A winter in
Sicily – the first weeks
A brief introduction to the history, the beauty, the mystery and Sicilys dark shadows
"…It was one of those
iridescent Palermo mornings, the clouds a shelving deep blue and russet. He
rejoiced in the sun, the air, the warm Norman stone, the red Arabic cupolas,
the aroma of seaweed and lemon in the market…"-
Leonardo Sciascia, The council of Egypt (1963)
Anyone
leaving Sicily untouched must have a heart of stone. A few days or maybe a
couple of weeks should be all that is needed to experience the atmosphere, the tastes,
to discover some of the beauty and get glimpse of the amazing and sometimes violent
history of this island. To know and understand Sicily, however, a whole lifetime
may be needed.
Two months
have passed since I crossed the Messina Strait from the Italian mainland. The
first two months in Sicily has already been a real adventure, a multi-level
journey in a new fascinating world that willingly opens up for one who wants to
explore. Blurred images and several books, a multitude of films, news clips
about political conflicts, violent natural phenomena, complex cultural and
social structures, mafia killings, and refugees rescued from fragile inflatable
rubber boats, are gradually changing shape and content confronted by the
Sicilian reality.
In a series
of posts on this blog, I'll share some of my impressions from the winter and early
spring of 2017-18, in text and pictures. It will be something to read for everyone`s taste I believe, from travelling through the Sicilian landscapes and
nature to beautiful cities, historical sites, carnivals, fishing communities
and social projects.
The history
of Sicily and its culture is my opinion unique and perhaps more complex than
any other geographical area on the earth of similar size an population. The
first traces of people in Sicily were found in caves near the coast at today's
Scopello and Palermo. These findings date back to about 7-8000 BC. Between 2000
and 1000 BC, the first groups of people came from other parts of the
Mediterranean and started settlements and trade, first along Sicily's coastal
areas and eventually also to the inland. From about 800 BC and until Sicily became
part of Italy from 1861, after Guiseppes Garibaldis victory over the Bourbons,
Sicily had been ruled by various empires and political regimes, which in
different ways set their footprints in the historical and cultural landscape
for more than 2000 years. Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans controlled the island in turn until
the mid 1200s, after which various magistrates of European descent, German,
French and Spanish (some partly in alliance with the Pope and the Catholic
Church) took the political control on the island. Adding two world wars, a
series of local rebellions, about 20 years of fascist dictatorship under
Mussolini, organised crime and brutal behaviour of Sicilian mafia, and the
increasing flow of refugees in recent years, the complexity of the Sicilian
society should bed obvious, for better or worse, though mostly for better.
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| Valle di Templi - Agrigento |
While the
city´s architecture, museums, art and literature are mirroring the Sicilian
history and the cultural development of society through more than 2,000 years,
the Sicilian nature and landscapes are strangely showing some of the same
characteristics which can be found in the island's culture and history. On one
side something unpredictable, violent and brutal, with frequent volcanic
eruptions, devastating earthquakes and, at the same time, incredibly varied,
changeable and stunningly beautiful. Here are dramatic rock formations with
high peaks covered by snow in winter, a coast line that alternates between
towns and villages, long, soft, yellow, white and black beaches, steep cliffs
of different geological structures and not least an amazing cultural landscape,
a patchwork of olive groves, fruit trees, vines, grains and vegetables that
spread over rolling hills inland, in steep hillsides and wide plains along
parts of the coast. The light, the weather, the seasons and the time of day,
create continuous changes in the landscape`s expression and make a journey
through this land of beauty a new and amazing experience every single time.
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| One of many old bridges in the countryside between Palermo and Scicca |
After two
months on the road in my little camper through much of Europe, as far south as
to Istanbul, and then through Greece, Macedonia, Albania and southern Italy, I
was already having a hard time absorbing all the impressions as I left the
ferry in Messina and sat down heading south to Catania on Sicily's east coast
last November. Although it seemed almost disrespectful to ignore the one road
sign after the other pointing towards tempting destinations, I still chose to
do just two more stops before Sciacca, my planned winter base, about 100 km
from Sicily's western corner. From Sciacca, I can still reach all tempting destinations
on the island in a day, if I wish.
The first
stop is a small fishing village called Santa Maria la Scala, about 10 km north
of Catania on Sicily's east coast. The village is more or less devoid of
tourism at this time of the year and is feels authentic and charming with a
lively harbour, the "Scalo Grande". Clusters of small brick houses are
squeezed together along narrow streets leading down the hillside to the harbour
and the ses.
