With this article we’re launching The Etna Edit, a series focused on food, restaurants, and wine around Sicily’s Mount Etna. Our plan is to dive into the rhythm of Etna life — how people eat here, where they shop regularly, and what they bring to the table when they carry it home.
The first of our iconic establishments to discover is Pasticceria Santo Musumeci.
Santo Musumeci is known for gelato and for panettone that carries real weight in Italy. The pasticceria was founded by Giovanna Musumeci’s father when he was in his twenties. Giovanna runs it today, staying focused on precise execution. Over time, her dedication built a reputation, especially for panettone.
We are sharing Santo Musumeci through our collaboration with U’lippu small-lot organic extra virgin olive oil, founded by our close friends Dasha and Mark Trousdale who live in London but work their farm in Sicily. Much of what we know about Etna comes from long meals with friends and good bottles of wine. This is how we discovered Santo Musumeci. Not through a visit, but through our friends first-hand recommendations.
Mark carried back a panettone on a flight to London. We opened it Christmas morning and kept eating it for days. It stayed tender the entire time. What was most impressive is the delicious dough, light crumb, and absence of any trace of the fake preservative taste that plagues so many mass market panettones.
Santo Musumeci is also a place that continues to move forward. Giovanna recently collaborated with U’lippu on an olive oil gelato. This is a flavor that requires complete control. Too much fat and it turns heavy. When done right, it tastes round, savory, and clean.
Her approach to gelato mirrors the pasticceria itself. She keeps the flavors simple and precise, letting ingredients speak rather than layering them for effect.
She also created a mortadella sandwich that replaces the usual creamy condiment with gelato. Cold against warm. Fat against salt. It works because the final product is greater than the sum of its parts.
This is the magic of Sicily. Success is achieved through trust and celebrated around shared tables. Locals appreciate where to eat and are willing to carry something onto a plane for a friend, because it is that good.
Mark and Giovanna share the history of the pasticceria and how it shaped the gelateria today.
Santo Musumeci, Piazza Santa Maria – 95036 Randazzo (CT) – Sicilia, Italia – Tel. +39 095 921196, Instagram @gio_ice
Photos from Sicily by Dasha and Mark Trousdale.