Best Desserts in Italy: 14 Traditional Italian Desserts for the Sweet Tooth Foodie

If there'southward one matter Italian republic is known for, it'southward the food. Pizza, pasta and a multitude of other traditional Italian foods immediately come to mind. Just we'd be remiss if we did not hash out everyone's favorite parts of any repast — dessert.


Italians beloved their dessert. So much so that you don't even demand to wonder whether dinner volition be followed upwards with a sweet care for. The answer is ever a resounding SĂ­, sĂ­!

There are then many sweet treats to consider but wait to effort these 14 best desserts in Italy. You may have to cover some basis when you lot're there to find these regional favorites. Just the foodie struggle is real. Traveling for treats is what nosotros exercise!

Dessert in Italy

Dessert in Italian republic is different from dessert in other parts of the earth. Italian sweets, or dolci, are normally much smaller. Just a few bites of sweetness is the perfect ending to any meal. You lot'll never see Italians bombing a banana divide subsequently a repast, or even on a lazy Dominicus afternoon.

Their sweet treats are a pocket-size cone or cup of gelato, or a small dessert to complement a meal. The same goes for Italian java drinks. You won't notice the giant Starbucks dessert drinks drizzled with sprinkles and caramel (ugh). Just a minor shot of espresso, or a well-crafted and pretty little coffee drinkable is all you really need.

How'southward that for an unexpected dietary surprise? More room for pizza!

And, like all food in Italian republic, desserts vary significantly from flavor to flavour and region to region. There are singled-out regional differences in the sweet treats served in 1 corner of the land versus another. Each region has its ain specialties.

No affair your taste, 1 matter is for certain. You will not leave Italy disappointed. The desserts hither are some of the best in the world.

So sit down dorsum, relax, and bring your appetite (and your stretchy pants) because we're about to dig in. Hither are 12 of the almost traditional, and delicious, treats in Italy.

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Best Desserts in Italy, and Where to Observe Them

1. Apple Strudel

Where to find the best? Southward Tyrol in Trentino-Alto Adige


Traditional apple strudel may be the furthest thing from your mind when you recollect of Italian desserts, but in this vast northern region of Italia where the craggy peaks of the Dolomites tower over green mountain meadows and hearty fare like dumplings reign supreme on every carte, apfelstrudel is one of Due south Tyrol's most honey foods and one of the most traditional Italian desserts you'll find.

With the abundance of apples throughout the yr, it's no wonder strudel and other baked goods similar dumplings and tortes are enjoyed. If yous like good old American apple tree pie, the strudel you'll find in Trentino-Alto Adige will rival the best yous've always had!

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ii. Gelato

Where to find the all-time? Everywhere!


Picture Italian republic and an image of an Italian walking effectually with a cup of gelato is probably not far off. This tastier alternative to ice cream is possibly the almost famous Italian dessert.

What's even amend is that you lot do non demand an alibi to indulge. You'll find Italians walking in and out of gelaterias whatever fourth dimension of twenty-four hours in every region of the country making information technology 1 of Italia'south favorite street foods, or foods eaten al passegio!

From archetype favorites like pistachio and stracciatella (sweet cream with chocolate chips) to exotic flavors such every bit ricotta and licorice, the possibilities are limitless.

Then what makes it different from ice cream? We idea you'd never inquire. The frozen treat differs from conventional water ice cream in a number of important ways.

To start, gelato is fabricated with more milk than cream, giving it a much lower fat content than ice cream in the United states of america. It's also served a few degrees warmer, so it doesn't freeze as solidly.

Traditional ice cream is also whipped with air and water to add weight and volume, making it less dense and less flavorful. The added fat also ways that it has a longer shelf life.

Gelato is not meant to be stored. It's made in pocket-size batches and frozen chop-chop - making it fresher and more flavorful - and the very best is enjoyed only days after being produced. Yous won't find it served with an water ice cream scoop either. The authentic stuff is dished out with a flat spade.

While we've never tasted gelato we didn't like, nosotros recommend staying away from the gelaterias serving bright neon flavors in every color of the rainbow. The more traditional-looking stores usually accept the best production.

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iii. Tiramisu

Where to find the all-time? Treviso in Veneto

Fabricated with coffee-soaked ladyfingers and layers of mascarpone cheese, this mood-boosting Italian dessert literally translates to "pick-me-up." The sweet care for may also exist infused with liquor, although non required.

