Dario Cascio, the storyteller from Palermo who brings Sicily to life around the world
Born and raised in the San Lorenzo district of Palermo, Dario Cascio has been living away from Sicily…for far too many years now. After earning his degree in International Relations, he worked across two continents and four different countries, taking part in projects such as the Italian translation of the Avatar video game, the linguistic coordination of Windows 8, and the development of high-quality instant translation systems. He also toured Europe as the lead singer of a Power Metal band. But despite everything, he remains a true ‘picciotto’ from the neighborhood, deeply attached to Palermo and Sicily. As he says, “There’s nothing more beautiful than parking at Piazza Indipendenza, walking through Porta Nuova, and getting lost in the narrow streets of the most beautiful historic center in the world”. Sicilian Secrets sat down with him for an interview.
Q: Where does your passion for linguistics, and in particular for the Sicilian language, come from?
A: I’ve been passionate about languages since I was a child. I had an uncle and actually, I still have part of my family living in Australia, so I dreamed of moving there. I never made it to Australia, but I did travel the world, and I’ve always seen languages as the most important code we humans have: communication is at the heart of everything, and being able to interact with people in their own language, to merge with their culture, is the most beautiful thing in the world, in my opinion. As for Sicilian, I’ve always spoken it, my grandfather only spoke Sicilian, he couldn’t even write. The same with my father. For me, it’s truly my mother tongue.
Q: In your opinion, how can we keep the tradition of Sicilian storytelling – the cunto – alive for younger generations? And could you tell us more about your project, Sessanta SeCunti?
A: We absolutely have to preserve the tradition, but we also need to modernize it because the ways we communicate have changed. That’s exactly why I created Sessanta SeCunti.
The idea came after a conversation with a man who works in linguistics, just like me. I’ve been in the field for 16 years, and he had at least double that experience. Despite his background, he didn’t even know Sicilian existed. That’s when I thought, ‘No, something needs to be done to bring visibility back to a language that’s dying, and not even slowly’.
So I created Sessanta SeCunti, because I believe it’s crucial to preserve the structure of traditional cunto, while updating it with a different pace, a new perspective, a fresh visual approach. It was worth trying, and even though it didn’t start off perfectly, over time it paid off.
Yes, we must use new tools wisely, and I think Sessanta SeCunti does exactly that: it’s currently the only format of Sicilian cunti done this way…hyper-zoomed and in black and white.
Q: Your book ‘Vuci Luntani’ has just been released. What’s it about? Any advice for readers picking it up for the first time?
A: ‘Vuci Luntani’ originally started as an audiobook. I needed to ‘escape’ from Sessanta SeCunti and tell larger, more expansive stories.
I’m a musician, I studied music for many years, and in my home in Ireland I built a small studio. That’s where I began creating mini audiobooks, structured with multiple characters, background music, and lots of sound effects that I often produced myself, just for fun.
From there, ‘Vuci Luntani’ was born: a book containing 14 stories in Sicilian, each translated into Italian and English.
My hope is that readers will immerse themselves in my vision of Sicily, and feel the love I have for my island, especially for Palermo. I’ve received wonderful feedback, especially from fellow Sicilians who have been living abroad for a long time. They tell me that somehow, the stories in ‘Vuci Luntani’ bring them closer to home again and make them relive moments from their childhoods. It’s an emotional book, and anyone who picks it up will embark on a journey through folklore and nostalgia.
Q: Dario Cascio is a traveler, but I’m sure there’s one place in Sicily you could never give up. What is it?
A: I am deeply tied to Palermo. There aren’t many other places, or maybe there’s no other place in the world, that I would compare to my city.
Walking through the historic center always moves me, and Barcarello is my special place because ever since I was a boy, I’ve always gone swimming there, even in the winter, when I come home for visits. Outside Palermo, my absolute favorite spot is a tiny village: Torretta Granitola, near Mazara del Vallo.
Q: You’re from Palermo. What do you miss most about your city when you’re in Ireland?
A: I miss everything about Palermo. And after 16 years away, I’m really starting to feel the weight of those years, all of a sudden, like a punch to the gut.
This feeling hit me a couple of years ago, and now I miss it so much that I’m seriously thinking about how to move back.
I love Ireland, I spent 12 of those 16 years there. But lately, I find myself yearning for my city, and I’m looking for the right way to return to Sicily.
Q: In the suitcase of a Sicilian ‘wanderer’ like Dario Cascio, what’s something that’s never missing?
A: Food, always food! Either packed in my suitcase or sent in the famous pacchi da giù (care packages from home).
I simply can’t give up Sicilian food; it’s one of my strongest ties to Palermo, along with my family, of course, and the fact that even after living in four different countries, Palermo is still the only place that makes my heart race.
Q: And finally, what future projects do you have in mind?
A: I’m not sure! On March 26 and 27, I participated in La Via dei Librai in Palermo, a wonderful event right in the city center. I held two book presentations, and for now, I’m just focusing on the short term.
I’m thinking about writing more books and maybe turning some of my work into a theater performance, although I’m not an actor, so we’ll see how that goes…
And as we say in Sicily, comu finisci si cunta!
