Written by Rhonda Carrier
Rhonda has traveled widely in Italy, Europe and the rest of the world for publications including Lonely Planet, National Geographic Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, and Food and Travel. Her all-time favorite foodie destination is Sicily.
Italians may be known for long leisurely meals, but their colazione is usually a quick and easy affair, typically consisting of milky coffee (the main event) or an espresso and accompanied by the energy hit of a sweet pastry – perhaps a cornetto (a croissant, often filled with the likes of chocolate, Nutella, cream or jam), biscuits, a bread roll, and possibly some fruit and yogurt. This might be had at home or at a local café, “bar” to the Italians, or a pasticceria (pastry shop).
Despite its diminutive size and the fact that its consumed almost on the hoof, Italian breakfast is still something to get excited about, if you know what to choose and where to get it. From the north to the south, there are a few places in Italy who have made the morning meal a decadent art form. Why not break the fast with one of these.
Granita and brioche
Sicily
Granita and brioche is a deliciously refreshing summer breakfast enjoyed by Sicilians, who love dunking a warm vanilla or citrus-flavored brioche in a dish of the sweet, almost-frozen treat. The most popular granita flavours at breakfast are coffee, chocolate, almond or lemon, but you might also be offered pistachio, strawberry and mulberry. The best place for granita and brioche is said by many to be Messina or at the famous Caffé Sicilia in Noto.
Sfogliatella
Campania
Hailing from Salerno in Campania, these lobster-tail/shell-shaped pastries get their name from their thin, layered, ridged texture. Invented at Santa Rosa Monastery in the 17th Century, they were copied by a Neapolitan pastry chef and hence came to be associated with Naples. Fillings vary: almond paste, candied lemon peel and orange-flavored ricotta are some of the more enticing. If you’re in Salerno, try them at the revered Pasticceria Romolo.
Torta di riso
Tuscany
Tuscany’s soft rice cake was traditionally made at Easter, but people loved it so much it became a year-round affair. Rich, eggy and sticky, somewhat reminiscent of a crème brûlée or like just-set custard, it feels as much like a pudding as a cake. Great places to find them in Florence, for instance, include La Loggia degli Albizi.
Pasticciotto
Puglia
Hailing from Lecce in Puglia, these indulgent little tarts consist of a buttery shortcrust pastry wrapped around a creamy vanilla custard. Pasticceria Natale, just steps away from the ancient Roman amphitheater, is one of the best places in Lecce to enjoy them.
Maritozzo
Rome, Lazio
Maritozzo (a version of “marito”) means husband in Italian, and in medieval Rome, where this iconic dough-based sweet roll stuffed with whipped cream was dreamt up, it was allegedly used to hide engagement rings during proposals.
These are still popular for breakfast in the Italian capital – and still popular as a love token from Italian men to women during Lent. The most famous place in Rome for a classic maritozzo with cream or a Lenten one with raisins is Pasticceria Regoli.
Uovo sbattuto
LOMBARDY
‘Beaten egg’ is an ancient recipe seeming to stem from farmers’ need to consume lots of calories speedily and efficiently. Beaten with sugar, the egg yolks are used as a dip for sponge fingers or biscuits, or added to coffee. In the Lombardy region, a shot of sweet Marsala wine is also added (the result is known as resumada or rusumada). Interestingly, this ultimate in Italian comfort food inspired the Vietnamese egg coffee phenomenon.
Kaiserschmarrn
Trentino-Alto Adige
Local to the Trentino-Alto Adige region, where the cooking is a mix of Tyrolean (Austrian) and Italian influences, this is a scrambled dessert and popular breakfast dish of shredded thick pancakes caramelized with rum-soaked raisins, sprinkled with sugar and served with a fruit compote.
Zeppola
(Also, Frittelle, Graffa, Sfinge, Tzipula)
Multiple regions
Typical of Rome and Naples (where the most famous are served in the iconic Pasticceria Giovanni Scaturchio), the zeppola is a deep-fried dough ball dusted with icing sugar,sometimes loaded with custard, jam, pastry cream, or butter and honey. Also known as frittelle (enjoyed at Carnivale time in Venice), or zippole or zeppole sarde in Sardinia, they can be found in many incarnations from light and airy to heavier, like bread or pasta. Created in their modern form in the 18th Century but with their origins in ancient Rome, zeppoli come with sugar, cinnamon or chocolate. Also in Sardinia, tzipula are similar but spiral-shaped, as the dough goes into the oil via a funnel.