Carlo Cataldo (7 June 1933 – 19 August 2021) was an Italian historian, poet, and teacher.

Biography

Cataldo was born in

Alcamo Alcamo (; ) is the fourth-largest town and communes of Italy, commune of the Province of Trapani, Sicily, with a population of 44.925 inhabitants. It is on the borderline with the Metropolitan City of Palermo at a distance of about 50 kilometr ...

, Italy. From childhood he was fond of reading and studying historical events; in 1943, when schools were closed because of war in the district of Alcamo, he devoted himself to read the newspaper ''

Giornale di Sicilia ''Giornale di Sicilia'' is an Italian national daily newspaper for the island of Sicily. It is based in Palermo, and is the best-selling newspaper in Sicily. Since 2017, it is owned by the daily newspaper of Messina, '' Gazzetta del Sud''. Histo ...

'' (which every day was bought by his father) to know the most important news. He read ''

Divina Commedia The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest wor ...

'' and '' I promessi sposi'' that he found in his father's library.Baldassano Erina, Cataldo Carlo: Ricordando i 16 lustri di Carlo Cataldo; Alcamo, edizioni Campo, 2013 He consulted books of history and copied news on

patriots A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

, scientists and other personalities, then he listed and made an

inventory Inventory (British English) or stock (American English) is a quantity of the goods and materials that a business holds for the ultimate goal of resale, production or utilisation. Inventory management is a discipline primarily about specifying ...

, adding data taken from other sources of information. Since a boy he showed his literary talent, by publishing at only 14 years old a short poem in dialect, dedicated to the patroness saint of Alcamo and entitled ''A Maria SS. di li Miraculi, ni lu quartu cintinariu di la so' truvazioni''. When he was still a student at the tenth grade (''terza liceo''), he won the first prize in a National contest proclaimed by the Ministry of Public Education among the students, on the subject "the cult of trees" (''il culto degli alberi''); he published an appreciated collection of poems entitled ''

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

azzurro'' where he expressed joy, hope and love for his native land; in his juvenile dreams he longs for a clear sky, a day without tomorrow. He graduated in Letters with

First Class Honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied, sometimes with significant var ...

on 28 June 1956 at the

University of Palermo The University of Palermo () is a public university, public research university in Palermo, Italy. It was founded in 1806, and is currently organized in 12 Faculties. History The University of Palermo was officially founded in 1806, although it ...

, with the thesis entitled ''Folklore di Alcamo'',Lo frutto, i 150 anni del Liceo Classico di Alcamo, a cura di Francesco Melia e Gaetano Stellino p. 82-85 e 168; ed. Campo; Alcamo, 2012 as he had always been fond of folklore and dialect poetry; he also taught Letters for forty years, the last twenty of them at ''

liceo classico The ''liceo classico'' or ''ginnasio'' () is the oldest public secondary education in Italy, secondary school type in Italy. Its educational curriculum spans over five years, when students are generally about 14 to 19 years of age. Until 196 ...

'' " Cielo d'Alcamo" in

Activity

Cataldo was a classical poet, cultured and refined, and his literary activity was intense and substantial: apart from his history, art and

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

books, he published a lot of works, in verse and prose, of his fellow citizens, carefully editing them, so giving value to Sicilian dialect culture. As regards his

historiographical Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

works, the author examined a great deal of documents in the notarial, churches,

dioceses In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

, and private archives in the

province of Trapani The province of Trapani (; ; officially ''libero consorzio comunale di Trapani'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by ...

and

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

, in addition to those of National character in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

and

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. Over the years he took care of several interviews,

debates Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...

and articles on

periodicals Periodical literature (singularly called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) consists of Publication, published works that appear in new releases on a regular schedule (''issues'' or ''numbers'', often numerically divided into annu ...

''Il Vespro'', ''La Gazzetta del Golfo'', ''Il Bonifato'' and others in the

.Gigante Lorenzo. "Personaggi Trapanesi – Carlo Cataldo". He took part in various

seminars A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some part ...

and meetings, among which that on Sicilian folklore (1985) which took place in Trapani, and that on "Ermeneutica antropologica e fonti del diritto" (1986), in Trapani too. On 3 December 2018, Cataldo was the protagonist of two television programs: on

Rai 3 Rai 3 (formerly Rai Tre) is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It was launched on 15 December 1979 and its programming is centred towards cultural a ...

, in " Passato e presente", he spoke with

Paolo Mieli Paolo Mieli (born 25 February 1949) is an Italian journalist who has been editor of Italy's leading newspaper, ''Corriere della Sera''. Born in Milan, Mieli debuted as journalist at 18 for ''L'Espresso'', where he remained for some 20 years. As ...

about

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

, and, in the evening, on

Rai Storia Rai Storia (English language, English: "Rai History") is an Italian television channel owned by Rai Cultura, an arm of broadcaster RAI available on digital terrestrial television in Italy. Launched on 17 June 2002 as Rai Edu 2, the channel adopte ...

