Light and Memory in the Kalsa

In the Kalsa, one of Palermo's oldest districts, Marina guides a photographic walk through streets founded by the Arabs in the ninth century and known then as al-Khalisa, the chosen one. The district carries that origin in its narrow lanes and weathered facades, drawing photographers to its contrasts of light and memory. Walking together through alleys, squares and unexpected corners, you will follow the visual language built by Sicilian photographers such as Letizia Battaglia, Ferdinando Scianna and Enzo Sellerio, whose work captured Sicily through light, shadow and human presence. Deep shadows, traces of the past, and today's daily life become subjects for observation and a chance to reflect on photography as a storytelling language. Marina will share photographic references and practical suggestions along the way, but also stories of centuries of history running through the Kalsa, from its Arab origins through wartime damage to today's cultural revival and street art.

Besides its monumental face, Palermo has a more intimate side, made of silence, contrast, secluded courtyards, and worn walls. Marina's eye was trained on the work of Sicily's great photographic masters: Enzo Sellerio, Ferdinando Scianna and Letizia Battaglia, who was also her mentor. That education, together with the point of view she has built through her own relationship with the city, is what Marina brings to a walk through one of Palermo's most vital and authentic popular neighborhoods, marked by the sharp geometry of Mediterranean light and the deep shadow of its alleys. As a writer she has worked the other way round too, retelling Verga's Sicily in photographs. By night the area comes alive with movida, but by day it keeps its everyday life: crumbling noble palaces, churches with the sky for a ceiling, children playing in the street, elderly women chatting on chairs carried outside. A minimal, daily Palermo that Marina knows intimately.

Marina Mongiovì is a photographer and writer based in Palermo. Her photographic work focuses on street photography. Her images have been exhibited at the Palermo's Centro Internazionale di Fotografia, as part of group exhibitions curated by renowned photojournalist Letizia Battaglia. She has exhibited in Rome as a finalist in an international open call organized by Roma Fotografia, and has held two solo exhibitions in Catania. Photography and writing run alongside each other in her work. In 2022 she published Storie del Castello di Trezza, a photographic retelling of Giovanni Verga, and in 2023 her first collection of short stories, Sciara. Her stories have appeared in several Italian literary magazines.

Comfortable shoes. A camera or smartphone. During the summer months, light clothing and a bottle of water. ** This experience is suitable for photography enthusiasts, beginners, and travelers interested in local culture.