Caffè Sicilia

Caffè Sicilia has been on Corso Vittorio Emanuele since 1892, and under the Assenza family since the 1950s. It has become one of the most famous pastry establishments in Italy — not through marketing or celebrity, but through the genuine quality of what Corrado Assenza makes there: granitas in intense natural flavours (jasmine, almond, mulberry), cannoli with hand-made shells, cassata that tastes nothing like the tourist-trap version, and seasonal pastries that follow the agricultural calendar of the Iblean plateau.

Coming to Noto without stopping here would be a serious mistake. Have the almond granita with brioche for breakfast. The service is efficient and unpretentious; the prices are reasonable given the quality. Arrive before 10am to avoid queues in summer.

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A story
Corrado Assenza, the fifth-generation owner of Caffè Sicilia, is one of Italy's most respected pastry chefs — a scholar of Sicilian confectionery tradition who has spent decades documenting and reviving old recipes. He was among the first to work with Sicilian heirloom citrus varieties, treating them with the same seriousness that winemakers apply to grape varieties. His granita di gelso nero (black mulberry granita) has been described as one of the best things you can eat in Italy.

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