In 1893, Gaston Vuillier left for Sicily. He brought back fifteen chapters, published in a series in Le Tour du Monde between January 1894 and October 1895, before they were brought together in a single volume, La Sicile. Impressions du présent et du passé, Paris, Librairie Hachette, 1896. In the second issue of 1894, he recounts his meeting with the folklorist Giuseppe Pitré in Palermo, who was to serve as his guide and advisor. Pitré drew his attention in particular to the painted carts on the streets of Palermo, their sides decorated with scenes of “universal history”.
For further in Palermo, see Anna Iuso’s article on Gaston Vuillier in Sicily, « Giuseppe Pitrè et Gaston Vuillier. Un apprentissage ethnographique ».