L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano M a n y p a s - s i o n a t e l o v e s t o - r i e s s t a r t o u t n i c e e n o u g h , b u t s o m e w h e r e along the way jealousy, cul- tural clashes, or rejection e n t e r t h e s t a g e … a n d romance turns to tragedy. Romeo and Juliet, Samson and Delilah, Tony and (I just met a girl named) Maria, and so many more illustrate this n e v e r - e n d i n g f a s c i n a t i o n with love gone bad. Sicily embraces her own tragic love tale, one that is artistically preserved and remembered within homes, a c r o s s s o u v e n i r s t o r e shelves, upon balcony walls, and in every ceramic ven- dor's shop throughout the i s l a n d . M o o r i s h h e a d planters - alluring, colorful, and a bit mysterious – are almost always presented in pairs: a strikingly handsome dark-skinned man and a cap- t i v a t i n g f a i r - c o m p l e c t e d woman, both equally embell- ished with vividly hued and ornate decor, clothing, and headwear. They also repre- s e n t o n e o f S i c i l y ' s m o s t iconic and sought-after types of artisanal art. So, just who are these two intriguing yet b o d y l e s s g u e s t s f o u n d t h r o u g h o u t t h e i s l a n d ? T h a t ' s w h e r e t h e i m p a s - sioned story begins! F o r e v e r y g o o d l e g e n d , there are at least a couple of additional legends to explain the same cause and effect, and thus it goes for the story of our two lovers. We'll stick with the most popular one as "truth" but share a little print real estate with the others, as well. It's a compelling mixture of Sicilian history and urban m y t h . T h e o p e n i n g s c e n e takes us back in time to the 1100s, an era when Sicily was under Moorish rule. It was in Palermo's Arab quarters, the Al-Halisah (now known as the Kalsa), whereupon a balcony stood a beautiful y o u n g w o m a n i n n o c e n t l y tending her small garden of potted plants. Her radiant appearance caught the eye of a handsome Saracen robed in fine attire. Although she was shy and hesitant, the man's charms swiftly over- powered any uncertainty. A f i e r y a f f a i r c o m m e n c e d , sealing her irrefutable love. T h e n a i v e m a i d e n assumed their devotion was fully reciprocal, but soon d i s c o v e r e d a d e v a s t a t i n g p l o t t w i s t . H e r l o v e r w a s leaving…to return to his wife and family in the Orient. Enraged and reeling with pain, her plan for revenge took shape. Waiting for the cover of night, the forsaken young woman slipped into t h e c h a m b e r w h e r e h e r sleeping betrayer lay. Pow- ered by her indignation and rage, she hoisted a sword o v e r h i s b e d . T h e f a l l i n g b l a d e f l a s h e d u n d e r t h e moonlight as it swiftly met the doomed Moor's neck. Vindicated, the forlorn m i s t r e s s t o o k h e r l o v e r ' s head, placing it on the bal- cony and she planted her basil seeds to grow within. He would now be with her forever, never to return to his distant home. Her tears watered the seeds causing them to thrive, their beauty and scent catching the atten- tion of passersby. Jealous of her success and blissfully unaware of the origin of the m a i d e n ' s p l a n t e r , o t h e r s soon created their own ter- racotta planters in the form o f a n e l e g a n t M o o r i s h man's head. A bit gruesome, yes, but a legend is a legend! But what a b o u t t h e m a i d e n , o u r o p p o s i n g m a i n c h a r a c t e r a n d t h e o t h e r h a l f o f t h e planter pair? Another ver- sion provides an explanation for this remaining mystery by way of a slight plot varia- tion. As it goes, the woman was of nobility. When her family discovered the clan- destine affair and realized t h e i r h o n o r w a s a t s t a k e , they beheaded both her and her lover. Their heads were p l a c e d o n a b a l c o n y a n d t u r n e d i n t o v a s e s , a reminder for all to see. These rather dark expla- nations remain a rich part of S i c i l y ' s m y t h o l o g y , b u t another version took greater h o l d o f E u r o p e a n m i n d s d u r i n g t h e R e n a i s s a n c e through a tale written by Giovanni Boccaccio, one of Italy's premier humanist thinkers and writers. Includ- ed in his famous collection of short stories called The Decameron (1353) was the tale of the beautiful young L i s a b e t t a , a n o r p h a n o f n o b l e h e r i t a g e l i v i n g i n Messina under the supervi- sion of her three strict older brothers. She began a torrid love affair with a commoner, Lorenzo, which was soon d i s c o v e r e d ; t h e e n r a g e d brothers put an end to the romance by killing Lorenzo. Of course, Lisabetta became s i c k w i t h w o r r y o v e r h i s unexplained absence. One night, Lorenzo appeared to her in a dream, revealing his fate and the location of his body. Desperate to find the t r u t h , L i s a b e t t a f o l l o w e d L o r e n z o ' s g u i d a n c e a n d made the ghastly discovery. Overwhelmed with grief, she was despondent at not being a b l e t o h o n o r L o r e n z o ' s death with a fitting burial; thus, she severed his head, hiding it within a vase. The sorrow-filled girl lovingly covered the remains with a basil plant, Lorenzo now for- ever by her side. But wait… it's not over yet! Lisabetta's never-ending tears shed over the thriving p l a n t s o o n c a u s e d a l a r m amongst her brothers; they discovered the evidence of t h e i r c r i m e w i t h i n t h e planter and panic ensued. A p l a n w a s m a d e t o f l e e t o Naples with no concern for t h e i r i n c o n s o l a b l e s i s t e r . P o o r L i s a b e t t a w a s l e f t behind to die of a broken heart. And thus, we have the two lovers forever immortal- i z e d b y h e a d - s h a p e d planters. Even if you didn't know the sordid love story behind t h e s e " t e s t e d i m o r o " planters (and maybe now y o u ' d p r e f e r n o t t o ) , t h e b e a u t y o f t h e s e p o t t e r y pieces is spectacular, as well a s i c o n i c t o t h e c o l o r f u l , appealing flair of Sicilian ceramic art. The bright col- ors and glossy glazed surface are fundamental to Majolica pottery, a style often associ- ated with southern Italy, but not indigenous to the region. In fact, the stylization was brought from Spain in the 1400s, and found its fame in Italy due to master crafts- manship. Trademark signa- ture colors such as cobalt blue, vibrant yellows, deep emerald greens, and iron red b r i n g o u t t h e b e s t i n t h e whimsical and elaborate cre- a t i o n s o f M o o r i s h H e a d w a r e , m a k i n g i t h a r d t o resist packing up at least one p a i r t o c a l l y o u r o w n – despite the scandalous back story that goes with them. PAULA REYNOLDS Hand-painted Moorish heads from Sicily (Photo: Emanuela Calà Floresta/Dreamstime) Head's up: the tragic love story behind Sicily's Moorish head planters LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS

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