The history of Duilio Cambellotti’s important relations with Sicily begins at least in the middle of the first decade of the century, almost ten years earlier than the Roman artist’s celebrated commitment to the Greek theater in Syracuse. In this first phase, the fulcrum of these relationships is Palermo, which Cambellotti will visit only in 1933, on the sidelines of his stay in Ragusa for the frescoes at the seat of the Prefecture, when by now his professional ties with sicilian chief town be almost ended. In this essay, therefore, a first reasoned synthesis of the works that the artist has performed for Palermo subjects, starting with Florio and Ducrot, is proposed. The type of relationship with the client is also investigated, highlighting the often decisive role of Edoardo De Fonseca and the publishing company of Novissima. In almost all cases, the works identified and analyzed consist of illustrations, both with explicit advertising purposes and with a preeminent decorative character. An exception is the trophy for the Targa Florio, the famous car competition, perhaps the most studied episode of Cambellotti’s works in Palermo together with the drawings for the associated magazine, Rapiditas. The research carried out has brought to light some elements of novelty in both areas. For the Targa Florio, in particular, a gold version of the trophy, assigned in the 1911 competition, was found in a private Piedmontese collection. So far, in addition to two preparatory plasters, only one bronze casting relating to the 1920 race had been found and published. This episode had led to believe that bronze was the material in which the “plaque” was usually produced, while the adoption of this metal alloy took place starting from the editions following the break imposed by the war events. Cambellotti’s artistic contributions to promotional materials for the Italian General Navigation and other companies attributable directly or indirectly to the Florio family were also deepen, focusing above all on the internal decorations for the NGI’s twenty-five year brochure, which had not yet been subject of a specific close examination. Finally, a corpus consisting of graphic interventions, partly not mentioned in Cambellotti’s literature, was reconstructed, which the roman artist performed for some Palermo publisher, largely intended for pedagogical area books.
