ARTICHOKE

One of the symbols of Caltagirone ceramics is unquestionably the pinecone. Ours are beautiful and colorful. Yet, in Caltagirone the pine trees are not exactly indigenous.

Instead, there is a plant that has been cultivated in our area for centuries. A simple plant which produces a fruit that looks more like a flower: the artichoke.

Was it possible that it never occurred to anyone to mold this wonderful and generous flower in ceramic? Not bad, Crita finally took care of it.

According to the Greeks, the beautiful Cinara refusing the advances of Zeus saw herself transformed into an artichoke, condemned to inflame senses and desires in men and women, to become, in short, a powerful aphrodisiac. Even Louis XIV did not escape his charm: he ordered the gardeners to grow the precious vegetable in the park of Versailles.

In short, a plant for divinities and sovereigns which, finally, by the skilled hands of our master craftsmen, leaf after leaf is composed as if they were delicate petals.

For Sicilians, the artichoke is a symbol of conviviality, of rebirth - it is the main entrance of Easter - of prosperity.

And this we wish you with our colorful artichokes ready to be eaten with the eyes.