Nino Mallaci, the Capramal Project, and his Messina goat salami
A dream that becomes a reality and an added value for the territory, in the words of the protagonist
Riccardo Zingone 20/09/2025 0
The Story of Nino's Goat Salami
To tell the story of the goat salami produced by Antonino Mallaci Bocchio—or Nino, as he's known to everyone—we need to take a big step back and listen to his history, which is rooted in an old family business dedicated to agriculture and animal husbandry.
"I come from a family of farmers and ranchers," Nino says. "I've always been fascinated by this world, which is rich in values and feelings, but also requires huge sacrifices."
As a boy, Nino split his time between school and the family business. After earning his surveyor's diploma, he decided to leave his studies to dedicate himself fully to the work, which at the time was primarily raising cows. "Our grazing lands were located between Mistretta, Cerami, and Agira, which required a lot of organizational and financial energy," he explains. In the late nineties, in his twenties, he and his father decided to build a barn on their land in the Calogno district, in Cerami but adjacent to Mistretta. Since then, all of his work has been focused there.
Like many livestock farms, Nino's also had goats and pigs. "I remember as a child," Nino continues emotionally, "I would often watch the preparation of various cured meats, including goat salami, which was made by mixing goat meat, naturally lean, with the leftover scraps from processing pork. I never forgot those flavors, those smells, and those healthy traditions. For a long time, I set a goal for myself to keep them alive through my business and my retail shop."
La Dispensa del Massaro and a Found Dream
Fast forward to today, Nino opened a store in Santo Stefano di Camastra, where he started La Dispensa del Massaro. The goal was to promote and sell cured meats from the Nebrodi Black Pig, a product of local excellence, along with select beef. However, the thought of the goats continued to "graze" in his mind, along with the project of bringing their related culinary traditions to everyone's tables.
At one point, Nino had the opportunity to buy a number of certified Messina goats, an indigenous breed with roots between the Nebrodi and Peloritani mountains, prized for the quality of its milk and the goodness of its meat.
"With the purchase of this flock," Nino says, "I felt I was close to realizing my dream, but I was also aware that I had to acquire more knowledge to be able to produce a quality cured meat that honored both tradition and modern standards."
He decided to attend a specific course in Alba, Piedmont, an area with a long and established tradition in raising goats and producing cured meats. After various experiments, he succeeded in producing his own goat salami, finding the right balance of compactness, resistance to slicing, preservation, flavor, and aroma.
A Product that is a Synthesis of Tradition and Innovation
Nino's long and complex journey, supported by his family, culminated on September 18th with the official presentation of the Capramal project in Santo Stefano di Camastra. The event was attended by administrators, technicians, friends, and curious onlookers, all drawn by this tasty new product.
The gastronomic experience of tasting the goat salami was enriched by specialties produced by other local businesses: the Spina Santa company from Nicosia, which specializes in producing goat cheese, and the Casaleni company, which has long offered excellent gastronomic products. Thanks to these synergies, it was discovered how the Messina goat salami is particularly enhanced when paired, for example, with sweet provola cheese and fig jam.
A perfect synthesis of the values expressed by the Messina goat salami is captured in the words of Dr. Serena Nigrelli, the agronomist who followed Nino during the bureaucratic process: "Nino's salami is one that should be savored with your eyes closed, because that's how we can grasp unique sensations that take us back in time."
All that's left is to wish Nino and his dream-come-true sincere good luck. The territory needs this energy, vision, and enthusiasm so that our beautiful traditions can transform from memories into concrete realities.
Contact info@halaesanebrodi fro more information.
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People of Halaesa Nebrodi: Chiara Dimaggio and her Domus Immobiliare Real estate Sicilia
People of Halaesa Nebrodi: Chiara Dimaggio and her Domus Immobiliare
Face to face with Chiara Dimaggio, a young and brilliant real estate agent operating in the territory of Halaesa Nebrodi.
Through her agency, Domus Immobiliare, she is fulfilling her lifelong dream: making the people she meets happy by sharing her contagious smile with them. One of her slogans says: "Life takes you to unexpected places, Love brings you Home," and Chiara, interpreting this mission with exceptional enthusiasm, has found homes for many people — both Italian and foreign — to whom, above all else, she introduced the territory, its soul, and the people who live there, adding extraordinary value to her delicate and vital work.
