WHERE LOVE WAS FLOURISHING

But what about romantic love - does it really exist as a love story in the style of Salvatore’s desperate love for Elena in the movie “Cinema Paradiso” in the romantic and beautiful settings of Celalu and Palazzo Adriano, more than 60 km from Palermo? A few years ago, there was an American boy wandering around Sicily and accidentally sitting next to an Italian girl. They became acquainted with each other. She offered him some biscuits, and then they found out that they both wanted to visit Erice, 10 km from Trapani. Then, inexplicably, they decided to take a ship to Pantelleria island, also in Sicily, where they currently live together with their own child. Do true love stories like that happen frequently in this very romantic land?

I asked that question to a very well-dressed old man waiting for a bride outside a church in central Trapani. The man, called Matteo, who was the bride’s uncle, said: “I still believe so, because that also happened to my wife and me. We have been married for over 40 years. Now when we are attending my niece’s wedding, I cry.” And he cried. It was the same for some elderly people who attended the wedding ceremony, they were in tears when the bride’s white car arrived. The bride’s father took her hand and brought her down the aisle to the sacred yet poetic melody. It was a beautiful wedding. She was a port officer, he was an army officer. I stood in the middle of a curious crowd to watch, then I even was invited to the church to attend the ceremony. No, it was not a movie scene, it was real life. When the priest asked if anyone objected, the church was silent as if they were all speechless. No one protested, nor did any guy rush into the church to reclaim his love and snatch the bride then flee together on a white horse. The bride and groom exchanged rings and kisses to the cheers of everyone present.

In the church of San Lorenzo of 100 m away, where the famous Crucifixion painting of van Dijk is, there was another wedding. The guests who had just been invited to the first wedding were walking to the second. One after another, the bride and groom walked out of the cloud of confetti and bubbles that were blown and scattered by the little boys. Giuseppe and his bride Sara stood on a sidewalk and drank champagne as their friends cheered like the craziest tifosi in the football stadium. The groom smiled and whispered into the bride’s ear: “I will carry you on this vespa. Are you ready?” The bride smiled brightly and responded with a confident voice: “Yes.” That was what the handsome groom waited for. Giving a glass of wine to his friend, he pulled his bride’s hand through all the people around, hopped on the pale blue vespa, started the engine in the applause of the onlookers, the excited cheers of some children and the sobbing sounds of the grooms’ aunts as they were too happy to see their nephew married.

Someone shouted out, “Everyone get out of the way, let them go!” The groom smiled contentedly, carrying his bride away to much applause. It started to rain slightly. All returned into the church. A groom’s aunt said, “Rain on the wedding day is good luck. God bless my nephew!” I stood there and smiled. I had my good luck too. God bless me to let me eat and love on the island of Sicilia!