Individual happiness is not measured by a robust economy or efficient services, however much they may ease our path. Happiness is a state of mind, and it is transient. I found it many times in Palermo. My first encounter with the ancient Mediterranean capital was unforgettable. My then-manager and friend, Antonio, forgot to pick me up at the airport. I took the last bus to the city center and wandered until I found a hotel. I was wonderfully alone in an unknown city, exactly how I like it: lonely, but not alone. I fell in love with its unique, chaotic soul instantly. This painting captures the view from a balcony in the Noce district, where I lived. I wanted to depict the decadent buildings of varying heights—a place where nothing is uniform and everyone built as they pleased. I can still hear the vibrant sounds of the neighborhood and feel that serenity of observing the world from above, solitary yet deeply connected.