Chiara, what is a real estate agent doing in a local tourism marketing group?
At first glance, the role of a real estate agent within a tourism-oriented territorial marketing group might seem distant. In reality, it is not at all. The presence of a real estate agent in a territorial marketing group is not a mere formality: it is an added value. I am firmly convinced that when a town grows, all the businesses connected to it grow as well.
The core objective of GMT™ Halaesa Nebrodi is the promotion of the Halaesa Valley territory, and on this front, the group is doing an excellent job. Such extensive promotion can only bring benefits to a business like mine, which for years has invested time, energy, and passion into enhancing the value of the territory.
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Yours is a young journey, yet rich with experience in the real estate sector.
My business is young, just as I am. I opened my real estate agency at only 22 years old. I remember with pleasure what pushed me to embark on this adventure. I was preparing my last three subjects for my bachelor's degree when, in a moment of high stress, I decided to change direction. It was thanks to a reflection shared by my father that I chose to attend the real estate agent course.
From there, a world opened up: my world. I became licensed for the profession, earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations, and subsequently a master's degree in Public Administration. Today, those degrees are hanging on the wall, because the passion for my work took over and grows day by day. If I am who I am today, I owe it to the professionalism and dedication with which I perform this job. For almost 11 years, I have been making people's dreams come true, and I hope to continue doing so for many years to come.
What role do you play in GMT Halaesa Nebrodi: can you give an assessment and what are the future prospects?
I immediately embraced the GMT™ Halaesa Nebrodi project and the ideas of its creator, Andrea Succi. From the very first meeting, I was struck by his spirit, his determination, and his desire to provide a concrete contribution.
The GMT™ operates in a territory that unfortunately has experienced significant depopulation and economic regression in recent years. However, the group is made up of young entrepreneurs and professionals who deeply believe in the potential of the place where they live. In these two years, through the launch of the website, participation in the recent BTE in Palermo, constant social media promotion, and the creation of travel packages, the GMT™ has helped to make the territory known and achieve its main goal: to grow and improve the entire Nebro-Alesino district.
Will we succeed? Yes, I am certain of it. Can we do more? Absolutely. We can and must always improve, but we have all the skills to do it.
Social media and real estate: putting your face out there pays off.
The growth of my business has been strongly influenced by a constant and effective presence on social media. I say it and I will always repeat it: today, social media is decisive for the growth and image of a business. Once, newspapers were used; today everything passes through social networks, and I have fully embraced this change.
Through videos, I tell the story of the properties, but often also the stories of those who lived in them. I talk about the territory, with particular attention to Tusa, my grandparents' village, the place of my childhood and my heart. Thanks to this work — and I take credit for it — real estate transactions in the municipality of Tusa have increased exponentially, and today the village is known internationally. Putting your face out there is fundamental: people want to know who they are trusting. A logo creates distance; I, instead, build relationships based on trust, friendship, and respect.
What do you expect from the territory and what can be improved?
One of my greatest desires is to see the small villages flourish again. I imagine towns full of life, people, businesses, and lively venues. I wish that even those who live there daily would take an extra step to promote, beautify, and enhance them. I hope that local administrations can intervene with small improvements that, over time, could make a big difference.
I am very confident and, above all, proactive. Who knows, maybe our group, by joining forces, will manage to take giant leaps and surprise the territory around us. I invite anyone who wants to contribute to the growth of the territory to join the Territorial Marketing Group: together we can do great things.
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Maria Messina Literary Prize in Mistretta
The Maria Messina Prize is a major cultural initiative promoted by Associazione Progetto Mistretta. The Maria Messina Literary Prize was first held in 2004 and is dedicated to the writer Maria Messina.
Maria Messina, one of Sicily’s most important women writers, was born in Palermo in 1887. In 1903 her father, a school inspector, was transferred to Mistretta, where the family lived until 1909. During those formative years she began writing stories inspired by the town. They were published in 1911 and contributed to two notable collections, Pettini fini and Piccoli gorghi. She later wrote novels and books for young readers and died in Pistoia in 1944.
One hundred years after leaving Mistretta, Maria Messina symbolically returned to the town she loved. In 2009 her remains were laid to rest beside her mother in Mistretta’s monumental cemetery. The initiative, promoted by Associazione Progetto Mistretta with the municipality and local community, also led to a street near the Church of San Giuseppe being named after her.
