Taormina … Miss Hill’s School of Lace

Taormina has always been renowned as a destination for British visitors ever since the 18th Century with many leaving a legacy of history and romance giving the town a quintessential British touch. From the Grand Tour to poets, writers, movie stars and pop idols you can find evidence of the British Isles everywhere.

In the 18th century British aristocracy would embark on what was known as 'The Grand Tour' visiting all of continental Europe enjoying the culture and embarking on purchasing fine works of art and antiques. Taormina was an obligatory stop on The Grand Tour and has played host to foreign visitors ever since. Being the last stop on the tour many decided to stay and make Taormina their home. Visitors chose Taormina for its peaceful location and beautiful landscapes with many drawing inspiration for paintings, poems and novels. They enjoyed Taormina’s glamourous way of life, with afternoon teas and soirees in beautiful villas and lush gardens.

From March 1920 to February 1922 Taormina became home to the author D H Lawrence and his wife Frieda. In 1920 he sent home to England samples of embroidery made by the women of Taormina.

Miss Mabel Hill, the daughter of a Welsh ship owner, who arrived in Taormina at the end of the eighteen hundreds had already fallen in love with these beautiful creations and started an embroidery school in Taormina known as ‘Miss Hills School of Lace”. There are today shops on Corso Umberto and Via Teatro Greco who still follow in her students footsteps.

On the 22nd April this year an exhibition dedicated to Miss Mabel Hill and her School of Lace was inaugurated in Taormina.

Having arrived in Taormina in 1898, Miss Hill founded the school where many young Sicilian girls could learn a trade that could support them financially. In the town embroidery was a real business. She recruited teachers from Castiglione di Sicilia, a nearby hilltop town in the Alcantara Valley, whose women were experts in the Sicilian way of needle point. The precious pieces made in her school were known in Sicily as "travagghi n'glisi" which translates to "the work of the English" and these soon became highly appreciated all over the world.

In a letter sent to his friend in England which included the samples of embroidery D H Lawrence wrote "I'm sending you two pieces of fabric, that are typical of Taormina. The local women make them, they spend all day sitting in the street working on them. It is what the loom was for pagan women, Penelope or Fedra. Only while the pagan women stayed in the house in a room upstairs, these women stay sat together in the street, week after week, year after year". Embroidery in his words was a social and sharing occasion in Taormina.

The needlepoint technique, puntu n'glisi, consists of several steps, from the geometrical designs to the threading of the squares to form small holes, which are first completed on an embroidery frame with the eyelet, or buttonhole, stitched and then filled with embroidered elements consisting of various shapes such as flowers, leaves, dolls, fine nets or puppets, creating artistic geometric forms and floral designs.

Another Miss Hill’s School of Lace was soon created in Castiglione di Sicilia.

Today between Castiglione di Sicilia and Taormina this now rare and valuable activity is still flourishing and there are numerous embroidery teachers who manage to combine tradition and innovation with the aim to preserve the past and to promote and increase opportunities for the younger generations and to keep this intricate skill and artisanal tradition alive.

Miss Mabel Hill (1866-1940) was the daughter of Sir Edward Stock Hill, the founder of Hill's Dry Docks in Cardiff, and she came to settle in Taormina in 1898 with her family who were living in the old Franciscan Convent of Santa Maria di Gesù. The property at this time was the residence of the vice British consulate to Messina. In this splendid property, which was called Castello Santa Caterina, Miss Hill welcomed many young girls to her School of Lace. Today the convent is the property of the Franciscan nuns.

Taormina has a lot more to thank The Hill Family for.

On Via Luigi Pirandello, near Taormina’s bus terminal, you will find the Anglican Church of St George. Prior to the completion of this beautiful church in 1922 the church services for the English speaking community of Taormina were held in their private houses. Sir Edward Stock Hill offered a private chapel that was located in their house but it eventually became too small for the growing community, so Sir Edward decided to purchase some land and build a church on it. English speaking services are still held here today. The church boasts a wonderful stained glass window behind the altar which was relocated from the private chapel of Sir Edward. This window whilst slightly damaged is one of only three in the church to have survived the World War II Allied bombardment of Taormina. The window depicts our lord of the cross, St George the patron saint of England and Saint Catherine of Alexandria who is the patron saint of needlework, handicrafts and young girls. The family also understood the potential of growing tourism in the town and founded the first bathing facility on the beach of Isola Bella where the Scottish lady, Florence Trevelyan who created the Public Gardens of Taormina, bought the tiny island in 1890 and built a house and established a garden on there. Mabel's mother was among the promoters of the London club "Friends of Sicily".

