Throughout Sicily, not only in shops and ateliers, but on verandas and terraces of many houses, we find the colorful and unmistakable pinecones and the adorned heads that carry a lot of symbolism beyond its decorative character. These heads, called "Teste di Moro" or "Moorish Heads", originated in the 11th century.
It would be a sin to visit Sicily and not taste the real Sicilian gelato. Like the rest of Italy, that makes exceptionally good gelato, such as the San Gimignano region itself - a medieval village near Firenze - in Palermo there are unique pistachio-flavored gelatos that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.
Sicily has a long-standing tradition of pastry making whose heritage was left by Arabs, Greeks and also Spaniards. That's one of the reasons of which Sicilian desserts are so rich, diverse and commonly made with sweet ricotta and almond paste. I particularly love two of them: the cassata and the cannolo.
Palermo doesn’t have a large offer of hotels. There are all types of hotels in the city, but I can’t recommend any because I have never stayed anywhere else other than a Bed & Breakfast or at a friend's house. When I first went to Sicily, it was a pleasant surprise to find a charming B&B named BB22, whose owner became a great and dear friend.