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One-man donkey transport:
the perfect replacement for the motorbike? |
With the price of petrol in Italy rising over Euro 1.80 a litre, and political protest-strikes blockading supplies and creating shortages... perhaps Sicilians should revert to their traditional mode of transport?
These beautiful horse (and sometimes donkey) drawn carts, called Carretti Siciliani, were used to transport people and goods up to the nineteen fifties. My husband remembers plenty of men were still selling fruit and veg off the back of them in the 1970's.
Nowadays they are maintained by enthusiasts, and mainly used in processions and village festivals. I took these photos at the Bagheria festival last summer.
The people riding on the carts are wearing Sicilian national costume. Many of them, mainly the older men, were singing Sicilian folk songs. They accompanied themselves with tambourines and piano accordions. To the untrained ear they sound slightly reminiscent of Arabic music, making the same use of quarter-tones and minor keys.
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| Ideal family transport? Save money, save the environment. |
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Not a very comfortable ride - there is no suspension, no rubber on the wheels,
and the seat is often just seven inches from front to back |
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The Palermo-style carts have a yellow background and historical battle scenes,
often depicting the wars with Charlemagne |
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Tradition has it that the feather plumes were a decorative element
added by the Spanish when they occupied Sicily |
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| An unusual example, entirely decorated with carving instead of paint |
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Some of the typical paintings used to decorate both horse and cart
are scenes from the wars of Charlemagne |
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| The decoration here is of two soldiers' heads |
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| A close-up of a horse's dress |
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Yellow and red, the colours of the Siclian flag,
dominate the decoration of both horse and cart |
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| Of course donkeys need hats. It gets very hot in the summer |
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| A mix of religious and historical scenes |
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The yellow dominating the decorations
is said to represent the Sicilian sun |
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| How many children can you squeeze into one Sicilian carriage? |
