The promotional video for GMT™ Halaesa Nebrodi was presented at the BTE 2025 in Palermo

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

Wine as a product of the land, but also as a way to discover and tell the story of a territory. This was the central theme of “In Vino Salus”, the event held on 16 September at La Pirrera Urban Park in Lascari, promoted by the Municipality of Lascari and organised by the Pro Loco of Lascari, the Strada dei Vini e dei Sapori delle Madonie sul percorso della Targa Florio and ONAV Enna – Nicosia branch.

The choice of La Pirrera added a special atmosphere to the evening. Lascari’s ancient tuff quarry, characterised by cavities and tunnels created by quarrying activities and now restored as an urban, cultural and environmental space, is itself a testament to the relationship between people and the land. It was therefore a particularly fitting setting in which to talk about wine, landscape and identity.

The Pro Loco of Lascari, which has long been committed to promoting the local community, its traditions and cultural and tourism initiatives, contributed to organising an event that attracted a large audience and transformed the tasting into an opportunity to discover the territory.

Four wineries, four expressions of the land

Four wineries took centre stage during the tasting.

Abbazia Santa Anastasia, based in Castelbuono and committed to organic and biodynamic production, includes among its labels Passomaggio, Montenero and Litra, the latter made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon.

Castellucci Miano, from Valledolmo, cultivates mountain vineyards located between 700 and 1,050 metres above sea level, with a particular focus on Catarratto and Perricone. Its wines include Miano, Shiarà, Perric.One, Maravita, Miano Brut and Nero d’Avola.

Tasca d’Almerita – Tenuta Regaleali, in the Sclafani Bagni area, is one of Sicily’s historic wine estates. Among the estate’s iconic labels are Rosso del Conte, originating from the San Lucio vineyard, and Nozze d’Oro, a white wine made from Inzolia and Sauvignon Tasca.

Finally, Tenuta San Giaime, in Gangi, represents the high-altitude viticulture of the Madonie. Its wines include S’23 Syrah, G’25 Grillo, N’22 Pinot Noir, M’22 Nerello Mascalese and P’22 Perricone, as well as Maqarat.

Four wineries with different histories, altitudes, grape varieties and production philosophies, united by their ability to express in every glass the distinctive character of the places where their vines are grown.

Salvatore Burrafato: tasting wine means tasting the territory

The event was opened by Salvatore Burrafato, an ONAV wine taster, who guided the audience through a journey of conscious wine tasting.

At the heart of his presentation was the inseparable connection between wine and terroir. Every wine is born from the interaction of four fundamental elements: soil, climate and microclimate, grape variety and human intervention.

Wine, therefore, is not simply the result of a production process; it is an expression of the place where it originates. Change the soil, altitude, exposure or microclimate, and the same grape variety can reveal a completely different character.

It was from this perspective that Burrafato invited the audience to experience the evening’s tasting: through those wines, in a sense, we were tasting the Madonie themselves.

The Wine Route begins again: from product to journey

This same vision was at the heart of the contribution by Salvatore Cicco, from Tenuta San Giaime and President of the Strada dei Vini e dei Sapori delle Madonie sul percorso della Targa Florio.

With a history spanning around twenty years, the association resumed its activities in 2026 after a period of inactivity. This new beginning has the potential to be significant not only for the wine sector, but for the entire tourism system of the Madonie.

A Wine Route reaches its full potential when it succeeds in transforming a collection of outstanding local products into a genuine travel itinerary.

A winery then becomes one stop on a broader journey encompassing restaurants, traditional products, accommodation, landscapes, cultural heritage, local towns and communities. A wine tasting can be combined with a walk through the vineyards, a meeting with the producer, a lunch inspired by local cuisine or the discovery of places that are usually outside the traditional tourist routes.

And this is where the Targa Florio can become an extraordinary distinguishing feature.

The roads on which one of the world’s most celebrated motor races was born can become the narrative thread through which travellers explore the Madonie and encounter their wines, flavours and communities.

No longer three separate elements, but one story: Wine, Food and the Targa Florio.

