Sicily 2024, Italy

Nor a nice name, nor a nice story.

Once more I thought about buying two of them but this time I'm here by plane and I think I won't manage to transport them. Maybe next time, when I'm here by car...

Those who have been reading my travel diary for a long time already know the story, but I don't want to withhold it from others either:

Who does not know them, the peculiar ceramic heads, which, as hand-painted vases on sicilian balconies, fix the passing tourists with rigid expressions. Whether with light or dark skin color, together with a woman's head or alone, a crown on the head is the same for everyone.

The eerily beautiful legend says that a beautiful girl lived in Palermo in the Kalsa district during the arab-muslim rule around the year 1000 AD. Her rose skin was like blooming peach blossoms and her eyes reflected the sea of the Gulf of Palermo.

The young woman was almost always at home, spending her days tending the plants on her balcony. Some day a young african passed under her balcony who, as soon as he saw her, fell madly in love with her and immediately swore to her everlasting love. Affected by so much passion, she returned his love, but her happiness was short-lived.

As soon as she learned that her lover would soon be leaving to return to his home country and to his wife and two children, she made up her mind. She waited for night to fall and as soon as he fell asleep, she killed him and cut off his head.

She made a vase out of his head to plant basil in and placed it on her balcony for all to see. That way he would stay with her forever. The basil grew into a stately plant and all the neighbors envied the girl for it.

In order not to be inferior to the young woman in any way, all residents of the district had extra terracotta vases made with the shape of the head. To this day, these colorful ceramic vases can be admired from sicilian balconies as a nice warning to all husbands.

Incidentally, the basil is the king's plant and was deliberately planted in the head of her lover by the girl from the legend. Thus, with the help of the noble plant, the young woman could continue to care for her lover in her madness.Læs mere