Termini Imerese, 2 November 2026. An elderly man sits talking with a circle of young people, with just one word beneath them: Respira — Breathe. This is the new mural that Igor Scalisi Palminteri, Palermo’s “neighbourhood painter”, has just completed in the Beato Agostino Novello neighbourhood of Termini Imerese, in the province of Palermo.
The work launches CREAZIONI, a regeneration project by the Naïf cultural association in collaboration with a network of local associations. As in Scalisi Palminteri’s other works, the image begins with the people who live in the place: dialogue with girls and boys brought out the themes of exchange between generations and openness to others.
“An old gentleman, some might say a grandfather, surrounded by girls and boys forming a circle,” explains Igor Scalisi Palminteri. “The circle was the starting point for my reflection, prompted by the residents of the Beato Agostino Novello neighbourhood.
The circle has always been an important reference in education, beginning with the thinking of the great visionary Danilo Dolci, who made it a true philosophy. Sitting in a circle means being equidistant from a centre: everyone has equal rights, without everyone being the same. It is an image with profound meaning, one that can become a source of inspiration for a community, including a new idea of community in Termini Imerese.
I am happy to have painted on this extraordinary promontory overlooking the sea, surrounded by beautiful nature. Over these days I had the opportunity to contemplate that infinite blue, the same blue I wanted to bring into the sky behind the figures.
It is a blue that suggests depth: the depth within each of us, within the people depicted and, above all, within the people who live here. People rich in stories, visions and possibilities, which sometimes remain hidden and need to be recognised, encouraged and valued.
This painting is dedicated to them. But it is also dedicated to anyone who passes this way, anyone who wants to enter the neighbourhood not simply to see a mural, but to meet and get to know the people who live in this extraordinary place.”
At the foot of the mural, a stage with seating will replace the old playground. Children will use the seating as a play route, and it will become an audience area for readings, concerts and gatherings. The project starts with a resource the neighbourhood already has: neighbourly ties are strong in Beato Agostino Novello, and the neighbourhood association has long kept shared spaces clean and cared for. At a time when loneliness is one of the most serious risks, the habit of spending time together endures here.
“We have been in Termini Imerese for four years, working on various programmes in schools, and CREAZIONI also comes from that work, from what girls and boys have told us in class,” explains Andrea Robbiano, Naïf’s artistic director. “We often think of culture as something elevated, something to go elsewhere to see. But the word culture also has to do with what a neighbourhood already holds: grandparents’ stories and a habit of being together that existed here long before our arrival. The stage that will rise beneath the mural will give all this a place and an audience, alongside performances and events. Between now and March, we are seeking volunteers, skills and sponsors to make the project increasingly shared.”
The regeneration work is being carried out by volunteers, with regional funding covering part of the interventions. Alongside lead partner Naïf and the Associazione Beato Agostino Novello, collaborators include Himerazione, the AIPD of Termini Imerese, Archeoclub d’Italia “Himera”, Autisticamente Io ODV and the Termini Imerese Scout Group. Many of these organisations joined along the way, and the project remains open to other associations and sponsors.
“Regenerating a place means not only improving a physical space, but restoring life, relationships and new possibilities to it,” says Mattia Terranova, mayor of Termini Imerese. “CREAZIONI represents precisely this: a process that grows from the ground up, from listening to people, involving young people and encouraging collaboration between associations, citizens and institutions.
I deeply believe in the value of urban and social regeneration that begins in a place and develops together with it, valuing a community’s energy, skills and sense of belonging. This project shows us that, when people work together, even a place in need of improvement can become a space for encounter, culture, beauty and sharing, capable of looking to the future without losing its connection to its identity.
I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks first and foremost to the Naïf cultural association for its extraordinary commitment, to Igor Scalisi Palminteri, to the Associazione Beato Agostino Novello and to all the associations, volunteers and citizens contributing to this process with dedication, passion and generosity. As the municipal administration, we are happy to accompany and support experiences like this, which demonstrate how a city’s future is built above all through participation and shared care for its places and its people.”
“For four years we have worked with the Naïf association, sharing educational programmes that put young people and the community at their heart,” adds Maria Concetta Buttà, councillor for Social Policies. “I believe that sowing beauty is the most powerful educational act there is. But doing it together with people means giving it the power to generate more: allowing that beauty to take root, grow and endure. This is CREAZIONI’s greatest value: not simply transforming a place, but nurturing a community capable of continuing to care for it.”
With the mural complete, work pauses before resuming in January 2027 with construction of the area below, leading up to the opening in March. A first arts programme is planned for May, with days of events and presentations also devoted to the projects Naïf has carried out and is carrying out in Termini Imerese’s schools. If further funding becomes available, CREAZIONI will continue with a sea-view lookout and the restoration of the Second World War bunker located just below.
Further information on the project: https://www.creazioni.eu
Further information on Igor Scalisi Palminteri: https://www.igorscalisipalminteri.it
To collaborate or support the project: contact@siamonaif.it
Naïf
Naïf is a cultural association based in Ovada, in the province of Alessandria, working nationally across social theatre, non-formal education and the enhancement of places. Its team brings together artists, educators, psychologists and theatre technicians, and its productions grow out of long-term work with schools and communities. In Termini Imerese and nearby towns, Naïf has worked for four years in primary and secondary schools on PNRR-funded projects tackling educational poverty. “Raccontami” has given teenagers at risk of leaving school narrative and expressive tools to tell their own stories and those of their community. “Le regole del gioco” introduces young people to theatre professions, from directing to set design and from communications to acting. “Oltre lo schermo” addresses cyberbullying and digital identity through “Public Baby”, a performance in which the audience comments live via chat on what happens on stage.
Sources and images: Igor Scalisi Palminteri / Naïf press release. Complete editorial text in English translation; photographs supplied with the release.
