LENTINI – Walking through the streets of Lentini, in truth, through the streets of old Lentini, along Via Mercadante, you see a 73-year-old gentleman, sitting on his wooden chair, with long cut canes which, woven by his fingers, become a basket, or rather they become “cannisci”, so called in the Sicilian dialect, that is, baskets similar to those of wicker intended for different uses. The young people of the 80s saw the “Cannisci” hanging from balconies to transport objects from one floor to another, or the baker put bread inside for the lady who couldn’t get down from the second floor.
We saw it in the center of our grandmother’s kitchen table, as a fruit bowl, or as a flask for wine or a container for almonds and dried fruit.
So, intrigued and fascinated by the elaborate manipulation of the hands that such work requires, we stop in front of the small shop and ask if we can stop and have a chat about the artisanal work in question.
The craftsman who describes every detail to us is called Mario Russo, to whom we ask what the true and primary function of the basket called “Cannisciu” is.
He responds by saying that, originally the “Cannisci” were used in the countryside to collect oranges, subsequently they acquired the functions listed previously, even if Mr. Mario added others, such as “the Cannisciu Cornucopia”, the ” Cannisciu plant holder or flower holder” and the “cannisciu bread holder”. In addition to all this, Mr. Mario also manages to create the “Cavagna”, it is a smaller basket whose base can be oval in shape and at the end of which there is a crescent-shaped handle made of the same material, capable of supporting the contents, i.e. the ricotta.
In short, a lot of tradition and a lot of work in that shop where time seemed to have stopped.
We asked Mr. Mario at what age he started this activity.
He replies: “I only started this business two years ago, I was 71, it’s never too late to start learning something new.
Looking at the Internet, I became more and more curious about this job, so I tried, I made mistakes, I tried again until it became a passion.
I think I have always had this passion, ever since I was a child I saw my dad’s brother who dedicated himself to this work. I have some memories, not even many, since he then moved to Varese.
Now that I am retired, after dedicating all my working time to construction and my almond trees, I like to dedicate myself, from start to finish, to what I consider creative. It means that I myself go and collect the reeds along the rivers, clean them, cut them and braid them. Every Sunday in October I will be in Floresta for the Ottobrata…I don’t miss these events at the fair.”
An extraordinary journey, that of Mr. Mario, who managed to rediscover his passion at 71 years old, demonstrating that it really is never too late.
If we consider that Mario’s two sons are both dedicated to creativity, as one is a Chef and the other a Designer, I really believe that he unconsciously passed on his dedication to creativity to them.
Everything happens in a natural way, and when the sense of art flows within each of us, it is right that it emerges, no matter when, the important thing is to preserve it until the right moment to express it… the important thing is to understand that it is possible to do it in every moment of our lives.
We thank Mr. Mario Russo who, with his passion for the “Cannisci”, carries on the traditions and craftsmanship and it is no coincidence that the etymology of the word “craftsman” comes from the word “Art”, from the Latin “ars , artis”.
