I spent time in Sicily just before Christmas. Flying to Catania, which I’ve visited before, I stayed in Paradise hotel (old fashioned, but lovely) near Mount Etna, which had an overnight splutter. Leaning on the balcony, drinking a flaming Aperol Spritz while watching the glowing lava pour down the sides, was a peak experience. The air smelled of charcoal, smoke, and sulphur.

I hired a car and drove to some towns and villages I haven’t previously visited. You could spend a lifetime discovering Sicily.

Noto

 

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Softly lit, a rose gold gem, Noto, famous for Baroque architecture, isn’t too far from Catania. At the end of November, the churches, shops and streets were ready for Christmas, with nativity scenes, twinkling lights and giant stacks of wrapped presents.

I entered one church to find a hilarious ‘presepe’ or ‘creche’, as all the figures were knitted or crocheted. There was beautiful singing, then I realised I’d barged in on a funeral.

Featured in The White Lotus, the town has become more popular with tourists. I ate at Nachè, which had really good food. I had an orange, olive and fennel salad, and a saffron and fig risotto – both excellent. I must try making this risotto.

Film posters in the streets pointed to the annual short film festival which takes place in August. I’d like to go for the flower festival, the infiorata, in May, where the streets are paved with floral patterns.

The main high street has some cute shops: I bought lemon and orange chocolate almonds and small scented soaps, beautifully packaged, from OrtigiaSicilia.

Bronte:

 

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Bronte is the epicentre of the pistachio industry of Sicily. As I drove towards it, winding past a smoking but snow tipped Mount Etna, past the terrible litter, I saw the twisted branches of pistachio tree groves. Just before the sign into town, there is a giant pistachio.

I got there on a Sunday so probably didn’t see Bronte in all its pale green splendour but I visited a bakery that sold pistachio pasta, pistachio cannoli, pistachio liqueur, pistachio pesto, pistachio gelato, pistachio ‘nutella’, pistachio chocolate and a pistachio panettone. Other cafés sell pistachio crépes for instance. I reckon virtually every food is available in pistachio flavour or with a pistachio crust. Bronte is considered to have the best pistachios in the world, and are a PDO, a protected designation of origin.

These pistachios are smaller than American pistachios, with a purple skin and a bright sweet green interior. Like many foods grown in volcanic black soil, they are particularly flavoursome.

I’d like to visit during the biannual late summer harvest.

Trapani:

The most famous nut however in Trapani is the almond, typically  found in Pesto Trapanese (recipe here), similar to Pesto Genovese but with almonds instead of pine nuts..

Trapani is a port on the Northwestern coast, a couple of hours from Palermo. You can get a ferry to ‘caper island’ Pantelleria from there (something I plan to do) and other islands such as the overrun Lampedusa. From Trapani you can get the boat to Africa.

I was there in the off season, November/December, but I get the feeling that not many tourists make it to Trapani. It’s a pleasant and friendly town (except for the bitch in the phone shop).

Arriving late at night, my iPhone having died in the hire car (how did we travel before google maps?), I stopped in a pizzeria. The owner took off his apron, jumped in his car and asked me to follow him, right to the door of my hotel.

It’s a historic area, occupied by Carthaginians, Romans, Normans, Arabs, Africans, as well as almonds and fish, you can see salt flats surrounding the town.

Erice:

 

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A ten minute drive from Trapani is the village of Erice, one of the most beautiful in Sicily. With shining narrow cobbled streets, I drove up by mistake (somehow missing the car park below the entrance archway) and scratched my hire car. It was impossible to turn round and I needed the help of several despairing Sicilian workmen.

I ate cake and good coffee at Pasticceria Maria Grammatico. You can buy orange and citron (cedro) jam and tiny detailed iced cakes as well as sculpted marzipan fruits (frutta martorana) that are so pretty.

Every corner had a view of the sea, or a snow peaked mountain, a palm tree or a church or, it being near Christmas, a presepe nativity scene, secreted in a chapel or a niche in a wall. There are gift shops selling paintings, ceramic decorations, gorgeous rag and raffia rugs and grocery shops with beautifully packaged food and drinks such as tinned swordfish, capers from Pantelleria, jars of almond pesto.

Marsala:

 

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Marsala is best known for the fortified wine; 2023 was the 250th anniversary of the creation of the wine by a Liverpudlian, John Woodhouse. (The British also created Port and were key to the expansion of Sherry. We do love our sweet wines).

The town, walls and archways are made from sandstone, with small shopping streets and some elegant churches: I bought cedro citrus and not only bottles of Marsala with gilded art nouveau labels but also almond wine. The fish market is tiny; although I spied a fat-tailed skate and bags of sloth-like snails poking their heads through the mesh.

Drinking a coffee in an ordinary bar, I saw a baker making panettone in a back room. ‘I want to learn to make that’ I said to the girl behind the bar. ‘Impossible, it takes a month to make by hand’ she shot back.