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| Santa Maria la Scala in the early hours of the night |
I spend my first day and evening to get a touch of the atmosphere, an testing my first Italian glossary on some of the fishermen at the harbour - with limited success I must admit - before finding an elderly gentleman with excellent English skills, who is fishing from the pier. He tells me that Santa Maria la Scala`s economy and work opportunities is almost exclusively based on fishing, with the exception of a few shops, restaurants and some tourism. The population is just over 500. Most young people who stay in the village (mostly the boys) finish school early because they do not see any need for academic skills or education to do fishing. The girls have few to none opportunities for jobs or careers in the village and many of the girls chooses to move to Catania and other cities where prospects are better.
Etna
At dawn the
next morning I set my course towards the Etna volcano which rises majestically
and whimsically of the Sicilian landscape with its snowy peak surrounded by a
robe of rocky hills, rugged mountain plants and small forests in golden,
shining autumn colours. With its more than 3300 meters, Etna is Italy's tallest
and one of the world's most active volcanoes. The (or "she" since
volcanoes are most commonly referred to as women…) have more or less continuous
activity and eruptions. While I´m writing these lines (a clear morning with
beautiful weather) I can watch a webcam showing the top of Etna and a thick cloud
of smoke rises up from the volcano. But Etna also provides recourses for
livestock, food and activity. Fertile volcanic soils support extensive
agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the
mountain and the broad plain of Catania to the south. And even the fishing
communities along the coast have benefited from the volcano. John Keahey tells
in his book "Seeking Sicily" that he heard a story about "people who climbed the Etna every day and
carried large blocks of ice wrapped in green ferns down their steep rich
slopes, so they could preserve the early morning catch fish".
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| Autumn leaves in the the hillsides on Etna |
To climb
the peak of Etna and view the roaring crater at this time of year can be
difficult, due to snow, fog and clouds that pull together like a blanket around
the snowy top. Since the weather is beautiful and I can see most of the mighty
mountain in the distance I will nevertheless try to get as high as I can to
have a walk in the volcanic landscape and enjoy the fresh mountain air. The
road leading to the foot of the volcano and further up the mountain is well
marked since Etna is one of Sicily's most visited destinations. The temperature
drops rapidly as the road climbs ever higher and higher and the houses on the
plain below become small bricks in the distance. At an altitude of 2000 meters,
the thermometer shows 0 degrees and the snow is lying like a thin veil over the
black volcanic surface. As the snow starts to cover the road, I reach Sapenza
Refuge, a tourist destination, with hotels, restaurants and various shops for
souvenirs and sports equipment. Sapenza is also the starting point for trekking
on Etna, either on foot or by mountain lift. This day, the clouds are too heavy
around Etna's peak to allow for trekking much higher then the refuge, so, I
choose to set the day's hiking along the mountain side just below the heavy
clouds. I am rewarded with a beautiful views in a shifting almost supernatural
light while the fog comes and goes and the sun in short glimpses penetrates the
clouds and enhances the contrasts of black sand and white snow over rock
formations and small "mini" volcanoes scattered down the winding
mountainside.
Punta Secca
and Ragusa
I stay one more day in Santa Maria la Scala before I hit the road again in southerly direction to my next stop, Punta Secca and Ragusa. Punta Secca is a nice little fishing village with just under 300 permanent residents. Here one can also find restaurants with excellent seafood and a marina with a significant number of yachts that indicate much more activity during the hot season than now in November, where the place seem in a state of winter sleep. To many, both Punta Secca and Ragusa may be known from one of Italy's most popular criminal series; "Inspector Montalbano" (Rai 1). In the series, Montalbano lives and works in "Marinella" and one can get the impression that the two places are connected, while in reality the distance from Punta Secca to Ragusa, where the series' police station is placed, is about 27 km inland.
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| The «Montalbano Villa» to the right. Now a B&B with the same name |
Inspector Montalbano is a charming, honest and effective policeman, with a somewhat challenging love life. During my preparations for my visit to Sicily, watching the series was a very entertaining exercise, and both Montalbano, his colourful colleagues and "Camillieri's" crime stories are definitely Sicilian both in content and expression. Local mafia bosses, murders, human trafficking, and dubious politicians all appear throughout the series in addition to appropriate portions of romance and Sicilian temperament.
