Caltagirone Ceramics and the Legend of the Moor's Head

Caltagirone, the city of ceramics

Caltagirone is the city of ceramists. The name comes from an Arabic word meaning castle or fortress of vases.

Under the Arabs, Caltagirone flourished, both in agriculture and in the production of ceramics; this crockery came into daily use and spread throughout Sicily.

In the 19th century, ceramics were used in architecture, when Villa Carolina, the neo-Gothic cemetery and the public garden were built, all in Caltagirone.

Today the city offers visitors a puzzle of different styles, Baroque, Art Nouveau and Medieval, and here you can see the largest ceramic panel ever made, which represents the battle of Judica, won by the Calatini over the Saracens.

The legend of the Moor's Head

In Palermo, around the year 1000, a beautiful young maid lived in the Arab quarter of Kalsa, with fair skin and eyes that matched the colour of the Sicilian sea. She led a quiet life and spent her days tending her plants.

One day, from her beautiful balcony, she was noticed by a Moor who immediately fell in love with her and did not hesitate to declare his love. But one day the young woman learned that her lover had to return to the Middle East, where he had a wife and children.

The young woman, deceived and humiliated, killed the man in the middle of the night while he was sleeping, cut off his head and used it to create a kind of vase in which she planted basil. The plant, with its intoxicating fragrance, a symbol of royalty but also of love and passion, grew luxuriantly, so the neighbourhood began to make terracotta pots with the features of the Moor's head.

Fashion: Moorish trend accessories

The design of the heads, the luxurious embellishments and the colour palette made the Moor's head so popular that the fashion world uses the ceramics as home furnishings, and the luxury brand Dolce and Gabbana created an entire collection with the Moor's head.

The heads are now so well known as an iconic symbol of Sicily that they are regularly used as props at weddings and events on the island, and you will see them literally everywhere.

Plan your next programme with us: discover Sicily and Signature experiences.