Sicily is not situated in the south of Italy, as you might believe, nor is it at the farthest reaches of Europe. Sicily is the heart of the Mediterranean. It has been for centuries, and it could be again if we change our way of thinking. It could be a place where the sea is not the border between tourists’ dreamy beaches and migrants’ broken dreams. If we put Sicily at the core of the Mediterranean again, our entire worldview turns upside down. We are used to a narrative that makes Sicily the first bastion of Europe, the border that marks fortune for those who reach it or tragedy for those who get lost in the waves. But it is by dint of telling this story that we have made it truer than the truth. The reality is much more complex–and ancient. 

Change your point of view: think of the envoys of Byzantine emperor Belisarius, sent to Palermo to regain possession of the western territories in 535. Remember the Islamic leader Aṣbagh ibn Wakil, who took the city from them about three centuries later. Imagine the salty wind in the blond hair of the Normans, who reached the island to take it from the Arabs and gain control of the famous sea around the year 1000. What did the leaders of these peoples have in common? They saw the enormous potential of Sicily as a strategic hub in the center of the Mediterranean. 

These various dominators, instead of destroying the culture that came before them, often learned from their predecessors, building the rich culture of Sicily in collaboration. We can see traces of such in the pointed arches, mosaics, and inlays that give life to the Arab-Norman style and make Palermo’s skyline unique. We can see them in the Zisa Palace, summer residence of the Norman king. We can see them in the impressive golden interiors of the Monreale Cathedral. But this exchange of cultures is not just limited to ancient history. There is a long legacy that links Sicily and north Africa even today, even if the people on both sides of the sea might not be aware of it. Current migrations may be driven by different economical and political needs than in the past, but they are shadowed by the ghosts of history. 

Between 1861 and WWI, when large swaths of southern Italians left for the Americas with cardboard suitcases, Sicily’s depletion of manpower became an opportunity for neighboring Tunisia. Between the 60s and 70s, Tunisia was experiencing a demographic boom–the population counter 4.24 million in 1960 and 6.21 million people by 1979–and higher rates of unemployment drove Tunisians, especially of the younger generations, towards the Sicilian coasts. The choice for these first migrations was actually influenced, however, by Italians in Tunisia. Many Italians moved to Tunisia after the unification of the country, making up around 70% of the country’s foreign population, despite the fact that Tunisia was a French territory at the time. The Italian presence, especially of Sicilians, in the country continued through the time of Fascism (and built upon the ideology’s imperialism). With the victory of the allies, the end of the Fascist regime, and the struggles of Italy after WWII, Italians began to choose the U.S. and northern Europe as the main areas of emigration instead.

In the 1980s, migrants began to arrive in Sicily from new directions: the movement of peoples from the Maghreb increased and the first flows from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia joined them. This is when we started hearing about Sicily as a “gateway” to Europe. It’s a definition that has drawn a line in our mind, creating a way of thinking that divides the world between who is above or below this line.  

From the 1990s to the present day, people from the countries of the Middle East (following the Gulf Wars), from eastern Europe (Albania, Kosovo), and from Asia have primarily comprised those who arrive to Italy’s largest island. According to a 1981 Istat census, there were 14,785 foreign citizens living in Sicily (0.3%), while a survey by Inca-Cgil counts 66,853 in 1991 (1.3%). The foreign population living in Sicily in January, 2022 reached 184,605; Palermo is the main hub for immigration with more than 18% of the total.

Despite the high unemployment rate in Sicily, the departure of fishermen, farmers, and the poorest sections of the population to richer European nations left gaps in the workforce–but gaps at the limits of legality and in the humblest jobs, like subsistence farming, construction, caretaking, and roles at small businesses that can more easily avoid regulation. These gaps have been filled by migrants, whose often vulnerable conditions are greatly exploited, causing them to be underpaid and in “nero” (in cash and without contract). Often arriving without paperwork, immigrants face tantamount difficulties obtaining permits to stay and have limited power when it comes to bargaining for adequate compensation and workplace rights. These same factors make them easy targets for organized crime. 

The attitude of the current government will not ameliorate the situation. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made immigration law a key point in her platform, and she and her team have developed strict policies against NGOs helping migrants in the Mediterranean, have reduced the chance of reunion based on family relationships, and are increasing the number of CPRs (detention centers) as well as the criminal sentence for those sailing by boat (without differentiating between real smugglers and those forced to). Despite this wave of regression, Palermo is home to some fantastic examples of projects that look to the future. They aim to go beyond integration and celebrate the culture of migrants, Palermitans, and the beauty that can come from melding the two. Moltivolti, a restaurant and community center in the Ballarò district, is one such project that has paved the way. 

