Pasticceria Grammatico

Pasticceria Maria Grammatico is the most famous pastry shop in Erice, the medieval hilltop town that rises above Trapani in north-western Sicily. Its story is part of its fame: Maria Grammatico learned the art of almond confectionery as a child in the town's San Carlo orphanage and convent, where the cloistered nuns guarded centuries-old recipes, and she later opened her own shop to bring those once-secret sweets to the public — a tale told in her memoir, Bitter Almonds. The result is some of the finest almond pastry in Sicily. The shop's specialities centre on the local almond and the convent tradition: frutta martorana, the realistic marzipan fruits sculpted and painted by hand; mustazzoli and buccellati, the spiced and fig-filled biscuits of the Sicilian holiday table; bocconcini and other almond-paste sweets; and the seasonal gelo di mellone, a delicate watermelon pudding. Everything is made with the prized almonds of the region, and the craftsmanship is exceptional. The shop itself is small and atmospheric, with a counter for take-away and a café area for sitting with a coffee and a sweet; prices are reasonable for handmade pastry of this calibre, with marzipan fruit sold by weight. Erice's setting amplifies the experience: the town's stone lanes, churches and views over the Trapani salt pans and the Egadi Islands make it one of western Sicily's most beguiling places, often wreathed in cloud. The pastry shop is on the main Via Vittorio Emanuele, an easy stop while exploring. No reservations are needed. For visitors making the cable-car ascent or drive up to Erice, a visit here is an essential taste of a singular Sicilian sweet tradition.