Visiting Sicily!

 Hello Everyone,

How are you? Hope you are all well and that you are enjoying your weekend. Just a few days ago I returned from the beautiful neighbouring island of Sicily. 

Beautiful is an understatement! I got to visit the land of 'The Godfather' Savoca, Forsa D'Agro, Taormina, Ortigia and Catania. My heart always belonged to the city of Taormina but I have to say I fell in love with Savoca. The scenery is out of this world. 

Unfortunately, no matter how many places I have visited in Sicily in the past years, I never find any dollshouse miniatures. However, I found some Sicilian souvenirs in Savoca that will fit perfectly for a dollshouse. 

One of my favourite pieces is the miniature ceramic prickly pear tree in the pot. The country side is filled with prickly pears trees. It is something that Sicily has in common with Malta. They grow in the wild and at the end of the summer we eat the fruit which I totally love. 

In Sicily, you will find hundreds of ceramic Moro head vases all over the place that come in different colours and sizes. Usually they come in pairs and I am lucky that I found a tiny pair. 

There is an ancient legend about the Moro Heads which I find a bit squeamish and fascinating at the same time. The legend says that during the time of the Moor domination in Sicily, there lived a beautiful girl in the Arab quarter Kalsa (in the heart of Palermo) who loved to take care of plants on her balcony. One day she was noticed by a Moor who fell in love with her. The man told her of his feelings and the two were overwhelmed by desire. When the girl found out that her lover would soon travel back to the East, where a wife and children were waiting for him, she felt betrayed and sad.

Mad with jealousy, and feeling humiliated by the betrayal, the girl killed the Moor while he was asleep. In a fit of incredible violence, she cut off his head and used it as a vase in which she planted a bud of basil. The girl watered the plant with her tears and, as time went by, the basil grew luxuriantly. The heady scent of the King’s plant (from the Greek Basilikos) meaning Basil Plant caused the envy of the girl’s neighbours, who immediately ordered ceramic vases with the same features as the Moor’s Head. That’s how the beautiful girl started a tradition that is still in use.

I say I am very happy with these new miniatures and they fit so nicely in the display that I created. 

This is all for today. Make sure to keep tuned for the next updates and latest news. 

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx