In Sicily the art of spinning the textiles and embroideries was active since the Middle Age, exactly in the 12th century ,under Norman domination.
It was introduced by the Arabs and diffused in Palermo. Infact, at that time in Palermo Royal Palace, there were two fabrics, so called Tiraz, where they produced tissues and high quality embroideries.
Sfilato embroidery spreaded in Sicily during the 16th century and first diffused in the churches for the liturgical vestments.
In Ragusa it expanded thanks to a noble lady from Piemonte, Ester Manari La Rocca di San Germano , married to Byron La rocca.
The baroness, after she found some embroideries in an old trunk, showed it to a nun , called Luna, who belonged to the Santa Teresa convent.
After that, the nuns began to make embroideries utilizing this technique.
By this time , the Sfilato embroidery enriched the precious trousseau of the young girls that belonged to the noble local families.
The Sfilato is made of valuable textiles such as the pure linen.
It can be made by hand or by the textile loom . The technique consists in removing three or four threads from the canvas, in the bold direction and the weft direction, and covering the remaining threads with cord,in order to make a small grid that frames the drawing.
Nowadays ,the Sfilato embroidery belongs to the UNESCO Register of Immaterials Heritage, which is founded by the Sicilian Department Ministry of Culture .
Presently, in the Ragusa area there are expert embroiderers , carekeeper of the old technique .
In Chiaramonte Gulfi, a baroque small town of Iblean area, there is a recent museum, that is the Embroidery and Sicilian Sfilato Museum.