Hylonicum

Light and its residues, by Nicola Polloni

Sicily, in Fragments

Nicolosi

Nicolosi is shaped by a presence that exceeds it – Mt. Etna enters the town through stone, names, rituals and everyday arrangements, turning ordinary life into a continuous negotiation with the mountain.

Mount Etna rises behind the tiled roofs and dark volcanic-stone buildings of Nicolosi.
A man carries a long wooden plank past shops and street signs, with Mount Etna rising behind the town.
Weathered façades with balconies and shopfronts stand beneath elaborate street-festival lights.
A church and bell tower rise beside a broad street decorated with festival-light structures.
A poster asking Saint Anthony for protection from injustice is attached to a utility box beside a weathered wall and staircase.
A street sign for Via Giuseppe Garibaldi is partly obscured by pipes and sharp shadows.
An almost empty civic square contains benches, trees, a small fountain and a large municipal building.
Repeated festival arches span a commercial street lined with shops, signs and a solitary pedestrian.

Places and dates
Nicolosi, 2025.