While this dessert certainly got its start in Italy, it actually did non brainstorm appearing on menus in about restaurants until information technology gained popularity in the U.s.a..

Today, tiramisu is ane of the near popular Italian delicacies served in the States. Whether it's served in an private glass or cut like a block, it's always enjoyed with a spoon. Other variations may include fruit, such as strawberries, or even Nutella.

4. Cannoli

Where to observe the best? Sicily

The popular Italian dolci hail from Sicily and may be the most quintessential of Sicilian foods. The word cannoli is plural (cannolo is atypical), so be careful not to ask for "one cannoli."

The fried tube-shaped shells are filled with a sweetened ricotta cheese and sometimes dipped with chocolate, candied fruit, or pistachios. Cannoli is 1 of the traditional Sicilian desserts, but you'll find it throughout the country.

Depending on where you are in Italy, the flossy filling may besides be mixed with chocolate or chocolate fries.

Then how do yous spot the all-time ones? Expect for cases of only shells. Filling the tubes upon society keeps them from getting soggy.

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5. Panna Cotta

Where to find the best? Piedmont

Originating in Piemonte, a region of Italy famous for its dairy products, this traditional Italian dessert translates to "cooked cream." Fresh cream is thickened with gelatin and placed in a dome-shaped mold until it sets merely enough to stand on its own.

The custard-like dessert may be topped with fresh fruit or drizzled with chocolate or caramel sauce. Other variations may infuse the cream with java, vanilla, and other flavorings.

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half dozen. Sfogliatelle

Where to find the best? Naples in Campania

Hailing from Naples, sfogliatelle (pronounced sfoo-yah-TELL-eh) is a traditional Italian pastry, and one of the most famous foods of Campania. And that's saying a lot in a identify similar Napoli where pastry is everything!

Sfogliatelle is the most famous of Napoli desserts. The word itself translates to "lobster tail" in reference to the seashell shape created from the layers and layers of dough that crisps when baked.

The mollusk-shaped pastry of delicate thin outer layers filled with a mixture of sweetened ricotta cheese and citrus/orange pare (sometimes chocolate or cinnamon depending on the bakery), giving it just the right amount of sweetness. They come in different sizes so you can enjoy one every bit a dessert or have a smaller 1 with a coffee for a sweet snack.

It'south fun to consume, and all-time of all, it can be enjoyed virtually whatever time of solar day. Yous've gotta love a identify where eating pastry in the eye of the day is not only socially acceptable, merely highly encouraged!

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7. Cantucci

Where to notice the best? Tuscany

These twice-broiled almond cookies got their kickoff in Tuscany. While yous might hear them referred to as biscotti in the United States, the Italian word is technically an umbrella term under which several dissimilar types of cookies autumn.

Traditional cantucci are fabricated without butter or oil. Dough is shaped into a log, baked, and sliced diagonally with a serrated knife. The cookies are and then baked one concluding time to dry them out and get that feature crunchiness.

Recipes typically call for almonds, but ingredients like chocolate fries, hazelnuts, pistachios, or dried fruit can hands be substituted.

The biscuits are traditionally served after a repast with Vin Santo, a sweetness Tuscan dessert wine, but they're likewise perfect for dipping in coffee, tea, or cappuccino. Store in a sealed container and they'll stay fresh for weeks!

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8. Panettone

Where to observe the best? Milan in Lombardy

Originating in Milan, this traditional Italian sweet staff of life can now be found all throughout the country. The cakelike consistency is typically speckled with raisins and candied citrus peels. It's calorie-free, fruity, and customarily enjoyed for Christmas and New year's. Italians take been making – and eating – panettone for centuries.

In fact, they love information technology so much that they consume ~4.5 pounds per person each year! It'southward usually served with a hot beverage or dessert wine, merely is also perfect sliced, toasted, or smothered with sweet crema di mascarpone.

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9. Tartufo

Where to find the best? Pizzo in Calabria

Italian for "truffle," tartufo is a chocolate-covered bombe of two water ice cream flavors and a syrupy fruit centre. The popular care for got its start in Pizzo, arguably the ice cream upper-case letter of the land, when chef Giuseppe de Maria ran out of cups preparing dessert to celebrate a very of import wedding ceremony.

