Walks of Italy has a sweet tooth. That’s why we love Italy so much! While pizza and pasta are the most popular, Italy’s desserts, cookies, cakes, and desserts are equally delicious.
These are five of our favourite Italian sweets or dolci.
Gelato
We love the opportunity to get gelato, no matter the season. Gelato is not ice cream. It contains less butterfat (4-8%) than American icecream. This means that it melts faster and freezes less solidly. Gelato is not made with water and air, like ice cream. It has a richer flavor. (Learn more about what gelato is.
Do you want to enjoy the best Italian gelato? Make sure to choose your gelateria with care. Many places “pump up” gelato these days with water and air, giving it that swirly, fluffy look. Many places use artificial flavorings and powders.
Avoid gelaterias that sell gelato that is too light or too fluffy. Here are some of our top gelaterias in Italy .
Cannoli
Cannoli are enough to make you want to visit Sicily or even a Sicilian bakery! The tubes-shaped shells can be fried to a crispy perfection and then filled with creamy mozzarella.
What is the sign of a high-quality bakery? If you can only see the shells in the display case, which is what you’ll get when you order one of their ricotta-filled cakes. You will often be asked whether you would like the ends to be dipped into chocolate chips, candied fruits, or pistachios. You can’t go wrong with any of these options.
Remember, when ordering cannoli, the singular is cannolo. So, “one” cannoli should never be ordered.
Panettone
Like almost every Italian food, panettone can be enjoyed at any time of the year. Although it is from the north, curious people can still try the sweet, dome-shaped bread loaf anywhere in the country. The tradition has been passed from one region to the next.
Panettone is usually studded with raisins or candied citrus peels. It takes several days to prepare panettone as it must be cured, just like sourdough. Here are 6 Christmas desserts in Italy that we love, including panettone. ).
Sfogliatelle
The ultimate pastry symbol of Naples and the south–and, some would say, of the entire Italian mainland–sfogliatelle (pronounced “sfo-ylee-a-TELL-eeh”) are every bit as delicious as they are famous. These pastries are made up of leaves of crispy dough filled with semi-sweet, ricotta mix. They alone are reason enough to visit Naples. Here are 9 reasons to visit Naples, including its pastries.
We love Pasticceria attanasio for a great taste of Italian cuisine. It is located right next to the Naples train station.
Tiramisu
Tiramisu, which literally means “pick me up,” is a dessert made with cocoa and coffee. It is usually made with layers of coffee-soaked biscuits or pieces of cake like panettone, and sweetened mascarpone.
It is interesting that although the idea was originally created in Italy (food historians believe it was first introduced in Treviso in the 1960s), it was virtually unknown in Italy until the 1990s when it was wildly popularized in the United States. It was only then that most Italian restaurants added it to their menus. It can be found as an option in almost all Italian restaurants’ menus today.
