Signed; Franco Fontana - Sicilian Notes - 2007

An exceptionally signed copy with a dedication on the flyleaf by Franco Fontana ), unavailable online in a signed edition. The book was initially published off-market by ENI-SNAM Rete Gas, 192 pages and 155 color photographs, full-page or, for some, double-page spreads, a sturdy publisher’s hardcover with blue cloth imitation and an embossed title in white letters, a dust jacket illustrated and a slipcase illustrated to match the cover.

For nearly seventy years, Snam Rete Gas, a subsidiary of ENI, has designed, built, and operated the natural gas pipeline network in Italy, crossing mountains and hills, traversing the plains, or diving into the sea to surface again and sweep across the Italian landscape. Snam Rete Gas wished to pay homage to this exceptional territory that houses its network. This book is part of a collection of three distinct books, as Snam Rete Gas undertook this project on the Italian landscape by mobilizing three great Italian photographers. Ferdinando Scianna was tasked with photographing the plains landscape ("Dolce Piano"), Franco Fontana the landscapes of Sicily where gas from Algeria and Libya arrives across the Mediterranean ("Sicilian Notes"), and Giorgia Fiorio the mountainous landscapes. It is possible to view a video where the three photographers Giorgia Fiorio, Ferdinando Scianna, and Franco Fontana are interviewed about the realization of their books: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ME_dZDvKLWE)

Franco Fontana states about this book: "A journey to Sicily is much more than a mere journey: it is an extraordinary and dreamlike narrative, imbued with feelings and love… There are a thousand Sicilies… There is the green Sicily of carob trees, the white of salt marshes, the yellow of sulfur, the blonde of honey, the purple of lava. But there is also the Sicily of sunshine, of the sea, of mountains, of volcanoes and vast landscapes… And then there is the enchanting and fascinating Sicily of art monuments and ancient civilizations… For a man and photographer like me, in love with beauty, colors, and mystery, Sicily is the planet where I have lived and loved to tell with total creative freedom through my images, with the joy of living, in the name of color."

Book from my personal collection, kept with the utmost care, in excellent condition inside as well as for the dust jacket and the case, but with a small barely visible scuff at the bottom of it (see photo). Shipped securely with reinforced packaging and guaranteed international tracking. For multiple purchases, grouped shipping is possible with a refund of any excess postage paid via PayPal.

2.5 kg. excluding packaging