One hot day in May, I opened the door of a tiny Sicilian café and found a lone elderly woman sitting in the dark. Not realising the café was closed, I told her – in poor Italian – of my quest to find a special type of chocolate that’s unique to the island.
Surprised and happy to see a tourist so early in the season, she beckoned me over and pulled back a curtain. There was an entire wall of shelves holding nothing but dozens upon dozens of chocolate bars in every flavour imaginable.
For years, travellers have been drawn to Sicily’s intriguing history, smoking volcanoes and famed cuisine, but somehow the island’s distinctive chocolate – made in the Unesco World Heritage town of Modica and inspired by the traditions of the ancient Aztecs – has remained one of the world’s best-kept secrets.