Antica Dolceria di Vincenzo In Bronte

Pastry shop with excellent pastries and coffee, cozy stop in the small front garden with a view of the motorcycle

Twenty years ago, or so, I entered Di Vincenzo's for the first time. Since then it has been an obligatory detour when I am near the mountain, Etna. Arriving in Bronte is a unique experience: those who have never seen pistachio trees find themselves faced with an incredible landscape in every season. They have always reminded me of Mondrian's tree, with those downward curves of the branches. Di Vincenzo is on the road, you can't go wrong. You enter and never want to leave again. For the record: there I tasted my first real pistachio ice cream, which can now also be found in other ice cream shops. Not the almost psychedelic green I was used to, but a hazelnut with hints of green and violet. And a unique taste. Speaking of pistachios. Those of Bronte are oblong. And they have purple skin: the others that are on the market and pass themselves off as Bronte pistachios come from Iran or in any case from the Middle East. The taste of Bronte pistachios is unique and inimitable. And you can take it home: Di Vincenzo's specialty are the boxes with almond pastes and pistachio pastes, but don't leave there without a pistachio cake. It doesn't look like anything else (vaguely reminiscent of the hazelnut cake typical of Piedmont, in terms of processing and humidity, if you really have to compare it to anything). And it is so particular that it even deserves a telephone order first, to avoid the risk of not finding it.