SICILY ON WEB

If you want to know where to buy the Sicilian coppola hat, you must absolutely read this post. Here, you are in the home of a Sicilian blogger who knows the best places where you can buy original and traditional Sicilian coppola hats.

If you follow my suggestions, you’ll buy handmade and original coppola hats made in Sicily by true Sicilian tailors. With my help, you’ll also avoid to stumble upon not original Sicilian hats! Indeed, you must know that, by now, many traditional Sicilian products are made in China; many of them are frauds, or rather, forgery! Many sellers make you believe that their coppola hats are original made in Sicily, while, in reality, they are made abroad, in another country, with wrong fabric and wrong sewing. If you want to really buy the traditional Sicilian coppola hat, you need to know many details about the history and the features of this cap.

History of the Sicilian coppola hat

The Sicilian coppola is the emblem of Sicily’s culture. It marked the most ancient tradition of island, to become, afterward, an unmissable symbol of men’s fashion. The origins of Sicilian coppola date back to the XVIII century. At the time, this hat was worn by the noble English investors who did business in Sicily. The true origin of the coppola is, hence, British. But this fatherhood lasted short, because the shape of the cap and the brim to cover eyes from sun were perfectly suitable for the Sicilian peasants who spent their work day under the hot sun of Sicily (see the image below).

Very soon, the coppola became the most used cap of Sicilian farmers, a real symbol of the Sicilian people and the expression of a lifestyle, the one of country workers. In the past centuries, Sicilian tailors sewed several kinds of coppola hats, with several shapes, style and colours, so much that this beret became mandatory also for mourning.

On that occasion, Sicilian men wore a black coppola hat. Movies and Television also showed the Sicilian coppola hat on the head of mafia men, but the coppola is not a symbol of the Mafia, but of the first peasants who became mafia protectors in the early rise of this criminal organization.

Furthermore, the brim of the coppola was useful to protect head and eyes from rain. The usefulness of the shape of this Sicilian hat made it suitable for every season. You must also know that the coppola hat is a traditional cap of Southern Italy, not only of Sicily. You can see this traditional cap in Sardinia, Campania and Calabria.

The two cities that embody the symbol of the coppola are Palermo, in Sicily and Naples, in Campania. There, the Sicilian coppola was worn by the so called “guappi”, namely local guys that played doing the bossy guys. The truth is that this cap was used as a symbol of masculinity and the ancient Sicilian and Italian men believed that being bossy with the coppola on their head made them charming even though they weren’t.

These men used the coppola for their entire life, even when they got old and still today, when you visit many Sicilian villages lost in time, you can see old men, with moustache and a coppola on their head, just as in the ancient past of my beloved Sicily (see the image below).

Sicilian coppola hat features

The traditional Sicilian cap was made of tweed or velvet. The first fabric was the typical one of the British and Scottish coppola hat, while velvet has been a more recent fashion trend. The Sicilian velvet hat coppola is regarded as a luxury hat for men and for women. The traditional and original Sicilian coppola is always handmade and perfectly sewed in every angle. Sewing is empowered with the proper fabric to give the cap the famous shape we knows, partially rounded, nearly padded and with a sinuous brim to protect your eyes from sun, cold and rain.

Usually, you can buy Sicilian coppola caps with several sizes, such as small, medium and large. You can also buy Sicilian coppola hats with a unique size, but often these are models made in China and not original. The original Sicilian coppola hat is always handmade by Sicilian craftsmen. The art of sewing caps is very ancient in Sicily and none can match with it! Furthermore, every coppola is unique in his style and shape, but not in the sizes. It must represent your personality and your style. It must also increase your charm. This beret, in fact, can give rise to a winter outfit with gloves and scarf. Try to make a gift for Christmas to your husband or boyfriend with an outfit like this, your soul mate will be enthusiast!

However, the Sicilian coppola hat is not only a winter beret, but also a summer cap. Everything depends on the fabric. I said that the main fabrics of this hat are tweed and velvet, but an original and traditional Sicilian coppola can be made of pure linen, cotton, denim, wool (especially cashmere), true leather and jute (see the image below).

The latter is a natural fabric like linen and cotton, rougher than them, but perfectly recyclable. Jute is the most important natural fabric after cotton and the first one used by the Sicilian tailors to make the first coppola hats for Sicily’s farmers. Very beautiful also the coppola hats in linen and cotton for summer or in wool for winter, or in leather, which makes the hat suitable for women.

Sicilian coppola hats colours

As regards colours, the traditional colour of the Sicilian coppola was sand. In the past, on the occasion of mourning, Sicilian men also wore black coppola hat. Another most used colour was brown. Today, you can buy Sicilian coppola hats with several colours, such as red, green, blue, but also bicolor, with a white background and details depicting typical scenes of Sicily (see the image above). You can also buy the coppola hat for your baby. That is a tender and sweet outfit matched with a Papillion! Furthermore, you can also buy a coppola with Scottish colours, namely with green and red frames.

Sicilian coppola hats for sale

Here, we are arrived in the hot point of my post, because you want to know where to buy you favourite Sicilian coppola hat. Usually, if you visit Sicily, you can find Sicily’s coppola hats for sales in physical shops in Palermo, Catania, Syracuse, Agrigento and Taormina. You can also find Sicilian hats for sale in the local Sicily’s market, along with other traditional products, such as coffa bags and jewels. Unfortunately, these products are often made in China and in India and are not original. Hence, it is better to find a true Sicilian artisan who sells original Sicilian coppola hats. Nowadays, the best solution to find Sicily’s coppola hats for sale is the Internet. Due to the low volume of sales, the few Sicilian artisans who still make original Sicilian coppola caps can’t afford to keep a physical shop and prefer sell their creations on the Web.

Sicilian coppola hats online

If you want to buy a true Sicilian coppola hat online in an easy way, you must choose the online shop which sells only Sicilian coppola hats crafted by true Sicilian tailors. I found the right online shop for you. There, you’ll find the models of the Sicilian coppola I described in my post. They are original Sicily’s hats, handmade and with precious fabric, for men, for women and for baby (see the image). The Sicilian coppola hats that you can buy in this online shop are made by a true Sicilian artisan. He is Ferdinando Patermo, a Sicilian tailor who lives in Agrigento. Buy now your favourite Sicilian coppola hat and let me know if you found the product you were looking for! Furthermore, with your purchase, you’ll support the Sicilian artisans, the quality of their products and the tradition of Sicily. For all this, I say thank you in advance.

Photocredits in order of appearance:

Ferdinando Patermo – Etsy

Giacinto Lo Giudice https://storgram.com/santo.dr

Bindalfrodo – Flickr

OVS Magazine

Stampacritica.org

Ferdinando Patermo – Etsy

Marialauraberlinguer.com

123 RF.com