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Palermo,
a Hundred Steps into the West
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Paolo
Briguglia, co-star of "The Hundred Steps", talks
to us about the film's atmospheric setting - Palermo.
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Paolo Briguglia |
"There's everything you want here. Just name
it! Contemporary art? We've got the highway to Sciacca
- with its huge half-finished concrete flyovers
- the original road to nowhere."
IP: Joking aside Paolo, tell us about hidden Palermo.
"First of all I'd like to dispel the notion that
Palermo is a dangerous city for tourists. It's relatively
easy, and hassle-free, to tour around. Although
this is probably a sign that the Mafia is running
the show to perfection. We could start off at the
Zingaro
Natural Reserve [ita], which is near San Vito
Lo Capo: 7 kilometres of natural coastline that
have been miraculously saved from speculators. There
are no cars allowed inside the reserve and you can
stay overnight in stone houses, although they are
rather spartan. Book accommodation before going
through the Forest Rangers in Castellammare."
 IP:
And in Palermo itself?
"We could go to Piazza Maggione, and see the
wonderful church of Santa
Maria dello Spasimo [ita]. Up until a few
years ago it was still in the condition it had
been left in after the Allied bombing raids during
the war. Then Orlando, the lord mayor of the time,
renovated it for the G8 conference. He even planted
an eccentric English-style green in the square
which as soon as the conference was over became
a playground for the local kids."
 IP:
What about the Vucciria market?
"It's become a bit too touristy. I prefer
the Capo market. It's got great bread and fish,
but don't get too picky over your purchases because
the stall holders take offence easily. Just let
them serve you. But be warned, on bad days they'll
try to pass off stale goods on you!"
"The shutters were drawn on lots of windows
for the duration of filming. When it comes down
to it, Cinisi is still a Western-style town. Everything
happens in the main street because there are no
back streets. Pasquale Scimeca is right when he
says that the Mafia is our west."
IP: The Centro Siciliano di Documentazione
was named after Giuseppe Impastato. The Centre has
been open since 1977 and aims to promote 'law and
order'. Are there any other places like this in
Palermo?
"The situation is fairly drastic. There are
lots of ideas but very few of them are put into
practice. The Church has been important with initiatives
such as the Centro di Santa Chiara, a place where
immigrants can meet and become integrated into the
community."
IP: Famous Mafia victims such as Dalla Chiesa,
Falcone and Borsellino all have plaques in their
honour. But is there a monument to all Mafia victims?
"Yes. There's a very strange rusty iron monument
on the seafront. One of my friends tells a story
of when he was going past it on bus one day and
he overheard one man say to another: "What's dat
ting over der?" "Dats a monument for the ones against
the Mafia", answers the man's friend. You see, people
don't like to talk about victims here."
 IP:
In Marco Tullio Giordana's film, what does your
character think about the Mafia?
"My character Giovanni, Peppino Impastato's brother,
doesn't approve of the Mafia but he still can't
bring himself to make a stance against them because
he doesn't have the same degree of 'folly' as Peppino.
Giovanni is like any one of us. Ordinary people
who aren't heroes or Mafia hit men. People who'd
like to change things within the safety of a group."
THE HUNDRED STEPS:
PALERMO with Mr. Santino
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| by
ELENA
GUARNERI |
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February
2001
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THE SURVIVOR'S 
