GMT™ Halaesa-Nebrodi meets with Nicosia di Sicilia to develop unique experiential itineraries-Sicily

Feast of Saint Sebastian in Mistretta: Religious Celebrations and Traditions

The city of Mistretta is preparing to honor Saint Sebastian the Martyr, Patron Saint of the Nebrodi community, with a rich program of events involving both faithful and visitors.

Start of Celebrations – August 11th

The festivities begin on August 11th with the solemn ringing of bells, marking the official opening of the celebrations in honor of Saint Sebastian. The evening will continue with a performance by the I.C. Tommaso Aversa Orchestra in "Note di Notte" (Night Notes), an unmissable musical event.

Triduum and Traditional Activities – August 15th-17th

From August 15th to 17th, the Triduum of Saint Sebastian will be characterized by numerous religious and cultural events. On August 16th, the XVIII edition of the Saint Sebastian Foot Race Trophy, a traditional sporting event, will take place. On August 17th, music and entertainment will enliven the city with the Euterpe Band, the Majorettes of Capizzi, the children of Hakuna Matata, and a performance by Alessandro Gandolfo.

Culminating Day – August 18th

August 18th is the most anticipated day: the Holy Mass will precede the Solemn Procession of the Simulacrum of Saint Sebastian and his relics, which will pass through the streets of Mistretta. To conclude, a fireworks display will illuminate the sky, followed by a show by Pippo Palmieri, directly from Radio 105's Zoo.

Concert by Danilo Sacco – August 19th

On August 19th, Danilo Sacco will hold a concert that promises to engage and captivate the audience. The evening will conclude with the drawing of raffle prizes, adding a further touch of excitement to the festivities.

Closing of Celebrations – August 25th

The festivities in honor of Saint Sebastian will officially conclude on the following Sunday, August 25th, with the traditional solemn ringing of bells that will bid farewell to participants and close this week of celebrations.

The city of Nicosia hosted the second Sicilian stop of the Grand Tour of Territories and Italian Identity (and eleventh nationally), after the one held in Mistretta on January 26, 2024, through a workshop dedicated to the Culture of Hospitality in Inner Areas.
The event, organized by Andrea Succi (Territori e Italianità), Salvo Burrafato (Nicosia di Sicilia),  Samuel Granata and Valentina Bircher (Grandip Group), and Riccardo Zingone (GMT™ Halaesa Nebrodi), was sponsored by the Municipality of Nicosia, the Department of Tourism and the Department of Agriculture of the Region of Sicily, GAL ISC Madonie, ANCI and SIMTUR.

Partners of the Nicosia event included Royal Guest, Aura Mundi, Espereal Technologies, and Maggioli Cultura as media partner. 

Following the institutional greetings from Nicosia’s Mayor Luigi Bonelli, and in line with the spirit of the initiative, the event quickly moved into its core discussions with contributions from Salvo Burrafato, Andrea Succi, Riccardo Zingone, Pina La Giusa, and Samuel Granata. The organizing team deliberately used the term workshop to give the meeting a clearly pragmatic and operational angle  by presenting the first results of the GMT® Model applied in the nearby Halaesa Nebrodi area,addressing the needs expressed by administrators, operators, and citizens aware that, to build regenerative prospects for inner areas, dedicated models and skills capable of offering real solutions to devastating phenomena such as depopulation and loss of identity are essential.
Andrea Succi described the methodological framework applied to the regeneration of inner areas, starting from the need to adopt a Vision, at the heart of Territori e Italianità through the format of the "Five Steps".
Emerging themes included the participatory approach needed to generate structured internal communication among operators, citizens, and administrators, the conscious knowledge of one’s own identity elements (genius loci) and the transfer of  skills, for a renewed work culture, an essential condition to address depopulation.
Based on these principles, good practices must be generated, fueled by mayors aware of their role, motivated and properly trained operators, and engaged and participatory citizens in a forward-looking process where the Destination Temporary Manager and the Territorial Tourism Coordinator™ play a crucial role—the former to effectively organize the tourist destination, the latter to ensure the long-term sustainability of the work initiated.
Salvo Burrafato, who skillfully coordinated the event, also illustrated to the audience the first experiential tourism route proposed by Nicosia di Sicilia, with stays ranging from three to seven nights, offering a deeply immersive experience in the world of rural life, food and wine traditions, and culture. This tourist package was also included among the products in the Halaesa Nebrodi catalog titled The Grain Route , expanding and enriching it with further significant experiences. 

Through the words of Riccardo Zingone, the GMT™ Halaesa Nebrodi was presented to the community as a concrete example of territorial tourism work and organization.
The project, launched in 2024, began with a meticulous operator scouting activity and marked several key steps such as the launch of the website www.halaesanebrodi.it, followed by the creation of a first Tourism Product Catalog, thus setting the conditions to fully enter the national and international tourism market, effectively positioning this area as an authentic tourist destination.
The very notion of a “model” implies its replicability, and it is hoped that the GMT™ Halaesa Nebrodi model—first of its kind in Sicily—can be adopted by other inner areas and communities that need practical tools to counteract the social and economic decline they have been facing for decades.

