#niscemi

In late January 2026, Cyclone Harry, one of the most powerful Mediterranean storms in recent memory, slammed into southern Italy — battering Sicily, Calabria, and Sardinia with hurricane-force winds, torrential rains, and storm surges.

Widespread Impact

The storm unleashed waves up to 9–10 meters high along coastlines, flooding coastal towns, eroding beaches, and destroying roads and seaside infrastructure. Heavy rainfall triggered landslides and flooding, washing out streets and cutting off communities.

In just a few days, some areas received rainfall amounts equivalent to nearly half of their annual average, overwhelming drainage systems and saturating soils.

Inland areas were not spared — high winds uprooted trees and debris blocked roads, while heavy precipitation triggered landslips and localized flooding, disrupting daily life and complicating emergency response.

Evacuations and Emergency Response

In Niscemi, Sicily, a massive landslide forced the evacuation of over 1,000 residents after a 4 km stretch of hillside collapsed — leaving homes dangerously perched and infrastructure unstable.

Sicily’s experience during Cyclone Harry once again revealed how climate extremes and chronic neglect of territory management combine to turn natural events into social and economic disasters.

Another dramatic episode in Calabria: A Cemetery Collapses Under the Storm

In the village of San Mauro Marchesato, in Calabria, the storm caused another harrowing scene: intense rainfall — over 180 mm in just 24 hours — triggered the collapse of part of the old cemetery, sending around twenty coffins tumbling down into the ravine below. The landslide not only destroyed sections of the cemetery’s structure but struck deeply at the local community’s sense of memory and dignity, as officials prepare for the lengthy and sensitive task of recovery once conditions allow.

Agricultural Sector Devastated

Calabria’s rural economy also sustained heavy losses: strong winds and water logging destroyed crops and damaged farm infrastructure. The regional government has formally requested recognition of a state of agricultural calamity to unlock financial support for affected farmers and producers.

Government Action

The Italian government declared a state of emergency for the three regions and allocated initial funds for urgent relief and recovery.

Economic Toll

Early estimates place the total economic damage in the billions of euros, with significant losses to infrastructure, homes, agricultural lands, businesses, and tourism activities.

No Reported Fatalities

Despite the storm’s severity, officials reported no confirmed deaths, highlighting the effectiveness of warnings and evacuations.

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Appunto .... e sognare, sognare.....

Niscemi under evacuation and cut off. Situation is dramatic. The Niscemi landslide is moving fast. Sicily under emergency.

"Shoot! Shoot me too! God will forgive you!"

Suor Cecilia at the American firing squad

Angela Basarocco was born on November 15th 1914 in Racalmuto, near Agrigento. In 1935 she decided to embrace religious life, becoming Suor Cecilia of the Order of the Holy Family. She later moved to Niscemi (province of Caltanissetta), where she became the Mother Superior of the local hospital. At that time health facilities were called Opere Pie and lived of charities and donations. Suor Cecilia was known for being kind and generous, never backing out when there was a chance to help people, even if these were prostitutes or bandits. She carried the patients in her arms up to the first floor and even helped or occasionally substitute for the surgeons. Suor Cecilia's face was described as being unrefined, of undefined age, almost as Time wasn't able to affect her features or weaken her energy.

At the beginning of July 1943 the Allied Forces invaded Sicily. Full of fear, almost the whole hospital staff had evacuated the facility between the 11th-12th, leaving Suor Cecilia to care for the patients pretty much alone. At that moment, in addition to many Italian soldiers, twelve German soldiers were hospitalized there. When the American troops arrived in Niscemi, they started searching and interrogating everyone wearing a uniform. Suor Cecilia managed to ensure that the Italian soldiers could leave freely to go back to their families. Unfortunately for them, the German soldiers couldn't expect this kind of leniency. The Americans regarded them as spies and their punishment would have been death. As they were lined up at the hospital's wall to be executed by firing squad, Suor Cecilia ran outside and came between the firing squad and the prisoners. She shouted to shoot at her too, and her bravery impressed so much the Americans, they decided to call off the execution. The German soldiers were, therefore, transferred to a prisoner camp.

After the war, she kept working in Niscemi's hospital. In 1974, in the presence of two of the Germans she had managed to save, Suor Cecilia received the Gold Medal of Civil Valor.

La Sugherata di Niscemi,

Nel 1600 esisteva una foresta immensa vicino a Niscemi. Era popolata da querce di diversi tipi, tra cui quella da sughero ed altri alberi sempreverdi. Diventando feudo della potente famiglia Branciforti, questi pensarono di sfruttarla economicamente vendendo il legno degli alberi che costituivano l’enorme distesa boschiva. In poco tempo il grande bosco incominciò a ridursi sempre di più e malgrado i tentativi di limitare il taglio degli alberi, presto la grande foresta fu completamente devastata. Benchè la sua bellezza sia rimasta intatta le sue dimensioni attuali (3000 ettari) sono solo una piccola parte di quello che nel passato era stata. Sono infatti rimaste due sole aree boschive di quel tempo: la Sugherata di Niscemi e il Bosco di San Pietro. Ora, se tu conosci una foresta, magari una foresta sempreverde come quella di Niscemi, sai che ogni foresta è un insieme di vite diverse, è come una città dove i grattacieli sono i grandi alberi e le case più piccole e gli abitanti sono costituiti dalle piccole piante, dai fiori, dai frutti della terra e dai piccoli animali che la popolano. Sebbene la Sugherata e il Bosco di San Pietro siano grandi come Manhattan, sono solo un piccolo avanzo del manto boscoso che ricopriva la parte sud dell’ Isola. Puoi quindi immaginare quante vite, vegetali e animali, sono state cancellate dall'egoismo dell’uomo, ridotte in un lontano ricordo, trasformate in terra brulla e nuda. E’ questo in fondo quello che la Sugherata ci insegna: lo sfruttamento incontrollato delle risorse della natura si trasforma sempre in un disastro universale che coinvolge per primi le parti più indifese della natura stessa, per poi ritorcersi sempre contro l’autore di quel disastro.