Culture from the islands

Tiny and personal list of documentaries, movies, litterature about the islands

A documentary directed by Giancarmine Arena whose own description follows:

The nature of the island of Stromboli induces meditation and the search for oneself. Whoever who arrive in this remote and shaky corner of the world choose to live in a different world, far from everything, at the end of the world, where only dissidents, the anarchists, the monks, the madmen and the dreamers can stay.

A documentary (2020) directed by Costanza La Bruna and conceived by Claudia Speciale about the agricultural tradition of the lentil.
Shot in Ustica, Linosa, the Aeolian Islands and Pantelleria.

Giacomo Sferlazzo is a multifaceted artist from Lampedusa.
Songwriter, storyteller, Opera dei Pupi and Cuntu performer, player of many an instrument… but most of all a true force of nature.
In this video he performs a peculiar sicilian-flamenco entitled Alaccia (a very humble fish similar to a sardine), whose lyrics couldn’t be more suggestive…

Alaccia centu spini comu rosa,
Saziasti a fami mia e da me casa,
Cu ttia fui patruni d’ogni cosa,

Cu la to carni fatta Lipadusa.

Lu piscaturi quannu si riposa,
A terra sputa e inveci nun la vasa,
Lu vinu voli e a latu la so sposa,

U Pantaloni bonu e nna cammisa,

Un pezzu e pani dura cu n’alaccia,
Na fisarmonica e na tirata e boccia,
Un rappu di racina coccia a coccia,

E prima di curcarisi na lavata e faccia.

Ora l’alaccia pari cosa fitusa
E quannu iemu a fari la spisa
Ca lu carrellu pari a nostra chiesa,

U inchemu chinu ca ci vonnu pusa,

Tri quarti di li cosi su munnizza,
Però a nuatri pari na spirtizza.
Di piscaturi ora un ci nn’è cchiu,

Comu si po campari dimmellu tu.

Ca Lipadusa ormai esti New york
E’ china di signura e china e locchi
E ni scurdammu u sciavuru di lu sali
Mi pari ca semu mbarcati mali.