On a cloudless day you can see North Africa from Sicily where the arid landscape is filled with paddle-shaped cactus and seems more Maghreb than Italian. A big flowering cacti is potted in an enormous clay vessel on the patio at Sciuri Bakery Café. Pronounced “shuri” and meaning “flower” the cafe anchors a small strip mall on Miami Beach and specializes in Sicilian sweets.

Glass cases in the white-on-white space are filled with cakes, pastries, eclair-shaped mousse, tarts, cookies and other confections. Jars of candied almonds in flavors like pear, orange and anise are on top of the counter. There are also two crowned ceramic heads known as Mori, a style used as planters placed on gateposts.