I have had some questions about the grocery stores here in Sicily. Its funny to me how people think that Sicily is a 3rd world country. Sicily has been civilized hundreds of years more than the U.S. Granted the culture is definitely different and Sicilians do hold onto old traditions. One of these traditions are the local markets. In America there are the large supermarkets that have everything under one roof, while in Sicily the majority of markets are split up into specialties.
For example nearby there is a great baker that specializes in breads and right next door to him is a place that has fresh veggies and fruits. Granted you have to spend the time to go to each spot, but each has its own personality that makes it kinda fun. And the quality of their products can’t be beat since they are dedicated to those products.
There are also big grocery stores in the area (Auchan, Ipercoop, Interspar, and A&O) when we need that convenience. The grocery stores are definitely different from the States in many ways.
- Most of the big grocery stores are inside Malls. This makes for funny scenes where people are pushing shopping carts full of prosciutto past the Apple store at the Mall.
- The deli sections are awesome. Prosciutto crudo and Prosciutto cotto are our favorites.
- I have never seen so much pasta in my life…. aisles on both sides full of shapes that I have never seen before.
- A lot of different wines/liquors! Imagine aisles of just Italian wines & liquors.
- The fish section at these stores are unreal- definitely a high priority of the Italians
- The cheese sections are also amazingly huge. 25 different Parmigianos and Mozzarellas… why not. But there are zero orange cheeses… like cheddar.
Its funny how we have adapted to this change in our lives. We now tend to buy food just for that particular day instead of for a whole week. For example having a baker nearby has spoiled us into thinking we don’t need to keep bread for a couple days. The baker is this sumo wrestler sized guy that waddles out from the back when I come in and yell “Buonasera!”. He is usually in a shirt 3 sizes too small with flour all over it and he is generally in a grumpy mood. His mood is completely different when Jess joins me, which cracks us up. So long story short its an experience just to get bread, which we have enjoyed. Im not sure how we will react back in the States without these types of differences.
Below are some pictures that I have taken at grocery stores.
Hi Nick. I will be visiting Sicily for 3 weeks in August and for the first week will be staying in Cefalu. Do the large supermarkets sell ice? I know it’s a strange question but I like a cold beer and like to entertain and barbecue. I will have a rental villa for the week and want a full service supermarket in the area. Do you know of any?
Ciao Anthony,
Thanks for the comment. I appreciate any feedback even if it seems random! In reality its a very good question because ice is not as easy to find out here as back in the States. In fact ice is rare to find even at restaurants in your drinks. The Italians don’t seem to have the same desire to have every drink ice cold! The big chains out here for stores are Auchan and Iper. I couldn’t find any in Cefalu with a quick map search. A trick that I have used in the past is to tap into the fish mongers stash. There are a lot of seafood guys on Sicily and usually they have the most ice out of everyone. Maybe buy your fish for the day and ask for a bag of ice in a combo deal. I think that will be your best bet in the little town of Cefalu.
I need to write another post about our visits there. There is a great winery in the town of Castelbuono just South East of Cefalu called Relais Santa Anastasia… if you wanted a change up. Have a great time in Cefalu!
I fill balloons with tap water and put in freezer.
Hi Nick, Thank you for the great information on the website.
I have a question regarding a specific product. As my husband can only eat Weet-Bix (an Australian product), can you tell me if an equivalent breakfast food is available in Sicilian supermarkets?