L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano N umerous pages have been writ- ten about the migrations of S i c i l i a n s t o other countries in search of a better future, among which we remember Heart in the Abyss (published by Gastaldi in 1949) by Nino Di Maria, a native of Sommatino in the province of Caltanissetta. This book inspired Pietro Germi's 1950 film Il cammino della Speranza (The Path of Hope). The film, whose screenplay was co-written with Federico Fellini, won the Silver Bear in B e r l i n i n 1 9 5 1 . W h e n t h e d i r e c t o r c a m e t o S i c i l y t o shoot scenes in Favara, Agri- g e n t o p r o v i n c e , h e w a s a p p r o a c h e d b y G i u s e p p e Cibardo Bisaccia, a former miner, who recited a mourn- ful poem to him. Germi then tasked Franco Li Causi with setting it to music for the film's soundtrack. From that moment on, the famous Vitti 'na Crozza ("I Saw a Skull") emerged, becoming a musical ambassador of Sicily to the world. This song has seen many variations in lyrics and music that have often distort- ed its meaning. The film's theme, as well as its plot, revolved around min- ers and their life and death, and has become a real tangle of interpretations sung by artists like Domenico Modug- no, Franco Battiato, Gabriella Ferri, Otello Profazio, Rosan- n a F r a t e l l o , A m a l i a Rodriguez, Laura Pausini, and many others not mentioned here. They have all given rela- tively cheerful renditions that n o t o n l y t r a n s f o r m e d t h e essence of the "song" but also completely altered its original poetic and funereal nature. The upbeat rendition, despite dealing with themes of death and the harsh realities of min- e r s ' l i v e s , w a s o r i g i n a l l y devoid of any sense of cheer- fulness. The addition of the lively "trallallallerullallerul- lallerullallà" only serves to mislead and is wholly inap- propriate given the somber nature of the original materi- al. In the first half of the 20th century, many sulfur mines were active in Sicily, particu- larly in the provinces of Cal- tanissetta, Agrigento, and Enna. Life at the bottom of these mines was bleak, alien- ating, and extremely harsh. M i n e r s , i n c l u d i n g s o m e carusi, young children as y o u n g a s 7 - 8 y e a r s o l d , worked for hours in darkness, sweltering heat, and sweat that burned the skin. Some even worked naked, heighten- ing a sense of frustration due to the grueling nature of the work and often leading to actions that were nothing short of insane, threatening t h e d e c e n c y a n d m o r a l integrity of the entire work- force. Women also worked in the mines, albeit in fewer numbers, but because their work kept them in close con- tact with men, they certainly did not lead normal lives out- side the mine. They could not aspire to build a family, as t h e i r j o b w a s c o n s i d e r e d immoral, and in some cases, it severely tested their chasti- ty, resulting in no one wanti- ng to marry them. There is an extensive and w e l l - d o c u m e n t e d p h o t o - graphic archive capturing miners who, often because of the narrow tunnels they had to traverse carrying baskets laden with 35 kilograms of sulfur, were frequently pho- tographed. The cramped con- ditions of these tunnels meant that child laborers, the carusi, w e r e p r e d o m i n a n t l y employed; these children had to navigate steep ladders with very high and shallow steps. Many succumbed to the harsh conditions and were buried near the mines without prop- er headstones—since it was a crime to "sell" such young children in exchange for a l o a n t h a t m i g h t n e v e r b e r e p a i d . I n s t e a d , a s i m p l e white cross marked the spot, indicating a small coffin lay beneath. This somber sce- nario is reminiscent of the fate that too often befalls many migrants who arrive dead and unidentifiable on t h e s h o r e s o f S i c i l y , b o t h adults and children alike. But for the young miners, funerals were conducted in silence, without the tolling of bells, as described in the song Vitti 'na Crozza, without religious b l e s s i n g s o r a c e l e b r a t e d mass. Perhaps the mines' proximity to the depths of the earth, likened to the under- world, especially given the presence of flammable sulfur that evoked images of hellfire during explosions, discour- aged parish priests from per- forming last rites for the often disfigured bodies of these unfortunate workers. Several explosions have occurred within these mines, resulting in numerous fatali- ties who, as previously noted, were often denied funeral rites. Gessolungo and Castel- termini are two such mines w h e r e c o l l a p s e s w r e a k e d havoc, leaving grieving fami- l i e s w i t h o u t t h e s o l a c e o f church ceremonies or bless- ings. P o p e L e o X I I I , i n h i s encyclical Rerum Novarum, condemned the grueling and poorly paid work of miners, the health risks involved, and commented on women, stat- ing they were "...made by nature for domestic tasks, w h i c h g r e a t l y p r o t e c t t h e decency of the weaker sex..." With these words, he inadver- tently delayed progress for women confined to solely domestic roles. Conversely, from 1940 to 1946 in Lercara Friddi (Paler- mo), where several mines were located, Monsignor Filippo Aglialoro served as the parish priest. He later became the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Palermo and from 1946 until 1960, the Bishop of Caltanissetta. He could be described as enlight- ened, as he revolutionized the Church's stance, which had c o n d e m n e d m i n e r s t o b e deprived of religious funerals. Not only did he celebrate funeral rites, but he also held m a s s e v e r y w e e k f o r a n d among the miners. Sicilian lit- e r a t u r e , w i t h f i g u r e s l i k e L u i g i P i r a n d e l l o a n d Leonardo Sciascia, both from the province of Agrigen- to where mines were present, had direct contact with their world. Stefano Pirandello, Luigi's father, owned a mine, and Luigi's wife, Antonietta Portolano, the daughter of her father-in-law's business part- ner, reportedly went mad when the family mine flood- e d , a s s h e f e a r e d a l i f e o f hardship for her family. Luigi immortalized this universe in t h e s t o r y C i a u l a a n d t h e Moon, a brief but intense d e p i c t i o n o f t h a t w o r l d . Leonardo Sciascia's father was an accountant in a sulfur mine in Racalmuto, and his brother Giuseppe, who died by suicide at just twenty-five, a tragedy that the writer never fully understood, was the director of another mine in A s s o r o i n t h e p r o v i n c e o f Enna. The mining life in Sicily not only influenced the lives of notable writers but is also reflected in the song Vitti 'na Crozza, whose lyrics have been widely misconstrued a n d a l t e r e d . T h i s y e a r , Giambra Editore published The True Story of Vitti 'na Crozza/Authors, Mysteries, D e a t h , M i n e s b y S a r a Favarò, a writer, journalist, and scholar of folk traditions. As journalist Giuseppe Lo Bianco notes in the foreword, Favarò has provided "a resti- tution to the song itself, Vitti 'na Crozza, a song of despair and desired death, trans - formed into a cheerful and irreverent parody." After in-depth and meticu- lous research, Sara Favarò has traced the origins of the song's lyrics that so vividly represent the Sicilian people to the world, offering her interpretation which, despite the various evidence and tes- timonies detailed in the book, continues to face opposition from supporters of alternative theories. I saw a skull on top of a cannon, Curious, I wanted to ask it questions. It answered me, "It's a great pain To die without the sound of bells." My years have gone, they have gone, I don't know where, Now that I've reached the age of eighty, I call out to life, and death answers me. Arrange, arrange this bed for me, For the worms are eating me all up. If I don't atone for my sin here, I'll atone in the next life with endless tears. TERESA DI FRESCO LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Young "carusi" near a mine in Sicily (Photo: Realy Easy Star/Alamy Stock Photo) Vitti 'na crozza

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