The bakeries I’ve been banned from in Naples

The city of Naples dates back to the 2nd Millennium BC. Visited for its rich history, jaw-dropping seaside views and stunning architecture, Napoli's full potential is however still underappreciated.

In addition to its elegant buildings, sense of style and historic sites, Naples is a superlative food destination.

While pizza is the first food-association, the city's pastry scene is equally tantalizing. So much so that my nutritionist has issued a restraining order that prohibits me from returning too often to the city's historical pastry outlets.

Here is a list of bakeries in Naples I've been banned from (and where I nonetheless go as often as I can).

Antica Pasticceria Vincenzo Bellavia

This native Sicilian bakery at its fouth generation since 1925 is where Neapolitans stop for breakfast or to pick up top-notch cannoli, cassata as well as a wide variety of traditional Neapolitan pastries and gelato, plus classic or gluten-free desserts, holiday creations, spumoni and more. My guilty pleasure here is the Mery Mou cake, a caramel and meringue production topped with whipped cream and crunchy chocolate pralines. The variety and the quality of products put family-run Bellavia among the city's best, with four city-wide locations, including one in the Naples Capodichino airport.

Pasticceria Salvatore Capparelli

While enjoying a beautiful view of Piazzetta San Gaetano not far from Basilica di San Paolo Maggiore, I like to linger with Signora Pina, peacefully putting away the shop's fine selection of traditional pastries like parigine, zeppole and ventagli. Capparelli's best insight into the true taste of Naples is however their babà. The pillowy mushroom-shaped levened pastry is baked and then soaked in a simple syrup and rum blend, and is one of the city's symbolic desserts. Babà can be plain, or filled with sweetened whipped cream, pastry cream, and even ricotta cream, topped with macerated cherries or fresh berries.

Carraturo

Founded in 1837, this is one of my favorite and less glitzy bakeries in Naples. Usually after a slow passeggiata from the Archeological Museum, passing by the Contemporary Madre Museum, I head east to busy Piazza di Porta Capuana (old city stone gate with triumphal carvings) just to stop at Carraturo, and then virtually feel my blood sugar spike. Round occhio di bue shortbread biscuits, babà, pastiera and other classic Neapolitan specialties are always served with a smile. A fine cup of espresso coffee completes the offer.

Gran Caffè Cimmino

Well known for its aromatic espresso, this is where locals can rely on for their zeppole. A word about these delightful pastries: Zeppole di San Giuseppe are baked (or fried) in the days leading up to San Giuseppe (the feast of St. Joseph, on March 19th, Italian Father's Day). These are ring-shaped choux pastry that once baked/fried are sliced open and filled with lemon-scented pastry cream and topped with syrupy amarena cherries. Obviously the fried zeppole are better. Cimmino has two branches, one on Via Filangieri and the other, with gulf and Mt Vesuvius views, on posh Via Petrarca. Both shops have issued a court order against me for excessive patronage.

Gran Caffe Gambrinus

Located at the intersection of Piazza Plebiscito, classy via Chiaia and the royal palace of Naples, with its own Teatro San Carlo opera house, the historic cafè has been a haunt for intellectuals, politicians, and bon vivants since 1860. Reminiscent of the elegant Belle Epoque coffee houses of Vienna or Paris, illustrious Italian celebrities––like poet Gabriele D'Annunzio and philosopher Benedetto Croce, as well as international personalities such as Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway––shaped the country's culture while munching on buttery tea-time biscotti.

Mazz

When ricotta and cream are whipped together with poached pears and then sandwiched between speculoos-type hazelnut biscotti, you get a delicious local cake called ricotta e pera. While the crunchy crust pushes out the soft center when bitten into it, the contrast in textures and delightful taste make this one of my favorite Napolitan cakes. I have found the best ricotta e pera to be served at Mazzaro, which recently changed its name to Mazz. Located on Via dei Tribunali, the bakery sits under the archway with the bronze Pulcinella head. Their zuppa inglese (a sort of trifle) isn't bad either!

