It is said that around the year 1000, during the domination of the Moors in Sicily, in the Arab quarter Kalsa (in the heart of Palermo) lived a beautiful girl who spent her days devoting herself to the care of her plants. One day, from the top of its lush balcony, it was noticed by a Moor who was passing by those parts. This, as soon as he saw it, immediately fell in love with it and did not hesitate for a moment to declare his love to him. The girl, struck by this statement, returned the feeling of the Moro with passion, but their story started so ardently was destined for a short life. Soon the young woman discovered that her beloved had to return to the East where his wife and children were waiting for him. In the middle of the night, feeling betrayed and humiliated, the girl gave herself up to a moment of jealousy and fatal anger by killing her Moro while she was sleeping. Later he cut off his head and created a sort of vase in which he planted a basil shoot inside which he took care of day by day. Thanks to its heady scent, the basil plant, considered the herb of the kings, picked up the envy of the girl’s neighbors who wasted no time in making terracotta vases with the same features as the Moor’s Head!