If you are lucky enough to be in Sicily in June, we advise you not to miss the feast of the “u pisci a mare” ad & lt; em> Aci Trezza, in the province of Catania, “birthplace” of Etna.

This particular pantomime is a propitiatory rite, recalled every year from the mid-18th century, for the feast of the patron saint, Saint John the Baptist, on 24 of June. The pantomime can be called a 'parody' of the swordfish fishing that took place in the Strait of Messina. Although fishing is a serious matter and the whole fight with the fish symbolizes the struggle for survival itself, with the elements and with the sea.

There is always a huge crowd to see and cheer on the square and all along the promenade, when “u raisi” arrives, those who run fishing and makes the public shake. Fishermen are the fishermen of the country, connoisseurs of the sea, and also “u pisci” is represented by a fisherman or the son of one of them, in any case, an experienced swimmer.

The main colors are red, yellow, white boats and ultramarine blue of the sea. “U pisci” hides under and between boats, while “u raisi”, up from a rock launches signals and screams the ancient phrases of fishermen in dialect, helping sailors to catch the fish. After several attempts to catch, when the fish is pulled on the boat but always manages to escape, even “u raisi” throws itself into the water.

In the end, the man-fish is' wounded 'and his blood dyes the water red. “U pisci” seems really finished, but a few meters from the landing it runs away definitively. The crowd cries, the fishermen turn the boat upside down and even the young spectators dive into the sparkling sea — this is how every representation of the continuous struggle of the amp; rsquo; man to survive in these places. Something not to be missed, exciting and special, that will make you want the grilled swordfish for dinner!