GAEL ARTHUR

becomes a sucker for ceramics in Sicily

To get to understand a bit more of the country and its culture, a trip inland is in order.  There are less tourists and, for some reason, more time.  Wandering along the national roads instead of the Autostrada allows you to see more as well.

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Caltagirone:  

Ceramics, stairs and saucES  ©

As the island at the toe of the Italian boot, Sicily is frequently forgotten (Americans they still don’t understand that to eschew Sicily because of the Mafia is like avoiding California for fear of earthquakes).  If it is considered, the beaches are the hot attraction.  Indeed, for a first time visitor, there is plenty to see along the coast, with plenty of Greek ruins and Baroque churches to fill the non-beach days.

But to get to understand a bit more of the country and its culture, a trip inland is in order.  There are less tourists and, for some reason, more time.  Wandering along the national roads instead of the Autostrada allows you to see more as well.

I am a sucker for ceramics, so it was an easy decision to visit the town  ninth-century Arabs called Qal'at Ghàrun,
 "Hill of the Vases" or “Jar Fortress”.  Caltagirone sits on top of one of the higher hills in the area, surrounded by wealthy estates, set far enough off the road to discourage casual visitors.  

    The olive and orange groves form a buffer, with an intriguing row of palm trees lining narrow gravel roads leading to impressive enclaves – the country homes of the Sicilian nobility.

This area of Sicily can trace habitation back to the Neolithic age, with a ready supply of clay to support an industry that spans millennia.  It was the Arabs who brought glazing techniques in the ninth century, helping Caltagirone elevate its position in Mediterranean ceramics. The conquering Normans solidified its position, as seaside towns were forced to devote more time to dealing with war and changing rulers than creating ceramics.

While every small shop in Caltagirone offers brightly coloured ashtrays and espresso sets, I am looking for something a little more particular, more closely linked to tradition.  Franco Petralia (more on him later) pokes his head into the workshop of Francesco Contarino and Antonella Nicosia and introduces me.  We wander down the street to the showroom – I am in heaven, wondering how many things will fit into my carry-on luggage.  

These are not pieces to be trusted to baggage handlers.  Each piece has a historical context and Francesco moves easily from the vibrant 17th century urns and plates to pieces drawing their inspiration from the more muted Arab glazing of the ninth and tenth centuries.  Contarino and Nicosia are artists, passionate about the history of their craft, dedicated to bringing the history of their town to life in the ceramics.  They have researched each period and recreated designs from Arab through Norman through the more familiar Baroque majolica.  While I am convinced I have found the best ceramicists in the city, you will want to seek out others – it’s an easy task as there are scores of little workshops, each with particular designs and styles.

For the historic perspective, you can spend hours at the museum – majolica walls studded with great urns and good luck pine cones lead the visitor to its entry.  Or, you can head for the city’s main attraction, a set of steps built in 1606 to join two sectors of the city. 
 La Scala di Santa Maria del Monte has been through a couple of renovations in its four hundred year history, the most recent in the 1950s, when each of the 142 treads of the 130 long staircase was adorned with polychrome mosaics representative of the centuries of Sicilian majolica. 

 Each century of recent history has been given 10 steps of alternating geometric, figurative and floral designs, starting at the bottom with traditional Arab designs and colours.  


That’s right, for “recent” history, the people of Caltagirone count back twelve or thirteen centuries. The stairs have long been a focal point of the community, with the celebration of the town’s patron saint, San Giacomo (St. James) on July 24th and 25th.  The stairs are lit with terra cotta oil lamps set inside sand filled coloured paper bags – the colours of the bags create a design during the day. At night, the lamps are lit almost simultaneously by hundreds of locals.  The feast of the senses is completed with the aroma of the hundreds of litres of the best olive oil of the region burning into the night.

Just the thought of climbing those stairs is enough to make you hungry – the good news is that the best place in town to eat is located on about step seven or eight.  Trattoria La Scala is a comfortable conversion of an eighteenth century palazzo.  

For the timid, there are fixed price menus (six courses, plus house wine, mineral water and coffee, all for 20 Euros), but a far better choice is to let Franco Petralia choose your meal.  Tell him how hungry you are and what you feel like eating, and he will look after you.  

The eggplant soufflé starter was light, refined and stunning with its tomato sauce, sprinkled with crushed pistachios.  The fettucine “primi” piatti was enough for me, a generous plate of perfectly cooked pasta dressed with a simple sauce with the freshest ingredients.  Tomato, ricotta and Sicilian fennel and a bit of parsley as décor.  It’s hard to imagine how such a simple dish can taste so good.  Franco will tell you that it is the Sicilian fennel, not like regular fennel.  I am pretty sure it is more than the fennel – Franco’s two sons run the kitchen and they bring a commitment to quality that puts this restaurant a cut above the rest.

Franco is also a devotee of wine – he is justifiably proud of Sicilian wines.  The 2000 Duca di Castelmonte Nero d’Avola shows well.  The one trick to remember with many Sicilian wines is to drink plenty of water – they tend to be high alcohol and can sneak up on you, particularly if you have been out in the hot sun all day.  We were also treated to a 1990 Terra Arse Marsala at the end of the meal, the perfect finish to a meal that left me well satisfied, just a little too relaxed to tackle those 142 stairs.
 

Report by Gael Arthur ©

 Fact File:

Getting There:  Volare / Air Europe flies to Catania daily from Rome, Venice and Milan; they also fly to Palermo daily from Rome, Milan and Naples.  http://www.volare-group.it

Contarino Ceramiche e Terre d’Arte – Showroom:  via S. Bonaventura, 19-21-23, 95041 Caltagirone, Sicily  Tel.  0933 21596

Trattoria La Scala, Scala S. Maria del Monte, 8, 95041 Caltagirone, Sicily
Tel: 0933 57781

Framon Hotels’ Grand Hotel Villa San Mauro is located over on another hill, a few minutes away from the center of town. Via Portosalvo, 14, 95041Caltagirone
Tel. 0933 26500 www.framon-hotels.com

Vacation reading:  Il Gatopardo – The Leopard – by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. Life in Sicily during Garibaldi’s invasion – one of the best novels of the century – in any language.