TRIINACRIA by Clara.diL

ΤΡΙΝΑΚΡΙΑ

Contents

Trinacria

Issue n° 1

Introduction

Our people

Food

Bittersweet

Bad Reputation

We got history

Island‘s voice

Danger?

What‘s missing

Credits

Rough road

WHAT

ABOUT SICILY? A brief introduction

Sicily is as nuanced as it is misunderstood. It is known for prolifeorus criminal activity, poverty, corruption, fragile infrastructures, chaos, loud welcoming neighbors, mesmerising beaches and most importantly, the best cusine in the world (according to sicilians).

Sadly these are but the surface of what makes this island so unequivocably fascinating. These stereotypes are mostly true, although the reality still differs vastly from the idea people have of the southernest italian region.

This magazine‘s aim is to inform and entertain the reader with facts regarding the culture of the islanders, in a digestible and lighthearted format: through anectotes, poetry and sayings in dialect.

Acqua, cunsigghiu e sali a cu n`addumanna `n ci nni dari. 4

Don‘t give water, advice nor salt to those who don‘t ask.

There was a time when proverbs were held in high regard, as they were considered to be a source of valuable advice and suggestions for everyday life. Beyond its literal meaning, this proverb invites us to reflect before intervening in any matter: you don‘t always need to have your say on everything, sometimes you can simply listen.

Do you have a strong Sicilian food memory from childhood? 8

part 1: food

I have fond memories as a child of various typical Sicilian dishes, especially Pasta alla Norma, perhaps because my Nonna made it for me almost every Sunday. Other typical dishes that were often not lacking at the Sunday lunch were: Parmigiana, pasta with sardines and Falsomagro (Sicilian stuffed meat rolls).

Nun c’è megghiu

Finally, to conclude the lunch, for dessert we had the Sicilian Cassata or the Cassatelle from Agira. I also remember when my parents took me around the city centre, where we often appreciated the various dishes offered by our street food vendors, such as grilled horse meat, often consumed in a spartan way on outdoor tables, or even standing! Sometimes we chose to enjoy the “Tavola Calda”, very assorted, even if I prefered (and I still do) the arancino.

sarsa di la fami

I still remember the days at my maternal grandmother’s home making macaroni and I will never forget that smell of tomato sauce made with fresh tomatoes! A smell and a taste… only my grandmother could achieve that perfect combination in such a simple recipe! - Sara There is no better dressing than hunger

part 2: bad reputation

In your opinion, what are some of the stereotypes that sicilians are combating?

A 6‰¡m ¡ `6m ¡ SºººT% º} }¡¡% T} ¡ TŒT 6m ¡ ignorant and these are the most widespread stereotyF¡} `¡ Tm¡ Œº% T% m˚º% 6 }6‰¡r -¡ } m¡¡ ber that most of the universities in the North are populated by Sicilian students or students from southern Italy. - Piero

Some poeple might not be aware of the fact that there is much prejudice and discrimination going on between nothener and southener italians. An important conceptto know, in order to understand the circumtances is the

„Terrone“ is an Italian term to designate, in an often pejorative manner, people who dwell in Southern Italy or are of Southern Italian descent. The term comes from an agent noun formed from the word terra ( Italian for „land“).

part 2: bad reputation

D¡Œ%ºº6% 6 ¡ ¡m § terrone“ by the wikipedia dictionary:

Is there an expression orsaying in the Sicilian dialect that you particularly like? 14

The Sicilian saying that most reflects me and that I prefer is this: “Comu veni si cunta”. My personal interpretation of it is this: I live my life in the moment and face every situation despite everything, what comes comes, the important thing is to have tried. - Piero

part 3: Island‘s voice

DIALECT Many peoples have passed through Sicily, that’s why Sicilian displays such a rich and vamº¡ º%º¡%¡ m6 several languages in its lexical stock and grammar alike.

Many peoples have passed through Sicily, that’s why Sicilian displays such a rich and vamº¡ º%º¡%¡ m6 several languages in its lexical stock and grammar alike.

Native to: Italy Region: Sicily Native speakers: 4.7 million (2002) Language family: Indo-European

These languages include Ancient Greek, Norman, Latin, Spanish, Lombard, Catalan, Occitan, Arabic and Germanic languages, in addition to the languages of the island‘s aboriginal Indo-European and preIndo-European inhabitants, known as the Sicels, Sicanians and Elymians.

Un populu mittitilu a catina spughiatilu attuppatici a vucca è ancora libiru. Livatici u travagghiu u passaportu a tavula unnu mancia u lettu unnu dormi, è ancora riccu. Un populo diventa poviru e servu quannu ci arrubbano a lingua addutata di patri: è persu pi sempri. Diventa poviru e servu quannu i paroli %6%ŒºT%FTm6º e si mancianu tra d’iddi. Mi n’addugnu ora, mentri accordu la chitarra du dialettu ca perdi na corda lu jornu. Mentre arripezzu a tila camuluta ca tissiru i nostri avi cu lana di pecuri siciliani.

