The first restaurant to open in the square of Marzamemi, a fishing village a few km from Noto, La Cialoma was born from Lina Campisi’s dream of helping change the history of the small town starting from good food and tradition.

The name of the restaurant is a tribute to Marzamemi and the history of the Campisi family: in Sicily, the cialoma is the typical work song with which fishermen kept pace during the different phases of fishing.

Born in Marzamemi, once famous for its important tuna fishery, from a historic dynasty of rais and tuna fishermen, Lina is a cook of the sea and a great expert on the raw materials of the territory.

I was born in Marzamemi and I grew up in the smell of saltiness, my cuisine is one of memory and creativity at the same time.

(Lina Campisi)

The story of Taverna La Cialoma is above all that of a family that returns to its land and builds its future here, when it, with the decline of tuna fishing and the destruction experienced during the Second World War, seemed to have been torn away from it.

And Lina has done her best to build a future, albeit with roots firmly rooted in the past. Everything at Taverna La Cialoma tells the story of “her” Sicily: from the hand-sewn tablecloths, to the period chairs and furniture, to the flower vases painted by young local artists with puppets, fish, queens, mermaids.

A place that invites you to discover the most authentic Sicilian cuisine where the raw material is the protagonist of every recipe: the fish from the sea that surrounds the town, the vegetables grown in selected gardens of Pachino, the extra virgin olive oil of Chiaramonte Gulfi.

The dishes come to life from ancient recipes; the bottarga and the salted anchovies are homemade, as are the holiday desserts, the citrus jams and the hand-rolled pasta. Today, Lina’s entire family collaborates at La Cialoma, creating a menu that truly contains the best of local cuisine.

Even its wine list, over 400 labels, explores Sicily in the diversity of its territories and the depth of its winemaking traditions with interesting national incursions.

A location so beautiful, it seems like a movie set. And in fact, it was director Gabriele Salvatores who was the first to enhance the small square that the restaurant overlooks in the 1993 film Sud. And if you look at the scenes from that time, you can see how Lina has changed the history of Marzamemi, indeed!

The Secret

Marzamemi was already well known in the 17th century for its tuna fishery which, after the one in Favignana, was the most important in Sicily.

Useful Info

Taverna La Cialoma
Piazza Regina Margherita 23
Marzamemi, Siracusa
Tel. +39 0931 841772

Starters and pasta courses: from 18 euro
Second courses: from 20 euro