Erice: One of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages, Erice, Italy

Erice is a quasi-Alpine village nestled on an Italian island in western Sicily. The Association “I Borghi più Belli d’Italia ” recognizes it as one of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages.

This designation spotlights those small Italian towns showcasing Italy’s History, Art, Culture, Environment, and Traditions.

“Sicily’s villages, the most beautiful in Italy, reveal the face of a Sicily that is less well-known and perhaps for this reason, more authentic and precious.” - VisitSicily

I came to Erice in search of the nunnery’s famous almond cookies but lingered for the great heritage (and cats).

The thing about visiting Sicily is the fabulous food. Almost every village is famous for a pastry or sandwich.

And Erice can boast about its buccellati (a hard, baked almond cookies). Pasticceria di Maria Grammatico sells these cookies (and other decadent pastries such as green cassata cakes, cuscinetti (small fried pastries), and every variety of fruit marzipan (including apples, oranges and lemons).

The shop is located on the village’s main street (Via Vittorio Emanule). The hometown almonds are picked in the fields near Erice. They must be grown to pulp. This “almond flour” is the star ingredient. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).