Nino Mallaci, the Capramal Project, and his Messina goat salami

Even the town of Motta d'Affermo is preparing to present its own event within the scope of the project "Costa e Valli Alesine: an itinerary for rediscovering the villages of Castel di Lucio, Motta d'Affermo, and Pettineo."

This is the Euterpe Fest, an interesting musical proposal that will take place on June 26th at Palazzo Minneci. The Muse of Music, Euterpe, will thus enter the restored halls of the historic residence to offer attendees some captivating musical moments, entrusted to distinguished artists who will propose a varied program ranging from folk traditions to jazz, concluding with a brass ensemble performance.

Here is the program with a brief description of the artists.

TOTÒ FUNDARÒ The storyteller from Alcamo in songs, tales, and stories of Sicilian popular tradition, in the poems of farmer poets. Totò Fundarò is an authentic heir to the tradition of Sicilian storytellers, a figure who combines peasant wisdom with narrative and musical mastery. He not only interprets and tells stories of Sicilian popular tradition but enriches them with his guitar, often with an expressiveness that recalls that of virtuous Spanish guitarists. His art is deeply rooted in rural life and the culture of the land, so much so that documentaries such as "I Villani" by Daniele De Michele and "Pi Amuri o pi Raggia" by Fabrizio Raggi have been dedicated to him. Fundarò is also a cultivator of ancient Sicilian grains and a member of Simenza, embodying an indissoluble link between art and his land.

ALESSANDRO PRESTI and Sicilian Quartet Alessandro Presti is a talented trumpeter, arranger, and composer of Motta d'Affermo origin, considered one of the most refined and sought-after of the new generation of Italian jazz. Trained between Italy (Messina, Siena Jazz) and the United States (New York), he has developed a style that combines the rigor of hard bop with an attention to the more contemporary idioms of jazz. He has collaborated with prominent figures such as Roberto Gatto and Francesco Cafiso, and boasts important recognitions such as the "Chicco Bettinardi" Award and the Top Jazz 2022 award in the Italian New Talent category. His music is deeply linked to Sicilian roots, with a strong attachment to the land and the local band tradition, which influenced his approach to the trumpet from childhood thanks to his father, a bandmaster.

GRUPPO OTTONI STEFANESE Director M. Massimo Fiorella. The Gruppo Ottoni Stefanese is an ensemble that promotes brass chamber music, offering a captivating repertoire that ranges from classical to lyrical, from jazz to pop, with original pieces, transcriptions, and arrangements. These brass groups, often composed of musicians with a solid classical and band background, are known for their ability to create unique and powerful atmospheres through the warm and resonant sound of brass wind instruments. The band tradition is very strong in Sicily, and the Gruppo Ottoni Stefanese carries on this heritage with professionalism and passion, under the direction of Maestro Massimo Fiorella.

Recognition for Youth Entrepreneurship to an Operator of Halaesa Nebrodi

The current year continues to hold pleasant surprises for the Territory, for GMT™ Halaesa Nebrodi, and for the Operators who are part of it.

After recently telling the story of Elisa Cerrito and the Il Melograno Farm in Motta d'Affermo, which won a prestigious award in the field of beekeeping ([link to the article]), on October 4th, another young entrepreneur from Halaesa Nebrodi received an important recognition. She is Giuseppina Azzolina from Castel di Lucio, who was awarded in the context of the fourth edition of the "Una di tante" (One of Many) competition, organized by the Pro Loco of Nicosia.

Giuseppina Azzolina and her kiosk, "Al passo di Eolo" (At the pace of Aeolus), won the award in the Entrepreneurship and Management section. This important recognition was assigned following the suggestion of the Mayor of Castel di Lucio, Giuseppe Giordano, who in this way wanted to give due and deserved credit to the very young 25-year-old entrepreneur from Castel di Lucio. We recall that in the previous edition, another entrepreneur from Castel di Lucio, Franca Sacco, was awarded for her activity in the dairy sector, and in the same year, the Entrepreneurship and Management award was assigned to the entrepreneur from Mistretta, Maria Grazia Insana.

A Choice of Heart and Courage

Like many young people her age, at a certain point in her life, Giuseppina found herself at a crossroads: leave or stay? The love for her land, for her family, and for her town became determining factors in her difficult choice. Her decision was firm: Castel di Lucio, a mountain town of just over 1200 inhabitants perched on the Nebrodi Mountains, has been and will continue to be her home.

