wines from the Lodi area. "Lodi" is sister cities of Lodi in Lombardia, where it gets it's name. You might recall also, that the old Italian Swiss Colony winery was based in Asti, California, named after Asti in Piemonte. This advertisement was paid for by the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission. On their website is a list of the local wineries, which includes a number of families, whose origin is particularly from around the Liguria area. It would take a little too long to go into all of them here now. Hopefully we can focus on some of these in the future.

Naturally this insert focused mainly on Napa and had a number of articles on winemaking. One advertisement was from the Napa Valley Vintners, and they have a very informative website. Other links that I would like to add here are the the Russian River Wine Road, the Livermore Valley Wine Country, and the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, which all had ads as well.

There are some newer up-and-coming wine regions. One such area is Lake County, which is a very picturesque area that surrounds Clear Lake, and is about 100 miles north of San Francisco. If Napa County has the perfect weather and conditions for winemaking, then Lake County is just north of it. I had visited a few of the wineries in the county several years ago. One of those was the Ployez Winery, I met the owner Gerald Ployez, who was hospitable enough to allow us to wine taste after hours. He is from France, so there must be some key reason that would bring him all the way to specifically Lake County to grow wine. The Lake County Winegrape Commission had a full-page ad in the insert.

Another winery in Lake County (among many) is the Rosa d'Oro Winery. It's owned by the Buttitta family, which apparently has long roots in winemaking, but without a label of their own until they moved to Lake County. Another winery, which caught my eye, was the Monte Lago Winery. Expecting to read about an Italian family, I saw where it is owned by a woman of Indian descent, who claims that winemaking goes back far in India. The first known production of wine seems to go back to Sumeria, Persia, and the Levant about 6,000 years ago, by ancient Sumerian, Persian, and Phoenician type peoples. However, it was really in ancient Greece that winemaking, in the form that we know today, got it's start.