L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano ELIZABETH SALTHOUSE H e breakfasts on a beachfront terrace in Marinella, works in a glorious stone- fronted palazzo in Vigata and chases criminals around the southern corner of Sicily. But, just the like fictional Inspector Salvo Montalbano, many of his haunts are imagined, at least in name. Fortunately author Andrea Camilleri used the old Sicilian stomping grounds of his youth as the basis for his detective's home and work life and today increasing numbers of visitors are seeking out the origi- nal inspiration. So where is the real Montalbano's Sicily? From the opening credits, it's clear that Sicily's beautiful Baroque architecture, windswept hilltops and soft, sandy beaches are the co-stars of the television show. First we swoop down over the gravity-defying Ponte Guerri- eri viaduct spanning a yawning ravine. The camera pans past cen- turies old churches and along a protective sea wall before climb- ing to the heady heights of a steep-sided town. Finally, the opening credits sweep towards a distinctive 3-story beachfront villa, home of our hero and focal point for much of the action. Camilleri located Montal- bano's secluded seashore sanctu- ary in a suburb he named Marinella and sets many story- lines on or around the beach. From murdered racehorses to sunset seductions, from sandcas- tle building to solitary swims, the inspector is most at ease here. But if you go looking for it on Google Maps you'll draw a blank, as Marinella and its shallow, arcing beach don't actually exist except in fiction. In real life the villa sits at the head of the little Mediterranean bay at the end of Corso Giuseppe Verdi, in the fishing village of Punta Secca, Ragusa. Originally known as ʿAyn al-Qasab" by the Arab invaders who settled in the area during their occupation from the 7th to 9th centuries, locals now call it simply 'A Sicca. Today, it has a permanent popula- tion of just over 200, a light- house, small port and a 16th cen- tury watchtower, the Torre Scalambri,, that sits behind the inspector's villa in the main square. But it's La Casa di Mon- talbano and the adjacent restau- rant, aptly named Gli Arancini di Montalbano, that attract the tourists each year. Visitors can even sleep in Montalbano's bedroom and enjoy an espresso on the terrazzo as the villa's owners recently bowed to the inevitable, turning it into a seaside bed and breakfast. If only Salvo was there, too, it would be a Montalbano fan's dream but he, or rather the muscular Roman actor Luca Zingaretti who plays him, only arrives when there's filming to do. When the inspector is not kicking back with girlfriend Livia in his Marinella villa, Commis- sario Montalbano is usually working. We regularly see his dusty Fiat Tipo screeching to a halt on the ancient polished flag- stones outside the stone-fronted offices of the Police station in Vigata, in the district of Mon- telusa. And countless cases have been solved with deputy Mimì Augello and sidekick inspector Giuseppe Fazio on the stone steps, not to mention inside. But once again the camera deceives. This is not Vigata, Vigata doesn't exist either. Since 1999 the beautiful baroque town of Scicli has dou- bled as the home of Montal- bano's police squad. Via Francesco Mormino Penna, suit- ably cleared of cars, tables and other obstacles by the TV crew, provides a lovely open square and parking space for the com- missario's Fiat Tipo. And the Scicli Palazzo di Città, or town hall, stands in as the Police Sta- tion. It's not hard to imagine the chaotic but enchanting Catarella chasing the commissario down the steps with another urgent message from Police Headquar- ters. Scicli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, also provides the wonderful external and internal settings for the Questura Police Headquarters based in fictitious Montelusa with the mayor's per- sonal office providing the room where Montalbano locks horns with his boss. In the best filmic traditions, however, the Vigata we see on screen is actually a composite of various places, not a single location. So whilst Scicli provides the gleaming white Police buildings, the soft, sand- stone façades of nearby Ragusa deliver other "Vigata" exteriors along with the coastal towns of Scoglitti and Pozzallo. Mind you, neither Scicli nor Scoglitti, Ragusa nor Pozzallo were the original inspiration for Camilleri, who actually based the fictional Vigata on his old hometown of Porto Empedocle, near Agrigento, that in turn inspired Montelusa on the southwestern coast of Sicily. It's all part of the TV magic! For all these glorious official locations, Inspector Montalbano the television show is not just about the good guys: there are plenty of criminals, too. One particular nemesis is the gravel-voiced mafia boss Don Balduccio Sinagra, capo of one of two families operating in Camil- leri's underworld. The man is completely fictional but, as befits a criminal boss, the location for his home in "Excursion to Tin- dari" is the spectacular 14th cen- tury Castello di Donnafugata. Located near Ragusa, the Gothic noble residence simultaneously provides the perfect crenellated stronghold for Sinagra, sumptu- ous silk-lined luxury and a glori- ous sun terrace where the two men meet for guarded, coded con- versations. When not used for fictional mafia meetings, the castle was home to Sicilian nobility and is an typical example of how they lived in their lavish country homes. The walls are lined with hand-painted wallpaper, the ceil- ings bejewelled with Murano glass chandeliers and windows are cloaked in silk. Fortunately for us the first floor, or piano nobile, is open to tourists when TV crews are not filming mes- merizing visitors with just some of the castle's 122 aristocratic rooms. A few years ago, in a clas- sic case of life imitating art, the castello even hosted the wedding of leading man Luca Zingaretti and his real-life wife Luisa Ranieri! Perfetto! At the other end of the crimi- nal spectrum in Camilleri's active imagination is the rough ruin of the Mannara, a derelict brick fac- tory where thieves, killers and prostitutes ply their wares. It was the scene of the death of an aspir- ing politician in "The shape of water:" depicted as hell on earth, populated by the depths of depravity, yet surprisingly photo- genic in real life. Set on a thin peninsula, the Fornace Penna (brick furnace) in Sampieri overlooks a smooth, rocky beach, looking to all intents like the ruins of an ancient Greek temple, rather than a monument to industrial archaeology. And, although exploration inside to get a closer look at the chimney and long cavernous factory is forbid- den, there's nothing to stop you imagining Montalbano staking out the bad guys, hand gun cocked, before you head down to the popular sandy beach for some sun and a gelato! Sadly, when compared to near- ly fifteen years of televisual tourism, we've only just scratched the surface of Montalbano's Sici- ly. From the peace and quiet of Montalbano's Marinella to the lavish seat of Don Balduccio's empire, from the imposing offi- cialdom of the Questura police headquarters to the lawlessness of Mannara, almost every corner of southwestern Sicily reveals anoth- er on-screen location. And we've not even mentioned the restau- rants where Montalbano satiates his irrepressible appetite for seafood. The real joy, however, is that the actual settings offer even more for the visitor, whether a fan of the detective stories or not. The Sicilian tourist board really could- n't wish for a better publicity campaign than the glorious Com- missario Salvo Montalbano and his mastermind creator Andrea Camilleri. Just don't forget your swimming trunks for that long, solo swim that characterizes the end of many of Salvo's stories. Andiamo, let's go! Montalbano's Sicily Beautiful and characteristic Scicli is part of Montalbano's Sicily ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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