A visit to Sicily was long on my 'to do'-list and after some serious doubts and various scenarios it finally happened. I have an interest in photography of all sorts, in history and like to keep moving. Italy is one of two favourite European countries and the fact that Sicily is flooded by tourists saves it from the annoying daily Italian 'curfew' between c.12:00-c.15:30... |
Air Pub Café (a.k.a. Café Aereo a.k.a. Da Angela Air), near Caltanisetta.
It's former identity still very readable: 5N-KAY from Nigeria, DC-9-32 c/n 47259/409.
Summerfeeling S2K19.. ?? What's that about EMAIL Me
At one time it flew for Bellview Airlines (Hq at Lagos, Nigeria). It was transferred here in 2003 to San Cataldo
Scalo
(Caltanissetta Municipal)
from Ditellandia
Air Park Castel Volturno. Bellview operated from 1992-2009.
Free to enter and have a look inside
Fine establishment for a party or posh event
☺
The tail end of this DC-9 has obviously been heavily modified; perhaps it was too high for ground transport..
The undercarriage is obviously not original
but contribute to the stablity of this 'aero restaurant'
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Canadair CL.415 I-DPCQ/12 of the Vigili del Fuoco, at (Trapani–)Bigli Airport (or Aeroporto Vincenzo Florio
di Trapani-Birgi). Photo taken from the road (on the safe side of the guardrail), over the fence and
through the barbed wire. |
MRCA/Panavia Tornado IDS, m.m. 7010
monument
I
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In Memoria dell'Ing. GABRIELLI. >>Strada Statale 191, 93100 Caltanissetta CL.
Fiat G.91/T, m.m.54395 SA-95.
Two-seather military trainer on a roundabout (some sources claim mm54395 had crashed..?)
Giuseppe Gabrielli (b.26Feb1903 – d.29Nov1987) was an Italian aeronautics engineer. He is famous as the designer of numerous Italian military aircraft, including the Fiat G.50 Freccia and Fiat G.55 Centauro World War II fighters. The FIAT G.80 was also one of Gabrielli’s designs (en.wikipedia.org:_Fiat_G.80).
Giuseppe Gabrielli was born in Caltanissetta, Sicily, and studied at the Politecnico di Torino and at the Technische Hochschule of Aachen, Germany under Theodore von Kármán.
Gabrielli began his work as designer at Piaggio, but was soon called to FIAT by Giovanni Agnelli to lead his aeronautics section. He died in Turin in 1987. [¬ Wikipedia]
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Aermacchi MB-326E, 37-31
Aermacchi MB.326, 37-31 (m.m.54245)
Preserved on a roundabout a short distance to the north of Catania Airport, Sicily. GPS loc.: N37.4743 E15.0752
Formerly operated by 637 Squadriglia Collegamenti/37 Stormo
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For my love of books
Books are always a big part of my travels. Bookshops such as La Feltrinelli on Via Etnea where I bought two
photobooks. But also the books I read during the trip were connected to Sicily or Italy:
De Nachtvissers (#2 NL translation of Cristina Cassar Scalia's work, with Commissario Vanina Guarrasi) plus
the latest
novel by Donna Leon (with reference to the Sicilian mafia).
'CONTINENTE SICILIA' &
Franco Zecchin (b. Milan, 1953 - ) moved to Palermo in 1975 and began his career as a photojournalist at the daily newspaper L’Ora, with special attention to the influential mafia organization Cosa Nostra.
The committed photographer focused his lens on attacks, funerals, protests, and the everyday reality of people trying to live in the shadow of this threat.
Zecchin's photos reflect an island in crisis and the resilience of its inhabitants.
The photographer is regarded as one of the most important visual chroniclers of the bloody mafia era in Sicily.
https://francozecchin.com/
Letizia Battaglia (b.05Mar1935 – d.13Apr2022) was an Italian photographer and photojournalist.
Although her photos document a wide spectrum of Sicilian life, she is best known for her work on the Mafia.
Battaglia took up photojournalism after her divorce in 1971, while raising three daughters.
She picked up a camera when she found that she could better sell her articles if they were accompanied by photographs and slowly discovered a passion for photography.
In 1974, after a period in Milan during which she met her long-time partner Franco Zecchin, she returned to Sicily to work for the left-wing L'Ora newspaper in Palermo until it was forced to close in 1992.
en.wikipedia.org:_Letizia_Battaglia
Battaglia and Zecchin produced many of the iconic images that have come to represent Sicily and the Mafia. |
Victims by the Mafia were in the 1970s & 1980s a daily occurrence; also meant to frighten the onlookers
#OnReading
For my #OnReading series
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Homeward bound with pleasant memories
The sun setting on our trip.. |
Created: 14NOV2025 - Updated:
09-Mei-2026
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