The brightly painted face of a medieval-knight-turned-marionette. A three-legged Medusa grimacing from the center of a ceramic plate. The wooden wheel of a horse cart, painted in the colors and complexity of a kaleidoscope. There is something about Sicily鈥檚 most typical products that embodies its culture: vibrant, splashy, inherent with meaning. Above all, not too serious.
If you鈥檙e headed to 天美传媒鈥檚 largest island, you鈥檒l want to bring home a special souvenir. And I can think of no better way to experience the people, the stories, and the spirit of 天美传媒鈥檚 largest island than searching for an authentic, hand-crafted souvenir.
So, what should you bring home in your suitcase? Here are some of my personal recommendations:
Ceramics (ceramiche)
Since the Middle Ages, Sicily鈥檚 artisans have produced maiolica, the colorful, tin-glazed earthenware that is so characteristic of Mediterranean ceramics. But compared to the more sober, Renaissance-inspired pieces made across central 天美传媒, Sicilian ceramics are, by contrast, full of whimsy. They feature bright colors, freehand designs, and an immediacy that encapsulates the vivacious spirit of the Sicilians themselves.
Sicilian ceramics is an enormous topic in itself, and there are several important ceramics towns across the island, each with centuries-old legacies. Caltagirone, in the center of the island, is the largest by far. Its more than a hundred ceramics studios cluster around an impressive ceramic staircase that forms the town鈥檚 crowning glory. Caltagirone鈥檚 ceramic origins are shrouded in the mists of ancient history, but the ceramic museum is a great place to start for an overview of this centuries-old tradition (, via Giardini Pubblici, Caltagirone, 0933/58418).
In the province of Agrigento, on Sicily鈥檚 western side, lies the unassuming town of Burgio. Through the eighteenth century, Burgio was known for its prolific production of pharmacy jars and pavement tiles, both brightly decorated in the maiolica tradition. In addition, the town is known for its production of cast metal bells. Its ceramics museum, in the old monastery complex of Santa Maria delle Grazie, is worth a visit as much for its collection as for its medieval atmosphere (, piazza Santa Marta, Burgio, 0925/65052). Further to the south, the town of Sciacca also boasts a long tradition of creating many things from terracotta, including pavements, vessels鈥攅ven whistles and toys.
Along Sicily鈥檚 northern coast, the town of Santo Stefano di Camastra boasts a thriving community of ceramicists whose bright, whimsical pieces could only be made in a beach town. The tradition got underway in the late 1600s, and today, the local museum displays some of these historic wares (, via Luigi Famularo 1, Santo Stefano di Camastra, 349/2987908). Many of the town鈥檚 ceramics artists have showrooms located along the via Vittoria, which cuts a swath through town. It makes for a nice afternoon stroll with a gelato in hand.
If your travel plans don鈥檛 allow you the time to venture far beyond Palermo, then take advantage of visiting the town of Monreale, just past the sprawl of Sicily鈥檚 capital. There you鈥檒l find a couple of master ceramicists turning out some of the best of the island鈥檚 traditional wares.
Here are some of my favorite places to pick a Sicilian ceramic masterpiece you鈥檒l treasure and proudly display:
CALTAGIRONE
Principe Amadeo, 9
0933/221967
Via Gueli, I
0933/24999
Via Roma, 88
0933/57729
Corso Principe Amadeo, 28
0933/21878
Ignazio Scarlatella
Scala Santa Maria Santissima del Monte, 2
338/920 9668
Piazza Umberto I, 19
0933/55707
MONREALE
Via Ludovico Torres, 36
091/6404514
Via Circonvallazione, 25
091/6404393
SANTO STEFANO DI CAMASTRA
Ceramiche Insana Sebastiano
Via Vittoria, 1
0921/337223
Strada Statale 113
0921/331822
Contrada Passo Giardino
0921/337244
Filadelfio Scultore e Ceramista
Contrada Sant鈥橝nna, Caronia Marina
Via Umberto I, 37
329/2726291
Via Nazionale, 96
0921/331879
Coral jewelry and crafts (corallo)
Trapani, on Sicily鈥檚 northwestern coast, was once the center of a thriving coral-working industry. Today, lovely jewelry in that distinctive color鈥攏ot quite orange, red, or pink, but somewhere in between鈥攁bounds in jewelry shops across the island.