, he presented the controversial figure of Garibaldi, that he had investigated, and written about in some of his works. Besides, two of his works, ''Alcamo e Garibaldi'', and '' Calatafimi e Garibaldi'' are present in Italian and International

bibliographies Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliograph ...

Appreciations

Parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared Tanning (leather), untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 ...

received by the

lord mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

of Alcamo, doctor Massimo Ferrara, as a

testimonial In promotion and advertising, a testimonial or show consists of a person's written or spoken statement extolling the virtue of a product. The term "testimonial" most commonly applies to the sales-pitches attributed to ordinary citizens, whe ...

of gratitude on behalf of the citizens for his literary activity, June 1997. * President of Association of the dialect Poets "Cielo d'Alcamo"; he published seven

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...

with it and edited about thirty of their works. * Member of the ''Istituto per la storia del

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...

italiano''. * Member of the ''Società siciliana di storia patria''. *Member of ''Centro Internazionale di Ethnohistory of Palermo''. * Honorary member of ''Associazione per la tutela delle tradizioni popolari del Trapanese''. * Honorary citizenship of the small town of Camporeale since 1993, owing to his writing its first documented history. *

Honorable Mention An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

at ''Premio Internazionale di Studi Etnoantropologici "Pitrè-Salomone Marino"'' in 1994 for his work ''Accanto alle aquile''. *

Bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

by the municipality of Palermo, 2001, in the context of ''Premio Internazionale di Studi Etnoantropologici "Pitrè-Salomone Marino"'' per l'anno 2000. * Two silver plaques: one for his ethnoanthropological studies and the other ''for his praiseworthy activity of research and scientific production in the name of recovery and safeguard of Sicilian popular traditions''. * Honorable Mention at ''Premio Internazionale "Giovi Città di Salerno"'', 2003, "La conchiglia di S. Giacomo" (a copy of the book was requested by the archives of the Library of the Catedral de Santiago de Compostella in Spain) in 2006. * Honour of Knight (Cavaliere della Repubblica) al Merito, 2006. *Premio Internazionale ''Teatro di Segesta'' in 2006. * Honorary

citizenship Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationalit ...

of Calatafimi-Segesta, given at Pianto Romano on 15 May 2008. *Honour of Officer (Ufficiale dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica), on 2 June 2012. * Silver plaque received by the Lord Mayor of Alcamo for his passionate and close historical researches, aiming at the reinforcement and promotion of the identity of Alcamo and of the old and noble traditions of this town; on 19 March 2012. * Member of the scientific team which is responsible for the National Edition of

Giuseppe Pitrè Giuseppe Pitrè (22 December 184110 April 1916) was an Italian people, Italian Folkloristics, folklorist, medical doctor, professor, and senator for Sicily. As a folklorist he is credited with extending the concept of folklore to include all man ...

's works. * Certificate of acknowledgment given by the Lord Mayor of Alcamo for his 70th year of activity in favour of culture, art, folklore, 14 June 2017.

Publications

He published the following works:

Poems

1. A Maria Ss. di li Miraculi, ni lu quartu cintinnariu di la so 'truvazioni, ed. Bagolino, Alcamo, 1947. 2. Nirvana azzurro; Alcamo, 1953. 3. Inno a S. Benedetto nel XV centenario della nascita, 480–1980, set to music by Maestro Vincenzo Maria Cassarà; Alcamo, 1980. 4. Inno a S. Scolastica nel XV centenario della nascita, 480–1980, set to music by Maestro Vincenzo Maria Cassarà; Alcamo, 1981. 5. Inno a S. Francesco d'Assisi nell'VIII centenario della nascita, 1181–1981, set to music by M°. Vincenzo Maria Cassar, 1981. 6. Inno per il bicentenario dell'Incoronazione di Maria SS. dei Miracoli, 1784–1984, set to music by M°. Vincenzo Maria Cassarà; Alcamo, 1984. 7. Inno a S. Chiara d'Assisi, set to music by Maestro Vincenzo Maria Cassarà; Alcamo, 1999.