The first time I visited Moltivolti, it was a hot summer day in 2021, and founder Claudio struck me with his enthusiasm like a gust of fresh air. I was there for a video shoot, caught in the need to rush from place to place to get things done, but Moltivolti is not a place to rush into; there is too much to grasp. Claudio brought me to the kitchen where migrant chefs from all over the world were discussing the menu and setting up for service. The smells of saffron, together with the aroma of oranges and frying aubergines were the strongest and most obvious clues of Claudio’s vision: a feast of flavors and cultures. Their tagline is “our land is where our feet rest”, so it’s no surprise I feel at home at Moltivolti; this is why I turned to Claudio to understand Palermo in 2023.

Claudio, like many Sicilians of his generation, considered leaving the country. His destination was the Netherlands, but it didn’t take long for him to understand that his relationship with Palermo was stronger than he thought. He decided to commit himself to Sicily, despite the island’s difficulties, and try to build paths of value. Open since 2014, Moltivolti is aimed at the inclusion of young migrants in the workplace. “The opening of a commercial activity in a complex place like Ballarò scared me immensely,” he admits. “Fortunately, everyday life has dismantled many of my prejudices and proved me wrong.” 

Claudio believes that giving someone a chance to learn a job doesn’t only mean helping them in a moment of difficulty, but rather creating the conditions for each person to self-determine. And he has success stories to prove it. An army commander who escaped the Taliban, Shapoor Safari was working as a cleaner at Moltivolti until one day he offered to cook a dinner for the members. His beautiful compositions and new flavors wowed and he became an assistant cook, soon to be a pillar in the kitchen. Today, he is the proud owner of his own restaurant, Oriente da Shapoor, just next to Moltivolti.

I ask Claudio how Palermo has received Moltivolti and what role the project plays in the city’s ecosystem. He tells me that it has been a mixed bag, that much progress has been made but that even more needs to be. “There is much more activism than when we started, many more organizations that deal with issues of people’s rights, and much more maturity: Palermo has a lot to teach in grassroots work. However, with respect to the theme of reception, there are still steps to be taken,” he continues. “For example, working on access to rentals for migrants. Locals are afraid of renting houses to foreigners, a theme that is rooted in stereotypes. Even so, improvements can be seen.” And support really can be seen coming from many corners of Palermo: Claudio remembers with affection a donation of 800 euros, collected by students who put in two euros each.

When the place was consumed by a fire in January, 2022, the international community collected the 120,000 euros needed for the reconstruction in just five days, and the tradesmen of the neighborhood came to help rebuild for free–a perfect example of how the organization has become embedded in the Ballarò neighborhood. (Claudio tells me the flames were not an act of mafia retaliation or of racist violence, despite the media being hungry for a more juicy story and positing otherwise.) Furthermore, “After the fire, activity resumed as before, but it was also an opportunity to make the space more beautiful! Four Palermo artists gave us four works of art that have become the subject of a small exhibition.”

Although there are many associations to contact about the migrant experience–CLEDU Legal Clinic for Human Rights, SOS Ballarò network, association of Young Gambians, STRAVOX, Libera–Moltivolti remains a point of reference for locals and tourists alike. More than just an ethnic restaurant, Moltivolti is a community that believes in the value of people and their diversity. Claudio’s colleagues organize many free activities aimed at young foreigners: a social counter, computer literacy courses, language classes, and more. They also offer services for tourists, like the sightseeing route “Through My Eyes”, a tour through the historic center, guided by a young migrant who, through their own experience, tells the story of the city.

Another community-focused organization is Danisinni, a Franciscan outpost, led by Capuchin friars. The neighborhood of Danisinni is historically critical: it has high unemployment and low education rates and has been a pond for crime to fish in. Here, the primary goal is the rehabilitation of the social environment; the Danisinni community works to restore values in the neighborhood and link this geographically-isolated area to the rest of Palermo. For them, a success for the community is a success for the whole neighborhood, made by local inhabitants and migrants. Danisinni has recovered the historic papyrus field, created a community farm (with horses, geese, and chickens), installed a stage for shows, started the practice of home restaurants (dinners for tourists in the homes of local families), and opened a B&B.

To grasp the true multicultural nature of Palermo, Claudio suggests eating ethnic cuisine in Ballarò and getting out of the mentality of tourism looking for authenticity at any costs: “Tourists should position themselves in Palermo and think they are the center of the Mediterranean in 2050 and not in the south of Italy today. Then, I recommend making ethical and conscious choices: therefore, ask for receipts (to make sure no one is avoiding paying taxes) and be careful not to choose experiences that do things illegally or don’t respect workers (you can stop by Moltivolti to double check).”

Even more so after my talk with Claudio, I wish for the future of Sicily to be a contemporary hub in the Mediterranean, a place where everybody feels at home, where tourists can live a dream without migrants having to face a nightmare.