VIAGGIO IN SICILIA DI LISETTA CARMI

CURATED BY
Valentina Bruschi

PHOTOGRAPHY
Lisetta Carmi © Martini & Ronchetti, courtesy Archivio Lisetta Carmi

TEXTS
Laura Barreca, Valentina Bruschi, Maria Rosa Sossai, Giovanni Battista Martini, Leonardo Sciascia ©Eredi Sciascia

TRANSLATIONS
Dominic McElwee

EDITORIAL DESIGN
Michela Palermo

LETTERING
Susanna Cavenaghi 

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Carlotta Wirtz

DIMENSIONS
20.8 × 29 cm

PAGES
68 pages, saddle-stitched

EDITION
Printed in an edition of 400 copies

Viaggio in Sicilia di Lisetta Carmi is a new publication dedicated to the final photographic reportage by Genoese photographer Lisetta Carmi (1924–2022). Commissioned by the Dalmine company in 1977 and originally published as Acque di Sicilia, this work turns away from postcard images of the Sicilian coast to focus on the island’s inland waters—its rivers, aqueducts, reservoirs, and the rural communities shaped by them. Through her quiet and radical empathy, Carmi captures a different Sicily: one marked by dignity, intimacy, and a deep connection between people and landscape. In the context of today’s climate crisis and infrastructural fragility, her attention feel more urgent than ever.

The book was commissioned by Museo Civico di Castelbuono on the occasion of its reopening after months of renovation and the reinstallation of its contemporary art collection. As part of this renewed vision, the museum inaugurates a new section dedicated to photography. Seven black-and-white prints by Carmi from Acque di Sicilia series —now part of the museum’s permanent collection—are shown to the public for the first time, alongside works by Letizia Battaglia and Melo Minnella, both central figures in the visual narrative of Sicily.

Curated by Valentina Bruschi with the support of Strategia Fotografia 2024, promoted by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture, the acquisition affirms the museum’s long-standing commitment to photography as a lens through which to explore Mediterranean identity and the transformations that have shaped Sicily’s recent history.

Viaggio in Sicilia di Lisetta Carmi brings together the acquisitions  along with original layouts from Acque di Sicilia, published by Dalmine in 1977. It includes the original foreword by Leonardo Sciascia—translated into English for the first time—and newly commissioned texts by Laura Barreca (Director of the Museo Civico di Castelbuono), Valentina Bruschi (Project Curator and Head of Exhibitions and Research), Maria Rosa Sossai (Curator of the Public Program), and Giovanni Battista Martini, custodian of the Lisetta Carmi archive and close friend of the artist.

Editorial design by Michela Palermo pays tribute to the visual rigor of AG Fronzoni’s 1977 layout, incorporating historical spreads while introducing a new hand-lettered intervention by illustrator Susanna Cavenaghi. This project continues the editorial dialogue initiated with Landscapes, Memories, Abstractions: Melo Minnella’s Sicily (2023), extending the collaboration between Palermo Publishing and Museo Civico di Castelbuono.

The project Viaggio in Sicilia di Lisetta Carmi is supported by Strategia Fotografia 2024, promoted by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture.

For press inquiries, images, or to request a review copy, please contact: info@palermopublishing.com