While Punta
Secca may not have all that much to offer as a tourist destination, the case is
contrary to Ragusa. This wonderful town with its more than 70,000 inhabitants
has two distinct divisions, one new and one old town scattered over a
horseshoe-shaped hillside with a deep valley in the middle. The Old Town has an
outstanding Baroque architecture, a myriad of beautiful churches, narrow streets
and museums that shows the city's heritage all the way back to Greek and Roman
times. Ragusa suffered from a massive earthquake in 1693, which left large
parts of the city in ruins. The earthquake is also partly the explanation of
the city's duality and the distinctive division between the new and the old town.
An amazing restoration effort has been carried out to make the old town appear
as it does today, where it is also one of the Unesco world heritage sites.
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| Ragusa |
I'm having
a nice week in Punta Secca and Ragusa where I can also catch up with my long
term, ongoing "research" on migration and refugees. In a so called "camp", an
old dilapidated villa a few miles north of Ragusa, I manage to get my first
interviews with African refugees, 25 young men from Sierra Leone, the Ivory
Coast and Gambia. They have all crossed the Mediterranean sea from Libya in
inflatable rubber boats. Their stories are familiar. I´ve heard similar stories
before, but they are still shaking. What makes people risk their life travelling through
war zones, desserts and on the open wild ocean like these young men have done,
and what happens when they get stuck in the middle of nowhere, and their hopes
and dreams are fading due to closed borders and possibilities that no longer
exists? Eventually, during this winter in Sicily there will be more
such meetings and shaking stories, but also a glimpse of hope and, not least,
examples of what can be possible when people and cultures meet to create something
together. More about this in a coming blog post later.
Arriving in
Sciacca
On November
25th, I finally unlock the gate in "Casa Helleberg", which I`m renting (for a very affordable sum) by my
Norwegian friend Gullbrand, who is half Sicilian and has part of his family in
the area around Sciacca and Ribera. Gaspare, who is both a new friend and works
for a company which is taking care of houses, has guided me from Sciacca to my
spacious, well-equipped winter residence. The house is strategically located on
the top of a hillside a few kilometers from the town, with a beautiful view of
the Mediterranean and the coastal landscape. And having only a 10 minutes to the beach isn´t
bad either. A wintry "Scirroco", the hot, southern, African wind stroke
along the hill and my new casa, while the temperature were showing well above
20 degrees Celsius. What an
excellent base for the winter!
I settle quickly
at Casa Helleberg and the next day I'm ready to familiarize myself with
Sciacca, which I only know from Gullbrands descriptions and from various travel
guides.
My new
"hometown", with its more than 40,000 inhabitants and historical roots dating
back to the Greek era, about 500 BC, is most famous for the last colourful
Carnival in mid February and as a fish and seafood supplier. The town centre
has several well-preserved old buildings, churches and palaces from various historical
eras, making it both interesting and charming. At the entrance to the city from
East I follow the signs to "Sciacca Terme", which is the name of the
town's thermal bath with mineral-rich, healing water. However, at the time of
my arrival the facility is closed due to lack of funding and outstanding debt
to various creditors according to available information. There is certainly some
hope it will be opening this, "maybe next summer" according to local
sources.
I park my
car on the balustrade in front of the "Sciacca terme", which has a great
view from the top of a rock formation to the sea and fishing port. Below are
waves of turquoise Mediterranean waters that break against the stones on a
small beach and towards the mole that surrounds the fishing port. Sciacca is one
of Sicily's most important fish and seafood suppliers with a large fleet of
ocean-going fishing boats and a lively harbour area. I walk a narrow winding
road and a network of stairs between the houses along the hillside towards the
harbour. The smell of sea and fish, that blends with the buzzing of voices,
motorcycles and cars, as I enter the port area. Here is a bustling life. A
vegetable seller competes with the cars for some space in the main street along
the harbour, while elderly gentlemen have gathered around the cardboard for
some rounds of "scopa". The fishing boats are sliding gently into the
docks, and to deliver the night's catch to the local distributors and to buyers
from Palermo who will take the fish to the capital's markets and restaurants. Small
shipyards and workshops for production and repair of equipment and machinery
for the fishing boats, are all busy keeping the boats ready for sea without
unwanted delays. A number of bars and fish restaurants provide a drink or a
taste of the sea for both locals and guests like myself.
