Ceramics as a tourist experience: the Sicilian Ceramic Routes Passport presented at BIT Milan
Milan, 04.02.2024 – At BIT — the International Tourism Exchange — in Milan, the Sicily Pavilion saw great success with the public and industry professionals, where “The Sicilian Ceramic Routes” was premiered among this year’s initiatives. A new form of experiential tourism linked to the production of artistic ceramics. The production of ceramics is an ancient art present throughout the island, but it flourishes especially in the six Sicilian ceramic cities: Burgio, Caltagirone, Collesano, Monreale, Santo Stefano di Camastra, and Sciacca, which are members of the Italian Association of Ceramic Cities and have jointly created a new form of experiential tourism through the “Sicilian Ceramic Routes.”
“Finally, Sicily is working as a system and overcoming localism,” says Elvira Amata, Regional Councilor for Tourism present at the BIT inauguration. “For the first time, local stakeholders are networking with a project whose common thread is the opportunity to visit municipalities renowned for Sicilian ceramic production.” Art and culture become a tourist experience through a journey that leads visitors to discover Sicily from west to east. “It is a truly wonderful project that I, as Councilor, intend to support.”
Finally, Sicily is working as a system and overcoming localism.
On the occasion of the BIT inauguration, the Sicilian Ceramic Routes Passport was officially presented, a document intended to ideally unite the six Sicilian cities with an ancient tradition in ceramic craftsmanship. A new way to experience tourism in Sicily through itineraries comprising nature, art, gastronomy, and culture, offering an alternative to the most well-known tourist destinations.
“The passport is a document that grants the ability to pass from one territory to another, from one reality to another, discovering the fundamental elements of Sicilian identity such as color and warmth, which are the founding elements of ceramic making,” states Claudio Lo Monaco, national vice-president of the Italian Association of Ceramic Cities. “Speaking of a passport gives us an ideal yet concrete element of transit toward real paths of beauty; it is an itinerary toward the knowledge of one of the founding elements of Sicilian identity. It is no coincidence that the value of ceramics as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was recognized by UNESCO in Caltagirone in 2006, highlighting in this case not only the craftsmanship but also the ‘know-how’ of ceramics, and thus the history of these Sicilian cities.”
Local administrations were also present at BIT with works by local artists on display, along with students from the Ciro Michele Esposito Regional Institute of Santo Stefano di Camastra, led by Professor Serena Caruso in a live demonstration of lathe work and tile decoration. “BIT is an international showcase, a unique opportunity to introduce the Sicilian Ceramic Routes to industry professionals and the public. It is here that we wanted to present the project that the six cities have been developing for months for a new form of tourism linked to the discovery of traditions and ancient crafts,” explain the mayors of Burgio, Caltagirone, Collesano, Monreale, Santo Stefano di Camastra, and Sciacca in a joint statement. “In this context, the idea of the Passport was born as a driving force for our territory and an opportunity to discover the ancient art of ceramics.”
THE PASSPORT
The Ceramic Routes Passport is a document issued at collection and stamping centers located in all six Sicilian ceramic cities registered with the Italian Association of Ceramic Cities—namely Burgio, Caltagirone, Collesano, Monreale, Santo Stefano di Camastra, and Sciacca—to promote experiential tourism related to Sicilian artistic ceramics. Every time passport holders visit one of the ceramic cities, they can request a stamp; after each stamp, they will be entitled to benefit from promotions locally linked to the passport.
HOW IT WORKS
The passport, which will officially come into effect on Sunday, March 24, 2024, also serves as a single entry ticket for the network of ceramic city museums and other affiliated cultural sites. Upon completion of the route, evidenced by the six stamps in the passport, travelers earn the right to obtain the “Friend of the Sicilian Ceramic Cities” certificate and a prize consisting of a ceramic product to be chosen from those available in the prize catalog section. To obtain the certificate and the relative prize, the six stamps in the passport must be completed within a period not exceeding one calendar year.