Miss Mabel Hill owned a house in Taormina named La Guardiola, now called Villa Guarnaschelli, located on Via Guardiola Vecchia. It is rumoured King Edward VII the eldest son of Queen Victoria and friend of Miss Hill would stay there anonymously. The house boasts sweeping panoramic terraces with a lush garden. I have had the pleasure of visiting this stunning private residence with my friend Isabella Randazzo of Weddings in Sicily Taormina and it was fascinating to see where a past King of England had slept and been entertained by Miss Hill. Sicily is a land full of romantic myths and legends and it is said that there was a dalliance between the close friends and it is thought to be the reason why the King visited Taormina often, but then there was also rumours of a entanglement between him and Florence Trevelyan with it said that this was the reason that Florence had to leave England. As with all myths and legends we will never really know the truth behind these love stories. The King was dedicated a special room overlooking Isola Bella so he could watch the sunrise. Villa Guarnaschelli is one of the most beautiful and fascinating noble villas in Taormina and an architectural jewel that today preserves the memories of those who lived and stayed there. It is now used today for exclusive rental and weddings and events. During the 1950's, under the ownership of Don Guarnaschelli, who was the owner of Taormina's then casino Mon Repos, the house welcomed guests such as Marlene Dietrich, Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas and Louis Armstrong and it is rumoured that Richard Burton wanted to buy the house but Don Guarnaschelli was reluctant to sell. For several decades Miss Hill's former residence was neglected but a three year restoration has restored it to its former glory including an infinity pool and the rooms bear the names of its illustrious past guests.

On Via Bagnoli Croci near the entrance to The Hill Families former home in the convent you will see the road sign "Via Miss Mabel Hill", this is a small road named in honour of Miss Hill. In St George’s Anglian Church there is also a commemorative plaque in memory of her.

Miss Hills School of Lace is part of the Taormina Cult Trail which is a routed map of 21 places where the muses made their home in Taormina. The trail is a thematic route through and around the town which includes culture, history, literature, cinema, art and gives honour to Taormina’s glorious past.

The Exhibition this year in honour of Miss Mabel Hill is located in the Sala Giovanni di Giovanni in Piazza Aprile IX in Taormina which was the former church of Sant' Agostino a 15th Century building that now houses the town library and is also used for art exhibitions and cultural events. The church was built in late Sicilian Gothic style, except for the bell tower and one of the portals which were rebuilt in the 1700's. Since 2001 the ex-church has housed the municipal library that contains more than 22,000 volumes of which 2,000 are dedicated to Sicily. The refectory is now a reading room and other rooms house historical archives.

The Miss Mabel Hill exhibition consists of articles and artefacts from both her School of Lace and her home with examples of traditional embroidery and needlepoint from private collections. There are also sepia toned photographs of The Hill Family, their residence, staff, friends and students of the School of Lace. The articles of embroidery include placements for dining, bedding for a matrimonial bed, bath linens, table cloths, linens for wedding gifts, toiletry dollies, ladies blouses, hankerchiefs and napkins. There are also tools for the art of embroidery, a dressing table vanity set and washing basin with water jug.

I love the history of the British legacy in Taormina and I love all things made of lace and embroidery and try to implement them into my wardrobe and Sicilian home as much as I can. The world famous designers Dolce and Gabbana love Sicilian lace and embroidery and always use it in their designs as a recurring theme. The pair often use Sicily as inspiration for their collections, Domenico Dolce was born in Sicily and still calls the island his home today.

This small exhibition gives a wonderful insight into the Victorian era in Taormina and the life of Miss Mabel Hill and shows yet another side of British history in the town.

The Miss Mabel Hill exhibition in Taormina is on until 30th July 2023 from 10am to 8pm

A further exhibition for Miss Hill's School of Lace is currently being held in Castiglione di Sicilia until 31st July 2023 in Castello Ruggero di Lauria from 10am to 1pm and from 4pm to 7pm

A piece of Embroidery or Lace from Taormina makes the perfect souvenir to take home to remind you of your visit to our beautiful island.

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A big thank you to my amazing friend Isabella Randazzo from Weddings in Sicily Taormina for accompanying me to the exhibition and for arranging a private viewing of Villa Guarnaschelli

If you enjoyed this Blog post then you might enjoy these ones from my archive

Taormina … The British Legacy https://whitealmond-privatesicily.blogspot.com/2017/09/taormina-british-legacy.html

Taormina … Victorian Follies https://whitealmond-privatesicily.blogspot.com/2015/01/taormina-victorian-follies.html

Taormina Cult … 21 Places the Muses Made Their Homehttps://whitealmond-privatesicily.blogspot.com/2015/08/taormina-cult-21-places-muses-made.html

A Coronation Mass for King Charles III in Taormina https://whitealmond-privatesicily.blogspot.com/2023/05/taormina-coronation-mass-for-king.html

Casa Cuseni … a House in Sicily https://whitealmond-privatesicily.blogspot.com/2016/08/casa-cuseni-house-in-sicily.html

12 Sicilian Love Stories http://whitealmond-privatesicily.blogspot.com/2018/02/12-sicilian-love-stories.html

25 Sicilian Myths & Legends https://whitealmond-privatesicily.blogspot.com/2021/08/25-sicilian-myths-and-legends.html

Love at Villa Mon Repos http://whitealmond-privatesicily.blogspot.com/2019/09/love-at-villa-mon-repos-taormina.html

Link: Isabella Randazzo www.weddingsintaormina.com

PHOTO GALLERY

Cover photo credit: Città di Taormina