Meet a living national treasure

Platimiro Fiorenza’s workshop is a treasure trove of craftsmanship. Visitors are introduced to the history of coral working and to the various phases of Maestro Fiorenza’s unsurpassed workmanship. In Trapani, the art of sculpting coral has ancient origins. The golden age of the 'corallai' was between the 16th and 18th centuries, when exquisite works were created for kings, princes, cardinals and popes. Thanks to the supreme quality of their production, Trapani’s 'corallai' were famed throughout the Mediterranean. Numerous artisan workshops sprang up making jewellery, sacred and profane objects, frames and nativity cribs in which coral is mixed with gold, silver, enamel and precious stones.