Bronte

Bronte, a village on Mount Etna, is known for its green gold and also for a history of mythology, love, betrayal, and cowardice. Some of the characters are Cyclops, the Emperor of Constantinople, Pope Borgia, Admiral Nelson, Heatcliff, Nino Bixio, and Giovanni Verga: all tied in Bronte and perhaps they have never eaten a pistachio.

Bronte lies about a halfway along the Circumetnea route, nestled peacefully between Mount Etna and the Nebrodi Regional Park. Bronte is the most popular town for Italy's pistachio production, probably thanks to its volcanic soil, pleasant all year around temperatures and hard working Sicilians using only old traditional techniques.

A few years ago, the pistachio was just a green taste served in pubs as appetiser, still too far from being used for homemade ice cream. Today things have changed: more awareness, more desire to find out what the real flavour of this green gold is.