Mennella

Way back in 1969, Antonio Mennella set up his pastry shop in Torre del Greco. Fast forward 40+ years later when the founder's sons Vincenzo, Giuseppe and Roberto's passion turned those humble beginnings into a booming pastry and gelato business, opening 5 city-wide shops and a modern centralized bakery lab where their traditional and modern creations come to life.

Moccia

In the spring of 1936, inheriting her parents' passion for bread baking, Signora Giuseppina Moccia opened a panificio on Via Roccella, now called Via Carducci. When in 2014 the San Pasquale branch of the family franchise closed, we worshippers of their signature pizzette and sweets were in shock for months. The Posillipo store still bakes amazing Caprese, Pastiera, Delizia al Limone and other classic cakes, including a ring shaped babà cake that's not to be believed. A satellite business called Moccia 1936 recently opened by ex-Moccia employees on Via Benedetto Croce, that focuses on the savory signature pizzetta di Moccia.

Poppella

In the heart of the Rione Sanità, in business since 1920, family-run Pasticceria Poppella is where university students and musicians on a break between solfeggios at the conservatory come for Fiocco di Neve (a brioche bun filled with a cream whose recipe is kept secret), Calice di San Gennaro and Bombetta di Totò (white and dark chocolate dipped babà filled with cream), torta Napulè and more. With the third generation now at the helm, in 2016 Poppella opened a second branch on via Santa Brigida, at a stone's throw from the Maschio Angioino castle, Galleria Umberto I and Teatro San Carlo.

Scaturchio

Locals and dessert lovers in Naples flock to the city's oldest pasticceria for cakes like pastiera––a sweet semolina tart filled with orange blossom flavored-ricotta––that's still made according to the century-old original recipe. It's the Ministeriale however that fully represents the 1905 brand. This dark chocolate disk with creamy liqueur, ricotta and hazelnut filling was invented in 1919 by Francesco Scaturchio for the singer diva who went by the name of Anna Fougez (her real name was Maria Annina Laganà Pappacena). The success of the praline urged its creator to request the title of supplier for the royal house of Savoy, for which he underwent a grueling bureaucratic procedure at various ministries; which gave the chocolate the name "Ministeriale."

Voglia di Graffa

Under the city of Naples is another polis. Going under street level allows to visit areas of urban development from the city's early beginnings to the present day. See the remains of the Greco-Roman aqueduct and the Roman theater in an underground journey spanning 2,400 years of history, from the ancient Greeks to the present day, revealing the "belly" of Naples from an archaeological, historical, anthropological and geological point of view. When you emerge back in Via dei Tribunali, reward yourself with a graffa, a typical Italian fried donut, made with potato in the dough. Voglia di Graffa is a teeny take-out place that offers made-to-order donuts: warm, delicious and tremendously caloric.

"Napoli tre cose tene 'e belle: 'o sole, 'o mare e 'a sfugliatella"

I feel sfogliatella deserves its own story.

If the rum-soaked babà is king, sfogliatella is the queen of Napoli's traditional pastries. There are three versions of sfogliatella: riccia, frolla and Santa Rosa.

The crust of the riccia ("ruffled") is unique: layers of phyllo-style pastry are each slathered with a thin veil of rendered lard and rolled very thin. The obtained pastry dough is then shaped into a clam-like shell and filled with a custardy mixture of semolina, sweetened ricotta, eggs, sugar, candied citrus and a hint of cinnamon. When baked, the layers separate and become crisp, giving the sfogliatella its characteristic ridged look. Icing sugar sprinkled on top completes these messy bites.

Sfogliatella frolla, on the other hand, pasta frolla (shortbread crust) instead of the flaky layered one of the riccia. The filling remains the same, while the smooth buttery crust is round and dome-shaped.

Sfogliatella Santa Rosa is essentially a riccia topped with pastry cream and pitted cherries macerated in syrup.