"A courageous choice, far from obvious, that has had an important impact on the entire community," underlined the Mayor during the award ceremony, "because with her gesture, she has restored dignity to the town."

The Birth of "Al passo di Eolo"

Giuseppina's family owns land a few minutes from the famous land art installation, The Labyrinth of Ariadne (Il Labirinto di Arianna), a highly frequented destination that is part of Fiumara d'Arte, Europe's most extensive open-air contemporary art park. On this land, located on a knoll exposed to the four winds with a breathtaking view, Al passo di Eolo was born in 2021, a small family-run kiosk where Giuseppina and Mimma, her dynamic mother, manage the kitchen and welcome guests.

From its beginning, Al passo di Eolo has stood out for its menus, a triumph of Sicilian cuisine: from cutting boards of fresh cured meats and cheeses to more substantial dishes like sandwiches with sausage and ricotta. There is no shortage of sweet delicacies, such as fresh cannoli, all served with refreshing drinks or a good coffee. The dishes are often presented on unique wooden cutting boards, hand-carved in the shape of a labyrinth, adding a special touch to the experience. Even on the cutting boards, there is, in a way, the family's mark, as they are handcrafted by her carpenter father who, obviously, also created all the wooden structures.

From that moment on, Al passo di Eolo became a genuine reference point for the territory and for the town of Castel di Lucio because, as the Mayor recalls, "it creates Value by uniting Art, Territory, and high-quality gastronomic Products, but it is also an important information point serving travelers."

"My award comes from a long way, the result of great sacrifices and supported by the closeness of my whole family," an emotional Giuseppina recounts. "I decided to stay and invest in the Territory, and it is to the Territory that I dedicate this award."

Beautiful words full of meaning, which aim to be an example for those who want to make their Territory their Home.

I believe Mario had an absolute blast last night. He, who always maintained that the dead never truly die but observe us from the afterlife, from another dimension, I saw him sitting on the steps of his house, on a small street near the Church of Santa Caterina in Mistretta. He was watching, watching us, and watching himself.

His clever, deep, and gentle gaze, curious like the goblins he loved to paint, rested on the faces of those who, five years after his passing, had decided to accept the invitation from family and friends to attend a cool August evening dedicated not to his commemoration, but to his memory.

He had a blast, as I said. I noticed it when he was in stitches, listening to the words of his close friend, Tatà. Growing up with a person, sharing their battles, passions, bold and unconventional choices, their successes and failures, is the fertile ground where a sincere, deep, and timeless friendship germinates, grows, and matures. This is why Tatà, in talking about Mario, couldn't help but talk about himself. And vice versa. Mario, sitting on those steps, laughed and Tatà smiled, between one anecdote and another, as he spoke to us about Mario the boy, Mario the artist, Mario the philosopher, Mario the politician, Mario the "communist," Mario the writer, Mario the man.

At a certain point, however, Mario's amused expression changed, becoming more introspective. The scene was changing, and Mario was changing too. His son Alvaro took up his guitar, adjusted the microphone, and, along with Valentina, began to sing the first notes of "La canzone di Marinella," by that De André whom Mario, so long ago, had introduced to his own son.

Mario had sung De André over and over at home, during get-togethers, maybe even with his group, Gli Elfi, but now, hearing it sung by Alvaro, it moved him and, at the same time, pleased him. "Alvaro is really good," he thought to himself, as the magic of the music spread along the narrow street crowded with people. Then I saw him go down the stairs and play the last verse along with them:

"This is your song, Marinella Who flew to the sky on a star And like all the most beautiful things You lived only for a day, like the roses And like all the most beautiful things You lived only for a day, like the roses."

While Alvaro and Valentina continued their musical performance, Mario, Liria, and Ferruccio led us up the stairs into what is now a small museum. It holds paintings, sketches, writings, and various documents produced by Mario during his long artistic life, carefully preserved by his family in that treasure trove of material and immaterial culture that Tatà would like to turn into a Foundation. It is the studio-workshop where Mario unleashed his exceptional artistic sensibility, his ironic, sarcastic, irreverent, bold, and fascinating, yet also gentle, brush. The colors, the painted figures with their almost photographic appearance, the symbols and symbolisms, the gnomes, toads, open books, and faces have always struck me.

The Rimembranze exhibition will also be open today, August 16th, from 7:00 PM onwards. If you look closely, Mario will still be there watching, watching us, watching himself.

For more information: http://www.mistretta.eu/Speciale%20Mario%20Biffarella.html