In the late nineteenth century, the pre-eminent Italian painter Giovanni Boldini was commissioned to paint his now famous portrait of the iconic Sicilian Belle Époque socialite Donna Franca Florio. As the story goes, Boldini's initial version, which saw Donna Franca in a short-sleeved and low-cut black evening dress, was not approved of by Donna Franca’s husband, who reportedly found it too risqué. He demanded that Boldini lengthen Franca’s dress, and add full, wide black lace.
Boldini obliged, and Franca remained covered in her portrait until 1924 when, with the collapse of the Florio family's wealth, the painting was acquired by French art collector Maurice de Rothschild, who commissioned Boldini to restore Franca to her original, provocative self. It is perhaps the perfect metaphor for the recent revival of a long-obscured tradition of Sicilian matriarchy. Often referred to as the crossroads of the Western world, ’s prime location in the centre of the Mediterranean has seen its culture shaped by the peripatetic civilisations that have passed through over the millennia – Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards have all left their legacy in ancient temples, magnificent theatres, exquisite mosaics and mighty cathedrals.
But so too have the of the island, their entrepreneurship and innovation leaving an indelible mark on Sicilian civilisation. It is this hidden heritage that a new Sicilian matriarchy experience at Villa Igiea and , Rocco Forte’s.