MY HOMELAND:
a unique spectacle


This summer, I had the privilege of experiencing some moments of great emotion.
As a guest of my friends Sara and Angelo at the beautiful Villa di Dara, towards the end of the night from the terrace I witnessed a unique and unforgettable sight.
Down below, in the clear sea, like beautiful Sirens, lay the Aegadian islands.
And with the lights from the houses down below, which could be confused for fishing lamps, many other islands populate the archipelago.
To the right, like the back of a ram, rises the mythical Erice.
To the left, our city Marsala, that in the dreamy night stretches out
its arms towards the sea.
Scattered in the valley, a multitude of illuminated houses
like fireflies create a scene of rare beauty in the night.
Like heedless travelers, distracted we live amidst this wonder.
Every now and again we should stop a while and lift our gaze towards
the starry sky, our great homeland - the universe.
On that night, that magical night on the Dara terrace, I remained transfixed.
Above me there were many, many stars - millions of stars.
An immense garden of stars.
How the moon smiled!
An unreal vision.
A wonder without end!
And we human beings are part of it all.
Before this beauty I felt alone, small, tiny like
a grain of sand lost in infinity and in the profound silence
of the night I sensed the mystery.
We live immersed in the great mystery of creation.
The heart melts in the fragment of a star and among us dwells divinity.

Vittorio Cimiotta