Dialect poems (in anthologies with other dialect poets)

1. Zagare nuziali, 1970. 2. Crisantemi, 1970. 3. Ciuri di ciuri, 1988. 4. Vuci di cori, 1995. 5. Parpiti e suspiri, 1997. 6. Luci di sintimenti, 1998. 7. Filicità di vita, 2000. 8. Surrisi di arvuli, 2002. 9. Comu un sacru ritu, 2006. 10. Acqua di surgenti, 2011. 11. Sicilia bedda: poesie in dialetto siciliano di Pietro Mule; edited by Carlo Cataldo and with his introduction Carlo Cataldo, tipografia Olbia, Alcamo, 1997. 12. Vecchi ricordi: poesie in dialetto siciliano di Giacomo Risico; edited by Carlo Cataldo and with his introduction; ed. Campo, Alcamo, 1997. 13. Lu me' cunfortu fu la puisia: poesie postume di Giuseppe Milotta; edited by Stefano Milotta e Carlo Cataldo; prefazione di Carlo Cataldo, ed. Campo, 1990. 14. Breviario lirico: versi postumi di Silvia De Caro Mirrione; edited by Antonio Mirrione and Carlo Cataldo, ed. Campo, Alcamo, 1987.

History, art and folklore

1. Documenti inediti su chiese benedettine alcamesi; Alcamo, 1980. 2. Guida storico-artistica dei beni culturali di Alcamo, Calatafimi, Castellammare del Golfo, Salemi e Vita; Alcamo, Sarograf, 1982. 3. Affreschi e decorazioni dello scomparso teatro comunale di Alcamo; Trapani, 1983. 4. La Sacra Rappresentazione di Cristo in Alcamo. Cronistoria di una tradizione; Alcamo, 1984. 5. Tradizioni religiose di Alcamo; Alcamo, edizioni Campo, 1984. 6. Alcamo e Garibaldi. Saggio storico-commemoratìvo per il centenario della morte di Garibaldi; Alcamo, Edizioni Campo, 1984. 7. Il culto di S. Carlo Borromeo in Alcamo; Alcamo, Edizioni Campo, 1984. 8. La chiesa e il culto di S. Tommaso apostolo in Alcamo, Alcamo, Edizioni Campo, 1985. 9. Il sacro nell'artigianato alcamese del passato; Trapani, 1985. 10. Folklore sacro in Alcamo; Alcamo,Edizioni Campo, 1986. 11. Carteggio G. Pitrè – F. M. Mirabella, 1986. 12. Tre atti rispettosi in un matrimonio alcamese dell'800; Alcamo, 1987. 13. La rivoluzione del 1848 nella Sicilia occidentale: nuovi studi e nuovi documenti (con Giuseppe Mistretta Di Paola); Alcamo, Edizioni Campo, 1988. 14. Calatafimi e Garibaldi. Saggio storiografico sulla battaglia di Pianto Romano: 15 maggio 1860; Alcamo, Sarograf, 1990. 15. Accanto alle aquile. Il castello alcamese dì Bonifato e il santuario di S. Maria dell'Alto; Palermo, ed.Brotto, 1991. 16. I giardini di Adone. Fede, feste e sinodi diocesani nel folklore di Alcamo, Associazione per la tutela delle tradizioni popolari del trapanese; Trapani, 1992. 17. Storia di Camporeale con documenti inediti, in L. ACCARDO – C. CATALDO, Storia di Camporeale, 1993. 18. Cavalli e feste in Alcamo, in AA. vv., Cavalli, festa, città; Alcamo, 1994. 19. Un poeta dell'età fridericiana, incluso in: Carlo Cataldo-B.Barranca, Cielo e il "contrasto" sul suo monumento; Alcamo, ed. Sarograf, 1996. 20. I fratelli Sant'Anna, benemeriti del Risorgimento italiano, in AA. vv., Cultura e impegno civile. Omaggio a Rocco Fodale; Paceco, 1997. 21. I suoni sommersi. Musica, danza e teatro ad Alcamo; Alcamo, ed. Campo, 1997. 22. Il pane della libertà. Storia della Casa di Ospitalità "A. Mangione" (Un contributo allo studio delle Opere Pie di Sicilia); Alcamo, ed. Campo, 1998. 23. Le Riparate. Il Reclusorio dell'Angelo Custode di Alcamo nella storia del costume in Sicilia, edizioni Campo, Alcamo, 1998. 24. La Casa del Sole. Storia, folklore e cultura di Sicilia; edizioni Campo, Alcamo, 1999. 25. Il ponte e gli alberi. Cinque secoli di istruzione scolastica ad Alcamo nella storia della cultura in Sicilia; edizioni Campo, Alcamo, 2000. 26. La conchiglia di S. Giacomo. Sette secoli di pii sodalizi ad Alcamo per la storia civile e religiosa della Sicilia, edizioni Campo, Alcamo, 2001. 27. Giovanni Battista Quinci, in ''Mazara 800-900'' a c. di A. Cusumano e R. Lentini, 2002. 28. 