L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026 L'Italo-Americano A t the heart of the a n c i e n t T u n a Fishery of Favig- n a n a - b e t t e r k n o w n a s t h e Florio Tonnara - stood the Camparìa, the complex's true nerve center. It looks like a secular cathedral facing the sea, dedicated to tuna fishing through the age-old and dra- matic practice known as the mattanza. Blood and tradi- tion were once inseparably linked in this now prohibited ritual, under the command of the rais, a term of Arabic ori- g i n m e a n i n g " c a p t a i n . " A highly respected and authori- tative figure, the rais deter- m i n e d f i s h i n g s t r a t e g i e s , decided where and how the nets would be set, guided the fishermen, and marked the r h y t h m o f t h e o p e r a t i o n t h r o u g h t r a d i t i o n a l s o n g s k n o w n a s c i a l o m a . L o n g before that, however, he need- ed to understand the silent messages carried by the wind and the sea. T h e r a i s d i r e c t e d e v e r y stage of the process, leading the fish through a series of chambers until they reached t h e s o - c a l l e d " c h a m b e r o f death," where the largest tuna were trapped with no possibil- i t y o f e s c a p e . F o r t h e i s l a n d e r s , m a n y o f w h o m depended directly on fishing, the annual mattanza was a blessing. It guaranteed the possibility of making a living, of "campare," surviving com- fortably until the following season. Countless families relied on this practice for their prosperity, while the complex system of nets and equipment created year-round employ- ment through constant main- tenance and repairs. Now that the mattanza has become a thing of the past, it is worth remembering the last historic rais of Favignana, G i o a c c h i n o C a t a l d o , a c h a r i s m a t i c a n d w i d e l y respected leader who com- manded the fishery during its final eleven years of opera- tion, from 1996 to 2007. But who were the Florios, whose name remains insepa- rable from Favignana? Origi- nally from Calabria, the family settled in Palermo in 1799. There they built a vast com- mercial empire and became one of Italy's most influential entrepreneurial dynasties. In 1874, as their business inter- e s t s e x p a n d e d , t h e y p u r - chased the islands of Favig- n a n a a n d F o r m i c a a n d established a tuna-processing industry that transformed local production. Instead of preserving tuna in salt, they pioneered the use of olive oil, employing innovative tech- niques such as can steriliza- tion and tin-plated contain- e r s . T h e i r p r o d u c t s s o o n reached markets around the world. The Florio tuna fishery was t r a n s f o r m e d i n t o a l a r g e i n d u s t r i a l c o m p l e x t h a t employed hundreds of work- e r s a n d s i g n i f i c a n t l y improved living standards on the island. The family also built the palace that still bears their name, using it as a sum- mer residence where they entertained members of high society and leading intellectu- als of their day. In 2010, the former Florio factory was converted into a 344,500 square feet cultural space dedicated to art and heritage. Today it houses the Museum of the Mattan- za. After nearly fifty years of abandonment, the Camparìa has been brought back to life through a major conservation and architectural restoration project. The contrast between the simplicity of its sandstone structures and the contempo- rary artistic vision that now i n h a b i t s t h e m h a s h e l p e d restore some of the grandeur associated with the Florio era. Here, memory comes full cir- cle: from the ambition and foresight of the Florio family t o a r e n e w e d p a r t n e r s h i p with island residents and visi- tors from around the world, generating a different kind of prosperity from the one once provided by the tuna fishery. With 27,000 square feet of covered space and another 36,000 outdoors, this stone giant, which is an outstanding example of late nineteenth- century industrial architec- ture, features a vast three- aisled hall dominated by the ancient trizzane, structures originally used to shelter and store boats. Its pointed arches e v o k e t h e a r c h i t e c t u r e o f Gothic cathedrals, creating an unexpectedly elegant setting for a place once devoted to labor of a very physical rather than spiritual nature. T o d a y , t h e b u i l d i n g ' s imposing spaces host major cultural events, art exhibi- tions, and theatrical perfor- mances throughout the year. Visitors are welcomed among enormous anchors, tradition- al muciare fishing boats, and a wide variety of restored arti- facts, including the most cele- brated of all: the launch of Donna Franca Florio. B u i l t b y B r i t i s h m a s t e r shipwrights in the late nine- teenth century, this remark- able vessel recalls the shape of traditional whaling boats and was designed for maxi- mum efficiency. Twenty feet long and five feet wide, it was powered by six rowers and w a s b o t h f a s t a n d h i g h l y maneuverable. It arrived in Favignana as a support craft for one of the Florio family's yachts. The launch became closely associated with Donna Franca Florio herself, who frequently used it, as did the d i s t i n g u i s h e d g u e s t s w h o accompanied her on excur- sions through the island's crystal-clear waters. The site's treasures do not end there. Immersive instal- lations faithfully reconstruct the many activities connected with tuna fishing. One partic- ularly fascinating recreation i s t h a t o f t h e o l d p a y r o l l o f f i c e , w h e r e v i s i t o r s c a n e x a m i n e d o c u m e n t s p r e - served beneath layers of cal- carenite stone. These records offer valuable insights into the economic mechanisms that contributed to the pros- perity of the Egadi Islands between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A n o t h e r i n s t a l l a t i o n i s dedicated to the crafting and repair of fishing nets, while a meticulously detailed scale model of a traditional tuna fishery helps visitors under- stand the complexity of the system. The permanent col- lection fits naturally with the s i t e ' s h i s t o r i c a l h e r i t a g e , while contemporary artistic interventions add new per- spectives. Among them is the documentary film La Cam- parìa, which weaves together archival footage and authen- tic voices from the past. The origins of the name "Egadi Islands" are linked to legend: according to one tale, Helios, the sun god, sent his sacred herd to graze in Sicily, e n t r u s t i n g i t s c a r e t o h i s daughters Fauetusa and Lam- p a t i a , b o r n o f t h e n y m p h Neerea. Their names are said to have inspired those of the islands: Auegusa, later Favig- nana, from Fauetusa; Phar- bantia, now Levanzo, from Lampatia; and Hiera, today's Marettimo, from Neerea. Another local legend con- cerns a foundational myth involving Osso, Mastrosso, and Carcagnosso. According to tradition, these were three Spanish knights belonging to a secret society who fled to Italy after avenging their sis- ter's honor. They supposedly spent twenty years hiding in the dungeons of the Castle of Santa Caterina on Favignana, where they developed a code of honor and silence. When they finally emerged, they went their separate ways and founded three of Italy's most notorious criminal organiza- tions. Yet Favignana is perhaps best known by a far more evocative nickname: "the but- terfly of the Mediterranean," or "the great butterfly on the sea." Seen from above, the island seems a butterfly in flight, its two wings divided by Mount Santa Caterina and joined by the narrow isthmus o n w h i c h t h e t o w n i t s e l f stands. TERESA DI FRESCO T h e C a m p a r ì a o f F a v i g n a n a : w h e r e i n d u s t r i a l history becomes a cultural hub LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE At work in the Tonnara Florio during the gruesome "mattanza," which is today prohibited (Image generated using Adobe Illustrator AI); bottom right, inside the Ex Stabilimento Florio delle Tonnare di Favignana e Formica, now a muse- um, visitors can explore the island's tuna-fishing history and an antiquarium with archaeological finds from the Egadi Islands (Photo: Małgorzata Paulina Pakuła/Dreamstime)

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