Also very meaningful was the contribution by Mario Cicero, mayor of Castelbuono and President of GAL ISC Madonie, who shared with the audience his twenty-year experience as administrator of the Madonie village, and welcomed the opportunity presented by Territori e Italianità to develop tourism projects in synergy with GAL ISC Madonie. Equally valuable was the testimony of Samuel Granata, a young Nicosian who chose to remain in his homeland, bravely investing his energy in the tourism sector, along with that of Pina La Giusa, entrepreneur and President of the Petra D’Asgotto Ecomuseum, who focused her speech on the projects carried out by the Ecomuseum, including the archaeological excavation project on Mount Altesina, which led to new and interesting discoveries in March through a second agreement with the University of Paris and the involved local authorities.

The lively and educational debate was joined by Giacomo Consentino, owner of the 24 Baroni craft brewery, Maria Scavuzzo from the Albereto dairy, Francesco Dipasquale of Espereal Technologies, Antonino Noto, President of the Pro Loco of Motta d’Affermo, Fabio Bruno, President of the Movement for the Defense of Territories, Giuseppe Lo Furno of the Italian Farmers Federation, Anna Maria Gemellaro, deputy mayor of Nicosia, and Giacomo Giaimi, geologist and hiking guide.  In particular, Anna Maria Gemellaro, deputy mayor of Nicosia, proposed the inclusion of the GMT Model and the innovative figure of the Territorial Tourism Coordinator® in the call for experiential tourism projects that the Municipality intends to apply for.

The event concluded with a pleasant and mindful wine tasting accompanied by local products, curated by ONAV.

The echoes of the inauguration of The Sea Road mural in Torremuzza have barely faded, and the Halaesa-Nebrodi territory is already enriched by another important and evocative work of art: "Noi: Inizio di una nuova vita" (Us: Beginning of a New Life), by Antonino Lipari, known to all of us as Nino.

We are in Mistretta, within the majestic municipal park named after Giuseppe Garibaldi, and the artwork stands where, until recently, a magnificent Norway Spruce (Picea abies) once proudly stood. The cycle of life accustoms us to its fluctuating rhythm, where life precedes death, and death — sometimes — generates life. And so, after several centuries of silent and undisturbed existence, the fir tree became irreversibly diseased to the point that, to safeguard public safety, the city authorities decreed its removal about a year ago.

The community began to wonder how to fill the large void left by the impending demise of the majestic tree. While initiatives were being considered, the administrators decided to completely trim its crown, which was by then irreparably diseased, and to preserve the vast majority of its trunk, which was healthy enough to envision reusing the resulting timber.

An Unexpected Gift

Then, at a certain point, a young carpenter from Mistretta, Nino Lipari, knocked on the mayor's door. With his characteristic politeness, he suggested carving an artwork, a sculpture, from the remaining trunk: "I'll take care of everything," Nino said, "and I don't want to be paid."

It must be said that Nino is not new to the art of wood carving; in the past, through private commissions, he had already demonstrated artistic skills that transcend those of a simple, albeit very skilled, artisan. But now things became decidedly more serious, and he would have to put himself out there, exposing his work to public judgment. Yet Nino was confident; he knew what he was doing, had clear ideas, and possessed the skills to realize them. Thus, he immediately gained the mayor's trust, and work began just a few months after the tree's removal.

Access to the left avenue leading to the central square of the park was closed, opaque nets were put up, and simultaneously, the curiosity of passersby grew. They could barely glimpse scaffolding, the outline of the fir trunk, and Nino moving around it, but nothing more. The work lasted several months, and finally, on the evening of August 11th, the artwork was inaugurated, coinciding with the restoration of the lighting of the main gate of the municipal park.

"Noi": A Symbol of Love and Renewal

Noi blossomed at dusk on a pleasant August evening, contrasting with the sad days of the cutting of the majestic mother-plant that had held it in its womb for three centuries. In this journey that intertwines life with death, and allows death to generate life, Nino sensed the presence, in that trunk otherwise destined for the sadness of abandonment, oblivion, if not destruction, of an opportunity for rebirth and regeneration that could take shape through his hands, his tools, and his heart.

Nino then chose to embark on a reinterpretation of José Luis Santes's The Embrace and thus decided to celebrate his love for his land through the tender and eternal embrace between two lovers. It is a message so simple in its genuineness that, at times, we don't fully grasp its power. But Nino, with his artwork that he decided to give to the community, reminds us that giving oneself to others is also a form of love, that solidarity among people is an act of love, as is gratitude, and that one can become a father infinitely, just as he himself demonstrated by transforming a raw and shapeless piece of wood into a magnificent work of art that all of us can enjoy and through which we will have opportunities to reflect on the true meaning of life.

With these brief words, we extend a warm virtual hug to Nino, his family, and his collaborators, along with a sincere thank you for the significant gesture he performed.

Learn about the Operators and the Project of GMT Halaesa-Nebrodi.