Trapani鈥檚 artisans were already working coral in ancient times, according to the Roman writer Pliny. By the end of the Middle Ages, handwrought coral goods were being exported outside of Sicily. Years ago, coral-fishing boats lugged thousands of pounds of coral to Trapani鈥檚 shores, but today, coral is only allowed to be harvested by hand, in an effort to preserve the integrity of the Mediterranean鈥檚 reefs. Coral harvested from other parts of the world is also used.
Coral baubles are widely available in jewelry shops across Sicily, but if you want to see the most jaw-dropping of historical coral creations, don鈥檛 miss Trapani鈥檚 regional museum (, via Conte Agostino Pepoli, 180, Trapani, 0923/553269).
Sicilian marionettes (pupi siciliani)
The Sicilian marionette theater is one of the grand traditions of the island. The making of these marionettes is a specialized art perfected over the centuries and passed down within families from generation to generation. While small, cheaply made replicas of Sicilian marionettes are sold across the island, it鈥檚 worth seeking out one of the artisan families who still makes the large-scale marionettes completely by hand. Palermo and Catania both boast rich histories of the marionette theater, each with its own regional variations.
Even if you don鈥檛 bring home a marionette, buying a ticket to see a show at one of the island鈥檚 historic marionette theaters is an authentic Sicilian experience that is hard to top. You won鈥檛 forget the antics of these wonderful characters dangled from the rafters of one of the island鈥檚 longstanding historic theaters.
The international marionette museum in Palermo is a great place to start (, Piazzetta Antonio Pasqualino 5, Palermo, 091/328060.
ALCAMO
Via S. Ippolito, 16/c, Alcamo (near Palermo)
094/506354
CATANIA
Via Reitano, 55
0953/41052
PALERMO
Via Collegio di Santa Maria, 17
091/8146971
Via Bara all鈥橭livella, 95
091/323400
Opera dei Pupi de Vincenzo Argento e Figli
Via Pietro Novelli, 1A
091/6113680
Sweets (dolci)
Sicily is one of the world鈥檚 largest producers of almonds, with orchards dating to ancient times. Almonds form the basis for many typical Sicilian dishes, especially desserts, from almond cake (torta alla mandorla) to almond nougat (torrone or torroncino), to almond biscotti, granita, and gelato. Across Sicily, pastry shops overflow with sweet treats made from the island鈥檚 almond bounty.
Of all the island鈥檚 sweet almond treats, Martorana fruits, or frutte Martorane, take la dolce vita to a new level. Martorana fruits are not fruits at all, but masterpieces of 鈥渞oyal pastry鈥 (pasta reale), a special type of marzipan. In these realistic-looking confections the artistic talents of Sicilian pastry artists truly shine. Whether it鈥檚 the spiky stem of an eggplant, the waxy peel of a banana, or the plush skin of a peach, the tiny details of Martorana fruits are designed to trick the eye and delight the senses.
Here are a few of my favorite places to find typical Sicilian sweets:
颁贰贵础尝脵
Piazza San Placido, 7
095/7151844
Via Etnea, 302/304
Via Umberto 2/4/6
095/322335
ERICE
Via Vittorio Emanuele, 14
0923/869390
Read more about Maria Grammatico and her story here.
PALERMO
Via Colonna Rotta, 68
Via Niccol貌 Garzilli, 19
091/489601
Via Mariano Migliaccio, 39
091/6822381
TAORMINA
Corso Umberto I, 112
0942/24735
Laboratorio Pasticceria Roberto
Via Calapitrulli, 9
0942/62663
But the queen of all Sicilian sweets is granita, the special frozen treat that cools you from head to toe on a hot Sicilian day. You won鈥檛 be going home with granita, so be sure to enjoy as much as you can before you have to say arrivederci to Sicily.
Laura Morelli is an art historian and historical novelist with a passion for 天美传媒. You can find much more about what to bring home from Sicily and elsewhere in her guidebook, . You can also pick up copies of her Venice-inspired historical novels, The Painter鈥檚 Apprentice and , in the .
