When in Italy, do as the Italians: eat gelato! After spending a lot of time in Italy, however, there can be a thing as too much gelato, or you might even be in the mood for a sweet cake or warm treat. Italy has so much more to offer than gelato, and the plethora of bakeries across each town prove this true. Even more interesting are the desserts unique to each Italian town. You'll find different local sweets in Siena than in Capri.
Beginning in Florence, there is one bakery that can give everyone what they want with an overwhelming selection. Caffè Gilli has made homemade pastries and candies since 1733 and calls itself Florence's oldest café. Located just a few blocks from the Duomo and the hub of Florence's shopping on Via Roma, the café is hard to miss (and hard to beat).
Gilli's windows are filled with cream puffs topped with fruits, cannolis, croissants, biscottis and miniature cakes. Boxes of decadent chocolates look more like works of art than treats to eat.
Cannolis are quintessential Italian desserts that you really can't leave the country without trying. The pastry comes from southern Italy in Sicily, and, according to L'Italo Americano, Sicilian bakeries are judged based on the quality of their cannoli. Fried shells are filled with creamy ricotta cheese and usually have fruit, as pictured above, or chocolate on the ends of the pastry.
This Sicilian pastry is interesting because its origins are widely disputed. One story says canonlis came from Arabic women who lived in Caltanissetta, Sicily, while the island was under Arabic ruling. The women who cooked for the princes would create elaborate meals, including ricotta filled pastry dough. Another story says cannolis were made to celebrate Carnevale, a festival in Sicily.
Something notable to try in Italy and at Gilli is the tiramisù. Tiramisù actually translates to "a little pick-me up" and is made from layers of espresso-soaked ladyfinger cookies (sponge cake biscuits) and mascarpone cheese. The layers begin with the espresso ladyfingers, then mascarpone cheese is spread. Then, a layer of zabaglione, which is an Italian custard comprised of egg yolks, Marsala wine, and sugar, according to the DeLallo Company, is layered on top. This is the traditional recipe, but other versions include chocolate tiramisù or fruity tiramisù.
Other desserts from Gilli include millefoglie, fruittino and other fruit-topped desserts. Millefolgies are actually French in origin, but Gilli's bakery selection also includes desserts from a wide variety of countries, though many are Italian.
Freshly made cantucci can be found in the windows of the cafe. Cantucci looks like what we call biscotti, and it is! However, biscotti also includes all twice-baked cookies since there are more than one type of these, according to Eataly. Cantucci is very Italian in its history and originated in the area of Tuscany. Prato is generally agreed to be the origin of cantucci and was originally baked during the medieval ages. The bread is first baked into a loaf and then cut into slices, as pictured above, and baked a second time to create the crunchy texture that we eat. The almond dessert can be served with a dessert wine to be dipped in, or can be eaten on its own.
Unique to Sienna is a dessert called panforte. It is a round bread baked with nuts and dried fruit inside. The darker the bread is colored, the more spices, like cinnamon and cloves, are baked into it.
This dessert's history dates back to the Medieval Ages. Originally called panpepato, panforte was brought to nuns in Siena by servants and settlers, according to Visit Tuscany. Later it became special to Christmas and was served by the upperclassmen of Sienna on the holiday. A later version of the dessert was inspired by Queen Margherita in 1879. She requested a simpler version with vanilla sugar on top of the cake, so appropriately, this panforte became known as Panforte Margherita.
Cristina, a Siena native and local tour guide, said her favorite was the whitest shade of the bread. "They're soft and melt in your mouth," she said. Panforte can be bought at a number of bakeries across Siena. You can either request a large or small portion from the round cake, or buy a prepackaged size from the bakery, but the dessert is sold by its weight.
Pictured above is a slice of panforte from La Nuova Pasticceria in Siena. This bakery is unique because visitors can sample three types of panforte for free before purchasing a slice.
A dessert you can find at nearly every Italian restaurant is panna cotta. Its name translates to “baked cream” in Italian, and it is essentially a combination between cream and gelatin, according to Baking Bites. After the dessert is cooked on the stovetop, the cream is set in a ramekin dish and cooled in a fridge. Berries or chocolate is usually topped onto the light, cold dessert.
Among all of these delectable Italian desserts, and the many more not mentioned, it would be difficult to not find a dessert to enjoy. Despite the country being famous for its gelato, a fresh cannoli or fruity panna cotta is hard to pass up. Plus, it can be fun to try all the traditional desserts across all of Italy's towns!