Caminanti (the "walkers")

The balloons represented as an ephemeral idea of freedom within the community of caminanti, family nests alienated from Sicilian society.

The caminanti are a small ethnic group living in noto, sicily. Their community is strictly reserved, hermetic; having free access to their families is not easy. Sometimes their world begins and ends within their own neighborhood. A community alienated from the rest of the world that lives in its own rabbit hole. I spent my summer 2020 with them, knowing them I was able to admire their souls full of love and magic for their family and their environment.
Their job is to sell balloons to tourists and Sicilians, balloons that do not fly and which are the representation of an ephemeral freedom.
Descendants of the nomads who landed in Sicily at the end of the fourteenth century, following the Arberes'h refugees, the caminanti have kept intact the original family organization, under the guidance of an older group leader and with marriages established within the community, a unique and big family.
They are considered the greatest walkers in history, scattered in the range between Catania, Agrigento and Syracuse, but during the winter they crowd a historic district of Noto, which bears their name. The "wandering Sicilians" are the last heirs of a culture founded on movement, but they have made local traditions their own, favoring the birth of a colorful mix of lifestyles.