To honour the author—who corresponded with Giovanni Verga—Associazione Progetto Mistretta has organised the literary prize since 2004. The nineteenth edition was scheduled for 5 October in the reception hall of the Circolo Unione.
The prize is open to writers, young authors and students who find their chosen form of expression in writing. Over the years it has honoured prominent Sicilian, Italian and international writers and cultural figures, with participants and award recipients from the United States, Germany, Tunisia and Spain.
The event also recognises associations, local initiatives and individuals whose work contributes to storytelling, the arts and cultural life. This edition includes a posthumous award dedicated to a distinguished painter from Palermo.
Halaesa Nebrodi 09/11/2024
People of Halaesa-Nebrodi: Filippo Fratantoni Sicily
Stepping across the threshold of the large building housing the Ceramiche Fratantoni showroom and factory means immediately immersing yourself in a world whose contours are clearly defined by the gray of the clay ('a rita in the local dialect) of countless vases, "Moro heads," and lamps, all crafted and left to rest, awaiting glazing and firing. This stark contrast is met by the explosion of vibrant colors used for decorating the finished artifacts that literally fill the exhibition spaces. At the center of the stage of a nearly century-long performance, a workbench stands out, surrounded by pieces already worked but awaiting decoration and firing. It's a magnificent scenographic and communicative choice that speaks volumes about this ancient expressive art, which only finds its final expression at the end of a long working cycle.
Within this complex and ancient world are the people, the artisans, and the skilled workers who have dedicated themselves to this magnificent art for centuries and who have made Santo Stefano di Camastra famous worldwide: the ceramists, or, to use a lesser-known term, the ceramicari.
Filippo Fratantoni is one of them, son of ceramists and a ceramist himself. He's a multifaceted individual, always involved in the social life of his Santo Stefano di Camastra, to which he also dedicated a long political period.
The Legacy of Ceramiche Fratantoni
Filippo, this chat is taking place within one of the historic businesses of Santo Stefano di Camastra: Ceramiche Fratantoni, a descendant of the Ditta Fratelli Fratantoni, founded way back in 1935. What has happened in these 89 years of activity?
"The business was born in the post-war period when my grandfather and his four sons set up an artisan workshop where they produced 'i marazzetri and 'i cusuzze, which were nothing more than toys inspired by everyday objects. Using four lathes for processing, they created small bummuli, quartare, lemmi, and rasticetri, reproducing in miniature what Stefanesi artisans had long been producing in their workshops. The small pieces made were bought by street vendors who, aboard their carts, would then sell them in local markets for a few pennies, allowing less affluent children to also have a modest toy to play with.
Subsequently, at the end of the Second World War, a qualitative leap occurred, and the Fratantoni family, thanks to the purchase of larger warehouses and premises, dedicated itself to the production of terracotta for daily and building use, still remaining outside of ceramic products as we see them today.
In reality, at that time, furnaces and workshops were still located outside the town, along the national road (SS.113) that led towards Messina, which carried all the modest vehicle traffic of the era. These were the hard 1950s after the war, but subsequently, thanks to the economic recovery, we began to see Fiat 1100s, then Fiat 600s, some regular buses, and even tourists who, attracted by the goods left to dry by the numerous roadside artisans, began to be interested in purchasing the displayed products. From this moment on, interest also grew in producing and selling decorated ceramics, which led to the birth of 'a scola ceramica, now the Art School, which began to train the first decorators to support the master potters—a crucial moment given that the workers of the time did not have the skills to color their artifacts.
Our interest has always been directed towards reproducing 19th-century Stefanesi traditional tiles and bricks, and in the 1970s, we patented the glazing of lava stone slabs, with which we began to build tables of various shapes and sizes that would otherwise be impossible to create with clay, a material severely penalized in terms of resistance and contraction during firing.
Today, our company has reached the fourth generation. My brothers and I dedicate ourselves to the production of the classical line, particularly the production of tiles, while we give the younger generation the freedom to experiment with the new worlds and creative spaces offered by modern ceramics."
Responding to Market Challenges and Innovation
Some years ago, we witnessed an invasion of foreign-made products, especially from China, which had nothing to do with artisanal ones, distracting consumers and creating great confusion. How did the community of Stefanesi ceramists respond to this intrusive presence, what countermeasures were taken, and what has changed in the relationship with the end-user?
