Italian Pastries

Most Italians have a real sweet tooth. During your holiday in Italy, try visiting the local bar in the morning and see the selection of Italian breakfast items – cornetti with cream or jam, brioches, torte, crostata. No coarse bread here. If you're lucky, there might be a small white bun with a thin slice of cold cut!

Generally, pastries are part of almost every meal and they vary greatly from region to region. Taste your way through during your holiday in Italy.

Pastries in the Lucca region

If you choose to holiday near Lucca, you will find the "Buccellato" cake. It is probably the most characteristic cake from Lucca. Actually a sweet bread made from flour, anise seeds, and raisins; hence the name, as the Latin name "buccellatum" means bread. The people of Lucca eat it dipped in caffélatte in the morning or in wine in the evening – or without anything during the day.

Many bakers within the ancient city walls sell Buccellato, but you'll find the truly authentic one at the characteristic "Pasticceria Taddeucci" in S. Michele Square, in the center of Lucca. The Giulio and Magalì Taddeucci family has 120 years of experience in its production, and it's the correct dosage of anise seeds that gives it a very special taste.

Also try baking my Italian apple cake without butter yourself. A quick and delicious cake.

Pastries in the Siena region

If you are holidaying in the Siena area, you cannot avoid stumbling upon "Panforte".

An ancient recipe, originally a sweet bread with honey, to which nuts and dried fruit were later added along with various spices such as cloves and cinnamon. A flat, slightly sticky, very rich cake. Or taste the refined Ricciarelli. Very sweet, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Made with almond flour; somewhat marzipan-like and with an orange flavor.

In Siena, the bar "Nannini" is worth a visit if you want to taste cake specialties. The address is: Via Banchi di Sopra 24.

Pastries in Sicily

In Sicily, you will see the colorful "Cassata Siciliana" in the bars – very, very sweet – as well as the filled Cannoli Siciliani with ricotta cream. Also, be sure to taste the pistachio ice cream in Sicily and don't be surprised by its light brown color; that's because no artificial green color is added.