Arquivo

A poetic recreation of writer Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe’s trip to Sicily. The journey is a sort of rediscovery of this Italian region, since for many European countries of Germanic language, Sicily is still strongly connected to the German poet’s view of it. The film also conjures up the times and travels of another historical character, the Sicilian king and Renaissance forerunner, Frederick II (1194-1250). Beautiful shots of crystal-clear seas, the sight of the imposing Etna volcano, and the memorable times of the Greek civilization evoked through the remnants of the Taormina amphitheater are closely followed by the camera, thus allowing the viewer to create their own impressions of the mysterious island in the south of Italy. This Sicilian experience is also shared by many inhabitants of Palermo, such as the cellist Giovanni Sollima, the restorer Pietro Cacopardo, the photographer Letizia Battaglia – who waged a personal war against the local Mafia bosses by exposing their faces in photographs and putting her own life at risk – and the city’s mayor, Leoluca Orlando.