Wrecks that sound: in Catania, the wood from the port becomes music, memory, and work.

Three wrecks from the port of Catania will be recycled to become musical instruments, liturgical furnishings, and handcrafted items, promoting the social reintegration of vulnerable individuals thanks to the initiative of the Port System Authority of the Eastern Sicilian Sea, which donated the wood to the social cooperative of Santa Venerina Rò La Formichina.

The president of the Adsp, Francesco Di Sarcina, emphasizes how the operation combines legality, sustainability, and inclusion, transforming abandoned hulls that have been neglected for years into resources for the employment recovery of vulnerable individuals. The cooperative involves people with disabilities, young people with criminal records, migrants, and refugees in an educational and therapeutic path where craftsmanship allows them to acquire technical skills and work dignity.

The recovered wood is not a neutral material: it carries with it the symbolic value of journeys, hopes, and tragedies experienced at sea. Once rescued from abandonment, it is transformed into objects capable of generating beauty and memory. Among the most significant results are crosses and high-quality musical instruments; Marco Lovato, a representative of the cooperative, recalled that one of the crosses was donated to Pope Leo XIV, while a violin was presented to Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who promotes its use at institutional events.

The process was completed after bureaucratic checks with the Arpa to ensure compliance with environmental regulations. The material was finally entrusted to the carpentry of Alberto Pennisi for the artisanal processing that will give new life to these remains.