Colapesce

An ancient Sicilian legend tells the story of a child called Nicola, the son of a fisherman, who can breathe underwater like a fish, which is why he is known by all as ‘Colapesce’. Word of Nicola reaches all the way to the king, who in the most popular version is Frederick II of Swabia, the “Wonder of the World”. To put the young man to the test, the King decides to throw objects onto the seafloor and send Colapesce down to retrieve them. Colapesce dives in again and again, bringing these objects back to the King, until one day he fails to resurface – he has seen that one of the columns that holds Sicily up above the sea is damaged, and he decides to remain on the seafloor to keep the wonderful island afloat. Riccardo Francaviglia’s text takes a delightful new look at the legend, which is a timeless story that for centuries has been told to children by their grandparents and which still fascinates them and captures their imagination. Francaviglia’s text is accompanied by drawings by Margherita Sgarlata and music by Laura Francaviglia, which children can listen to on the CD that comes with the book. Colapesce, Riccardo Francaviglia; Margherita Sgarlata; musiche di Laura Francaviglia Splen Edizioni, 2015