Devotion to San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph) is particularly strong throughout the west of Sicily and, besides altars and various forms of celebration of the rite of the Alloggiate (which recalls Jesus, Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter), the most distinctive expression of this devotion is undoubtedly bread. This is true of Custonaci in the Aegadian Islands, where the “panuzzi” are even said to have the gift of calming the sea, Paceco and Salemi, the “city of bread”, where this tradition is an art form steeped in symbolism and where dinners dedicated to the saint are gastronomic masterpieces.
