L’Isola Degli Arrusi: the story of 45 gay men who were convicted in 1939

History, often, does not tell all stories. Some of them, are profoundly different from the others: in content, as well as in definition.

Luana Rigolli from Piacenza, Italy is a civil engineer turned photographer.

In a new book, L’Isola Degli Arrusi, she captures images of the island of San Damiano, in the Tremiti.

The breathtaking place holds a painful and dark past.

In 1939, 45 gay men from Catania, Sicily, all between 18 and 54 years old, were convicted on charges of having a sexual relationship with men or boys younger than them.

“I was attracted to the subject not only because my mother is Sicilian, from a town right near Catania, and then because all the protagonists were sent to the same island and besides history, I am also very much concerned with islands. So this project is a summary of these two passions of mine,” explained Rigolli.

“I was not familiar with this story. Then I found the book “The City and the Island,” written by two researchers from Rome, which dealt with this subject and I immediately thought it was important to talk about it to make it known as much as possible because I am convinced that only with memory can we avoid falling back into the same mistakes.”

Putting together the images was long, difficult and painstaking work.

“It was difficult to work on this story, because they are all dead and therefore I had to base my research mainly on the places they frequented in Catania before they were transferred, then placed o confinement in the Tremiti Islands, in San Domino, as well as in the state archives in Rome where I found their documents, photos, the letters they wrote to obtain pardons, arrest reports, medical examination reports.”

Although Rigolli believes that great strides have been made in recent decades for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, but in order to move forward, the past must be confronted.

Through her lens, Rigolli looks to bring the stories of the men confined on the Italian island into the light and to the world.

“After Canada, I hope to have other opportunities to display the exhibition around the world, perhaps with the help of other interested Italian Cultural Institutes like the one in Montreal.”

L’Isola Degli Arrusi is available online and at the Italian Institute of Culture in Montreal until January 20, 2023.

Although Rigolli believes that great strides have been made in recent decades for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, but in order to move forward, the past must be confronted.