My love for Sicily and city of Siracusa hasn’t waned. Visiting her is like slipping on my well-worn leather trench coat. Crunchy sea air, dark coffee fumes, baking buttery maritozzo and memories wash over me. 
I walk through the Ortigia market talking to the fish vendors and Grandpa Sebastiano comes to mind. He was a fisherman from Augusta, Sicily and then from Boston when they immigrated. Grandma Maria was the cook. She made simple and fresh dishes. The memories, sheer beauty, history, delicious dishes and joyful feelings keep me coming back to Siracusa as does Bar del Ponte Cristina.
At Bar del Ponte Cristina, the baristas pull luscious, aromatic cappuccinos, caffès and caffè lattes. Trays of freshly baked cornetti, simple and chocolate filled brioche, bombe fritte (donuts), and sfgolie alla ricotta (fried pockets filled with ricotta cheese) fill the glass shelves. The maritozzo con uvetta is my favorite. The boat shaped pastry is made with sweet brioche dough speckled with raisins and lightly topped with sugar crystals. 
Maritozzo originated in Roman where raisin, pine nut and candied fruit studded maritozzi quaresimali were served during the Lent. In Rome today, plain maritozzo sliced open and filled with whipped sweetened cream are more common. I prefer the Sicilian version served alongside a cappuccino while sitting at an outdoor table looking at the Temple of Apollo and listening to Sicilian chatter. Buon colazione!
Bar del Ponte Cristina
Piazza Pancali 22
Siracusa, Sicily
Many moons ago I visited Cetara with Francesco, my father-in-law and 4-year-old nephew. The day remains etched in my mind. The hot July sun chased us as we sped past sandy beaches, the crystalline waters of the Amalfi Coast and lemon trees. After an hours drive on a seemingly never-ending windy road we arrived at the fishing town of Cetara.
It was here that I met my friend 
This lemon-centric dessert reminds me of summer days. The scent of the sea and the local yellow fruit bring cravings for delizia al limone. The citrus taste and springy cake are refreshing and light. The bottom layer is made of pan di spagna – sponge cake – soaked in a lemon infused simple syrup or in a limoncello syrup. The filling changes from bakery to bakery. Most use pastry cream infused with lemon zest. Delizia al limone is made in a cake-form frosted with a lemon whipped cream and in individual dome portions. I prefer the latter at the end of a salty beach day in Cetara with family.
Located on the Amalfi Coast, it is rarely visited by tourists who speedily drive by to other picturesque and overcrowded towns. Although the beach front is minuscule, the water is crystal clear and Cetara is known for its exceptional seafood and colatura di alici (fermented anchovies likened to Roman garum). The essence of anchovy is the taste that I’m after.
The most popular colatura centric dish is spaghetti mixed with the sauce, olive oil and crushed garlic cloves. We add a few salted anchovies and parsley to the mix. I also drip it over boiled potatoes.
