SIGONELLA, Italy -- After conducting two successful community relations projects in Vizzini, Sicily, the Marines and Sailors of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa, along with other local volunteers, were able to sit back and enjoy a play which was originally set at Cunziria, a district of Vizzini, Sept. 7.
“Cunziria” or tannery dates back to Roman times. The neighborhood hosted leather craftsmen in the 18th century but then gradually became abandoned over the years. Cunziria is the place where playwright Giovanni Verga set some of his most celebrated tales, among which were La Lupa (the Cunziria district appearing in some scenes of the film adaptation by Gabriele Lavia), the Cavalleria Rusticana or Rustic Chivalry (that Mascagni made into its most celebrated opera) and the novel Mastro Don Gesualdo.
First, service members with SP-MAGTF Africa 14 were treated to an opera of the Cavalleria Rusticana, which tells the tale of a soldier who left for war only to return to find his beloved is to be betrothed to another man. The play was originally written in 1890 and has since been adapted into modern films and operas.
“I loved getting to see the opera right there on the street in real time,” said Cpl. Dominick Commisso Jr., a Utica, N.Y., native and engineering quality control noncommissioned officer with SP-MAGTF Africa 14. “I think everybody here should get out and try to see [the play] if they have the opportunity to do so.”
After the opera, Marco A. Sinatra, the mayor of Vizzini, and local movie director Lorenzo Muscoso thanked the Marines and Sailors of SP-MAGTF Africa 14 for their participation in restoring some of the cultural heritage of the Cunziria during the two COMREL projects. Mayor Sinatra presented plaques on behalf of the service members to Lt. Col. William C. Stophel, the commanding officer of SP-MAGTF Africa 14, Sgt. Maj. Charmalyn Pile, the sergeant major of SP-MAGTF Africa 14, 1st Lt. Maida Kalic, the public affairs officer for SP-MAGTF Africa 14 and local Italian volunteers (firefighters, State Forestry Corps and FCGT Team Italia volunteers) who helped restore the beauty of Vizzini present during Giovanni Verga’s time.
“The event was a success thanks to the impeccable coordination of Lorenzo Muscoso, the movie director who promoted the event and the restoration of the site said Dr. Alberto Lunetta, deputy Navy PAO and community relations coordinator. The play was attended by about 500 people who had the chance to see the staging of his visionary version of the ‘Duel’ scene of the Rustic Chivalry by Sicilian novelist Giovanni Verga and the overall tannery renovation.”
The plaque given to Lt. Col. Stophel on behalf of the service members of SP-MAGTF Africa 14 reads: “In recognition of your outstanding and generous support given to the Cunziria Tannery Historic Districts Renovation Project through two COMREL events carried out in August 2014 in Vizzini, Sicily.”
“In the world of conflict that we see today, culture is the cradle of civilization,” said Sinatra. “It’s a way to have everybody joining together and bonding together. This has been a common element, which has brought both Americans and Italians together towards peace, and preserving the historic heritage, which is what we are doing today.”
Lt. Col. Stophel also gave a plaque to the Mayor of Vizzini on behalf of SP-MAGTF Africa 14. The placard was given as a gesture of appreciation for the entire project and for everyone who was a part of making it happen. It read, "Presented on behalf of the Marines and Sailors of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 14.2, in recognition of the hospitality of the people of Vizzini and our enduring partnerships."
Following the awards ceremony, the audience was enthralled by the play. Some service members with SP-MAGTF Africa 14 were even given the honor of acting out roles in the famous play.
The cast came out to fanfare at the completion of the show, and words of thanks and praise were given. The “Marines Meet Verga” project was a clear example of how several different groups of volunteers of varying cultures can come together and unite for a common goal which in turn restored a significant piece of history for Vizzini.
Once the applause and recognitions finished, Marines and Sailors with SP-MAGTF Africa 14 enjoyed a traditional Vizzini meal with Italian locals.