Sicily is an incredibly beautiful island, both her natural and historical beauty undeniable. At the same time, however, is has never been a tranquil land to live in; in the course of history, due to its position in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, it has been contended between and fought for by all the major empires that dominated the area, since the beginning of times: invasion after invasion, domination after domination, insurrection after insurrection the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spanish, all left a long lasting influence both in the urban fabric of Sicilians town and in the human fabric of society. In the twentieth century, together with the rest of Southern Italy, very unfortunately Sicily has followed a slower development curve than the rest of Italy; emigration towards the richer Northern areas of the country, together with the influence of organized crime, misuse of public funds and corruption helped keeping the island in this state of relative backwardness compared to the rest of Italy, despite the attempts of many, who often lost their lives in the process. Despite all this, one of the most appealing thing for me going around Sicily is the openness, warmth and friendliness of the people one meets in the streets, shops, restaurants and hotels: in short, Sicilians are great. That, and the richness of life in the streets, makes for a very interesting place to be photographing around.
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| Friendship, Erice |
As I said before, walking around the small towns and cities of Sicily you can expect to find interesting frames of life popping from almost everywhere; from a guy selling mountain artichokes in Siracusa:
...and refreshing himself with a well-deserved beer to fight Sicily's heat:
Churches' doors double as background for selling groceries:
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| Groceries, Caltagirone |
While in Sciacca you can see fishermen selling their freshly caught shrimps:
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| Catch of the day, Sciacca |
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| Fish market, Sciacca |
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| Fisherman, Sciacca |
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| Mending nets, Castellamare del Golfo |
Shepard tending to their grazing flocks is also a not uncommon sight around Sicily:
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| Shepard, Segesta |
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| Shepard, Selinunte |
Fishing, of course, is big on an island - here a fisherman in Trapani's salt fields:
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| Waiting, Trapani |
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| The catch, Trapani |
Some street portraits around Sicily:
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| Old man, Caltagirone |
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| Gazing at the horizon, Caltagirone |
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| Afternoon walk, Sciacca |
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| A Sicilian Gentleman, Siracusa |
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| Reading the news, Mazara del Vallo |
In Mazara del Vallo, people are very very keen on introducing you to the beauty of the restored city center, which is trying very hard to reconvert itself from being one of the main ports for the dying fishing industry to being a touristic town. So, at almost every corner you find someone pointing you to some monument or other - this is Antonello the wood-smith, following whose indications one gets to see churches and monasteries, and to meet with Salvatore:
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| Antonello the wood-smith, Mazara del Vallo |
...and this is Salvatore himself, a very funny guy readily available to bring you around Mazara and to show you all you need to see (at least, according to him, that is):
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| Salvatore, Mazara del Vallo |
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| Kid in the arab quarters, Mazara del Vallo |
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| Siblings, Mazara del Vallo |
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| Gossip, Caltagirone |
This guy, waiting for tourists just outside of the archeological site in Morgantina, explained how he could have been Mayor but declined - unfortunately, I forgot to write down his name. A very colorful character indeed:
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| "The Mayor", Morgantina |
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| Resting, Siracusa |
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| Morning coffee, Castellamare del Golfo |
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| Boys, Castellamare del Golfo |
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