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| Fisherman in Sciacca with a nice catch |
I head for
Charlie's bar for a beer and some pizza. Getting seated I already know this is
a town of my taste and an excellent place to have as a base throughout the
winter. And it will only get better ... (but more from Sciacca in a coming blog
posts ...).
Caltabellotta
A few days
after arriving in Sciacca I start exploring the areas around Sciacca and my
Casa.. From the hill where my casa is, I do also have a view to the inland with
lush fields, olive groves, orange plantations and rock formations rising up from
the countryside in the distance. Under one of the massive peaks, I can see a
village, or rather a small town in the mountain side, and houses that seem to
climb all the way up to the top of the mountain. The village is
"Caltabellotta", and has a bit more more than 3000 inhabitants and
becomes the destination for today's excursion.
The town truly has an extraordinary location,
surrounded by the three peaks of Monte Pellegrino, Monte Castello and the
Gogala cliff, Caltabellotta offers a glimpse of a very different side of Sicily
to the coastal towns and beaches. The original medieval town is set on the
highest point of the mountain, while later developments to the town, dating
back to the 16th and 17th centuries (though its origin can be dated back as
far as 99 BC), took place on the slopes below.
The town`s highlights include the Norman cathedral
where the top attraction is the Santa Maria della Catena chapel, which is
adorned with frescoes by the highly-acclaimed Antonio Ferraro da Giuliana, one
of the 16th century’s leading wood carvers.
To get the best view of the town and its
surroundings, I walk through the narrow streets and start climbing the stairs
(all mountain towns has a lot of stairs) all the way to the top of the highest
peak above the town. The view is really breath-taking. The air is almost
totally transparent and I`m having a magnificent, 360° panorama view to the
sea, numerous peaks, valleys and farmland with a multitude of patterns and
colours. Amazing!
But as with almost every town in Island there is a lot more to know about
Caltabellotta than just the beauty. Historic events like "The Peace
of Caltabellotta", was signed here on 31 August 1302, ending the conflict between the
Houses of Anjou and Barcelona. The peace divided the old Kingdom of Sicily into an island portion and a peninsular portion. The island, called
the Kingdom of Trinacria, went to Frederick III the "Mezzogiorno", the Kingdom of Sicily (called the Kingdom of Naples by
modern scholars), went to Charles II, who had been ruling it. The peace though, was formal recognition of an
uneasy status quo…
News from recent years can also tell about
Mafia arrests, political struggles, growing tourism and a long list of interesting
stories to explore for anyone with the time and interest…
Exploring
new places and visiting Palermo - The heart of Sicily and a world of it´s own.
Every day becomes
a small adventure as I continue to explore the countryside, the coastline and
towns like Agrigento with the Valley of Temples, Mazara del Vallo with it´s
fishing and large Arab community and fascinating Corleone, made famous through
Francis Ford Coppola`s "The Godfather", even though the fiction movie is not
built on real events that took place in the town. However, a mafiatown it was
indeed (in the past), with frequent
killings and a hiding place for many mafiosi. It´s also the birthplace of "boss
of bosses" Totto Riina, who died in November last year.
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| Corleone and the beautiful Sicilian landscape |
Whatever or
wherever one chooses to visit on Sicily, I would call Palermo a "must see" kind
of place. To call it "a place" however is really an insult to the city, which should rather be cindered a world of it´s own, due to the history,
architecture, the cuisine, the art, music and last but not the least it´s
people. Like the nature and the history of Sicily, the people of Palermo is a
fantastic mix of origin and cultures, and even though there is truly a
Palermitan Identity among many of the City´s inhabitants, Palermo is first and
foremost a multicultural society where the differences that matters most is not
the colour of your skin or your origin, but rather how and when you arrived,
and what your intellectual and social capital might be.
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| The Cathedral - Piazza SettÀngeli |
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| Fontana Pretoria (called the fountain of shame because of its nude fugures |
Three times
I´ve visited Palermo for five to ten days since arriving on Sicily. I can
honestly say it´s a city where you can fall in love and loose your heart and at
the same time a place that can make you want to cry of anger and frustration
(depending on your values and who you are of course). In all directions, and aspects of life, you will
find the best, the not-so-good and the worst. Palermo has wonderfully
maintained and restored old buildings, museums, concert halls, churches and
palaces, but also historical buildings tragically lacking attention and care.
