JEWELERY AND ANTIQUES,
IN THE SIGN OF A PASSION
THAT IS HANDED DOWN FROM FATHER TO SON
Fecarotta Antichità is an antiques and jewelry shop.
Located in the historic center of Palermo, in via Principe di Belmonte 103 / B, is a reference point for lovers of precious and refined objects: in its blue and white-paneled display cases, corals, silver, jewelry and majolica attract the looks with the refinement of the workmanship, the blaze of colors, the harmony of forms.
The Fecarotta family
In 1891 Palermo hosted the National Exposition, a magnificent fair of production and technology, but also of arts and customs – an event of extraordinary relevance in the economic and social life of the city. The Fecarotta family took part as a supplier of the Real Casa: goldsmiths and engravers with a century-old tradition behind them, animated by a taste and passion that are handed down from one generation to another, running along the branches of the family tree starting from the progenitor Giovanni Fecarotta, goldsmith at the court of Francesco I of Bourbon, King of the Two Sicilies from 1825 to 1830.
From Franco Maria Ricci’s Encyclopaedia of Sicily it is learned that Giovanni Fecarotta “after studying architectural design with Giuseppe Caporizzo, devoted himself to the chasing of metals, distinguishing himself ‘for many ingenious works of feminine ornament’ (ca 1830) and also receiving important commissions [ …] like the ‘large silver teapot with foliage, and arabesques […] for Mr Fox’ (1828), to be identified probably with the English baron Henry Richard Vassal Fox, known for his patronage […]. Also noteworthy, is his activity as a branch engraver, which he performed, among others, in the service of the scenographer Luigi Tasca and for the architectural publications of Domenico Lo Faso, Duke of Serradifalco. In 1848 he became the official engraver of the royal mint”.
Ability of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit bring new life to the activity of this family of artists, who in 1866 creates a real company and inaugurates its first location in the heart of the city.
The Fratelli Fecarotta company firstly opens in Corso Vittorio Emanuele, on the corner with Via dei Cinturinai: silver and jewels are admired and purchased by the city’s upper middle class and by the nobility of the island and the very young Kingdom of Italy. There are also numerous travelers from all over Europe, who in the Fecarotta creations find the glaze of the very blue sky, the gold of the orange gardens, the sensual shapes of the red arabesque domes. Palermo is as rich and fabulous as it will never be.
On the initiative of Giuseppe, one of the five founding brothers, in 1889 a second shop was opened nearby, bearing the insignia Giuseppe Fecarotta was Nicolò.
In 1934, Ciccino, Giuseppe’s son, moved the shop to 42 in Ruggero Settimo street – the road that connects the Massimo Theater to the Politeama Theater – and gave it his name: Francesco Fecarotta was Giuseppe.
IT IS OCTOBER 24, 1961
IT IS BORN
FECAROTTA ANTIQUITY.
Beppy, the son of Ciccino, leaves the shop in Ruggero Settimo street to open a new one in the adjacent street, the elegant Principe di Belmonte street, the new “living room” of the palermitans: to a refined taste combines a confident entrepreneur instinct and decides to expand the family business by offering customers not only silver and jewelry but also antique furniture, paintings, works of art, corals.
Fabrizio Fecarotta has taken the baton that was passed on to him by his father Beppy: together with his wife Giulia and their children Francesco, Giuseppe (Beppy jr) and Maria Giulia, he continues with passion, rigor and competence the relentless pursuit of beauty that began over two centuries ago with the ancestor Giovanni, goldsmith of the Bourbon king. He was responsible for combining the family tradition with the most modern technologies: today, Fecarotta Antichità has a website (www.fecarottantichita.com), offers customers the opportunity to choose an online gift from the wedding lists, is present on Facebook and uses it to advertise exhibitions and events.
In addition, most of the jewels, silver and objects of the shop will be available in the new online shop to be viewed in every detail.
The shop’s activity includes estimates and appraisals for art collections and furnishings, as well as restoration consultancy, for which it then entrusts the work of expert specialized craftsmen.
In the jewelry sector there is a “sartorial” goldsmith service, with customized solutions and settings.
Nativity scenes and Mediterranean coral jewels, ancient and modern, are a constant presence in the assortment of the shop and an expression of an exquisite art that has always fascinated Fecarotta.
Fabrizio Fecarotta says about the restructuring of the sales area (June 2014): “We could have chosen a simpler solution. We could have changed everything to chase a passing trend, or not to change anything and embalm ourselves in the past. I preferred a complex solution, but more stimulating and basically closer to the spirit of our family: respecting a tradition we are proud of, without ceasing to look to the future, faithful to the idea that beauty is fragile and precious: first of all it has to be understood and loved, and then guarded, valued, shared”.
Fabrizio Fecarotta has taken the baton that was passed on to him by his father Beppy: Fecarotta Antichità is not only a sales space, however elegant and welcoming. Respectful keepers of the best traditions, but also receptive to what changes in the taste, sensitivity and spirit of the time, Fabrizio and Giulia Fecarotta together with their children Francesco, Giuseppe and Maria Giulia have always expressed this double vocation by organizing exhibitions. A vocation that in March 2018 they enhanced by expanding the historic location in via Principe di Belmonte – in addition to the space intended for the display and sale of jewelry, silver, corals and precious objects, they set up a real multipurpose art gallery, an expositive space for exhibitions and cultural events: SPAZIOCENTOTRE Arte Contemporanea. Established artists and young talents are hosted here, creating opportunities for meeting, promoting art, circulating and exchanging ideas.
With this initiative, which combines entrepreneurial spirit and love for culture in all its forms, the Fecarotta family confirms their commitment to spreading beauty and the intention to contribute concretely, with passion and tenacious search for quality, to keep up the name of Palermo.