February 25, 2010
I met him in the baroque town of Noto.
His name was Domenico Sculli.
“Call me Mimo,” he said.
He spoke good English. “I was boat captain for 42 years. I know whole world. Japan, Australia, Siberia. I lived in South America. Only place I don’t know is China. I came back home for retire. But many friends already gone.”
“Are you happy to be back in Sicily?”
“Look!” he said, sweeping his hand through the air. “Noto is so beautiful!”
I nodded.
He pulled a photo from a worn leather wallet.
“This is how I was forty years ago. You see I was very, very handsome.”
Click to subscribe. (It’s free.)
xxx
great soul shot !
accattivante = charming, beguiling, captivating, engaging
grazie!
Wonderful images! His face seems so sweet….he is happy to share his story.
Lui e’ ancora bello! I had a similar situation in Manarola on the Ligurian coast. I was out walking, chugging up the steep, twisty little road into the main square, when I stopped to rest on a bench that sat fortuitously overlooking the ocean next to the village church. There sat also an elderly gentleman. We began to talk and he spoke of his travels as a mariner, which had taken him all over the globe…but of course after all his travels, the only place he wanted to be, was back in his quiet little home village, tucked away safely in the cinque terre! Italian gentlemen are “accattivante”, no?
Thanks for this story, Melissa. But please do tell the meaning of “accattivante.”
He is dressed so nicely! I wonder how often he pulls out the photo to show people. A proud man.