The cannolo siciliano is a fried pastry tube filled with sweet ricotta; in Palermo it is decorated with candied orange zest, and it began as a carnival sweet.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Some food historians place the origin of cannoli in Caltanissetta between 827 and 1091, in the Arab period; Gaetano Basile argues they come from the Palermo and Messina areas and were first a carnival treat. Italian Wikipedia says Palermo's convents and pastry shops, including the tradition of the monastery of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, shaped the Baroque form of the cannolo and spread it, and that the suppression of religious orders in 1866 and 1867 let recipes leave the cloisters. The pastry is on Italy's list of traditional agri-food products.
Tours, tastings and classes that match this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
3 hours
Get your hands dirty! Make arancina, roll out the traditional dough, and fill your cannolo. A unique Sicilian cooking lesson, with authentic flavors,...
2.5 - 3 hours
Discover the secrets to making authentic homemade pasta and tiramisu from a local chef. The cooking class takes place in a locally loved restaurant,...
3 hours
Roll up your sleeves and discover the flavors of Naples by making authentic pizza and creamy tiramisù with a passionate local chef. Cook, laugh, eat,...
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Nuts
Tip from the editors. Never pre-fill cannoli. The ricotta turns the shells soggy within an hour; pipe to order or carry the shell and filling separately.
Pasticceria Cappello, at Via Colonna Rotta 68, has 80 years of taste adventures behind it and is known for a cake of seven layers of chocolate and hazelnuts.
Worth the queueCake of seven layers of chocolate and hazelnuts
TipAlongside the cannoli filled with ricotta there is a pistachio delizia; a second shop is at Via Nicolò Garzilli 19.
Antico Caffe Spinnato on Via Principe di Belmonte in Palermo is a meeting place to spend time in company, in a relaxing and convivial atmosphere.
OrderCannoli, cassate or almond sweets from the Sicilian pasticceria.
TipA second Spinnato shop on Piazza Castelnuovo serves its specialities from breakfast to aperitif.
Pasticceria Costa, at Via Gabriele D'Annunzio 15, sells Cassata Siciliana Barocca, buccellato and frutta martorana, with another shop at Via Maqueda 174.
Worth the queueCassata Siciliana Barocca
TipHome delivery in Palermo is free for orders over €40, and standard shipping is free over €100.
Stancampiano on Via Giovanni Campolo in Palermo is a coffee shop, pastry shop, gelateria, drinkeria and pizzeria, known for its gelato since the early 70s.
TipThe shop sends its waffles, crepes, coffee, pizza and sandwiches across Palermo in a few minutes.
More cities are in research. Want cannolo siciliano covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.
