In 2003, on our first trip to Sicily, we spent three nights in an apartment in Palermo, then rented a two-door Alfa Romeo and went exploring. Somewhere between Siracusa on the southeast coast and Piazza Armerina in the mountains, we came around a bend in the road and had to stop as a herd of sheep crossed our path. We snapped a few pictures with our new digital camera, just so we wouldn’t forget the scene. Then, without a word or gesture from us, the sheep herder came over to the car and peeked in to have his picture taken. It was another one of those unexpected, impossible-to-plan, magical moments, the kind we’ve come to associate with Sicily and its people. We often wonder about this man, if he’s still alive, still walking those same winding mountain roads, with a different herd of sheep. Still watching as shiny cars carry their occupants past.
Sicily: The People
Posted on June 11, 2010
Posted in: Travel
Mostly Bright Ideas 
Marie M
June 11, 2010
Wouldn’t it be fun if one of this gentleman’s relatives saw his photo and you reconnected? I hope it happens. Bono fortuna!
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bronxboy55
June 11, 2010
I’m suddenly imagining this man out in the middle of a pasture, surrounded by his sheep, and logging in to his blog on a laptop.
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charlespaolino
June 11, 2010
That’s interesting. We had quite a different experience in Campania. We met a man named Giovanni Bartoletti in a restaurant in Salerno, and we agreed that if he would navigate our trip southward, we would drop him off in Paestum, where he lived. On the way, we saw a shepherd leading his flock along the roadside, and when my wife raised a camera to snatch a photo, the shepherd became very agitated, yelling and shaking his fist in our direction. Bartoletti told us that shepherds are self conscious about their lowly status and that they don’t like to be considered amusement for tourists. As a result of that, when I have seen shepherds in Italy, Israel, and Lebanon, I have never photographed them. I should take my camera to Sicily.
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Charles Gulotta
June 12, 2010
We wouldn’t have photographed this man without his permission, and I don’t think we were even going to ask. But he took control of the situation, and the result was a picture of the person, rather than the shepherd. Maybe that was his intention. In any case, I think you should take your camera to Sicily.
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Amiable Amiable
June 13, 2010
What a wonderful experience and a wonderful photo! Thank you for sharing!
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bronxboy55
June 13, 2010
Do you see the kindness in his face? That’s what I think of when I think about Sicily.
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Margaret Reyes Dempsey
February 24, 2011
What a great story! I love his face. He looks like the kind of guy who’d take you back to his home and serve you a glass of homemade grappa.
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bronxboy55
February 26, 2011
He seemed like a very kind man. And for someone following sheep around all day, he had a real twinkle in his eye. Who knows? You or I could be related to him.
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Brown Sugar Britches
July 19, 2011
he’s fantastic! i love this. so wonderful. perhaps he thought “why not take a picture of me, instead of the sheep?” .. amazing. you should go back and look for him. š
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bronxboy55
July 21, 2011
I think about him often, and wonder if he’s still out there with the sheep.
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mcgulotta
June 23, 2012
I’m so glad you post his picture. This is one picture I took that turned out really good. He does have a twinkle in his eye.
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bronxboy55
April 15, 2013
I still think about him sometimes.
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chagrinnamontoast
April 13, 2013
What a portrait. This man has such kind and noble eyes. Like a character out of di Lampedusa’s “The Leopard.” Also, this piece reminds me of how my husband and I met. On a vintage car rally in Sicily. A truly magical island.
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bronxboy55
April 15, 2013
Have you written about the car rally? I’d love to read that.
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chagrinnamontoast
April 15, 2013
Not formally. Though I took copious notes while on that trip. There were so many vibrant characters! I was hoping to give them life in a script one day.
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