The GMT Halaesa-Nebrodi: Ten Months On – Let's Take Stock-Sicily

On Sunday 17 November, “Mielerie Aperte – Open Honey Houses”, a nationwide project promoted by UNAAPI, returns to the Il Melograno agricultural and social farm in Motta d’Affermo, an active partner of GMT Halaesa-Nebrodi.

During the event, Elisa and Riccardo guide visitors through the fascinating world of bees and beekeeping, together with social organisations that work with the farm to provide inclusion services across the area.

Visitors can learn about bees and beekeeping, discover the treasures of the hive and taste a selection of Sicilian honeys.

Two visiting sessions are available, from 10:00 a.m. to noon and from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., at the Open Honey House workshop, Via Belvedere 3, Motta d’Affermo.

For information and bookings, call +39 347 648 1284.

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.

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.