Sicily “prêt à porter”

“Sicily”. An old legend tells the story of an Oriental princess, named Sicily, who escaped from a terrible fate and reached this beautiful land to give rise to a new lineage. It is also the place that three dancing nymphs chose as a lively and colourful home, collecting lovely stones, juicy pieces of fruit and bunches of flowers in the three areas of the Mediterranean Sea called Capo Faro or Capo Peloro, Capo Passero or Capo Pachino and Capo Boeo or Lilibeo.

Sicily, with its past and its symbols, blossoms and develops between history, tales and fantasy. Imagination and reality are closely connected in the vision of its inhabitants, becoming the emblems of memory, truth, pride and evocation. Mythology, myth and legend still fill the air with their voice, from coast to coast. Throughout the centuries this beautiful land inspired marvellous and emotional masterpieces, such as those told by the blind epic poet Homer, or by Virgil, Dante, Goethe and many other authors who celebrated the epic stories lived by Eolo, Ulysses, Volcano, Typhon, Scylla and Cariddi, mermaids and sailors, Colapesce, Morgana, Orion and Peloro, Alpheus and Arethusa, or the sea and wind adventures. Many conquerors reached the island because of its strategic position and ended up falling in love with it, raptured by its beauty, deciding to settle there permanently. They blended their own history, culture and people with those of Sicily, contributing to the establishment of a complex historical, cultural, linguistic and social heritage, which still explains the fascination with Sicily.

The secret behind its greatest beauties needs to be traced right in this cultural and experiential mix. Phoenician, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, French and Spanis built an extraordinary heritage throughout centuries. Not only the arts flourished in every possible form – Literature, Science, Maths, Philosophy, Painting, Sculpture and Architecture –  also, the more subdued art of the artisans, who put in their works the typical Sicilian smartness, fantasy, creative talent, patience and passion, needs to be mentioned. A strong artistic flair can be identified in many handmade works, such as clay transformation, painted ceramics, polychrome mosaics, wrought iron, silver and precious metals processing, textile warping, lace and embroidery. Little by little, new agricultural and floral productions develop and typical dishes and sweets become well known all over the world. Every single piece of art, regardless of how big or small it is has a common seal: the desire to express beauty. Sometimes bright, dazzling and refined, sometimes evoked and whispered to be gradually revealed.

On top of it all, the sun shines. It can dazzle, intensify and transform the natural colours and slivers reflected by its multi-faceted glare. With its multiple hues, this sun represents one of the main sources and inspiration of this beautiful land.