blog #16 Gino’s world

little children and little chairs were the only thing

he cared about. Holding tight to this made breathing almost possible. His world contained only sweet things. He tried to keep loud and sharp away. But his world was shrinking.
Of course neighbors loved him and his growing assembly of little chairs, they smiled to him or “Salve” to him but did not stay long. Children came often to him to watch him sanding a chair or listening to him while singing wild and sometimes tears flowed.
One day it was silent and the door closed. Never ever the parade of little chairs enchanted passengers anymore. Nobody knew what went wrong but Gino wasn’t here anymore.

blog #13 Napoli ti amo Gianni

Young people every day in danger

When young people have no idea what to do with their life, when school is not really working for them, when at home nobody is a good role model, when your needs are not recognized, when the future is not a rose garden .. then somebody can fall into the darkness of criminality. Young gangs in Naples walk around to find a victim to rob and sometimes it goes totally wrong. An accidental bullet can end a life like the life of Gianni, only 15yr young .. everybody sad but what can we do, really do to end this? What is it we must change? Where to start? I bring my students to the square where it happened and we talk about this tragic story .. and we create something new and hopeful out of it. We transform bad into good and we hope more people follow.

blog #12 Genio & Palermo part 2

La Vita e Bella

I start my walk in the old district La Loggia heading for the most famous market, la Vucciria. In the narrow streets I am surrounded by walls with graffiti full of monsters and angels, a huge beating heart and the Godfather. Good to see there is a lot of construction activity on the ruins in this area caused by WWII and neglect.

The newly restored fountain the Fontana Garraffello (gharraf is abundance of water in Arabic) has been the only supply of drinking water for the neighborhood for centuries is working again. Boys are pouring buckets of water for Mama. “Don’t go to la Vucciria that’s dead.. go to la vecchia, piu bella Mercato del Capo at Porta Carina.. smell the herbs, fruits, fresh fish,” Nonna yells from a doorway.

I walk on with “La Vita e Bella” on my left and a gallery on the right with fish in large bowls where men with big hoses spray water over my feet laughing. The market is a long winding street full of stalls. I take a free stool to enjoy the scents and colors of the fruits and vegetables. Marketmen come to check me out and touch my shoulder or hair. You can buy anything here. An enormous diversity of people and languages make me curious about their life stories.

blog #11 Genio di Palermo part 1

Palermo tour – walking with the Genius of Palermo / part 1 for Nat Geo

introduction

Influences from outside Sicily shaped Palermo for centuries. Also now the unstoppable stream of refugees and immigrants create many beautiful things in addition to the well-known problems. During my Palermo tour you can see this in architecture, street art, the food culture and the mentality of the residents: tolerant, open, hospitable.

arrival

A fast ferry is wonderful .. but I am very relieved when, after a turbulent journey by sea, the angel in the port of Palermo welcomes me with open arms: “Bienvenuto” – welcome! Next time I will take the regular ferry like the locals.

Genio / the Genius

Leaving the port towards the city, I see the Genio of Palermo in marble: an old man with a beard and crown and a snake biting his chest. This spirit will be my guide on my journey. There are 8 statues of the Genio, each with its own story, in a special place in the historic center.

To get to know the real nature of the Palermitani, I follow Genio through their history of domination and survival, integration of foreigners and their cultures alongside the tough individuality of the Sicilians.

to be continued > blog 12 Genio di Palermo part 2