Just why is it that almonds are used?
It seems that the association of almonds with love dates back to a Greek legend. The story is that a young man named Demofone met the princess Phylis, and fell hopelessly in love with her and asked her to marry him. However, before the wedding could take place, Demofone heard that his father had died in Athens and he had to return home for the funeral. He promised to return for the wedding within a certain date but he miscalculated the time necessary for the journey and arrived three months late. Phylis, meanwhile, convinced that she would never see her loved-one again, hanged herself.
The gods, touched by her love, transformed her into a splendid almond tree. Crushed by his grief, Demofone offered a sacrifice to the tree, declaring his everlasting love for the woman who had killed herself: in reply to his words, the almond tree suddenly burst into flower. Ever since then, impetuous youth and eternal love have been symbolised by the almond tree.

The small village of Avola, in Sicily, produces the rarest and the most fragrant almonds - fruity and with a delicate flavour of vanilla. These delightful nuts, smooth and with a wide, flat shape, are covered with a thin veil of sugar which exalts the aroma and keeps them soft. Their elegant shape and refined flavour make them the ideal choice for the preparation of “confetti” of incomparable quality.