Ortigia Sicilia Tray

DESCRIPTION

The largest of Ortigia Sicilia’s Dragonflies trays — a rectangular Italian lacquered-wood tray with dragonflies and butterflies scattered across a deep matte-black ground, each insect painted in saturated color. Made in Italy using traditional lacquer techniques.

The tray measures 24″ × 18″ × 2″, built of lacquered wood (not ceramic), with a high-gloss finish over the painted surface that deepens the color and wipes clean. Each piece is hand-finished, so small differences in lacquer depth and saturation are part of the look. At this scale it is the statement size in the Dragonflies family — the same pattern is also made in 16″ × 12″ and 7″ × 5″.

Use it for large-scale serving — cocktails, aperitivo, a dessert spread — or as a styled anchor on a coffee table, ottoman, or buffet console, layered with books, candles, and a small bowl. The black ground makes it an easy match for both warm wood and modern rooms. Ortigia Sicilia was featured in HBO’s The White Lotus, filmed at Sicily’s San Domenico Palace in Taormina, where the line is also sold.

Specifications

Dimensions: 24″ × 18″ × 2″
Material: Hand-lacquered wood, high-gloss finish
Made in: Italy
Brand: Ortigia Sicilia
Pattern: Dragonflies — dragonflies and butterflies in mixed colors on a matte-black ground
Care: Wipe clean with a soft, slightly damp cloth · Not dishwasher safe · Not microwave safe · Not oven safe · Avoid soaking
Sold as: Individual tray, in Ortigia Sicilia gift packaging
Mixes with: Dragonflies 16″ × 12″ and 7″ × 5″, Ortigia Jungle Safari rounds

Questions buyers ask

How big is it really?
24″ × 18″ — large enough to hold a full drinks setup or serve as a coffee-table surface on its own. This is the biggest Dragonflies size Biordi carries.

What are the other Dragonflies sizes?
16″ × 12″ for everyday serving, and 7″ × 5″ as a vanity or catch-all tray. Many customers pair the large with a small.

Is this wood or ceramic?
Lacquered wood. Lighter than ceramic at this size, with a high-gloss wipe-clean surface.

Is it heavy?
Manageable for one person — the wood substrate keeps it light relative to a ceramic piece of the same footprint.

Can I put it in the dishwasher?
No — lacquered wood is wipe-clean only.

Is it food safe?
Yes for dry food, finger foods, glassware, and espresso. Don’t cut directly on it or leave very wet food in long contact with the surface.

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

Is this a good Italian wedding gift?
Yes — wedding gifts are one of the things Biordi is best known for. This is a hand-finished Italian piece, made in Italy, at a scale couples actually register for and use. We ship nationwide, gift-wrap on request, and have been the San Francisco source for authentic Italian ceramics and gifts since 1946.

Is this a good housewarming or hostess gift?
Yes. Gifts are the largest part of what Biordi sells. This arrives ready to use rather than store, and it does real work in a living room or dining room from day one. 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

Dragonflies — an Ortigia Sicilia pattern that sets brightly colored dragonflies and butterflies against a matte-black ground, letting the accent colors carry the whole design. Made in three sizes.

Ortigia Sicilia — Siracusa, Sicily — a privately owned Italian soap, scent, and home company founded in Sicily in 2006 by Sue Townsend. The range is formulated and designed using materials and motifs indigenous to Sicily, drawing on the aesthetics, colours and scents of Italy’s most historic and tropical region.

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.