The streets of Sicily is where you’ll find the real people, the locals who work hard and take pride in everything they do. They do it with a smile and in my experience, they always seem happy to engage in conversation. It’s never “just business.”
Just a block away from our hotel in the center of Catania this Sicilian gentleman was set up for business in the street. I love how he used all surfaces of his vehicle for shelf space to display his fresh produce for the day.
Fragole di Maletto, translates to Strawberries from Maletto. Maletto is a small town about 25 miles northwest of Catania, 3000 feet above sea level, nestled on the slopes of Mt Etna. The strawberries are considered to be the most delicious in Italy, and in June a strawberry festival takes place in this hilltop town. The D.O.C. designation on the sign is interesting to me. Usually applied to wines and other products strictly regulated, I wonder if these strawberries from Maletto are also controlled.
I love shopping like this in Italy. I’m sure many of you do too. Please share your stores here. I’d love to hear them. And any ideas about the D.O.C. configuration are most welcome.
Grazie and Ciao
A dopo (See you later)
margieinitaly 
I never haggle on price at an Italian street market. not only because i dont like yelling, but the vendors have gotten up before the sun to often pick the fruit or veggies, driven to the market and set up. they will be there ALL day or the lucky event they sell out!
in Nov in Florence there was an entire small truck full of clementine oranges….just parked in front of the post office….bur my favorite stop was the bakery for fresh bread every 2 days. no preservatives so unless you can try to toast something as hard as a rock, you return and buy fresh! Margie, are there ANY Italian bakeries in your area? most of them have closed in my part of NJ
LikeLiked by 2 people
I, too, love this kind of shopping in Italy. Not only is the produce fresh, but it’s fun to observe and chat with the vendors.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Susan. I’m like you and enjoy chatting with the local people in Italy. Another chance to practice my Italian language skills!
LikeLiked by 2 people
There is a woman from Avellino who always comes to Orsara selling fichi d’ India (prickly pears/cactus pears) from the trunk of her car. She peels them for you too. Cheese can also be DOC, and I think the cipolle bianche from Margherita di Savoia also have that designation, so it is possible those fragole are too. There would have to be something really unique about them, and available only in a specific area. I take it you didn’t try any? Che peccato! Ciao, Cristina
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am sure the strawberries were grown and guaranteed to come from the prized location. For some reason we do not do that with Key Limes that are prized in pies but most “Key Lime” pies around here are made with the common but tasty Persian Lime. Nothing is a Key Lime and it has to be grown in the Keys to pick up that incredible taste. One of the ladies in our congregation brought back about a gazillion key limes from a trip down there. Everybody was making pies and I ate plenty of them. I juiced mine and froze the juice and when all the limes were eaten up, hehehe, I still had key lime pie! I was very popular!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Smart of you to freeze those key limes. And yes they are they “key” to the taste of key lime pie. ( I apologize for the pun. LOL )
LikeLiked by 1 person