It is not juiced, nor it is peeled... it is simply read! A eulogy of rare beauty on the agricultural tradition which is elevated to the level of culture and art rooted in a land loved in the world, Sicily, and to one of its most precious treasures, the orange, recounted as the medicine, or rather the vitamin of history.
Born of an idea by Salvo Laudani, and created by Carmelo Chiaramonte and Elvira Assenza, who signed off the editorial project, written by the many hands of various writers, Arancia (Orange) is a mosaic all to be discovered, page after page, which is told in verse and prose and images, through the testimony of ancient memories carved into the hearts and faces of those who today pass them on. These are the ingredients of the book “ORANGE. Sicilian trails of culture, nature, gastronomy” (228 pages - Euro 25.00) published by Edizioni Estemporanee in 2012.
And amongst the pages which portray pictures on show in the most important museums of the world, there are also shots of satisfied faces, eyes which shine of women and men who unveil secrets jealously safeguarded until now, citrus fruit which speak out to the reader, drawings of agricultural equipment, historic citrus fruit wrappers, views, historic notes on happenings of the past. Here, hands in direct contact with the orange relate that which, without this book, could have been lost for ever.
All this unveils very clearly because a philosopher of music Franco Battiato, decided to offer his own contribution. The Maestro wrote the introduction, and his words contain a dance of the senses which makes an intoxicant of the orange.
The photos taken by Paolo Barone, Nini Calamuneri, and Giuseppe Casaburi for this book number more than 90, and the treasure trail of images include 15 drawing by Fabiola Bazzo, created for this literary work with tempera and Indian ink, as well as of the citrus fruit wrappers of collector Romana Gardani.
The lines of "ORANGE" preserve and gift to the new generations of the third millennium, uses, customs, details and prompts for the future of a fruit which has journeyed through centuries, peoples and lands. A testimonial book of a passion which cannot dim.
What is there inside other than the ORANGE?
Leonardo placed an orange on the plate at the table of the "last supper", Botticelli chose it for his "Allegory of Spring", Cezanne appeared in love with its roundness. None of these geniuses drew every detail casually explains Salvo Russo in writing of a fruit that is ever present in the history of art.
Its Mediterranean perfume is encountered in the pentagram of Chopin, a number of texts faithfully called to mind by the musicologist Giovanni Bietti testify of its inspiration; in the most famous cinematographic films described by Gian Luca Farinelli, director the Cineteca Foundation of Bologna, it is possible to trace back very particular interpretations.
And if in the puddings of the unforgettable Franco Ruta of the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto of Modica, as with those of Corrado Assenza of the renowned Caffè Sicilia of Noto, the orange is the unique protagonist and apotheosis of colour associated with taste. In the original recipes of dishes suggested by chef Carmelo Chiaramonte every natural expression of the fruit participates in the make-up of the dish; from the blossom to the leaf, to the "half orange" which becomes a cup, to the wood of the tree trunk.
Coupled with wine, for Fabio Rizzari at the helm of the wines of Espresso, the orange is transformed into diamond dust. With Elvira Assenza literature, linguistics and philology are protagonists. With Michele Burgio we find established expressions in dialect, the prose, the verses and the literary forms in a new, never before recounted path. And popular medicine could not be forgotten with the noted herbalist Felice Rao and the practices suggested by him, which have come back into fashion today more than ever with new styles of living, the benefits of the orange and the herbalist solutions are associated with pips, rind, juice and pith. The orange is an explosion of healthiness with which, in the opinion of nutritionist doctor Francesco Leonardi and Giovanni Portelli, the reader will not hesitate to experiment, it is a de-toxicant and anti-radical. In modern nutrition, it can represent an excellent natural remedy for various reasons which are carefully explained.
And amongst the pages which portray pictures on show in the most important museums of the world, there are also shots of satisfied faces, eyes which shine of women and men, citrus fruit which speak out to the reader, drawings of agricultural equipment, historic citrus fruit wrappers, views, established facts on what there was in the past about the orange, hands in direct contact with the orange relate that which, without this book, could have been lost for ever.
The photos taken by Paolo Barone, Nini Calamuneri, Giuseppe Casaburi The photos taken by Fabiola Bazzo created for this literary work with tempera and Indian ink, as well as of the citrus friut wrappers of collector Romana Gardani.
All this unveils very clearly because a philosopher of music Franco Battiato decided to offer his own contribution. With an active contribution, the meastro wrote the introduction.
The lines of "ORANGE" preserve for the generations of the third millennium; customs, costumes, details and prompts for the future of this fruit which has passed through centuries, peoples and lands. A testimonial book of a passion which cannot dim.
Oranfrizer has chosen a fruit, then to leave complete freedom to the authors to tell its story; each contribution, traced out in black and white and with coulour images, is part of a mosaic in red gold which just had to be re-assembled.
The book "ORANGE. Sicilian traces of culture, nature, gastronomy" was presented in 2012 at the Obihall di Firenze, at the Rettorato dell’Università degli studi di Catania and at the Museum&Fashion di Marella Ferrera at Catania, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the entrepreneural business of Oranfrizer.