I eat sfogliatella any time I can, and in Naples any self-respecting bakery will have their own version. After extensive research, I have pared down my favorite sfogliatelle to the following bakeries:

Photo © thesooper.it

Fratelli Attanasio

At a stone's throw from the Napoli Centrale train station, wedged in a tiny alley, is a pastry shop that focuses its production on sfogliatelle of all kinds. In business since 1930, Attanasio’s particularity is the always hot "parking" oven where sfogliatelle are kept warm and dusted with icing sugar at the very last moment.

Photo © thesooper.it

Pintauro

This place has been serving sfogliatelle since 1785. Pasquale Pintauro is the name of the pastry chef that started selling them after acquiring the original ancient recipe devised by the nuns of the cloistered convent of Santa Rosa in Conca dei Marini, on the Amalfi Coast, dating back to the 1600s.

Photo © thesooper.it

Sfogliatella Mary

This is a tiny bakery located at the western (via Toledo) entrance to Naples' oldest shopping mall, the Galleria Umberto, which sits opposite Teatro San Carlo. The queue outside this hole in the wall betrays the quality of the sfogliatelle. Their frolle are without a doubt the best in town.

To thoroughly appreciate sfogliatelle, it's of paramount importance to eat them straight out of the oven while still warm. A warning, though: in the rapture of the scent of sugar and cinnamon, please avoid voraciously biting into them carelessly like I usually do: the pastry shell is warm, but the ricotta filling is volcanic.

If writing about Naples and my pastry addiction, I wouldn't be doing justice to either if I concluded without mentioning chocolate.

My favorite temples of cioccolato in Naples are:

Image © napolistories.it

Gay-Odin

The historical chocolatier founded in 1894 is the dream come true of Isidoro Odin, a masterful confectioner who moved to the city from the north of Italy, and his wife Onorina Gay, both attracted by the vibrant cultural animation that Naples offered in that period. Gay-Odin has grown and now has nine shops across the city, and one in Milan and another dangerously located 2 block from my house in Rome. The various chocolate pralines, chocolate bars and signature sweets are still produced with the same artisanal expertise. Favorite creations include Foresta, chocolate bark made of milk chocolate, and the Vesuvio, shaped and named after the nearby dormant volcano.

Antica Cioccolateria Parlato

The small shop at Via Chiaia 237 is a bit dark and cramped, but the cozy environment is saturated with the sweet smell of cocoa filling the room. A place that truly maintains faith to its name. In fact, Antica Cioccolateria Parlato is not only in its original location, but also keeps the same artisan vocation, including in the small streetside display window, the signage, the counter, wooden shelves, and glass bowls filled with chocolate pralines, liqueur chocolates, bars and delicious "confetti" sugared almonds that beg to be perused.

Casa Infante

True, this place falls in the gelateria category, but it cannot go unmentioned. Originating in the 1940s, the family-run gelateria boasts fine homemade flavors such as chocolate, caramel, and creamy white chocolate, and seasonal delights like walnuts from Sorrento, cantaloupe melon and Amalfi lemon. I have been banned from the Piazza Vanvitelli store for having abused of thier cheesecake flavor that came served with cascading blackberries, blueberries, redcurrants, cookies and strawberries, and from the Via Chiaia branch for ordering too many jars of layered caramel speculoos cookie flavor topped with Lotus cream...

Il Vero Bar del Professore

Il Vero Bar del Professore's famous caffè nocciolato del Professore is an espresso topped with hazelnut cream. I just want you to know that in winter time this sweet delight can also come served in a stubby wafer gelato cone lined with dark chocolate…

What's your favorite pastry shop/bakery in Naples?

Gluten-free Rome Part II

For an expanded and updated version of this article for 2022, you can read my guest post on romewise.com

My aunt and her kids have been gluten-free for the past 25 years, long before it was in fashion. More recently, my little sister became highly non-coeliac gluten-sensitive. Having members of my family live sans wheat has opened my eyes in regards to how important it is for a community, and a city like Rome––where wheat is so prominently part of the everyday diet––to offer allergen-free options. This prompted me to do some research.

