‘The White Lotus: Sicily’: The True Story Behind the Testa di Moro Statues Is More Important Than You Think
The second installment of Mike White’s critically acclaimed HBO drama is finally here, and The White Lotus: Sicily episode 1 does not disappoint. There’s an intriguing story about Testa di Moro early in the episode that Will Sharpe’s character asks the resort staff about. Why are there so many severed head statues around the resort? There’s more to the story than Rocco (Federico Ferrante) mentioned, and it might come into play later in the season of The White Lotus: Sicily.
‘The White Lotus: Sicily’ Episode 1 Recap: What is the story of Testa di Moro?
In the first few minutes of The White Lotus: Sicily Episode 1, Ethan Spiller (Will Sharpe) asks why there are so many head statues around the resort. Rocco explains that the heads are all around the The White Lotus Sicily resort because of an old story about Testa di Moro.
A moor came to the resort and seduced a local girl; however, he didn’t tell her he had a wife and children back home. Because he lied to her, she cut off his head, so there are severed heads around the resort.
The story is brief and straightforward for the episode. It implies that underlying tone of infidelity that’s already lurking in the new guests to the hotel. But there’s a lot more to unpack when we research the true story of Testa Di Moro.
The true story of the legend of the Moor’s head — Testa Di Moro
Around 1100, a young Moro fell in love with “a beautiful girl with rosy skin.” She lived in Sicily, and her “eyes seemed to reflect the beautiful Gulf of Palermo.” According to the legend (as told by the BB22 resort), the Moro declared his love to the young girl, and she reciprocated.
However, he told her he had to return to the East, where his wife and two sons lived. When she discovered that the Moro lied to her, the girl killed him in his sleep, cutting off his head. She made a gorgeous vase out of his head and planted basil in it.
The basil flourished on the balcony, so the neighbors created replicas with terra-cotta pots in the shape of a Moor’s head. On many Sicilian terraces today, you might find Testa di Moro pots to admire. However, they also serve as a warning to all husbands.
What do the severed head statues foreshadow in ‘The White Lotus: Sicily’?
The combination of the Casa di Moro story and Daphne’s (Meghann Fahy) comments about murder might foreshadow what’s to come in The White Lotus: Sicily.
“I do a lot of Dateline,” Daphne told Harper (Aubrey Plaza), Ethan, and Cameron (Theo James) on the first day. “Husbands murdering their wives. Happens a lot on vacation. Scuba diving — they just unplug her oxygen while she’s underwater. Happens more than you think.”
After watching episode 1, viewers know that multiple guests die before the end of their vacation in Sicily. However, Daphne is one guest who remains alive. Her husband did not kill her, but did she kill him? From the trailer, we know that Ethan and Cameron have some “fun” with two locals — Mia (Beatrice Grannò) and Lucia (Simona Tabasco). The previews imply that the two men cheat on their wives.
If the Casa di Moro story that Rocco told comes true, the women could cut off their husbands’ heads for infidelity. We also know from the trailer that Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) suspects Greg (Jon Gries) of cheating. We could imagine the same about Tanya — she finds out and kills Greg in a fit of rage.
Whatever happens, we believe that the story of the severed heads comes into play later in The White Lotus: Sicily episodes.
The White Lotus: Sicily airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO until the season finale on Dec. 11, 2022.
