Ortigia Sicilia Hand & Body Wash- Fico D'India

Ortigia Sicilia hand and body wash in Fico d'India — 500ml of pure liquid glycerine wash in a heavy glass bottle, carrying the house's signature Sicilian prickly pear fragrance.

Fico d'India is drawn from the wild prickly pear that grows across Sicily: green and powdery rather than sweet, with fig leaf over cedar and a lift of orange blossom. In a wash it reads clean and restorative, and it works equally at the kitchen sink, on the guest basin, or in the shower.

The glass bottle is deliberately heavy — it's meant to sit out where you can see it, not hide under a cabinet. 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.

Size: 500ml
Material: Liquid glycerine wash in heavy glass bottle
Made in: Italy
Brand: Ortigia Sicilia
Fragrance: Fico d'India — Sicilian prickly pear with fig leaf, cedar and orange blossom
Ingredients: Natural vegetable glycerin base · Paraben-free · No SLS · No mineral oils or silicone derivatives · Naturally derived colours and fragrances · Not tested on animals
Use: Hands and body
Sold as: Individual bottle

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

Is it for hands or for the shower?
Both — it's formulated as a hand and body wash.

Is it drying?
It's a glycerine wash made without SLS, so it cleans without the stripping feel of detergent-based soaps.

How long does a 500ml bottle last?
At a kitchen or guest sink, typically several months.

Can I match it with other Fico d'India products?
Yes — Biordi carries the fragrance as soap, bath salts, hand cream, 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 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 — a heavy glass bottle of Italian wash by the kitchen sink is one of the most-used gifts you can give someone moving in. 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 customerservice@biordi.com.

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.

Italian ceramics are heirloom quality products, and can last lifetime with proper care. We have some suggestions that will preserve your majolica for years to come.

Majolica is dishwasher safe, but many people choose to hand wash their pieces as a precaution. Because majolica is a porous material, some pieces are not meant to hold liquid for a long period of time. Check for warning labels before ordering a product, as the pieces that are most notorious for "sweating" are appropriately labeled.

Majolica is sensitive to extreme temperatures, specifically boiling or freezing liquids. Pouring water with a rolling boil directly into a teapot, for example, may lead to breakage. To avoid this, temper the object. The industry standard is 620 degrees Celsius (1,148 degrees Fahrenheit). Quench the glass to cool it.

Crazing is common in well used majolica. The tiny cracks in the glaze do not affect the functionality of your majolica.

Majolica hand-crafted products should not be microwaved, as it may crack and/or break the ceramics.

UPS Ground

Flat shipping charge of $10 for each shipment of merchandise under $100.00. For orders of $100.00 or more, shipping is 10% of the order total.

UPS Next Day Air

Flat shipping charge of $63 for each shipment of merchandise under $70.00. For orders of $70.00 or more, shipping is 90% of the order total.

UPS 2-Day Priority (Rush Shipping)

Flat shipping charge of $42 for each shipment of merchandise under $70.00. For orders of $70.00 or more, shipping is 60% of the order total. Note: This option is required for shipping to Alaska and Hawaii.

USPS 3-Day Priority

Flat shipping charge of $21 for each shipment of merchandise under $70.00. For orders of $70.00 or more, shipping is 30% of the order total.

International Shipments

Please contact us at customerservice@biordi.com or call us at (415) 392-8096 for quotes to ship internationally.

You will be charged a rate based on your delivery area, value and shipping preference. For items shipped via UPS, see below for information pricing information. Once the package is shipped, you will receive an email with tracking information to track your package.