Sicily: retail and gastronomy done the Southern Italian way

I love to travel and this year my destination was Sicily. Italy is famous for flavours and food but Sicily is different: it is special, a bit wilder and more natural. In shops Italian brands dominate and in every town small specialist shops (bakery, butcher’s, etc.) constitute the backbone of retail. In cities there are hypermarkets and discount stores, we find the flagships of Austrian, French and German chains. Small shops and farmers sell their products at open-air markets and by the side of roads from their vans or cars. My favourite town in Sicily is Ragusa where retailers are really creative. For instance butchers offer cheese and bakery products with the cold cuts they sell and make sandwiches (e.g. for tourists) – all these make shopping more memorable and simpler. Customers are always willing to pay more for complex services. There is great pizza in Sicily and restaurants sell house wine everywhere, which is as good as bottled wine but is sold for half the price. Sicily is also famous for its delicious desserts: magnificent ice creams and special almond cakes lure customers in confectioneries, it is impossible to resist them. What about drinks? Limoncello (lemon liqueur) and amaretto (almond liqueur) are both Sicilian specialties and real treat for the lovers of sweet liqueurs. When we travel, it is worth analysing afterwards what we saw in a foreign country, because adopting good ideas can help our work.