From Bronte to Haworth

The New European has an article on the connection between the Sicilian town of Bronte and the Brontë family.

The first time I visited the town of Bronte in Sicily I discovered two things. 

First: it’s where Italy’s premium pistachio is grown – a purplish, sweet variety dubbed the “green gold”, which is great for confectionery and is exported worldwide.

Second: it’s where the Brontë sisters got their name.  [...]

As I strolled along cobbled alleys, past Baroque churches and boutiques selling bags of pistachios, my guide, Antonio, told me, “Bronte was the name of the three-eyed Cyclops who, according to myth, was blinded by Odysseus when the Greek hero fled with his ship. But that’s not our biggest secret. It appears that the Brontë sisters’ father, an Irish Anglican minister called Patrick Brunty, was so fascinated by our town that he decided to rename his family after it.”

I could see why. From Brunty to Brontë – no big leap. He just added the diaeresis on the “e” to give the Italian pronunciation. 

We walked past the cave believed to be the lair of the three-eyed monster, just outside the old district, and as I sipped on a pistachio granita (slushy) Antonio told me that, alas, Brunty never visited the Sicilian town of Bronte in his lifetime. None of his daughters did either. But it was out of his dedication to Lord Nelson that Brunty decided to change his name. 

Nelson? What did he have to do with it all? The questions poured out of my mouth, and I could see my guide was getting fed up and the other participants on the tour annoyed, but I wanted to know everything. 

“Nelson had been gifted the Sicilian estate of Bronte by the King of Naples,” Antonio explained. The king, it turns out, also gave Nelson “the title of Duke of Bronte to thank him for restoring the king to his throne in 1799 following Italy’s wave of revolutionary riots.” Apparently, letters written by Brunty confirm his developing fascination with this unknown Italian town with a name uncannily like his own.

At the bar on the main piazza I asked a lady sipping a pistachio-flavoured espresso if she had heard about the Brontës’ Sicilian roots, and whether she had ever read Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. She said no, shaking her head, apparently uninterested. 

In the butcher’s shop a stout man with blood smeared over his apron said he was proud that the Brontë sisters were fellow town folks. He told me local schools had started introducing the teaching of English literature, with a particular focus on the Brontë connection. 

The butcher also said that the town’s mayor was trying to spread awareness of this “link” among residents and exploit it to lure British tourists.

Perhaps it’s sad that it always comes down to money. But then turning the Brontë sisters into moneymakers for a remote, pistachio-growing Sicilian town appeals to me. The definition of “Brontë country” is now due for a change. (Silvia Marchetti)

And from Bronte to Haworth as Express reports that Fulton Umbrellas has put together a selection of several chocolate-box villages across the UK that make for the perfect destination for a peaceful staycation. 

Finally, Fulton Umbrellas recommended Haworth in West Yorkshire for travellers looking to step back in time for a short while.

The home of the Brontë sisters, no trip to Haworth is complete without visiting the Bronte Parsonage Museum or looking around their family home, which offers hints surrounding the inspiration of their most famous stories.

Found on top of the Pennines, the village offers plenty of walks outside of it's famous cobbled streets, meaning it is easy to find stunning panoramic views of the countryside. (Jack Mortimer)

Boston.com is looking to create a 'guide to the best literature and non-fiction written by women' with the help of its readers.

George Eliot, author of “Middlemarch,” was actually the pen name for 19th century novelist Mary Ann Evans. Before the Brontë Sisters became well-known for works like “Jane Eyre” and “Wuthering Heights,” they published their first ever book under the names Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. (Zipporah Osei)

Brussels Brontë Blog has a post on a recent talk on Wuthering Heights and pop culture.