The unforgettable race with open arms that united a neighbourhood, a city, an entire country. This is the iconic and evocative feeling conveyed by “Totò”, the new mural created at the CEP in Palermo on the wall of a building owned by the IACP by artist Igor Scalisi Palminteri, depicting Totò Schillaci, the hero of the magical nights of Italia ’90, symbol of Italian football and representative image of redemption and hope for the CEP and beyond.
The work, funded by the Federico II Foundation in collaboration with Palermo FC, will be officially unveiled on Wednesday 4th June at 8pm, in the presence of the artist, Schillaci’s family, the president of the Federico II Foundation, Hon. Gaetano Galvagno, and the president of Palermo FC, Dario Mirri. Another favourite of Italian national team fans from the 1990s, Stefano Tacconi, legendary goalkeeper and teammate of Totò, will also be in Palermo for the occasion.
During the event, the mural will be brought to life by an evocative light show and VJ Set created by Giulia Galioto for Odd Agency, transforming the neighbourhood into a stage of emotions, lights and memories.
The mural is the crowning achievement of a broader and more radical urban redevelopment project, starting with the reclamation of the area owned by the Istituto Autonomo for the Case Popolari of Palermo by the Regional Department of Infrastructure and Mobility of the Sicilian Region guided by Alessandro Aricò. The project, which will be presented in the coming days, is set to change the face of the neighbourhood, thanks in part to the debut of Palermo in the Community, Palermo FC’s social project, which will build a new five-a-side football pitch entitled Schillaci in the area reclaimed by the Sicilian Regional Administration, open to children and young people from the CEP, under the supervision of specialised volunteers, to provide training programmes and free access to sports activities.
“Totò is the child of Palermo who looks at a football as one looks at the sky”, says the author of the work, Igor Scalisi Palminteri, explaining the profound meaning of his mural, “with eyes shining with hope, his heart full of determination and pride. It is the run after the goal, arms wide open like wings, the cry that pierces the night and lights up the narrow streets. It is an explosion that unites the neighbourhood, the city, the island, the nation, and reaches far, far away, to the hearts of those who know what it means to fight. Totò is the face of all of us, when we stumble but find the strength to get back up again. It is the momentum that comes from hard work, the redemption that sprouts where no one expects it. It is the voice, the deep breath of the suburbs that become a cradle of wonders. Totò comes from there, from neighbourhoods that know how to be mothers, that raise strong and resilient children, capable of transforming a dream into a cry of victory in magical nights”.
The mural is part of a larger urban art project called “Le Strade da seguire” promised by the Federico II Foundation in Sicily, which aims to spread a culture of legality and celebrate the heroes of the fight against the Mafia and positive examples from Sicily, such as Schillaci, through the creation of several murals. For the president of the Federico II Foundation, Hon. Gaetano Galvagno, “Le Strade da Seguire…” is “an urban art project on the protagonists of the fight against crime. We have inaugurated murals throughout Sicily with the faces of our heroes of legality, from Falcone and Borsellino to Dalla Chiesa, Boris Giuliano and many others. Today, unfortunately,‘ he continues, ’young people know, through certain films, characters such as Riina, Provenzano and Pablo Escobar, often risking emulating them. I have noticed, unfortunately, that they do not know the positive role models who have dedicated their lives to our Sicily. Totò Schillaci is the only figure chosen for our project who does not belong to the fight against the Mafia. The idea was conceived and developed with Vincenzo Figuccia, who believed in it from the very beginning. We wanted Totò because he was and continues to be a source of inspiration for many young people. He was a humble figure who lived in difficult circumstances but avoided going down the same path as some of his peers. He teaches us that with commitment, sacrifice and perseverance, great results can be achieved, embodying a positive example for many young people,” concludes Galvagno.
“We have always seen football as a vehicle for improving people’s lives”, explains Dario Mirri, president of Palermo FC, “and we can do this thanks to the passion for sport that has driven us to chase a ball since we were children. For this reason, considering what Palermo represents for the city, we feel a responsibility to build a community based on social justice, equal opportunities, the fight against crime and inclusion. These are all things that our region, especially in the most marginalised neighbourhoods of the city, often desperately needs. Building a football pitch – but also creating a mural, as the Federico II Foundation is doing today with Igor – therefore becomes not just a symbolic gesture, but a concrete action to create opportunities for development and leave no one behind”.
“This work has enormous value”, says Giovanni Schillaci, Totò’s brother, “for my brother, for my father, for the husband he was and for the man who has left us. It represents an icon who can inspire future generations to always do better for our neighbourhood and believe in their dreams. Totò is a symbol that tells the story of the beauty of Sicily. We would like to thank the Federico II Foundation, Palermo FC and Igor Scalisi Palminteri”.
The Totò mural is documented through the eyes of Antonio Macaluso of VediPalermo: a work of beauty, memory, hope and redemption, which speaks to young people and anyone who wants to dream big, knowing that it is possible to achieve their dreams, even if they start out on a football pitch in the suburbs.