Testo in italiano

Sicilianity and tricchebalacche

  by Agata Sandrone and Silvana Restivo

Hello everyone!

I am Agata Sandrone and in collaboration with Silvana Restivo we welcome you to this new reportage.

Today we show you some objects , which represent the Folkore of our Sicily.

Here is u bumbulu, the tambourine, the marranzano and the friscaletto made with  reed.

Next to the friscaletto, we see one of the oldest games “a strummula,” made of wood, a sharp piece of iron was inserted, around which a string was twisted.

The most representative object of the sicilian folkore is the cart; next to it an ancient oil lamp and a mostarda mold.

A miniature of a Sicilian  water booth “acquarolo.”

Some leaves of the Dwarf Palm, a plant widespread in the Mediterranean, with some artifacts made with leaves, such as: curina, brooms, muscaroli and coffa bags.

The other objects are: the drill used by the conza lemmi, u braciere,  the vestments they used to put on the horse and the ever-present zotta (the whip they used to incite the horse).

Next to it is a small Paladin that is part of the Sicilian tradition known all over the world.

It is a show in which puppets are animated by the “puppeteers,”  that depict the exploits of the greatest medieval heroes who fought for Christianity against the Saracens.

These scenes can be seen depicted in my  table and  in the side of the cart .

This is the Tricchebalacche is an instrument of Saracen origin consisting of three wooden hammers placed in the shape of a fan, of which the two lateral ones are movable and the central one fixed, so that by beating the lateral ones on the central one produces the sound that gives  its name .

Originally  it was played in battle, then by attaching tin plates to the outer side of the hammers, as a musical instrument to beat the rhythm or as a game instrument.

As can you see, the triccheballacche makes a repetitive and dull sound.

Between one thing and another, meanwhile

The Nicolaci Palace of the Princes of Villadorata is a symbol that today, restored to its former glory, gives the dimension of the artistic wealth and opulence of the center of Netino, in a period now past.

An urban aristocratic residence of the Nicolaci family, in full Baroque style.

The interior is divided into ninety rooms, some of them lavishly decorated, such as the party hall.

The restoration works of the eighteenth-century palace have brought back strange images in the frieze that connects the walls and the frescoed ceiling.”In that band there is painted everything, masks, birds, still lifes with flowers and fruit, musical instruments, sometimes even uncommon ones such as bagpipes and triccheballacche…

“Esoteric” symbols?

With this, Agata Sandrone and Silvana Restivo, give you an appointment to the next report.

—————————————————————-

Silvana Restivo, author

Agata Sandrone, author

Giovanna Battaglia, english adaptment