Here you can find beautiful parks and piazzas, but also areas with slum,
visible poverty (Sicily is after all the poorest region in Italy). Garbage is floating in the streets in some
places, and traffic jams and parking chaos are frequent.
The nights
may be the best time to feel the intensity, the life and Palermo atmosphere most
strongly. The Palermitans dines late. Often restaurants do not open before 7 pm and doesn’t´t start to get crowded until nine pm. On Friday and Saturday nights some streets looks and feels like
it´s a big public celebration of some kind going on and people hanging out in
the most popular areas in thousands. The young people seems to prefer sitting
outside the bars and tavernas, even when temperatures drops to around ten
degrees (Centigrades). Having some drinks, nice food and a good time, is compensating for the
chilly nights I guess.
The Mafia
"It was invented by
man, and as well as all human creations it has
a beginning. And it will have an end.
Giovanni Falcone, anti-Mafia
judge, murdered May 23, 1992
(From John Keahey´s, Seeking Sicily,
2011)
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Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were brave, significant judges in the early years
of the anti-Mafia campaign. Both were killed by the Mafia |
The word
"mafia" is probably, and sadly, more than any other word, fact or historical event
associated with Sicily. Since the start of the anti-Mafia campaign around 1980,
hundreds and probably thousands by now, mafiosi have been standing trial and convicted
for murders and organised criminal activities. The "Cosa Nostra" (our thing),
the Sicilian mafia which once was controlling a large part of the Sicilian economy,
and influencing most people´s daily life in one way or the other, has been drastically
weakened through a constantly ongoing campaign, and is still a high priority
police matter. In 2010 for example, the police arrested a significant number of
mafia chieftains (bosses) and confiscated more than 1 billion worth of assets
from the mafia. A search through the Internet today brings up a long list of
articles about resent arrests and crime committed by the Sicilian mafia. The
face of the mafia has changed somewhat and most people agree that it is
weakened. No one thinks they have been defeated though. A Sicilian friend, at
about 40, says: "We used to know who the local mafia boss was in our
neighbourhood. We knew him by his name. It´s not the case anymore, but we know
they are still there".
As a
visitor I have no direct contact with Mafiosi (that I know of). Many of the private service enterprises
however, the drug dealers, prostitution businesses, and human trafficking are
probably all protected by, and part of the octopus we name the Mafia.
In the
Guardian on February 1, I read this alarming article (highly
recommended):
Travelling
with books
Travelling
like I do, trying to learn from whom I meet and the places I see, means quite a
lot of reading, both for pleasure and for getting new knowledge. News articles
are now widely and easily available on the Internet, and thank to newspapers
like The Guardian and many others, information is both relevant and reliable.
But when reading is for understanding, one needs to dive into other sources as
well. Historians, travel writers, novelists and even poets, are important reading to get a glimpse of this Islands soul.
Norman
Lewis, In Sicily, (2000) and John
Keahey, Seeking Sicily (2011) has been very inspiring, both
because the books are extremely well written, but also because I don´t feel
completely empty handed after reading them when I`m approaching new places an conversations. I also have even more and better questions to ask.
Sicily´s
own classic writers has also been a pleasure to read. Giuseppe Tomasi di
Lampedusa`s, Il Gattopardo (The leopard)
is an historical novel, published in 1958 a year after the author died. The
novel, which later became a best seller, had been rejected by publishers on the
authors own attempts to get it published while he was still alive.
Leonardo
Sciascia is another "must read" Sicilian writer and novellist (and leftist),
with numerous books from his hand, and a really entertaining author providing
storytelling on the highest level that really takes the reader into some of the
Sicilian soul. Next on my list, an other famous writer, Gesualdo Bufalino, who was "discovered" by his friend Leonardo Sciascia, and
recommended to me by a Sicilian friend. Bufalino died in 1996, aged 75.
Want to
read more from my "Winter in Sicily"? Stay tuned, I´m working on three more posts/articles:
-"In
the heart of Palermo – Ballarò, MoltiVolti (many faces) and the Migrants - Working for
Change" (Will be some video too… )
-
"
Sciacca Carnevale" (Article, stills and video)
-
"
Harvesting the sea - Fishermen in Sciacca" – Article and stills
I will also
share some new pictures on FB, and even more pictures on my SmugMug page:
Enjoy,
share and please give feedback/ask questions...
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Friends coming together on a Saturday afternoon to play some traditional Sicilian and Italian music and a bit og jazz
in a tiny music shop |