The revival of the Wine Route can therefore help create a distinctive and marketable tourism offer, connecting wine producers, restaurateurs, accommodation providers, tourism operators and local authorities. Above all, it can encourage visitors to travel through the territory rather than limiting their experience to a single destination.

This perspective is particularly relevant for inland areas, where experiential tourism can encourage longer stays and help distribute visitor flows towards places and businesses that would otherwise struggle to reach tourism markets independently.

From the Madonie towards Nicosia and the western Nebrodi

This vision can also extend beyond the geographical boundaries of the Madonie themselves.

The collaboration with ONAV Enna – Nicosia branch points towards an interesting connection with Sicily’s inland areas and the western Nebrodi.

Nicosia can serve as a natural bridge between territories that share mountain landscapes, agricultural and food traditions, local heritage and a common need to develop an integrated tourism offer.

After all, administrative boundaries matter little to travellers. What matters are the experiences, the roads they travel and the stories a territory is able to tell.

A greeting from Totò Riolo and the music of the Quartetto Florio

One particularly enjoyable moment came with a phone call from Totò Riolo, the racing driver from Cerda with deep ties to the Targa Florio and an eleven-time winner of the historic competition, who was unable to attend the evening in person.

At the end of his greeting, Riolo good-naturedly reminded the audience to drink in moderation, inevitably bringing a smile to those who were, at that very moment, taking part in an event dedicated to discovering and appreciating wine.

The evening was accompanied by the music of the Quartetto Florio, a Sicilian string quartet whose repertoire ranges from classical music to contemporary interpretations of famous pop and rock songs.

In Vino Salus showed how a wine tasting can become something more: an opportunity to tell the story of a landscape, its products and its history.

And perhaps this is precisely the challenge facing the renewed Strada dei Vini e dei Sapori delle Madonie sul percorso della Targa Florio: to ensure that behind every bottle visitors discover a place — and that, once they have discovered that place, they feel inspired to set out on a journey to experience it for themselves.

Because behind every wine there is a territory.

And that evening, at La Pirrera in Lascari, the Madonie were in the glass.

The event, which will be held on June 29th in Castel di Lucio, is organized by the Cultural Associations BCsicilia and Il Filo di Arianna, as partners for the implementation of the "Attractiveness of Historic Villages" intervention. This initiative falls within the framework of cultural and social regeneration of small historic villages, and is funded under the PNRR by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The overall intervention, which will simultaneously involve three municipalities, is called "COAST AND ALESINE VALLEYS: AN ITINERARY TO REDISCOVER THE VILLAGES OF CASTEL DI LUCIO, MOTTA D'AFFERMO, AND PETTINEO."

The event is configured as a medieval-themed day, structured in various entertainment phases. The program includes a historical re-enactment focused on the Ventimiglia era, with a costumed procession winding through the historic center of Castel di Lucio, culminating at the ruins of the Ventimigliano Castle.

Concurrently with the event, the traditional "Sagra de Favi Squadati" (Festival of Broad Beans), organized by Pro Loco Castel di Lucio, will take place, integrated into the medieval thematic context of the event.

Here is the program for MEDIEVALIA Historical Re-enactment JUNE 29, 2025 CASTEL DI LUCIO (ME)

5:00 PM - PIAZZA UMBERTO I

• Opening of the medieval village
• Archery camp
• Snake exhibition
• Birds of prey exhibition with flight demonstrations
• Entry of flag-wavers and musicians from the city of Caccamo, medieval musicians for the village by the Magma group.
• Exhibition of artisan works and display

6:00 PM - PIAZZA UMBERTO I

• Archery tournament

6:30 PM - VIA GARIBALDI

• Start of the parade with the historical procession of the Ventimiglia, flag-wavers, archers, and musicians, passing through Porta della Terra

VIA ROMA

• Medieval fire show

CASTLE SQUARE

• Flag-wavers show
• Historical Re-enactment

8:30 PM - VIA DANTE

• "Favi Squadati" tasting by Pro Loco

9:30 PM - CASTLE SQUARE

• Medieval juggling by the Magma group