Ortigia Sicilia Bath Salts – Fico d’India

DESCRIPTION

Ortigia Sicilia bath salts in Fico d’India — 500g of 100% Sicilian sea salt, naturally perfumed. A modern revival of an ancient tradition: a handful dissolved in the bath makes the water noticeably soft and carries the fresh fragrance of fig and cedar through the room.

Fico d’India is Ortigia’s signature scent, drawn from the wild Sicilian prickly pear — green and powdery rather than sweet, with fig leaf over cedar. In the bath it reads clean and restorative rather than perfumed, which is why it suits tender skin and tired limbs.

The salt itself is harvested in Sicily. All Ortigia products are made by small family companies that pride themselves on the quality of their work, and the decorative packaging is designed by Sue Townsend, drawing on exotic Sicilian images and colours.

Specifications

Size: 500g
Material: 100% Sicilian sea salt with natural perfume
Made in: Italy
Brand: Ortigia Sicilia
Fragrance: Fico d’India — Sicilian prickly pear, fig and cedar
Use: Dissolve a handful in a warm bath
Care: Keep the container closed and dry
Sold as: Individual, in Ortigia Sicilia packaging

Questions buyers ask

How much do I use per bath?
A handful is enough to soften the water and carry the scent. 500g gives you many baths.

What does Fico d’India smell like?
Green and powdery rather than sweet — fig leaf and prickly pear over cedar. It’s Ortigia’s best-known scent and reads as unisex.

Is it actually Sicilian salt?
Yes — 100% Sicilian sea salt, perfumed naturally.

Will it leave a residue in the tub?
It’s sea salt, so it dissolves. Rinse the tub as you normally would.

Can I match it with other Fico d’India products?
Yes — Biordi carries the fragrance as soap, hand cream, hand and body wash, roll-on perfume, and candles.

Where is it made?
In Italy, by Ortigia Sicilia — founded in Sicily in 2006 by Sue Townsend.

Is this a good Christmas gift?
Yes. Ortigia Sicilia’s Fico d’India bath salts, made from Sicilian sea salt, are a relaxing gift for the quiet days after Christmas and an easy hostess present. Order by December 15, 2026 for ground shipping in time for Christmas, or add Florentine gift wrap at checkout and we’ll send it ready to give.

Is this a good Italian wedding gift?
Better as a shower, bridesmaid, or thank-you gift than a registry piece — it’s a consumable Italian luxury rather than an heirloom. For the wedding itself, Biordi’s hand-painted Deruta ceramics and Murano glass are the stronger choice. We ship nationwide and gift-wrap on request.

Is this a good housewarming or hostess gift?
Yes — particularly for someone moving into a place with a real bathtub. Arrives ready to give. Add Florentine gift wrap at checkout if you’d like it sent finished.

Why buy Italian gifts from Biordi rather than other retailers?
Biordi Art Imports has been San Francisco’s source for authentic Italian ceramics and gifts since 1946. Voted Best Overall Retailer in the San Francisco Bay Guardian Best of the Bay readers’ poll for five consecutive years. Designated a San Francisco Legacy Business (#LBR-2020-21-029), and the city declared May 1 “Biordi Art Imports Day” in 2021. Every piece comes from a named Italian artisan, family workshop, or heritage house we work with directly — FIMA, CF Deruta, Pia Formato, Eugenio Ricciarelli, Susanna DeSimone (from the famous Palermo ceramic family — her father painted with Picasso), Geribi, Bucci Ceramiche, Ortigia Sicilia, Italesse, and Salviati. Not a stock-photo listing, not a mass-produced import, not a reproduction.

Can this be customized or personalized?
Customization and personalization are available on select pieces. Eugenio Ricciarelli, FIMA, Pia Formato, Geribi, and CF Deruta accept special orders — a name, date, or occasion painted on the piece, or a different size or shape in the workshop’s existing pattern. Lead time is typically 3–6 months because each piece is hand-painted to order in Italy. Contact Biordi Art Imports at (415) 392-8096 or [email protected].

ARTISAN STORY

Fico d’India — the prickly pear that grows wild across Sicily, and the fragrance that made Ortigia’s name. Green, powdery and citrus-lifted, it appears across the full range from soap to perfume.

Ortigia Sicilia — Siracusa, Sicily — a privately owned Italian soap and scent company founded in Sicily in 2006 by Sue Townsend. The range is formulated using natural products indigenous to Sicily and inspired by the aesthetics, colours and scents of Italy’s most historic and tropical region. All Ortigia products are made by small family companies; the decorative packaging is designed by Sue Townsend.

The name Ortigia comes from the small island at the edge of the ancient fortified city of Siracusa, on Sicily’s southeastern coast. The streets of Ortigia are crumbling baroque façades of great splendour looking out on three sides to the sea, and the Piazza del Duomo is considered one of the most beautiful in Italy. This part of the island is known as “la Sicilia Orientale” for its proximity to Africa and almost tropical climate.

Sicily carries a colourful history of conquest, invasion and assimilation — Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese and Bourbons all left their mark. That layered culture inspired the creation of the Ortigia range.