Let’s Dream of Traveling To Sicily On Tuesday

Whimsical ceramics made by Nino Parrucca from Palermo grace my home. What other ceramic artists do I suggest and where to buy their art is a question that I can answer during Tuesday evening’s Let’s Dream of Traveling to Sicily online presentation and Q&A. Let’s Dream of Traveling to SicilyPresentation and Question & Answer SessionTuesday,…

Shopping For Ceramics In Caltagirone

Speaking of shopping… You’ll have time in Caltagirone, Sicily during our October Stunning Sicily tour, where you’ll find hand-crafted, one-of-kind ceramics of items you didn’t know where possible to make from earthenware. The UNESCO recognized Baroque town of Caltagirone boasts a rich ceramics center with artisanal shops every few feet. Navigate to Via Monsignore Saverio…

Custom for the Customer

This is my new soap dispenser, made for me by ceramic artist Angelo Varsallona, who is based in Caltagirone. In May, I went hunting along the famous stairs of the baroque town seeking two different dispensers for our new apartment. When I couldn’t find what I was looking for, Angelo offered to make them for…

Burgio, Another of Sicily’s Ceramic Centers

Burgio is one of Sicily’s ceramic centers, where for centuries different family studios created distinct pottery. Different from Santo Stefano di Camastra, Caltagirone, and Sciacca, Burgio’s designs are depicted on a tan-colored bed versus white. During our Secret Sicily tour earlier this month, on our excursion led by Val di Kam, we visited Arcuri Ceramics,…

Voilà, It’s Majolica! 

Santo Stefano di Camastra is one of Sicily’s ceramics centers. There is an entire street of the town lined with ceramics shops that are filled with majolica ceramics (maiolica in Italian). Majolica describes a technique of decorating earthenware (ceramics made with red clay, AKA bisque or biscuit) that has been fired at a relatively low…

A Genius Feat 

If you are into art, architecture, and ceramics, Le Stanze al Genio (The Rooms to the Genius) is for you. This home-museum features a collection of majolica ceramic floor tiles sporting designs from Naples and Sicily that were produced from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century. You must…