The Sicilian Gift Guide: 8 Artisanal Gifts We Love
Jul 15, 2026
Eight unique and tasteful gifts from Sicily, each with a story.
Sicily has been home to Greeks, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards, and every single one of them left something delicious behind. The Greeks planted the olive trees. The Arabs brought the citrus. Phoenicians brought the salt. The Spanish, somewhat improbably, brought the chocolate. The result is one of the great food cultures of the world — and a gift guide that practically writes itself.
Check out some of the biggest hits amongst our friends and family.
01 — Pegaso Mini Tin Trio (Bomboniere Collection)
Three small Sicilian tins, made for giving. We started gifting our olive oil at our own wedding, then our son's baptism, and it's been a repeat bomboniere (party favor) ever since. This year's Bomboniere collection comes from local family-owned farms in the Hyblaean Mountains, on land that holds EU DOP status and has produced award-winning olive oil for generations. We call this a little tour of Mt. Iblei in three, giftable mini tins just 2 inches tall.
02 — Testa Conserve Anchovies
The Testa family has been sailing Sicilian waters since the 1800s, fishing out of Ognina, the ancient port of Ulysses near Catania. Their anchovies are caught by the family's own boats, hand-processed within hours of fishing, cured in sea salt, and jarred in organic Sicilian extra virgin olive oil. The entire supply chain belongs to one family. There is no other anchovy like it.
Testa Conserve has been recognized by the Specialty Food Association's sofi Awards — one of the most respected quality certifications in the US specialty food industry. TasteAtlas named Testa Conserve among the best canned fish producers in Sicily.
03 — La Nicchia Pantelleria Capers
Pantelleria is a tiny volcanic island between Sicily and Tunisia — a celebrity getaway (Giorgio Armani has a house there, Madonna too) and home to what many consider the finest capers in the world. La Nicchia has been producing them since 1949, hand-picking buds in blazing summer heat and curing them in Trapani sea salt. Their capers carry IGP certification (EU-protected geographical status) and are among the finest. Gambero Rosso, Italy's most respected food publication, has written at length about La Nicchia's work preserving the entire caper plant — buds, leaves, berries — and the culture of Pantelleria with it. A jar of these transforms every pasta, every salad, every board.
04 — Saline Culcasi, Trapani Sea Salt
The salt pans of Trapani have been producing sea salt since the Phoenicians arrived around 1200 BC. The windmills still dot the horizon. The salt is still harvested by hand in the scorching heat of July and August, from shallow evaporation pools in a WWF nature reserve on the western coast of Sicily. Drive by and you may see a flock of flamingos in the water.
Four generations of the Culcasi family bring us Saline Culcasi, Slow Food Presidium certified, PGI protected by the EU and located within the WWF Saline di Trapani e Paceco nature reserve. The Slow Food Foundation recognizes Saline Culcasi specifically for its local supply chain, high production quality and deep cultural value, a meaningful bar to clear and coveted distinction for food producers.
05 — Bonajuto Choco![]()
late, Modica
Founded in 1880 in Modica, also the oldest chocolate factory in Sicily and one of the oldest in Italy. Bonajuto makes their chocolate using a cold-working method inherited from the ancient Aztec tradition via the Spanish: cocoa and raw sugar only, no added fats, no milk, heated gently so the sugar crystals never dissolve. The result has a grainy, intensely flavored texture unlike anything from a commercial bar.
The shop won the gold medal at the 1911 International Exhibition in Rome and has been called the best chocolate in the world by the New York Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Il Sole 24 ore, among others, since the 1990s. Their cinnamon bar is considered a classic. The salt chocolate, made with Sicilian sea salt, is the one to give someone who likes a salty, crunchy chocolate. Ships directly from Modica.
06 — Caffè Sicilia Bronte Pistachios by Corrado Assenza
Bronte is a small town on the slopes of Etna. Its pistachios account for less than one percent of world pistachio production, DOP certified, harvested only every other year to let the trees rest, intensely green and sweet in a way that has nothing in common with what most people think of as a pistachio. The New York Times called them "different" in the most complimentary way possible, noting their "more richly concentrated flavor" compared to anything available commercially.
These particular pistachios are sourced by Corrado Assenza of Caffè Sicilia in Noto in the province of Syracuse, our territory. Condé Nast Traveler called his shop "what may be the greatest pastry shop on the face of the earth." The Los Angeles Times wrote that if they could be magically transported anywhere, it would be to Caffè Sicilia. Netflix Chef's Table devoted an episode to Assenza. The Wall Street Journal called him "one of Italy's most celebrated pastry chefs." Available via Gustiamo.
07 — A Vintage Tre Erre Palermo Majolica Plate
Tre Erre is a historic ceramics studio in Palermo whose hand-painted majolica pieces have been bringing the colors of Sicily into homes for generations. Their plates — octagonal, painted with grapes or lemons in the classic Mediterranean palette of cobalt blue, sunflower yellow, and deep green — are signed on the back and show up regularly on collectors' pages on Etsy and eBay as well as estate sales. Each one is a unique piece of Palermo that nobody else has.
Sicilian majolica has been recognized by UNESCO as part of the intangible cultural heritage of the Mediterranean. Caltagirone and Palermo, where Tre Erre is based, are among the most important centers of ceramic production in Italy, a tradition stretching back to Arab and Norman rule of the island. This is not just a gift, it's an artifact!
Search Etsy: "tre erre palermo majolica" →
08 — All of the Above, in One Box
A tin of Pegaso, a jar of Testa anchovies, a bag of Pantelleria capers, a bar of Bonajuto cinnamon chocolate and a packet of Trapani sea salt. Wrap it in a hand towel or put it in a basket. Add a handwritten note about where each thing comes from. You now have a Sicilian pantry in miniature. Centuries of tradition in a box! In Italy, food is love. And it always makes the perfect gift.
What would you like to see in a Sicilian gift box? Let us know in the comments below!