People, chain them strip them down silence them yet they are free. Steal their jobs their passports their dining table the bed where they sleep, yet they are rich. People become poor and slaves when you steal the language adopted by their fathers: then they‘re lost forever. They become poor and slaves when words stop birthing words and eat each other instead. I realise it now, as I tune the guitar of Dialect that loses one string a day While I patch up the cloth eaten by moths that our ancestors wove with sicilian sheep wool

E sugnu poviru: haiu i dinari e non li pozzu spènniri; i giuielli e non li pozzu rigalari; u cantu nta gaggia cu l’ali tagghiati.

part 3: Island‘s voice

Un poviru c’addatta nte minni strippi da matri putativa ººTTŒº pi nciuria. Nuatri l’avevamu a matri, nni l’arrubbaru; aveva i minni a funtana di latti e ci vìppiru tutti, ora ci sputanu. Nni ristò a vuci d’idda, a cadenza, a nota vascia du sonu e du lamentu: chissi non nni ponnu rubari. Non nni ponnu rubari, ma ristamu poviri e orfani u stissu.

And I am poor: I have money I can‘t spend; I have jewels that can‘t be gifted to anyone; a song in a cage with severed wings. A poor man nursing from dry breasts of the putative mother, who calls him son in mockery. The rest of us had her, the mother, they stole it from us; her breasts were like a fountain of milk and they all drank from it, now they spit on us. Her voice remained, the cadence, the low note of sound and lament: they cannot steal these from us. And although they can‘t take it away from us, we remain poor and orphaned nontheless.

- Ingazio Buttitta

to y g e l r i n e ic i d th S r o re at c c A u a s th g? yo ing sin s i h t m is -

ial nt s e st ot ¡ ‰ nt p boa ti¡ º s y¡ le ly m˚ xcel Sici t de his Œ t ris at k I as e ors. nh N6 t ou h t te f t c o e y e s at liev t’s p e o cil re all i e g bl in ny I b d on apa . a c m ions ase e b b t y. , lit d na ion i l u g ab re , wo ain t l s tia -su re lf to e a s v al -S T Sº

part 4: What‘s missing

WHAT‘S IT LIKE TO I believe that if you learn to drive in Sicily you can drive anywhere! People are always in a hurry and most do not use public transF6m }6 ¡m¡ º} 6¡% mTŒ during the week, but without a car I would feel lost!

part 5: Rough road

I remember I was waiting for the age of 18 to get my driver’s license and before giving me the car my father made me take a driving test with him, taº% ¡ 6 ¡ ¤6} ºŒ' roads to make sure I was able to “survive” driving in Catania…. in comparison, the driving school exam was a breeze! - Sara

DRIVE IN 21

L at

itu

Longitude: 13°20′08″ E

de : 38

°07

′55

″N

Sea level: 46 m Evidence of human settlement in the area now known as Palermo goes back to at least the Mesolithic period, perhaps around 8000 BC, where a group of cave drawings at nearby Addaura from that period have been found. The original inhabitants were Sicani people who, according to Thucydides, arrived from the Iberian Peninsula (perhaps Catalonia).

AG Lon

git

e: 1

3°3 4′3 5

″E

Latitude: 37°18′38″ N

Sea level: 261 m Agrigento was founded on a plateau overlooking the sea, with two nearby rivers, the Hypsas and the Acragas, after which the settlement was originally named. A ridge, which 6¡m¡ T ¡m¡¡ 6 %TmT6mºŒTº6%k º%} a hill to the north called Colle di Girgenti with another, called Rupe Atenea, to the east.

part 5: Rough road

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WHAT ARE SOME CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

ARE SURPRISING ABOUT SICILY?

part 6: Our people

When you arrive in Sicily there is an immediate sensation that you are in a very different place, not like the rest of Italy or any other Western place that I’ve been. Much has been discussed about the island mentality, the fatalism that comes from being conquered again and again, but there is also something else. Here is where Slow Food began. It speaks to an appreciation of nature and life. In Sicily, the hours between 1:00 and 4:00 are still observed as sacred family time. Lunch is the main meal, prepared after the morning market visits. If you walk through town, º `º Œ ˚6m ¡T `º ¡ }¡} 6 FT}T 66º% and chatter, sounds and smells carried by all the º¡mº% T%m˚ 6‰¡m¡Tr FTºº¡} ¡T 6¡¡mr They walk together afterword and greet neighbors. The men converge in the piazza to discuss. The word urgent does not exist in their lexicon. What could be more important than time to share around the table?

Tourism is on the rise in Sicily. The G7 meetings will take place in Taormina this May. Palermo was named Culture Capital of Italy for 2018, and the important European biennale Manifesta chose Palermo as host for next year. In addition to all the attention coming to Sicily, the isT%º}}6`˚T%Œ%T˚}¡º%}6¡6¡%¡Tº‰¡ impressions that have plagued it for some 100 years. A trip to Sicily will be an eye opener. This I can guarantee.