Gluten is the substance present in cereal grains––especially wheat, barley, rye, soy and related species and hybrids––responsible for the elastic tissue of dough. A mixture of two proteins, gluten triggers adverse autoimmune reactions responsible for a broad spectrum of gluten-related disorders, including coeliac disease, non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia and a type of dermatitis. People with these conditions suffer from a variety of symptoms including joint pain, allergies, headaches, intestinal distress, and must therefore practice a gluten-free diet.

One of my most successful posts to date is in fact my list of gluten-free restaurants in Rome originally appeared on this blog in 2012. Many places closed since then, others have changed ownership and menu, others simply are no longer gluten-free. So it's time to update that article for 2018. You'll notice a visible increase in listings and overwhelming variety of offer.

There has been a considerable increase in the demand for gluten-free options in Rome. Restaurants have had to step up their game and offer allergen– and gluten–free menus, adding and separating kitchens, utensils, pizza ovens and chefs dedicated to handling special ingredients to avoid cross-contamination. Pastry shops and pizzerias have done the same. Take-out and delivery services are no less geared for this burgeoning market segment. 

Whether your reasoning is health-related or you simply prefer gluten-free food, here's my updated gluten-free Rome, Part II list for 2018. 

Restaurants, pastry shops and stores marked with a heart (♥) are 100% exclusively gluten-free. All the other listings are certified by AiC, the Italian Coeliac Association, which means the chef and waitstaff have been trained and periodically monitored by AiC personnel, and follow AiC regulations for preparing safe, gluten-free meals.

RESTAURANTS

Alex Café

This very reasonably priced seafood restaurant located within the Hotel Alexandra in the otherwise costly Via Veneto, offers delicious pastas, almost all of which can be made gluten-free, including a legendary lasagna. I highly recommend ordering their spaghetti alle vongole, a personal favorite.

Erudito ♥

Rome's first 100% gluten-free hamburger joint is located in Pigneto. Their sourdough buns are baked fresh daily and their hamburger patty is a delicious blend of lean and fattier cuts of meat. There is a choice of 8 veggie burger options available, plus salads and meatless entrées.

Mama Eat Street Food ♥

Fried food is a big part of cucina romana. Think supplì, which despite being made with rice, cheese and tomato, is however dredged in breadcrumbs, and so, sadly off-limits to those avoiding gluten. Luckily, this place (born from the rib of flagship gf eatery Mama Eat ♥ in Trastevere) inches away from St Peter's is one of the many dedicated gluten-free restaurants in Rome, where there is zero risk of cross-contamination. The menu includes Italian favorites like lasagna, risotto and parmigiana di melanzane, but the most popular here is the cuoppo, a faux newspaper cone filled with deep-fried goodies ranging from montanara (fried pizza), battered cod fillets, crocché (potato croquettes), pasta cresciuta (fried pizza dough speckled with seaweed) and more... desserts may include fried donut holes drizzled with chocolate, so save room for dessert. There's gf beer, too.

Il Maggiolino

This casual trattoria in the Marconi district, just beyond Trastevere, has been offering gluten-free options for a decade. Every dish on the menu can be made gluten-free in the special separate kitchen, including fettuccine with tomato and pine nuts and a phenomenal puttanesca. Beautiful desserts and good choice of wine and gluten-free beer.

Mangiafuoco

Mangiafuoco, located in the Nomentano neighborhood, has a seperate gluten-free kitchen, a dedicated menu sans wheat, and––most importantly––gluten-free beer on tap, a Rome rarity. While waiting for the gf pizza to land on their plate, coeliacs can enjoy classic appetizers made without gluten, like supplì, fried zucchini blossoms and croquettes. Carnivores will also rejoice since the juicy steaks and other meats are fire-grilled on demand. On Sundays from noon to 3pm there's a completely gf brunch spread. Always crowded, especially on weekends, reservations are highly recommended. 

Millennium

This is one of Rome's oldest gluten-free restaurants. Located in the Alessandrino suburbs, it offers an AiC-approved menu and attentive service. The restaurant is equipped with a separate kitchen with wood-stoked pizza oven. The dedicated cook prepares ravioli, fettuccine, lasagne, various types of supplì, breaded and fried stuffed olives, croquettes, zucchini flowers, fried pizza, cod fillets, panzerotti (fried dough pockets containing melted cheese and ham) and pizzas, in addition to meat entrées and fabulous desserts. Vegetarian and lactose-free options also available. Great gf beer.

