THE ROOM: this room is the result of ‘modernisation’ in the early 1900s, when the old alcove was replaced by a ‘modern’ bathroom. The walls are decorated with photographs and portraits of the family, marking the passage of time with memories. The shelves hold everyday objects, such as embroidery frames, needles, small religious paintings and rosaries, music books and trinkets linked to cherished memories.

TRADITIONS: EMBROIDERY AND BOBBIN LACE: this private sitting room was reserved for family and loved ones, and for spending pleasant moments in conversation and pastime. Here, people would read, play music, embroider, and naturally, pray. The age-old art of decorating fabrics with embroidery was a form of cultural expression which, for centuries, also signalled the social status of those who wore it. Alongside the classic techniques (frame, needles, etc.) and the many main and decorative stitches (running stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch, etc.), bobbin lace was also popular in Sicily. Unlike traditional embroidery, which requires a base fabric onto which stitches are applied, bobbin lace is created from nothing, by weaving single threads together. The Italian term tombolo refers both to the finished lace and to the main tool used to make it: a padded cylindrical cushion or drum-shaped cushion (often filled with sawdust or straw), which acts as the working surface. A card bearing the pattern is pinned onto the cushion. The lace is then created using bobbins – small wooden sticks around which cotton, linen or silk thread is wound. By working the two main movements, twisting and crossing, around the fixed pins, the lacemaker creates densely woven textures or delicate net-like designs.

AND CUSTOMS: the dress displayed here is a day or visiting dress, typical of European and North American fashion in the early twentieth century. It features a high band collar decorated with lace, which cascades over the front to form a kind of bib or ruffle. The long, close-fitting sleeves are gathered at the shoulders, recalling the puffed or ‘leg-of-mutton’ sleeves of the late nineteenth century. The floor-length skirt is flared or bell-shaped, often made from several panels and shaped with darts at the waist. Dresses of this period were commonly made from taffeta, liseré satin or moire, but cotton or wool were also used for less formal occasions.