Giacomo Alessi Sicilian Moorish Head Vase

Hand-crafted by Giacomo Alessi. Ceramic vases shaped like heads are so widespread in Sicily that they have become one of the island’s symbols. These distinctive objects adorn the balconies of houses and are also used for interior decoration.

The unique shape of these vases (“graste” in Sicilian dialect) comes from a macabre legend set in Palermo, which not everyone knows.