In Piazza della Libertà, right in the centre of Appiano Gentile, there is a place where passion and love for the good things in life merge with the history of a family that has been devoting itself to catering for more than half a century. We are talking about Pasticceria Tarantola and the Tarantola family, owners of the restaurant of the same name, renowned for its excellence in the province of Como for years. The story of the pastry shop goes back to the mid-fifties when Italo Tarantola, following the acquisition of an oven in Via Grilloni initially used exclusively for baking bread, obtained a license to sell the bread itself and pastries of his own production to the public.
Today the bakery is still there, in the same place, with a brigade of six pastry chefs led by Lorenzo, and under the careful guidance of Maria Rosa, Vittorio's wife, in turn the Chef of the Tarantola Restaurant.
Every recipe makes full use of fresh ingredients, treated with the utmost care, so that Tarantola Pastry Shop's productions always ensure a worthy conclusion to any meal and brighten up all festive occasions and Sundays. Alongside the traditional products, there are the occasional sweets, as well as cake slices and ceremonial cakes.
Worthy of special mention are the Panettone, Colomba and Veneziana, all made strictly with sourdough and natural leavening, which are sent all over Italy and to neighbouring Switzerland. The same goes for the chocolate, the finest examples of which are to be found in the famous Easter Eggs with their customised gifts within, as well aś in the classic pralines. A must-try specialty is Ul Gulusin, the Appian biscuit, with two shortbreads made of cornmeal and hazelnut flour united by a layer of soft chocolate cream and covered again with chocolate.
“We wanted to come up with something mouth-watering rooted in the local area but that would last and could be transported without loss of quality”, says Mariarosa.
Tarantola Pastry Shop is the go-to place to satisfy a sweet tooth, and to indulge yourself in your pastry fantasies, which are fulfilled to perfection with a professionalism that comes from the long family tradition.