Sicilian woman in the traditional costume of Piana degli Albanesi

The painting refers to the ‘exoticism’ arising from promoting local communities. The painter depicts the noble simplicity of the traditional costume of Piana degli Albanesi with delicate embroideries and fabrics, and decorated with precious embossed silver belts. The town near Palermo is still inhabited by a community of people who settled there at the end of the 16th century who fled the Balkans after the Turkish invasion. They still worship according to the Byzantine rite, use Albanian as their language and wear fine traditional costumes for the main celebrations such as Easter or weddings.