Lasagna and sweet sfincione, the flavors of yesteryear to be enjoyed in Giuliana's ancient bakery

The experience

The scent of Giuliana, the village in the province of Palermo nestled in the Sicani Mountains, the one that runs from house to house, or rather from oven to oven, is linked to a traditional dish that in a single forkful turns back the hands of time and lets you experience the flavors of yesteryear: the Sicilian-style lasagna of the typical family Sunday lunch. The recipe is simple and old, that of grandmothers with the wool shawl on their shoulders and the rosary in their pockets. Fluffy layers of egg pastry, meat sauce, mozzarella or local cheese, cooked ham, basil, and it’s done, the heady aroma of good food and the stringy heart of this culinary wonder, envelops the roughly 2,000 souls of the small village 750 meters above sea level.

This taste experience can be enjoyed exclusively by the Roots travelers we welcome, prepared in the ancient wood-fired oven, but enjoyed in an unusual way, on the street, as it was done in the old days. All together between laughs, sitting at wooden tables with mismatched chairs and the joy in the eyes of small things.Small and very tasty. A true lunch of community, which invites the discovery of the flavors of the country, an unprecedented and immersive experience.

Homemade sauce, hand-pulled lasagna, salted ricotta cheese, and fried eggplant accompanied by good Sicilian wine meet in a small alley where an old family oven, now disused, has been brought back to life by Franco who will keep you company, while Antonio, Giuseppe and Pippo will tell you about the culinary traditions of the area, the preparation of Giuliana’s iconic focaccia and St. Joseph’s bread.

Not to mention that the village is also renowned for a type of sweet, soft, delicious sfincione, which has made a comeback after About 30 years of oblivion. It conquers palates with the delicacy of its soft, baked dough and filling of sheep’s milk ricotta cream, dusted with cinnamon and topped with chocolate chips. A “poor” dessert that requires, however, great skill in making it. Like the one that – to hear the old ladies of the village – the nun of the Opera Pia Buttafuoco Tomasini must have had in the early twentieth century. Apparently, it was the nun herself who invented the cake to brighten the holidays of the orphans and elderly guests of the institution.

Traditionally, therefore, it was the typical holiday dessert and on Sundays it was accompanied by cooked wine flavored with quinces and spices. Later, due to the depopulation of the town and the closure of historic bars in Giuliana,the precious recipe had fallen from memory. But the sweet sfincione, finally returned, is better than ever, a perfect partner during walks and a visit to the Castle of Frederick II. All that remains is to try.