Although Sicily now has its first luxury designer mall (see Fashion), shopping on the island is less about Gucci or Armani and more about atmospheric street markets, ceramic workshops, black lava souvenirs and gastronomy.
There are food temptations wherever you go: chocolate from Módica, pastries from Noto, pistachios from Bronte and capers from the Aeolian Islands.
Shopping Hours
Opening times are Mon–Sat 8/9am–1pm and 4–7.30pm, but many non-food shops close on Mondays and, with the exception of supermarkets, food shops usually close on Wednesdays. In Taormina, the shops are open daily.
Antiques
Siracusa is renowned for its reproductions of Classical Greek coins. Palermo offers treasures, fakes and junk at its daily antiques market near the Cappuccini Catacombs, while the shops around Corso Umberto sell a mixture of antiques and bric-a-brac. In antiques markets what you see is rarely genuine.
Some of the most distinctive items in antiques shops are parts of the painted carts (carretti siciliani) that were once the mainstay of transport in the countryside. Intact carts are now collectors’ items.
Kitsch souvenirs
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Pottery and ceramics
Sicilian terracotta pottery dates back to Classical times, but the sophisticated Persian glazing techniques were introduced by the Arabs in the 9th century.
Today the best ceramic workshops are found in Santo Stefano di Camastra on the north coast and in Caltagirone, southwest of Catania. Santo Stefano sells a range of ceramics, but the authentic ware has a rustic look, often with fish motifs. Caltagirone ceramics have instantly recognisable animal and floral motifs in dark blue and copper green with splashes of yellow. Look out for the tall albarelli jars once used for storing dry drugs, and the vast selection of heads depicting characters from Sicilian history that are used as ornaments or flower pots.
Papyrus
The ancient Egyptians brought the African plant of papyrus to Siracusa, and Fonte Ciane near the city is now the only place in Europe where it grows wild. The Museo del Papiro in Siracusa (for more information, click here) has samples of ancient papyrus art. Stalls and shops all over the town sell inexpensive papyrus pictures, from fine copies of Egyptian designs to tacky portraits while you wait.
Antiques and bric-a-brac
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
Crafts
Erice produces bright, hand-woven cotton rugs. Monreale is known for straw and cane goods. Palermo, Catania and Taormina are home to jewellers selling coral and gold.
Or you can buy replicas of the puppets from Sicily’s popular puppet theatres – puppetry’s main traditions are in Palermo and some of the best models are still made there. Vincenzo Argento, the last puppet maker in a 160-year-old family business, will make a paladino (paladin or knight) to order (Corso Vittorio Emanuele 445, Palermo; tel: 091 611 3680).
Food and Wine
Look out for delis selling local specialities such as fruit preserves, almond spreads, spicy pesto, salted tuna roe (bottarga), honey, olive oil and salted capers. Sicilian pastries such as cannoli (for more information, click here) and almond cakes are abundant. Seasonal sweets and biscuits include marzipan lambs for Easter and ossi dei morti (dead men’s bones) biscuits for All Souls. In Palermo, pupa a cera are figures made of icing sugar. A green tangerine fruit syrup from a Catanese ciospo (kiosk), or a pistachio pesto from a speciality shop, make for perfect gifts.
Local wines can be tasted in an enoteca (wine shop), which acts as a regional showcase. In Taormina you’ll find the local vino alla mandorla (sweet wine flavoured with almonds) as well as dessert wine, especially Moscato and Malvasia from the volcanic islands.
Fashion
Sicilia Outlet Village (www.siciliaoutletvillage.it) in Agira, just east of Enna, is Sicily’s first luxury designer shopping mall. Fashions here are heavily discounted. Free shuttles run from Palermo, Messina and Trápani. For fashion elsewhere head to the boutiques of Taormina, Palermo (Viale della Libertà and Via Ruggero Settimo) or Catania (Via Etnea). Here you’ll find designer clothes from Valentino, Coveri, Gucci, Armani and the half-Sicilian Dolce & Gabbana. For cheaper clothes in Palermo try Via Maqueda or Via Roma, and in Catania opt for the side streets.
Pottery maker in Santo Stefano
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
Anti-mafia shopping
Libera Terra (www.liberaterra.it), which farms land confiscated from the Mafia, sells produce such as wine, oil and preserves at its shops in Palermo (Piazza Castelnuovo 13), Erice (Via San Rocco 1) and Corleone (Cortile Colletti 2).