Category: Fashion
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Fortunate Recipient
This necklace is the creation of two very talented women. The ceramic piece was designed by artist Mirella Pipia in Bagheria. It was intended to be a decorative ornament of some kind, perhaps, for your Christmas tree. In 2014, Barbara Shiller, an American jewelry maker, came with me to Sicily on our September small-group tour.…
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With This, I’m Easy to Please
My cousins Giulia and Silvana in Palermo gave me this ceramic necklace. They said that they knew I’d love it. They were right!
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Traditional Dress of a Sicilian Cart Driver
According to “Il costume popolare in Italia,” a book by Emma Calderini published in 1934, this is an illustration of what Sicilian cart drivers, or carrettiere, typically wore. So, if you need a last-minute Halloween costume idea, you might be able to pull this off! Just know that in addition to transporting goods–often through the…
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A Convenient Souvenir
When I (conveniently) forgot to wear earrings one day in June while in Ortigia, I saw these in a jewelry store window. I walked in and asked to see them. The salesman began his pitch to sell them to me, which I thought was hilarious because I knew exactly what they were… “Hand painted ceramic…
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Wearable Sicilian Art
This work of art… I mean, bracelet… was hand crafted by Marilita Borgese for Pizzi & Merletti of Palermo. Available exclusively in the U.S. from Gelsomino Imports, LLC, it was created using a technique called tatting in English. In Italian, it is known as “chiacchierino,” which literally means “little chatting” because women chat while they…
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Sophisticated Shopping
Coral jewelry is a popular item to purchase from Sicilian craftsmen in towns like Taormina.
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Irrisistable Kitsch
On my recent visit to Taormina, I couldn’t resist purchasing these earrings featuring Sicilian carts.
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Nothing Less Than 500
A beloved Fiat 500 or Cinquecento in Bagheria.