Our history is inevitably intertwined with that of Duke Giovanni Antonio Colonna, then Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, and a passionate botanist, who had hundreds of pistachio trees added to the thriving plantations already existing in his territories of Raffadali and the neighboring municipalities of Contrada Cinti. These trees produced sweets that were brought to Palermo to cheer the evenings of the Palermitan nobility.

As early as 1942, the famous botanist Bonifacio wrote in his monograph on the pistachio that “…..near Raffadali there are 3 gigantic and beautiful pistachio specimens visited as botanical rarities and capable of producing around 200 kg of fruit each”

The historical importance of the product is demonstrated by numerous literary references;

• in the novel “Mid-Autumn Blues” by the writer Santo Piazzese (Sellerio), it is said that the Raffadali pistachio was served with puff pastry canapés and savoury mousses at the Edelweiss bar,
• in “The Stone Crow” by Marco Steiner (Sellerio publisher), it is indicated as an essential element of the cannoli recipe.
• Camilleri’s novel “La Banda Sacco” tells the story of a humble family from Raffadale who manages to emerge thanks to the head of the family’s skill in growing pistachios (grafting and pruning the plant).