Pastry Shops in Taormina: Cannoli, Cassata and Almond Sweets

What Taormina's pastry shops do well: cannoli, cassata and almond sweets

The pastry case in Taormina is built on a handful of Sicilian sweets: the cannolo, a crisp fried tube filled with sheep's ricotta; the cassata, a ricotta cake; and paste di mandorla, almond paste sweets. Around them sit croccante, a brittle slab of nuts and sugar, and pignolata messinese, clusters of fried dough bound with sugar and honey.

What separates a good shop from a souvenir counter is freshness and restraint. Roberto's own account puts the emphasis on traditional Sicilian sweets made in a family laboratory, and the comments it publishes single out the cannolo's shell and the ricotta inside. If you only have time for one stop, order the thing the shop is known for rather than the widest assortment.

Laboratorio Pasticceria Roberto on Corso Umberto I: a family counter since 1989

Laboratorio Pasticceria Roberto sits at Corso Umberto I, 87, on Taormina's main street, which makes it an easy stop between one end of town and the other. The shop's own history begins with Michele, a head pastry chef in Taormina in the 1960s, and the family has kept his name and the traditional Sicilian sweets going since 1989.

The family describes the business as a pastry laboratory making the sweets of the Sicilian tradition, with cannoli, cassata and sfogliatella named among what it sells. It suits a stop on a walk along the Corso.

What to order at Roberto: cannolo and cassata, and how the counter works

Order the cannolo first. Roberto fills the shells with traditional ricotta rather than a spread of flavours, and the shop's own published feedback praises the crispness of the pasta and the ricotta inside. If you want something else, the range also runs to cassata and sfogliatella.

The shop's site sets out its opening hours by season: June, July, August and September from 9:00 to 00:00, and March, April and May from 9:00 to 22:00.

You can also order ahead: the shop takes orders by WhatsApp and has them ready for collection in the shop. Ask for the sweets to be packed for travel if you are carrying them further than your hotel.

Pasticceria D'Amore: Salvatore D'Amore's small laboratory and its Sicilian range

Pasticceria D'Amore is the other name to know in Taormina, built around Salvatore D'Amore, who has more than 25 years in the trade and runs a small laboratory he opened about ten years ago. The shop describes its work as rooted in the Sicilian pastry tradition with a creative streak, and sells paste di mandorla, croccante, pignolata messinese and torroncini, plus panettone and colombe at the relevant holidays.

D'Amore is the better stop for a wider box: the range covers almond paste in several flavours, nut brittles and the Messinese pignolata, so you can assemble a selection rather than choosing one item. The shop also sells through its online shop with shipping across Italy, Europe and the rest of the world, which matters if you taste something and want more once you are home.

What to buy at D'Amore: paste di mandorla, croccante and pignolata messinese

The paste di mandorla are the core of the range: ground almonds and sugar worked into small shapes, some dusted with almond flakes, some coloured. D'Amore sells them in mixed-flavour boxes, which is the practical way to try several at once. Order them by weight or by box at the counter and ask which flavours are in the mix that day.

The croccante is a slab of almonds and pistachio set in caramelised sugar, and it travels far better than fresh ricotta sweets. Pignolata messinese is the third buy: the Messinese version of fried dough bound with sugar and honey, named for Messina.

Cannoli cooking classes at D'Amore and what they involve

D'Amore runs a cannoli cooking class in Taormina: the staff take you through the authentic recipe step by step, Salvatore explains the history of the sweet, and you taste what you have made and leave with the recipe. Book a ticket for the class during your stay. For the practical details, see the cooking classes in Taormina.

If you want a broader session covering pasta or market shopping as well as sweets, compare the options before booking; the cannoli class is the one to choose if pastry is the point of the trip.

Paste di mandorla explained: almond paste sweets and the Avola and Bronte nuts behind them

Paste di mandorla are Sicily's most common sweet after the cannolo: blanched almonds ground with sugar and egg white into a stiff paste, then shaped by hand and often coloured. They are dense and chewy rather than crumbly, and one or two are enough with a coffee. The shapes vary by shop, from fruit to simple rounds dusted with almond flakes.

The nuts behind them carry their own names. D'Amore uses almonds from Avola, the Mandorla d'Avola, and pistachios from Bronte, sold as Pistacchio di Bronte DOP, the protected-origin pistachio grown around Bronte on the slopes of Etna.

The wider sweet tradition behind these counters is worth reading up on if you plan several stops; the city's pastry culture sits alongside its savoury food, and The Best Restaurants in Taormina guide shows where a sweet course fits into a full meal.

Cannolo, cassata and pignolata messinese: a plain-English glossary

Cannolo (plural cannoli): a tube of fried dough filled with sheep's ricotta, often with chocolate chips or candied peel at the ends. Eat it soon after filling, because the shell softens quickly. Cassata: a round Sicilian cake of sponge, ricotta and candied fruit under a layer of icing, sold in slices.

Croccante: nuts and sugar cooked to a brittle, broken into shards. Paste di mandorla: almond paste sweets, shaped and coloured. Pignolata messinese: fried dough pieces clustered with sugar and honey, a speciality of Messina. Granita: the Sicilian iced coffee or fruit slush served with brioche, a morning order rather than an afternoon one.

Ordering, paying and taking sweets home

At Roberto you can order by WhatsApp and collect in the shop; look at what the counter is selling that day and ask for the cannoli to be filled while you wait rather than choosing pre-filled ones that have sat in the case.

For a box to take home, choose the dry sweets: croccante, paste di mandorla, torroncini and pignolata travel well, while cannoli and cassata do not survive a long journey. Ask for them packed flat and separately so the brittle does not crush the almond paste. If you are flying, put the box in hand luggage rather than the hold.

Trade-offs: a quick counter stop on the Corso versus a shop with a wider range

Roberto is the quick stop: a single counter on Corso Umberto I, a strong cannolo, and the option to order ahead and collect. Choose it when you want one good thing in the middle of a walk and do not need a broad selection.

D'Amore is the shop for range and for taking sweets away: several flavours of almond paste, croccante, pignolata and an online shop for reordering. The trade-off is that a wider selection invites a bigger spend and a longer stop, so decide before you go in whether you are buying a single cannolo or assembling a box.

Which pastry shop fits your day in Taormina

Stop at Roberto for a cannolo and an almond sweet on the Corso, and go to D'Amore when you want a box of almond paste, croccante and pignolata to carry home or a cannoli class to book.