Talk about whirling plastic bags… Sicily’s probably the windiest place in Europe and since its people are slow to pick up on ecologically-minded, no-plastic, bring-your-own-shopping-bag suggestions (can’t speak of “politics” here yet), trash, to put it bluntly, abounds.

When living a daily life in technicolor, as happens to anyone lucky enough to inhabit the Sicilian dream, one might just find oneself easily glossing over the darker sides of it. For instance, on good days, Gianfranco often answers, to anyone complaining about the hills of rubbish (old toilets, mattresses, asbestos, butcher’s carcasses, garbage in general), that luckily in Sicily, nature is so fertile and the vegetation so lush that it covers all of this shame as it grows over it, not just hiding but even blinding the onlooker with its fluorescent greens and multicolored wild flowers.

He also praises the disinfecting power of the Sicilian sun, “who takes care of cleansing” and guarantees renewal and regeneration. Hm. Hermetism, synchretism and metempsychosis are but a stone’s throw away from this view, come to think of it. Except that was 1635 reviving ancient Greek and Roman observations and beliefs, and Galileo had just barely escaped with his life for purportedly theorizing his discoveries regarding the solar system.

Not so poetical nor erudite, however, is Gianfranco’s attitude when said litter is abandoned close to his olive plantation, a.k.a. his current home and an attraction to numerous guests and visitors throughout any season… and especially in the summer when the scorching sun pretty much neutralizes nature’s hiding powers for a minute and reveals quite a few desolate sights.

After many battles better left untold, to preserve not only the image of Tenuta Pignatelli but also that of any surrounding areas and its so-called civilized and proud people, and to protect his cherished olives from any possibly polluting effects, Gianfranco still refuses to bow to such indifference. Upholding concepts such as self-respect and hygiene, the preservation of nature and beauty, he welcomes the initiative of the Regional government to fine any town mayor guilty of handling the trash-issue lightly or irresponsibly.

Please rally to the cause and write about your experience visiting Gianfranco’s olive grove and oil mill, or any local travel experience which might have been fraught with such unsightly road-side disasters. Gianfranco will have his answers including your letters, if you allow him so, be published in local and national newspapers. Hopefully this will lead to more consideration and better scrutiny on behalf of our governors, and to an even brighter future for Sicily. Thank you.  – GaB

Address your letters to info@olioverde.it.