Pantha Rei

Cozy little celiac retreat away from the hustle and bustle surrounding the Pantheon. Almost everything on the menu can be ordered gluten-free, including pasta dishes, fritti and pizza, actually one of the best gf pizza in Rome, which unfortunately is sold with an extra €2 on top of the menu price. The centro storico restaurant also boasts a vegetarian buffet with lots of grilled vegetables, salads, soups and cheeses. Free wifi.

Il Pellicano

Most of the pasta dishes, pizzas and desserts on the menu of this Casalpalocco restaurant can be made gluten-free, including the signature tiramisu, whose gf ladyfingers are homemade by the owners. The gluten-free bread is also homemade daily. I tasted the gf version of their fettuccine with porcini, and I could not tell the difference with the wheat version.

Risotteria Melotti ♥

Everything on the menu of this charming little restaurant at a stone's throw from Piazza Navona is gluten-free. But this is not your average Rome haunt. The menu offers only rice-based dishes. You can choose from a dozen different risottos (my favorite is the risotto all'isolana, creamy rice seasoned with pork loin, rosemary and pancetta) as well as appetizers and desserts, all employing rice as their main ingredient. The flagship venue is in Verona, and in addition to Rome they have a branch in Manhattan.

Sei Per Due ♥

This raw gluten-free gourmet restaurant occupies a small, intimate space in what was once a butcher shop located near Vatican City. With its very few tables and a carefully designed menu, this is one of the city's best kept secrets. Think lobster with parsnip noodles, salicornia, watermelon and Cerignola olives; or fish tartare with Jerusalem artichoke and passion fruit. Save room for dessert.

Shaki Pane & Co.

Tiny breakfast and aperitivo place in the heart of Rome's posh Spanish Steps neighborhood that offers gluten-free appetizers, pizzas, smoothies and tapas. Great for a wheat-less break during "retail therapy" shopping sessions.

Taverna Barberini

In the cozy restaurant on via delle Quattro Fontane, coeliacs can indulge in almost anything on the menu as the majority of the dishes can be prepared gluten-free. The off-street location makes it the perfect place for a quiet, intimate dinner. Top dishes are the pasta e fagioli, amatriciana served in a pan, and spinach and ricotta-filled ravioli, all obviously gluten-free.

Triticum

This restaurant in the Casalotti suburb offers a four-page menu of "Zero Glutine" options that include fried appetizers, focaccias, supplì, bruschettas, calzones, pizzas and desserts. There's a kids' gf menu and a play area with crayons and toys.

Tulipano Nero

Safe place for gf eaters in Trastevere, where diners can select everything from pasta to pizza to fine grilled meat dishes. The one drawback is that the restaurant does charge an extra €2 to make a dish gluten-free.

Il Viaggio

All dishes on the menu at Il Viaggio near Villa Borghese can be made gluten-free with no risk of cross-contamination. Think classic carbonara, gnocchi cacio e pepe, and original preparations like tortelli with codfish, ricotta and cherry-tomato confit. If unsure what dish to pick, diners can always take advantage of the half-portion option, which allows to sample multiple dishes. The restaurant furthermore organizes gluten-free cooking classes: chef Luca shares his secrets and correct cooking procedures to obtain perfect dough for pasta, pizza and desserts made with gluten-free ingredients.

BAKERIES & CHOCOLATE

Grezzo ♥

"In a world of mistreated foods, Grezzo, originally from Turin––home to stellar maître chocolatiers––chooses only certified organic raw materials," the store's claim is the governing philosophy behind this raw vegan and gluten-free chocolate shop located in the Monti district. The chocolates, cookies, gelato and other chocolaty treats sold at Grezzo are also in accordance with the paleo diet and contain no refined sugars. A second branch in Rome is due to open soon.

