A piece that harks back to a time when life was lived in authenticity and sharing. A return to a dimension that, due to homogenization and a frenetic lifestyle, risks being lost. Traveling in Sicily It is a book by Caterina Belladonna, whose presentation took place on Friday, November 10th at the Mondadori bookshop in Via Gabriele D'Annunzio 115. A wide-ranging meeting, with reflections on the way of life of the past and the present.
An initiative organized as if for "game"
The presentation of Traveling in Sicily saw the collaboration between the author and Claudius Roman, a basket weaver and storyteller, who served as speaker. The two met by chance, during a small show at the Palazzo della Cultura, and immediately realized they had a common ground. During the presentation, there was a musical interlude featuring Claudio's drum and Rossella Di Brigida's guitar. crazy basket maker He introduces the meeting by stating that the book tells the story of the culinary art of Trinacria. Every Sicilian family tends to wander throughout the region, as it is rich in history, culture, and art.
Reference to primary needs such as food and breathing, the first activities performed from birth and which bring us to life. Sicilian is a language always referring to the present; we unconsciously assume an immanent conception of existence. Claudio reiterates both the simplicity and the importance of interpersonal relationships, the need for mutual support in every aspect to stay alive. interweaving, like that of his baskets, which is found everywhere. Furthermore Claudio recalls, regarding the to live in a time, sieve, tool with which women processed wheat, removing waste rather than adding other elements.
Traveling in Sicily, the author's words
Caterina Belladonna also argues that we need to return to simplicity, as much as possible. Today's lifestyle induces exhausting work schedules to produce the superfluous; we need to strip ourselves of it. To achieve this, it's essential to know ourselves well, to acquire a greater awareness of our essence. This also allows us to better understand how to use our time to expand our creative dimension. The author states that nowadays communication It's difficult to manage. Interpersonal relationships become stagnant, the drive to color relationships doesn't emerge, and there's no desire to have time to cultivate dialogue. Caterina refers to these aspects because they were fundamental in the socio-cultural context she describes in Traveling in Sicily. The book as aadventure, un journey Between history, cuisine, culture, and life stories, the author's narrative moves from romance to solitude, a blend of elements that tell the story of life.
Each dish described is a journey, as it is the end result of the farmers who make the raw materials available, the merchants who sell the food, and then of those who prepare it. Caterina then recalls her origins, with her Sicilian father and Belgian mother. She wrote this book because she is fascinated by the authenticity of life in the past. A dimension marked by many small aspects, which constituted rituals and habits that characterised existence. An example of this were the women who kneaded bread, who also baked it for those who didn't have an oven at home. Gestures that told a story, the life that unfolded before.
There are those, like Caterina Belladonna, who are sensitive to this dimension. This is the case of Cinzia Caminiti Nicotra with her book Fried bread and other stories, by Enza Oddo in Noto with her House Museum and his attention to the value of craftsmanship. Also worth remembering is Vittorio De Seta, whose films are a precious testimony to how people in the southern hinterland lived before the economic boom. Today's actions lack spontaneity and authenticity; they are mechanical and repetitive. Furthermore, there is a lack of reverence for food, a sense of gratitude for being able to nourish oneself.
Other important reflections
Claudio Romano intervenes again, referring to his activity of cultivating medicinal herbs. He, together with Rossella, they talk to plants, Recognizing a sensitivity and creating harmony. According to tradition, a bunch of oregano placed in homes brings good luck. A plant, along with rosemary, is considered "good," as it has antibacterial properties. Storytellers were like the newscasters of the past, reporting on both local events and political and social issues. Theater and cooking are intertwined, as everything is, because life is made of improvisation. Claudio recalls that in the past, people spent more time at home, so activities that encouraged sharing were carried out, such as kneading bread, harvesting grapes, or preparing food. This is why Caterina recalls that every Sicilian dish embodies a story, one that is also tied to the intimacy of the families who created it.
Cettina Tiralosi It highlights the difference between the relationship with food in the past and today. Once upon a time, we knew where it came from and it truly constituted a source of nourishment. Now, due to globalization and large-scale retail trade, the relationship with food is abstract. Its provenance is often unknown; in particular, many raw materials are not local. Abstraction leads to a view of things not objectively, but in a convenient, often distorted, way.
Traveling in Sicily it is a book that tends to a back to the roots. In an age dominated by the homogenization brought on by globalization, rediscovering authentic and genuine traditions is a counter-current. A book in which culinary art finds connection with other aspects of existence, whose interchangeability is essential. A book to be read in one sitting, rich in emotion, as well as various curiosities.
