Italian sweets in Amalfi and Bra

For many years I’ve held this bias that the French are better at confectionary than the Italians. Don’t get me wrong, if I have to pick a place for dinner, I would most probably choose Italian over French although I do adore French cuisine very much as well. To me, the French are simply soo-perrrb and flawless when it comes to chocolates, desserts, ice creams, pastries and bread. The patisseries, chocolatiers in the trendy streets of Paris are testament to centuries of perfecting these delectable creations. However my opinions changed after two recent trips to Italy where I tasted some really heavenly sweets. The first was in a well-located bakery in the town of Amalfi. I don’t remember the name of the shop since it was a drive-by and I needed a quick sugary fix but the shop is situated to the right of the Amalfi Duomo in the main square, a major tourist icon in Amalfi.  It was like a cream puff, with a delicious custard inside. This custard seems to be ubiquitous in the desserts in Naples in the Campania area, and along the Amalfi coast. Naples is famous for its triangular Sfogliatella, which contains the same kind of custard filling. 

My second encounter with Italy’s fine pastries is at ‘Moris Panetteria and Pasticerria’ (see picture), in the town of Bra, in the Piedmont region in northern Italy. Bra is a small town about 45 minutes from Alba. This town is also the world headquarters and birthplace of the Eat Local movement – Slow Food. I drove into Bra by mistake, or rather to idle away some time before I have to meet my truffle hunter in the neighboring town of Monta. The Piedmont region is famous for hazelnuts. I ordered two pastries, both containing a hazelnut chocolate (think nutella) filling. They were both out of this world and I fell hook, line and sinker in love with them and with Italian pastries. Soft, amazingly light and fresh, this completely changed my opinion about Italian pastries. 

Well, do I think that the French are amazing when it comes to sweets, oh yes! But I believe that the Italians are up there as well.:-)