Pasticceria Maria Grammatico

"In the early 1950s, immediately after WWII, Maria Grammatico and her sister were sent by her widowed, impoverished mother to convent of San Carlo a cloistered orphanage run by Franciscan nuns in Erice. Here Maria was able to learn the "secret" art of pastry making in the ancient kitchens of the cloistered nuns who sold pastries in order to sustain the convent. When she left the orphanage age 22, with no personal possessions, she applied her knowledge to prepare handcrafted pastries that made her today a Sicilian sweet and pastry authority. I first heard of Maria Grammatico from Kathrin who visited her almost 20 years ago right after American writer Mary Taylor Simeti, told Maria's childhood story in "Bitter Almonds". Today she is the owner of her pastry shop Baroque in the hilltop town of Erice high above Trapani, where one can smell the ancient aromas and flavors coming alive through her pastry shop and cafe'. Thanks to the skillful art of Maria Grammatico, a wide range of old Sicilian recipes for cakes, almond pastries and traditional specialties made just like five centuries ago have been documented and are produced today."

"The famous one. Get ready to be on the line, before to get served. They have also a garden to appreciate their wonderful "delizie": GENOVESE! To try also "dolci di badìa" (almond pastries) "