Pandalì ♥

Exclusively gluten-free bakery near the Pantheon, opened by 4 women, one of whom is gluten-intolerant. Wheatless bread is baked fresh daily, on the shelves is also a wide variety of other baked goods such as muffins, crostatas, cookies and biscuits, cakes and more. Pizza sold al taglio (by weight), salads and sandwiches are offered at lunchtime. This is a great spot for merenda––a quick, sweet Italian snack enjoyed by kids of all ages in the middle of the afternoon.

La Pasticciera ♥

This little gluten-free bakery near Termini has a secret: a unique and innovative flour blend prepared daily by the coeliac owner, that's completely natural, rich in fiber and vegetable proteins, and containing no chemically treated flours. In addition to cakes, cookies, cupcakes, muffins, also pastries of all kinds as well as savory products such as bread, focaccia, calzones, brioche, and other gluten-free products, all prepared with fresh ingredients and no preservatives or additives. Always open.

Sans de Blé ♥

Located on via Chiabrera near the San Paolo station, this artisan gf bakery prepares all manner of pastries, cakes, crostata tarts, cookies and even pizza sold by weight. Their muffins and brownies (which they call "fondenti") are delicious and better than many other non-gf options I've tasted around town.

Le Altre Farine del Mulino ♥

The owner of this bakery located near the Vatican has been coeliac from a young age, the offer is therefore entirely without gluten. There's a full spread for breakfast that changes to sandwiches at lunchtime, and then serves gluten-free aperitivo later in the evening. All cakes, donuts, brioche, fresh baked bread and tapas are made from scratch on site. A little on the pricey side.

FOOD SHOPPING

Isola Celiaca ♥

Well-stocked grocery store that sells gluten-free products. The stores of the L'Isola Celiaca franchise also serve fresh products such as bread, sandwiches, pizza, supplì, breakfast cakes and biscuits. Nine stores in the city and outskirts.

Celiachiamo ♥

The celiachiamo.com online resource has opened 3 shops that sell gluten-free products in Rome. The one located on Via della Magliana is a veritable gf supermarket selling all manner of packaged goods but, more importantly, an artisanal workshop dedicated to gluten-free preparations which produces daily fresh bread, pizza pies and sold al taglio (by weight) plus pastries, biscuits, fried foods and custom cakes, frozen foods, beer, pasta, sauces, cake mixes, flours, cured meats... the list goes on.

GELATO

Gelateria dei Gracchi

This gelateria sells individually wrapped gf cones and does not use gluten as a thickener. Vegans can also note the different colored paddles to indicate whether a particular gelato flavor is made with eggs or milk. I always choose pistachio and, when in season, the best menta (wild mint) sorbet on the planet. Four locations.

Fatamorgana ♥

This excellent gelateria is now a franchise with shops all over Italy and one in L.A., the owner Maria Agnese Spagnuolo, a coeliac, designed her gf gelato setting a trend in the city. Ideal for gelato lovers with dietary restrictions, the tubs are labeled according to what allergens are present in each flavor (sugar, egg, dairy, nuts, etc.). Picking your gelato among the 50 seasonal options on rotation is therefore very easy. My favorites are "Prince's Kiss" (chocolate and hazelnut) and "Crema ai fiori di mandorlo" (vanilla with almond flower extract). Eight locations.

BONUS – What to order in a non-gluten-free place without sacrificing the experience:

Trapizzino

Why miss out on Rome's unique trapizzino street food experience? Those not eating gluten can order the chicken cacciatore (the number one filling of their signature triangular pizza pockets) and have it served in a cup instead. Six locations in Rome, plus others in Milan, Florence and Manhattan.

Mordi e Vai

At the Testaccio market, ask Sergio to serve you his divine allesso con cicoria (tender and juicy slow-cooked scottona beef served with sautéed dandelion greens) or any of his other delicious and affordable samplings of traditional Roman dishes, on a plate instead of in the ciabatta. Grab a glass of wine and smile.

Anyone still skeptical about Italy's gluten-free offer can check out Associazione Italiana Celiachia, the Italian coeliac disease association; and Celiachiamo, dietary intolerance-awareness website.