Sciacca Coral
Local Craft Product
Other than the Rubrum species the “Sciacca Coral” is the only other registered coral originating from the Mediterranean Sea. It is distinguished by its particular orange-red colour in various shades, different from the typical red of the Rubrum. It takes its name from the district of Sciacca as it was precisely along the Sciacca coast that it was discovered at a depth of 120-200m among the famous coral reefs know as “Graham”, “Foraneo” and “Terraneo” (1875-1890). The particular and original colour may be attributed to the appearance and subsequent disappearance of the island of Ferdinandea, a phenomenon of repeated volcanic activity over thousands of years and the consequent gas emissions, but also to the underwater currents that over the course of centuries could have ripped off the branches of coral from the rocks to then deposit them in the sandy mud of the seabed which in turn would have genetically modified the original colour.
Territory
