Favignana's Tonnara Camparìa becomes museum, documentary tells its story

The Tonnara Camparìa on Favignana, once the most important tuna fishery in the Florio commercial empire, has been transformed into a monumental museum and exhibition space called CAMPARÌA, Museo dei Magazzini della Tonnara Florio, opening July 5, 2024. The last mattanza (tuna slaughter) took place in 2007, after which the site fell into disuse. The 2,500 sqm covered and 3,500 sqm uncovered structure features a three-nave hall and ancient storage rooms (trizzaane) with pointed sandstone arches. Artist Enzo Rinaldi curated the recovery and display of artisanal equipment, historical documents, and the exceptional Lancia di Donna Franca Florio, a late 19th-century boat built by English shipwrights on the design of old whalers. Director Simona Bua's documentary "La Camparìa" (produced by Melqart Productions) documents the transformation and will be part of the museum's permanent collection, screening at the inaugural event. The 20-minute film features archival footage and interviews with former workers like Clemente Ventrone, who recalls the decline of tuna catches and the use of WWII depth charges as floats. The documentary ends with the workers' invocatory songs echoing in the sacred space, now a unique example of industrial archaeology.