Sicily’s Pignas

My girlfriends and I have a tradition where we bring back a souvenir from our travels abroad. It’s been fun to collect authentic treasures from far-away places, specifically picked out by a bff. This summer, we got the fabulous opportunity to visit southern Italy. We traveled further south than we’d ever been… we boarded a quick flight from Naples and arrived at the gorgeous town of Taormina, Sicily. As soon as we started canvasing the cobblestone streets, I knew what my little souvenir would be.

Everywhere we walked, ceramic pinecones in all colors and sizes seemed to greet us. The history behind the ceramic pine cones dates back hundreds of years. According to ancient Sicilian folklore, these decorative pine cones are ornaments that simply cannot be missing from a house. The pine cones are placed at home entrances to wish the family good health, plentiful luck, and much prosperity. However in addition to being placed on the stairs leading up to the front door, pignas also adorn balconies, terraces, and church facades. Traditionally and still today, ceramic pine cones are gifted to newlyweds as a symbol of fertility, and as a wish for the formation of a large family. 

These colorful treasures are made in one village that is known as the capital of ceramics, Caltagirone. The UNESCO World Heritage location is home to hundreds of ceramicists who have been handed down Sicilian pottery traditions for generations. It isn’t just pine cones that they create, however these are what is decidedly “Sicilian.” We loved seeing these bursts of cheer everywhere we looked… right, left, up, and down… and in every color imaginable. 

I bought my girlfriends all little forest green pingas in hopes of carrying forth the Sicilian folklore of good health, luck, and prosperity. For our house, after a very long deliberation, I settled upon a trio of navy and mustard yellow pine cones in three different sizes. For the moment, they are holding court on a sideboard in my family room. I do hope they bring our family all sorts of goodness; but I know for sure that they make me smile and reminisce each time I glance in their direction.