Carlo Antonelli Abandons Napoleonic Voyage After Traumatic Flashback

In the fourth episode of the column ESILIO, Carlo Antonelli recounts his decision to abandon a sailing voyage retracing Napoleon Bonaparte's exile from Elba to Saint Helena. The journey, inspired by Luca Vitone's work Pro Tempore, began with a stop at Tangier to install Starlink equipment. After crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, the crew faced rough Atlantic seas, with crew member Alessandro incapacitated by nausea and Antonelli developing a fever. At Tenerife, they avoided the many Italian retirees and were unimpressed by César Manrique's architecture on Lanzarote. Sailing onward, they encountered dolphins—thirteen at once—before reaching Mindelo, Cape Verde. There, Antonelli was overwhelmed by a traumatic memory from 25 years earlier: a disastrous trip with Andrea Lissoni, during which he photographed an elderly woman in black despite locals' warnings, then suffered hallucinations after eating sea snails, including seeing a two-headed baby. Fearing for his mental health and that of the crew, especially Luca Vitone, Antonelli decided to leave the expedition. He flew from Mindelo to Sal (whose airport was built by Mussolini) and then to Reggio Calabria.