Terracotta roof tiles, Trapani
Tag: piastrelle
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…
Sicily’s Red Ceramics
These ceramic tiles, which are painted in the classic style of artisans from Santo Stefano di Camastra, were purchased by my friend Jodi during our time together in Sicily in May. She plans to put them over her kitchen stove. Imagine having a piece of Sicily to look at each time you stir your sauce?
Floor as Status Symbol
In January, when my cousin Giulia and I visited the private museum Stanze al Genio in Palermo, we learned that many of the majolica works of art that decorate churches and palazzi throughout Sicily are from Naples. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, for noble families and wealthy churches that could afford such decor, it…
A Different Kind of Feast for the Eyes
My highlight of today’s adventures in Palermo, in terms of sightseeing, was a visit to the private museum, Stanze al Genio, a collection of majolica ceramic floor tiles focused on designs from Naples and Sicily created from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century. Housed in the 17th-century Palazzo…
Tiles in Erice
Ceramic tile floor photographed inside Erice’s Chiesa Matrice, or Mother Church.
You Might Think You’re in Tunisia
In the town of Castelvetrano (Province of Trapani) in southwestern Sicily, we ate house-made couscous at Annaba, a local trattoria in the center of town. Castelvetrano and the region around it are heavily influenced by the culture and art of north Africa, as exemplified by the designs of the tiles on the restaurant’s walls. Looking…