As an additional event for the screening of Lisca Bianca and Metamorfosi – Story of a Song of Wood at EU-Asia Docs, the Italian Cultural Institute is hosting a talk on the meaningful project with the founder of the Lisca Bianca Association, Elio Lo Cascio, and the director of the homonymous documentary Giuseppe Galante. Elio will share his experience in the project and how Lisca Bianca affects the lives of the participants.
A Q&A session with both Elio and Giuseppe on the project, will be conducted after the sharing. Participants will come together afterwards for a convivial gathering.
“It’s a story I would describe as magical, in the young people who participate in our programs, I see a deep transformation: they begin to believe in themselves again. They learn that achieving a dream takes courage, hard work, sacrifice, and passion—things they often thought they had lost.”
Elio Lo Cascio, president of the Lisca Bianca Association.
Lisca Bianca is a 12-meter schooner that once set sail with the aim to travel around the world. In 2013, Lisca Bianca was found abandoned in a shipyard in Palermo, days away from demolition. That’s when sociologist and sailing enthusiast Elio Lo Cascio, along with naval architect Francesco Belvisi, stepped in. Moved by the story told in the travel diary written by Sergio Albeggiani, the previous owner of Lisca Bianca, they saw the boat’s potential as more than a relic: it could become a floating workshop of rebirth.
The Lisca Bianca Association was officially founded in 2014 with great help from sponsors and organizations. The restoration of the schooner involved the help from the Palermo juvenile detention center, residents of the Sant’Onofrio recovery community, unaccompanied migrant minors, and individuals recovering from workplace injuries.
Over time, Lisca Bianca became the heart of a broader vision: vocational training, social inclusion, sailing programs, sustainable tourism, and initiatives in the green and blue economy. On land, the project found a home in Scalo 5B, a vibrant social space in Palermo. At sea, it continues to welcome those in search of direction and a second chance.
Lisca Bianca, born free—continues to sail toward new horizons.
Click here for the official website of the Lisca Bianca Association. (In Italian only)
