The White Lotus in Taormina — the Ceramics That Steal the Scene
Teste di moro, majolica, pinecones: the Sicilian season put Caltagirone ceramics centre stage. What they are, what they cost, where to actually buy them.
1 MIN · 7 October 2026The second season of The White Lotus unfolds in a palazzo in Taormina, and its real stars are ceramic: Moor's heads set on low walls, majolica in every shot. Freeze-frame on any terrace in the series — it can all be bought, provided you know what to ask for.
The teste di moro
These painted head-vases come from the tradition of Caltagirone, in Sicily, and carry a dark legend the series works right into its opening titles. A pair of heads by a Sicilian craftsman sells for between 150 and 600 euros, depending on size and the fineness of the decoration; the industrial versions that flooded the shops after the series can be spotted by their frozen faces and printed gilding.
The pigna, the other symbol
The glazed pinecone — a symbol of welcome and prosperity — is the entry-level piece: reckon on 40 to 150 euros for a workshop pigna, in the greens, yellows and blues of the Sicilian palette. It is the simplest object for bringing the scene home without turning it into pastiche.
Where to buy right
Caltagirone and Santo Stefano di Camastra hold the historic workshops, and many now ship across Europe. The right instinct: ask for the name of the workshop, not the shop. A signed ceramic is handed down; an anonymous one is replaced.
The column's gesture: pause, capture, scan on Beyit — the handmade and the industrial do not carry the same price.
One photo, every piece identified.
Your room, a shop window, an inspiration screenshot: send the photo, we find the pieces and their alternatives at every price.
On iPhone, the app does the same from your camera.