130 anni di giornalismo alcamese, 1873–2003. Dal "Segestano" al "Segestano News", in AA. V.V., Alcamo e la Stampa, Trapani, Editoriale Siciliana Informazioni, 2003. 29. Le rose di Damasco. La vita attiva alcamese dal '300 a oggi nella storia del lavoro in Sicilia, 2003. 30. Forti come le rocce. Squadriglieri e garibaldini del Trapanese, 1860 e 1862, in Studi garibaldini, n. 5/6, Marsala, 2004. 31. Garibaldi e i Mille, da Marsala a Calatafimi (discorso commemorativo sul 15 maggio 1860), ed. Campo, Alcamo, 2005. 32. La storia di Zalapì. Sei briganti ad Alcamo nel 1888, con Erina Baldassano, ed. Campo, 2005. 33. A perenne testimonianza. Epigrafi garibaldine nel Trapanese. Estratto da Studi garibaldini, n. 7, Marsala, 2005. 34. I proverbi ritrovati. Aforistica popolare siciliana, 2005. 35. Splendori della memoria: Arte, storia, cultura, mito e tradizioni popolari, 2006. 36. Prima e dopo Garibaldi. Sicilia occidentale, 1789–1870, 2007. 37. Giovanni Pantaleo, alfiere del Risorgimento, in ISTITUTO STATALE DI ISTRUZIONI SUPERIORE – Castelvetrano Selinunte, Logoi, Trapani, 2007. 38. Calatafimi Segesta tra memoria e storia, edizioni Campo, Alcamo, 2008. 39. Il processo Zalapì nel 1891, con Erina Baldassano, ed. Campo, 2008. 40. Uomini e stelle. Il ciclo esistenziale nel folklore di Alcamo e della Sicilia, edizioni Campo, Alcamo, 2008. 41. Sei importanti documenti superstiti dell'antico archivio della chiesa di S. Maria del Soccorso e SS. Quatrro Coronati, in P.ANCONA-E.PAPA, ''Due testimonianze di religiosità calatafimese'', Alcamo, 2009. 42. Considerazioni sulla cultura presepiale in Italia, ''in Venite, adoremus'', a cura di A. Amitrano, ''Etnostoria'', Roma, dicembre 2009. 43. Il monte incantato. narrazioni e canti popolari nel folklore di Alcamo e della Sicilia, 2010. 44. La Patria e la Legge. Avvocatura e Risorgimento in 160 biografie, 2011. 45. Ultimi fuochi: Storia del Liceo Classico di Alcamo negli anni finali della sua autonomia, in Lo frutto, 2012. 46. Le sabbie colorate. Tradizioni della Settimana Santa ad Alcamo, 2012. 47. Lo scultore alcamese Giuseppe Bambina: con rassegna fotografica delle sue opere a cura dei figli Antonino e Silvana Bambina, 2014. 48. Alcamo nella storia, nella leggenda e nell'arte / Salvatore Messina; con prefazione di Carlo Cataldo e Giovanni Messina Campo, Alcamo, 2015. 49–52. G. PITRE' Usi e costumi, credenze e pregiudizi del popolo siciliano: 4 volumi pubblicati in edizione critica, a cura di Carlo Cataldo per l'Edizione Nazionale delle Opere di Giuseppe Pitrè, decretata dal Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali con introduzioni, note esplicative, numerose appendici del Curatore e con indicazione delle varianti eseguita sugli ingenti manoscritti pitreiani, conservati nel Centro Internazionale di Etnostoria di Palermo, 2008.

References

Sources

*Baldassano Erina, Cataldo Carlo: Ricordando i 16 lustri di Carlo Cataldo; Alcamo, edizioni Campo, 2013 *Lo frutto, i 150 anni del Liceo Classico di Alcamo, a cura di Francesco Melia e Gaetano Stellino p. 82–85 e 168; ed. Campo; Alcamo, 2012 *http://www.trapaninostra.it/libri/salvatoremugno/Poesia_narrativa_saggistica_in_provincia_di_Trapani/Poesia_narrativa_saggistica_in_provincia_di_Trapani.pdf

External links

* * * * https://web.archive.org/web/20161117065439/http://www.comune.alcamo.tp.it/attachments/article/1735/11.12.14.%20INTITOLATA%20STRA~.pdf * http://www.ideazionenews.it/articoli/38971/il-prof-carlo-cataldo-ricevera-un-attestato-di-riconoscenza-per-la-sua-lunga-attivita-culturale/ * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cataldo, Carlo 1933 births 2021 deaths People from Alcamo Italian folklorists Folklorists of Sicilian folklore Academic staff of the University of Palermo 21st-century Italian poets 21st-century Italian male writers 20th-century Italian poets 20th-century Italian male writers