The 33 best pastry shops in Italy (and what to try)

The king, among the best pastry shops in Italy, is always him: Iginio Massari. Which won the Three Golden Cakes recognition. Indeed, it is always them: because obviously it cannot be missing either Ernst Knamwhich wins the award for best chocolate dessert with its Africa Cake. But among them Gambero Rosso’s best pastry shops in Italy This year there are several new features.

There are only 33 in the entire peninsula the «Tre Torte» pastry shops the highest recognition of Pastry Chefs & Pastry Shops Guide 2025 by Gambero Rosso presented today at Palazzo Varignana, the historic 18th century villa nestled in the Bolognese hills. This year there are two to try as soon as possible: Denis Dianin in Selvazzano Dentro, in the province of Padua e Tiri Bakery in Potenza, both in the standings with 90 points.

The Denis Dianin pastry shop in Padua

Experimentation is at home here. Denis Dianin he is known in the pastry world for his jar-cooked pandoros and panettone. An innovation, taken directly from the kitchen and transferred to confectionery craftsmanship. With two pastry shops, one in Padua and one in Cittadella, and obviously the laboratory-atelier where all the productions take place, his idea has always been to combine his passion for desserts with that for catering. Both of its locations, in fact, in addition to cakes, pastries and leavened products, are also places where the concept of “fine-dining” is applied to brunch, lunch and aperitifs. «We brought catering to the pastry shop – says Dianin – to offer the most complete experience possible». The protagonists of the menu, however, always remain the sweet flavors. This year in the roundup of pandori, try the apricot, caramel and hazelnut oneand panettoni, the pastry chef has introduced some innovations. «We propose four new flavors of panettoneone at a timeblack cherry, pistachio and lemonanother with pineapple, apricot, Avola almond in suspension and rosemarythen there will be the panettone-strudel made with wholemeal flour and, finally, white wholemeal panettone with pear, apricot, caramel and cane sugar”. There is also the traditional version of the Christmas cake with icing on the side which can be added to the panettone for an extra dose or eaten alone. Beyond the proposals related to the holidays, try the iconic one Delicate cakeThe signature dessert by Dianinwith coconut, pistachio, a basil and mint sponge cake, all garnished with a pistachio mousse. «It is one of the most requested desserts both in summer and winter».

Vincenzo Tiri in his Panettoneria, courtesy of Tiri Bakery

The Tiri Bakery pastry shop in Potenza

The passion of Vincenzo Tiriborn in ’81, third generation of pastry chefs, he began making panettone at the age of 14. From a young age, therefore, first under the guidance of his grandfather and then his father, he learned the art behind leavened products. Of course because from Tiri Bakerya historic pastry shop in Basilicata, everything presented has a single ingredient in common: mother yeast. Biscuits, chocolates, spreads and ice cream. «My pastry shop – says the pastry chef who in 2021 received, among other things, the award for World Pastry Star – born with the idea of ​​using panettone as the main ingredient of all productions. Instead of sponge cake, for example, I use panettone to make cakes. More than a passion, mine is an obsession.” A real panettone boutique, where inside, a room with 22 seats dedicated to tasting has been set up. «The menu changes, obviously, but the proposal combines savory variations with sweet ones, such as the steamed panettonepanettone club sandwich, panettone bruschetta with salted butter and anchovies, and pannettone with ice cream”. Undisputed king of Tiri’s offer, it always remains tiramisu-panettone, renamed Tirimisuan original recipe born in 2018, which marked Tiri’s career, “a dessert – underlines the pastry chef – which combines the taste of an all-time classic, tiramisu, with the symbol of my family, precisely panettone”. What’s new this season? They will be the single portions.

The guide’s awards: the best pastry shops in Italy

There are 660 establishments registered by the Guide at a national level and 61 new features collected in this fourteenth edition. Lombardy is present with a greater number of award-winning pastry shops, 9, followed by Campania. On the podium of the Three Cakes, with a score of 96, the pastry shop Dalmasso of Aviglianain the province of Turin, followed by Biasetto of Padua (95).

Ample space was also given to special prizes6 to be exact and 9 winners. For 2025 the title of emerging pastry shop goes to Arianna Valente and Raffaele Gante of the Libera pastry shop in Asti, while the news of the year according to Gambero Rosso experts it is Delia in Lecce. Two le best savory pastriesDalmasso of Avigliana (TO) and Sebastiano Caridi in Faenza (RA). Awarded for her attention to sustainability is Caffè Sicilia in Noto, while for the valorization of territorial productions, the winners were Copello in Chiavari (GE), Freni in Messina and Roberto Murgia-Dolci in Corso di Alghero.

Titti Traina’s chocolate cake

The catering pastry shop

Less tied to laboratory production and co-dependent on those that gradually emerge from the kitchens, restaurant pastry making has evolved greatly in recent years, contributing decisively to defining the culinary experience. Always in close contact with the executive chef, the pastry chef collaborates on the creation of menus that outline a journey of sensations not only of taste, but very often visual and sensorial. Speed ​​of execution, enhancement of the aesthetic design of the dessert, combinations of sweet flavors that often combine with savory ones, preparation techniques that are close to those used by chefs in the kitchen, for these reasons and many others, this too driving year Confectioners & Pastry Shops 2025 has dedicated time and resources to selecting the best pastry chefs working in restaurants and pizzerias in Italy. The total number of winners was 25, almost 10 more than last year’s edition.

A woman won the category, Titti Trainapastry chef of the starred restaurant Paolo Griffa at Caffé Nazionale of Aosta. With a past as a chef, working in important restaurants including the Grand Royal and the Petit Royal from Courmayeur, over time he understands that his true passion is pastry making. From 2022, therefore, he begins his adventure alongside Paolo Griffa, dealing with everything related to the dessert universe, without however forgetting his origins behind the stove. His creations, in fact, combine savory flavors combined with more sugary ones. And as the guide writes, “Titti seeks balance between these elements both in restaurant desserts and in all the brand’s sweet offerings, from leavened products to single portions. He takes great care of aesthetics: the harmony of shapes and colors is fundamental. Among his creations the 72% dark chocolate soufflé with cherry sorbet (light, classic, comforting) e Peach Flower Power (peaches available in different consistencies and temperatures, combined with floral aromas and flavours).”