Sicilia bedda, comu sì ruvinata Eri la prima stidda e ora si disulata Granni eri a lu tempu di li Turchi, mentri ora troppu genti caccianu muschi. ‘Nni lu continenti li fabbrichi jeru a fari e di sta terra si voziru scurdari. A lu nordi tutti vannu a travagghiari mentri ‘nti natri di fami s’avi a muriri. Fora di la sò terra li Siculi annagghiri T¡%%}TmºŒºF«Tmmººmº e doppu ca na vita fora jeru a passari ‘nti la sò terra nuddu voli cchiù turnari. Sperannu ca la vita va a cangiari comu ‘na stidda tu a riturnari. Ora ti lassanu cu li cori malati. Chisti su li vuci di li Siculi emigrati.

Hoping that life will change, hoping that you‘ll shine again like a star they leave you now with a sickened heart. These are the voices of the emigrated sicilians. Sicilians are forced out of their land }TmºŒº%T6¡y˚ and after a lifetime abroad %6y6˚¡‰¡mŒ%}¡ºm`T˚6¡ They left to build factories in the continet and they chose to forget this land. Everyone emigrates to the north for work while we are left to starve My beautiful Sicily, you are so broken You were once a shooting star and now you are in ruins You were grand in the era of the Turks, y%6`66T%˚F¡6F¡¡ºº¡}r - Giovanni Canzoneri

„U avi la cummirità e ‘un sinni servi mancu lu cunfissuri lu pò assolviri“ Wasting an opportunity to gain what is Wtruly important in life is a deadly sin. So much so, that there is no redemption. At the very least, this is what this sicilian proverb suggests.

live y to tunit st of it r o p p o iest. he o the m e pr ve t e o ha ot mak n by th h w n e ve Thos and do olved e s well t be ab o cann

part 7: Bittersweet

Tu ca si luntanu e nun canusci la me terra e ‘ntra lu so distinu ‰ºº}TŒT¡¡mmTr Tu l’ha vistu mai all’arba u suli quannu u mari l’arruspigghia e cu so caluri asciuga lu suduri di la me genti ca travagghia. Tu l’ha vistu mai u lustru di lampari dintra li nostri cori quannu puru u duluri stancu di tuppuliari addiventa amuri. Si, tu mi po diri picchi mi scrivi sulu cosi duci senza mai numinari tutti li cristi misi ‘ncruci e ti rispunnu tu l’ha ‘ntisu mai a vuci da me terra è na puisia l’autri cosi nun fannu parti ne di la genti ne di la terra mia.

You that are far away and do not know my land, in its destiny you }T`6%˚TŒTT%`Tm Have you ever seen the sun at dawn as the sea wakes it up? That with its heath dries the sweat of my people as they work Have you ever seen the light of the boat-lamps inside of our hearts when even our suffering tired of kocking becomes Love. Yes, you may argue, do you only write about the good? Without a single mention to all the crosses my people bear and I‘ll answer you: Have you ever listened to the voice of my land? It‘s poetry, all the rest does not belong to my people nor to my Land. - Michelangelo Balistreri

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Can you give us a brief history of Sicily?

No. There is nothing brief about the history of Sicily! The island is smack dab in the middle of the Mediterranean, which means that it has always been the enviable jewel in the crown for anyone who could capture it.

There were native people on Sicily, but in around 800 BC arrived the Phoenicians. Then followed Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Norman, French, SFT%º}k T% ¡% %ºŒTº6% with the mainland came in 1861, making the country we now call Italy. People don’t realize that Italy has only been a country for 150 years. Truth be told, it is a land of regions, and Sicily is one of 20.

part 8: We got history

Sicilians are the product of thousands of years of colonisations from various peoples. Diversity is one of the thigs that makes Sicily so special.

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part 9: Danger?

Is Sicily a I don’t think our region is dangerous, but it is also true that unfortunately we cannot hide the fact that Sicily has a medium-high crime rate. This “cancer” should be eradicated, also because it damages the image of our beautiful Sicily. - Salvatore

place?

A megghiu parola è chidda cha nun si dici

The wisest word is the one that remains unsaid

Free university of Bozen-Bolzano Faculty of Design and Art Bachelor in Design and Art - Major in Design WUP 21/22 | 1st-semester foundation course Project Module: Editorial Design Designed by: Clara Di Liberto Magazine | Trinacria Supervision: Project leader: Prof. Antonino Benincasa Project assistants: Amedeo Bonini, Rocco Lorenzo Modugno Photography: Asaf Einy, 10 pm Sunset caique silva from unsplash.com serjan midili from unsplash.com ernest porzi from unsplash.com mariyan rajesh from unsplash.com

Trinacria

Interviews: „Get to know the sicilians“ interviews 1, 2, 3 from altervista.org „Interviews about Sicily“ from larosaworks.com Fonts | Font sizes & Leading: Body Text Fira sans regular 10 pt Caption Text Fira sans regular 6 pt Title Text Montserrat Semibold 24 - 44 pt

Printed: Bozen-Bolzano, January 2022

Issue n° 1