At a glance

Type

Traditional agricultural container (sack / bag); item of Sicilian material culture

Period

In continuous use from antiquity; peak production 17th–20th century

Style

Functional craft object; sometimes decorated with woven or stencilled motifs

Location

Sicily, southern Italy

Materials

Jute, hemp, canvas; occasionally linen or cotton for finer household containers

Overview

In the Sicilian agricultural tradition, the sacca occupied a central place in the annual cycle of the harvest. Large saccas of rough jute or hemp held grain destined for the local mill or for export through the island’s ports at Palermo, Catania, and Trapani. Smaller cloth versions served as household storage for legumes, dried herbs, and spices. The making of these containers was typically the work of rural craftspeople — saggers and sail-makers — whose trade intersected with the broader textile economy of southern Italy.

History

Sicily’s reputation as the “granary of Rome” and, later, of the medieval Mediterranean meant that large-scale grain storage and transport were perennial concerns of its economy. The sacca as a standardised container type appears in Sicilian administrative documents and inventories from the Norman period onward, with regulated weights and measures defined by local statutes. Industrial production of jute sacks from the late 19th century gradually displaced handmade versions, though artisanal producers in the interior provinces continued making decorative and functional saccas well into the 20th century. Contemporary craft revivals in Sicily have renewed interest in traditional container-making as a form of cultural heritage.

What you see

A typical field sacca is a coarse cylinder or rectangle of jute, stitched with thick hemp thread at the seams and finished with a drawstring or fold-over closure. Agricultural saccas intended for grain were undecorated and built for durability; finer household versions sometimes feature geometric or floral patterns woven into the fabric or applied as stamps. Museum collections in Palermo (Museo Pitrè), Caltanissetta, and Agrigento hold representative examples from the 18th to early 20th centuries.

Cultural significance

The sacca is an emblem of Sicily’s agrarian identity and its centuries-long role as a supplier of grain and agricultural goods to the wider Mediterranean world. As industrial containers replaced handmade ones in the 20th century, the artisanal sacca became a marker of pre-industrial material culture, now preserved in ethnographic collections and revived by contemporary craft practitioners who connect it to sustainable-agriculture and zero-waste movements.

Practical information

Where to see examples

Museo Etnografico Siciliano Giuseppe Pitrè, Palermo; local ethnographic museums in Agrigento, Caltanissetta, and Enna

Opening hours

Check each museum’s official website for current hours

Admission

Varies by institution

Getting there

The Museo Pitrè in Palermo is located within the Parco della Favorita and is reachable by bus from Palermo city centre. For other ethnographic collections in inland Sicily, car hire from Palermo or Catania airports is the most practical option, as public transport to rural towns is limited.

Sources & resources

• Museo Etnografico Siciliano — Wikipedia
• Cultural Heritage Online — Italian monuments & cultural sites