Sicilian men talking in the piazza.
In Sicily talking is an art. The definition of talking is articulation of words but in Sicily it is articulation of the whole body. Here, when people talk, they stand or sit close to each other. Faces and mouths are inches apart. Sicilians walk arm-in-arm, touch, pat, and kiss frequently; men to men, women to women, men to women, women to men, girls to girls, boys to boys and everyone to bambinos.
We came upon this group of men lined up on a stone steps in front of the cathedral in the Piazza Duomo in Catania. All ages sitting cheek by jowl. Some were talking, many were smoking, most were watching the activity in the piazza. They only sit here in the morning when the church is in shadow. They go home for lunch and do not return until the next morning. This is what they do every day. Meeting to talk is a legitimate activity, highly regarded in their culture.
Standing in the street is the optimal place to carry on a conversation in Sicily. If a car comes along, the car must wait for the person talking to finish their comment. Then the group moves aside, slightly, to let the car by without a break in the conversation. All conversants give the driver a dirty look in passing.
I have yet to see a child interrupt a parental conversation. Parents stop in the street to talk and talk until they are finished. Their children wait and they listen. They seem to know not to interrupt.
Couples have disagreements openly as they are walking down the street. Voices are raised. Hand motions are many and agitated. But this is an accepted ritual, not particularly noticed by passers-by. By the same token, couples kiss passionately in the street. We especially like that.
There is always time for a long talk and a long meal in Sicily, a civilized and sweet tradition.
Note: The symbol of the city of Catania sits in the center of the Piazza Duomo. It is the Fontana dell’Elefante, an ancient lavic stone elephant. Legend has it that the original elephant was neuter, which the men of Catania took as an insult to their virility. To appease them, the artist appropriately appended elephantine testicles to the original statue.
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