"We simply continued to do our job and to do it well. The real invasion happened, but it has also passed. Today, mainly reproductions of pinecones and 'Moro heads' arrive from China, which have little impact on our work. My father always told us: 'Don't get discouraged, ceramics always have their ups and downs,' and I must say that's how it has been. Today we are in a period of great recovery. People's taste is becoming more refined and they can recognize an object by the quality it expresses. The new generations are increasingly attracted to our world, thanks also to the presence of media and social media, which have given new impetus to our sector. Just think of the international projection that designers Dolce and Gabbana gave to the 'Moro head' by featuring it in some of their advertisements. This highlighted an object that has always existed but, undoubtedly, thanks to their intervention, has become highly sought after."
The MUDIS: A Diffused Museum
Filippo Fratantoni's name is closely linked to MUDIS, an acronym for "Museo Diffuso Stefanese" (Stefanesi Diffused Museum), of which you are the Artistic Director. I'm curious about the use of the term "diffused" and, at the same time, I'd like to delve into its history, which begins with Giuseppe Lanza Barresi, Duke of Camastra.
"We have always believed that Santo Stefano di Camastra is an open-air museum. The MUDIS was born from a vision that originated in the 1980s, thanks to the late mayor Gigi Famularo, who worked to find the necessary funds for the restoration of the palace that belonged to the Duke of Camastra. That's where the Museum of Ceramics was born, with ample exhibition spaces dedicated to the history of Stefanesi and Sicilian ceramics, coexisting with a very important collection of modern artistic ceramics. Alongside this, as part of the diffused museum project, there are installations scattered throughout the city, and our artisans' workshops themselves are an integral part, through their shops and colorful exhibition spaces that overlook the main streets of Santo Stefano in a very scenic way."
The "Passport of the Ceramic Route"
Artistic ceramics are a very important tourism driver, especially if the right synergies are created with other regional and national realities. I find the "Passport of the Ceramic Route" initiative very interesting. It aims to unite six Sicilian communities in a stimulating journey to discover the world of ceramics, and Santo Stefano is an integral part of it. The Passport was presented on March 24th of this year—I was there—but I didn't see many ceramists present. How many businesses have joined the project, and what developments do you foresee from this initiative?
"It's true. Although we ceramists have cordial and collaborative relationships with each other, we are quite reluctant to leave our workshops and engage in collective, broad-ranging projects. Sometimes in the past, the expected results were not seen, and this has led us to increasingly retreat into our individual activities, avoiding professional confrontation with other colleagues, and thus we have gradually given up on creating the right synergies. I think instead we should change our attitude.
Regarding the Passport of the Ceramic Route, I believe it was and remains a valid initiative that the current administration believes in and has put a lot of energy into. It probably needs to be revised in some aspects, but the initiative is truly interesting."
Ceramics in the Age of Robotics
The challenges of the third millennium bring us closer and closer to a robotic and computerized world. Do you think the world of ceramics and craftsmanship in general, sooner or later, will have to adapt to this non-gentle revolution? Will a robot ever use a stick to shape a "Moro head" or a brush to glaze a "Matrangela"?
"In reality, 3D printers have already entered the world of industrial ceramics. With them, and thanks to them, it's now possible to create decorated laminate slabs of 3 square meters with thicknesses of just a few millimeters, which would be impossible to achieve with traditional machinery. But we're talking about industrial and large-scale productions.
Craftsmanship is another thing: it's a place where 'a rita (clay), creativity, heart, and manual skill intersect. I don't believe a robot could ever intervene and replace the artisan-artist, at least in this aspect."
A Dream for the Future
Finally, Filippo, your story tells of a person who has dedicated himself to his company, his family, and his community. Do you have a dream tucked away that you would like to entrust to future generations?
"The dream exists, and I've kept it tucked away for several years: I would like to see a great museum of contemporary ceramics realized, with young artists from all over the world gathering in Santo Stefano to dream, experiment, and create contemporary works of art. It would be a valuable tool for cultural and tourist attraction to accompany the artworks contained in the Diffused Museum of Fiumara d'Arte, which would further strengthen the tourist and artistic vocation of our territory.
You can learn more about the Operators and the Project of GMT™ Halaesa-Nebrodi.