Three Hamilton men named special ambassadors by Sicilian senate

If Gabe Macaluso as a boy could meet himself now, Gabe Macaluso as a man, all grown up, he might rightly salute and say, Grazie, Signor Ambasciatore." Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.

Because Gabe the big city adult has done a lot to help Gabe the small town boy's beloved Sicilian commune of Racalmuto, population 8,000 people, which that boy waved goodbye to 70 years ago, maybe expecting never to see it again.

Like so many Hamiltonians Gabe is Racalmutese by extraction but like only a much smaller and dwindling number, he was born there.

And like only two other Hamiltonian - only two other people in the world - Charles Criminisi and Joe Grimaldi - Gabe gets to sport diplomatic licence plates, figuratively speaking, as a foreigner who has been formally given ambassador status by the Senate of Sicily.

Gabe, Charles and Joe were accorded the very rare honour in a special vote of that legislative body last year when they were in the capitol, Palermo, for precisely that occasion.

In Italy it (an ambassadorship) is a real badge of honour," says retired lawyer Charles Criminisi who is also, of course, Racalmutese but born in Hamilton.

The impetus (for the special honour) was the Casa Sciascia in Racalmuto. It was in recognition of the work we were doing on that project."

But, he adds, at a deeper level, it was a tribute to the work that's been going on for 40 years when Gabe Macaluso, then-mayor Bob Morrow and several others made up a delegation to travel from Hamilton to Racalmuto.

Those early bridge-building forays sputtered after a while but got revitalized in 2016.

Ever since that year, when Mayor Fred Eisenberger visited Racalmuto again with a delegation that included Gabe, Charles, Joe and Gabe have undertaken to do at least one special project for Racalmuto a year, much of it involving fundraising.

One of the most visible projects, here in Hamilton, was the installation on the grounds of LIUNA Station of a statue of famed Racalmutese novelist, poet, playwright, essayist and politician Leonardo Sciascia. It is a recasting of the exact same statue that stands on a sidewalk in Racalmuto itself, where Sciascia, a man about town, would often be seen. He was a great favourite of the people and much admired here by a certain generation.

It was a big undertaking," says Gabe, but the real challenge was getting it over here once it was done." It got held up endlessly in Italy at customs. They love their culture so much there, they are very reluctant to let anything out of the country."

The bureaucratic delay was almost comical but the statue finally made it safely to its destination at Murray and James where it now graces the station with a charmingly human scale presence.

The far bigger project was helping to build and finance - to the tune of $65,000, raised here in Hamilton - the aforementioned Casa Sciascia, Sciascia's home in Racalmuto which has now been turned into a museum and tourist attraction.

Another project was the building, sculpting and painting of a gorgeously ornate Carretto, an iconic ceremonial horse cart that is an age-old tradition in Sicily. The one that arrived here in 2019, from Racalmuto, where it got made, was commissioned as a gift to the citizens of Hamilton

The Carretto, with its harmonies of bright colour and its incredible intricacy of detail, was unveiled at the Art Gallery of Hamilton in 2019. The project was made possible by donations from Jack Marchese and other donors through the Carretto Project Committee but helping guide things along were also Gabe, Charles and Joe, among many others like Sam Cino. The Carretto was built by Dino Agro and painted by Roberto Caputo.

Joe Grimaldi in particular was involved in one of the latest projects, the establishment of Casa del Pittore in Racalmuto, providing his own funds to restore the Racalmuto house where his uncle Giampiero Cacciato grew up and became one of Italy's most famous contemporary artists.

But perhaps their biggest ambassadorial project yet, in terms of its reach and symbolism, is their part in getting out Hamilton representation at this coming July's Raduno in Racalmuto.

It is, says Charles, a reunion of people all over the world, whose families originated in Racalmuto - the Racalmutese international diaspora, if you will.

It's not just Hamilton which has a large Racalmutese population," adds Gabe. There are pockets all over the world - Belgium, South America, Australia. It promises to be an enormous gathering."

And who will be there, like a human bridge, across an ocean, between two communities? Gabe, Charles and Joe, Ambassadors Three.

Jeff Mahoney is a Hamilton-based reporter and columnist covering culture and lifestyle stories, commentary and humour for The Spectator.jmahoney@thespec.com