The Best Sfogliatelle Calde in the World

This is Piazza Garibaldi. In the background is the Central Train Station (Napoli Centrale) under Vesuvio's ever-watchful eye. Speaking of eye, the moon is hitting it in this photo like a big pizza pie, as it were.

Piazza Garibaldi is a big, ugly, dangerous parking lot. In the winter it can be quite daunting, seeming like one of Dante's circles of hell, with fires burning in drums putting off the odor of brimstone. Not so on this bell' giorno, however.

Right around the corner from this . . .
. . . is this, Sfogliatelle Calde dei Fratelli Attanasio. This is the best place for sfogliatelle calde in Napoli, locals will tell you, and therefore in the world.
And what are sfogliatella calda, you ask?
I'll tell you what sfogliatella calda are.
This is a sfogliatella calda, produced to perfection in the ovens of the Brothers Attanasio behind this beautiful you woman.
"Calda" means "hot" and "foglio" means "page" or "leaf." It's a type of pastry served piping hot with a dusting of confectioner's sugar.
It's filled with ricotta cheese, which can get quite hot, indeed. This one burned my tongue because I was too hasty in biting into it. That's my thumb in the picture. Thank goodness I finally quit biting my nails.

Here are directions from the train station and a link to the website of the Fratelli Attanasio, where you'll find lots more pictures, and videos demonstrating how the pastries are made.

The Food of Lucca - Eat This, Foodies!

See also Lucca, Italy

Torta di ciaccolata, a typical Lucchese dessert. Unbelievably rich and not as sweet as you might imagine.

Angolo Dolce

This is the cafe, Angolo Dolce (Sweet Corner), from whence came the foregoing pie and the next 5 photos. If you go to Lucca, find this cafe! It's outside the walls. Such a commitment to excellence in every detail!Directions.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you thecornetto as God intended it. And by that I do not mean presented on a to-go bag on the seat of a bicycle.

From this satellite view, you can just make out the contours of the chocolate in this amazingcornetto. The same chocolate that ended up all over my hands a moment later. This thing was a monster, full of chocolate.

Another pie, this one made with apples, raisins and pine nuts.

Feel free to ogle all the other delights, but the star of this picture is the center row of chocolate and pear cakes--so beautiful it almost doesn't matter what they taste like. They taste like they look, rich and deadly.

One last look at the pies ofAngolo Dolce. On the top shelf, lemon.

Rocchi P's Pizzicheria La Grotta

What's a pizzicheria? It's a regional word for a salumeria. What's a salumeria? It's similar to a delicatessen but in addition to meats they sell several other items like cheese, bread, olives and olive oil, along with some prepared items; basically a one-stop-shop for all the simple foods for which Italy is famous. They are special places.

Italians care passionately about these foods. So the best pizzicherieand salumerie are run by people with a calling to provide them properly. This one lives up to its ideals.

Forno Alimentari G. Giurlani

This shop is a little more extensive. It bills itself as a panificio (bakery),pasticceria (pastry shop) and alimentari (grocery). It has some overlap with the pizzicheria, though, with dolci (sweets, from the dolciario, sweets shop), formaggi (cheeses), salumi (cured meats), rosticcerie (prepared foods), and pasta fresca (I'll let you guess this one) all on offer, along with vini e liquori (you should be able to guess this one too).

A closer look at their wares.

Benci

Benci, Lucca's answer to funnel cakes (included for my friend, Rhonda, who is addicted to the latter; see e.g. Things That are in My Stomach).

The Best Bakery in Lucca

This is where it gets complicated. Bakeries can sell pizza, but it's the square kind of pizza that comes on a huge baking sheet, called rustica, pictured here. The round kind that's thrown in the air by a pizzaiolo is made in a pizzeria. Bakeries also make the little round pizzini, also pictured here.

The rustica I had here came with a flaky crust, much different from Napoli pizza. I consumed to too quickly for picture taking, that's how good it was!

More Pies

The green ones are called verdura (vegetable), but they aren't savory, they're sweet. The tan one in the middle on the bottom row is made with nuts. The others are a combination of vanilla or panna cotta with chocolate. I have not been lucky enough to try them all.

See also Lucca, Italy