L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2026 L'Italo-Americano S icily, as everyone knows, is roughly t r i a n g u l a r i n s h a p e . I t i s n o coincidence that it w a s o n c e k n o w n a s T r i - nacria, or that its symbol, s i n c e G r e e k a n d R o m a n times, has been the three- l e g g e d t r i s c e l e . I t s t h r e e p o i n t s a r e C a p e B o e o , o r Lilybaeum, near Trapani; Cape Faro, near Messina; and Cape Passero, in the territory of Portopalo, in t h e p r o v i n c e o f S y r a c u s e . T h e f i r s t t w o m a r k t h e island's northern side, one to the west and the other to the east, while the third stretch- es out from Sicily's south- eastern corner. Cape Passero lies farther south than Tunis, although the title of Italy's southern- most point belongs to the islands of Lampedusa and Linosa. The area includes the small island of Capo Passero, separated from the mainland by only a narrow stretch of water and home to the Forte di Capo Passero and its light- house, as well as the nearby Isola delle Correnti. Under particular low-tide condi- t i o n s , t h e l a t t e r c a n t e m - porarily become connected to the coast, and it stands at the point traditionally identi- f i e d a s t h e m e e t i n g p l a c e between the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean. P o r t o p a l o ' s p o s i t i o n a t Sicily's extreme southern tip, along some of the busiest r o u t e s o f t h e e a s t e r n M e d i t e r r a n e a n , h e l p e d determine its fortunes from G r e e k a n d R o m a n t i m e s onward. Its many natural landing places and the rich- n e s s o f t h e s u r r o u n d i n g waters made fishing particu- larly important, above all the catching and processing of bluefin tuna. The modern settlement owes much of its develop- m e n t t o D o n G a e t a n o D e o d a t o M o n c a d a , a member of the noble Monca- da family, who in 1778 paid f o r t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f around one hundred houses close to the local tuna fishery in an attempt to develop the area. The first permanent community was born around them, numbering roughly three hundred fishermen, shepherds and farmers. The s e t t l e m e n t w a s i n i t i a l l y known by names including C a p o P a c h i n o a n d T e r r a Nobile, before eventually becoming Portopalo, a name generally linked to the Latin for "marshy harbor," refer- ring to the wetland areas near the coast that once pro- vided shelter for boats dur- ing storms. Until the abolition of feu- dalism in 1816, Portopalo depended on Noto. It later became part of the munici- p a l i t y o f P a c h i n o a n d remained under its adminis- tration for more than a cen- tury and a half. During the nineteenth and early twenti- e t h c e n t u r i e s t h e v i l l a g e grew, both economically and in population, through fish- i n g , a g r i c u l t u r e a n d t h e activities connected with the t o n n a r a , t h e t r a d i t i o n a l tuna fishery. By 1936, Por- topalo had 1,710 inhabitants. Life was hardly prosperous, and families rarely depend- ed on a single occupation: c o a s t a l f i s h i n g , d e e p - s e a fishing and farming were often combined in whatever way circumstances allowed. W h a t t h e i n h a b i t a n t s increasingly wanted, howev- e r , w a s i n d e p e n d e n c e from Pachino. This finally came with Sicilian Regional Law No. 1 of March 1, 1975, a n d o n M a r c h 8 t h e n e w m u n i c i p a l i t y o f f i c i a l l y became Portopalo di Capo Passero. The addition of "di Capo Passero" also served a practical purpose, distin- guishing it from Porto Palo di Menfi, in the province of Agrigento. Until 1969, much of the l o c a l e c o n o m y r e v o l v e d around the so-called ton- nara di ritorno, a system of fixed nets placed along the coast to catch tuna returning after spawning. The complex survives today as an impor- t a n t s i t e o f i n d u s t r i a l archaeology, while tourism has become another impor- tant source of income. There is plenty to attract visitors: on the Isola di Capo Passero s t a n d s t h e f o r t r e s s b u i l t between 1599 and 1607 to d e f e n d t h e c o a s t a g a i n s t Ottoman and pirate attacks, together with the lighthouse dating from 1871; the sur- rounding waters have also witnessed important naval battles over the centuries, while the Isola delle Corren- ti continues to draw visitors to the place where the Ion- i a n a n d M e d i t e r r a n e a n waters meet. Portopalo also played a role in the first stages of the Allied invasion of Sicily. During the night of July 9- 1 0 , 1 9 4 3 , a s O p e r a t i o n Husky began, British and C a n a d i a n t r o o p s l a n d e d a l o n g t h e c o a s t h e r e a n d near Marzamemi, meeting relatively little resistance from the Italian defensive p o s i t i o n s . T h e t o w n w a s occupied without serious consequences for the civilian population. The sea remains central to local traditions as well. E v e r y y e a r , u s u a l l y o n August 7, during celebra- tions for the town's patron saint, San Gaetano, Portopa- lo holds the Palio del Mare, a rowing race in the waters of Scalo Mandrie, between the old tuna fishery and the island of Capo Passero. Four crews represent the town's districts (Canalazzo, Scalo M a n d r i e , P o r t o a n d F a r o Cozzo Spadaro), each with four rowers and a helms- m a n ; r e s i d e n t s l i n e t h e shore and gather around the old fishermen's houses to s u p p o r t t h e i r c r e w s , i n a competition that still recalls the area's long maritime tra- ditions. Other games and a local fish festival complete the celebrations. Another favorite is the maritime ver- s i o n o f t h e t r a d i t i o n a l cuccagna: a long pole, heav- i l y g r e a s e d a n d a l m o s t impossible to grip, is fixed horizontally to a rock facing Scalo Mandrie, with a small flag placed at its far end. Whoever manages to reach the flag first wins. The waters off Portopalo, however, also hold a much darker memory. O n t h e n i g h t b e t w e e n December 25 and 26, 1996, an old wooden vessel carry- ing around 500 migrants from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka sank in international waters near the point where t h e I o n i a n a n d M e d i t e r - ranean meet. At least 283 p e o p l e d i e d , w h i l e m a n y others remained missing. The disaster became known as the "Christmas massacre" but, even more tellingly, as t h e " g h o s t m a s s a c r e , " b e c a u s e f o r y e a r s i t w a s largely ignored by both insti- tutions and the media. Some l o c a l f i s h e r m e n a l s o remained silent, fearing that news of bodies found at sea could damage the reputation of the area and its fishing industry. The story finally emerged through the work o f j o u r n a l i s t G i o v a n n i Maria Bellu, whose inves- tigation was published by La Repubblica in 2001: he col- lected testimony from fish- ermen who had found bod- ies at sea, and one of them was able to indicate the pre- cise area where the wreck had gone down. For Portopalo, the sea has always been livelihood, road, b o u n d a r y a n d m e e t i n g place. The same waters that b r o u g h t t u n a , t r a d e a n d travelers also carried armies a n d m i g r a n t s , a n d a t t h e very edge of Sicily, where two seas meet, those differ- ent histories remain unusu- ally close to one another. TERESA DI FRESCO Portopalo, where two seas meet and Sicily reveals its wilder side LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Tafuri Castle rises above Portopalo di Capo Passero, on Sicily's southeastern tip, where the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean meet; inset, seafood reflects the town's long connection with fishing (Photo: Maudanros/Dreamstime.com; inset image: Original image created for L'Italo-Americano with the assistance of AI)

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