Sicily:From Ancient Myths to Contemporary Stories

A photographic Grand Tour that reveals the art, architecture, and Italian way of life in the Mediterranean melting pot that is Sicily.

Sicily has been shaped by millennia of history, a place where Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, Austrians, and Bourbons all dominated at one time, creating an incredible mixture of peoples and cultures. The result is a cultural and artistic kaleidoscope unlike any other in the world. Visiting Sicily today means seamlessly traveling through time, but not just the past, because there is also a contemporary, lesser-known Sicily, characterized by the work of great architects, the redevelopment of archaeological-industrial areas, and bold land art experiments.

Sicilian photographer Giò Martorana traveled the island on an imaginary journey, lingering over its most significant places and monuments to showcase the architecture of the past and present. The images, many of which have never been published before, are paired with the words of Sicilian journalist Giuseppe Matarazzo, who in short texts recounts the “hundred Sicilies” through stories of yesterday and today, revealing lesser-known and surprising corners of this unexpectedly vibrant land. | Giuseppe Matarazzo, born in Syracuse, Sicily, but a longtime Milan transplant, is the author of numerous books and a journalist at the daily newspaper Avvenire, where he covers, among other things, travel, hiking, and photography. He previously wrote for Gazzetta del Sud, L’Osservatore Romano, Prima Comunicazione, and Panorama. Giò Martorana was born in Palermo and now lives in Milan. A fashion, portrait, and reportage photographer, his pictures have appeared in Elle, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Marie Claire. He has published two books on Sicily and in 1999 was awarded the UNESCO Prize for his portraits.