Aimlessly searching for a way to serve hundreds of party guests, he began molding the dessert into a ball around a melted chocolate centre and dusting information technology in carbohydrate and cocoa. Today, Tartufo di Pizzo is still made with chocolate and hazelnut ice cream and hails as one of the best desserts in the world.

It'southward besides a certified IGP (Indication of Geographic Protection) product, meaning simply tartufo produced in Pizzo may comport the label.

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10. Zeppole

Where to detect the best? Lazio and Apulia

Light and fluffy, these fried balls of dough are i of Italy'southward tastiest treats and one of the more than traditional Roman desserts. They can exist tossed in a newspaper pocketbook and shaken with powdered sugar as classic Italian street fare or served on a platter and jazzed up with a chocolate or raspberry dipping sauce.

Italians likewise celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph each year with zeppole topped with cream and black cherries, a famous variation known as Zeppole di San Giuseppe. No matter how they're served, 1 thing's for certain – it's virtually impossible to accept just one.

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11. Babá al Rum

Where to find the all-time? Naples in Campania

The rum-soaked sponge block has become an icon of Campania and Napoli in particular, where the bite-size rum cakes are i of the nearly delectable street foods in Naples. Simply despite its association with southern Italy, the boozy delight sometimes referred to every bit Baba Napoli actually originated in Eastern Europe.

Personal chefs serving the aristocracy brought the sweet to Naples, where it quickly gained widespread popularity. The cake is broiled in individual cylindrical molds earlier being soaked in a citrus syrup infused with rum.

It may be served with a dollop of whipped cream but is delicious all on its ain.

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12. Zabaglione (Sabayon)

Where to notice the best? Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, and Piedmont

This traditional custard is made from egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala wine. The mixture is browbeaten and simmered until it thickens to a light, delicate consistency.

While it is still hot, information technology may be spooned into custard glasses and dressed with fruit, basics, or flavored sauces. The uncomplicated please makes the perfect base of operations for whatever number of creations.

Top with fresh strawberries and blueberries for a sweet – and good for you – summer treat.

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13. Pasticciotto

Where to observe the all-time? Lecce in Apulia

This dessert resembles a round mini pie with a flaky crust but the real surprise awaits within. Filled with a creamy custard filling, the traditional pasticciotto of Apulia is made even sweeter with blackness cherries!

You'll detect this dessert in other parts of Italy too, filled with everything from syrupy fruit fillings, custard, and creamy chocolate. The pocket-size round shape makes a perfect after dinner small bite of sweet.

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fourteen. Affogato

Where to notice the best? Florence in Tuscany

Run across your new favorite pick-me-up – a scoop (or two) of corrupt vanilla or hazelnut gelato with a shot of freshly brewed espresso poured over the meridian. The coldness of the gelato meets the steaming hot coffee for the perfect marriage of flavors.

This sweet care for is an Italian archetype that'south a metaphor for Italian food in general — as simple and succulent every bit it gets. If you're feeling rowdy, yous can even spike the espresso with a shot of liquor. Why not!

Y'all may not always notice this i listed on the menu in Italy, simply it'due south almost always available upon asking. In Florence and other parts of Tuscany, you'll even find it on the street in small plastic cups — the perfect afternoon Florence street food!

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What to Drink with Your Italian Dessert

Espresso

Nosotros haven't been anywhere in Italy where we couldn't detect an espresso store, often with or next to a gelateria — Italians love their espresso and enjoy it several times a day!

Espresso is made by forcing hot water nether pressure through very fine java grounds, it has a rich concentrated java season and will take a layer of crema on peak.

It's also used equally a base for other coffee drinks similar cappuccino, caffe latte or mocha, and macchiato. In the finer shops the barista volition skillfully create a pretty design in the crema.


Limoncello

This lemon liqueur is predominately establish in southern Italy particularly on the Amalfi Declension where lemons are the size of grapefruits. You'll observe it served everywhere around Naples and on the isle of Capri.

Even with something every bit simple as a basin of soup, y'all'll probably be offered a pocket-sized glass of limoncello equally a "digestivo" at the cease of the repast. What a great custom!

Limoncello is likewise surprisingly like shooting fish in a barrel to make at abode. If you prefer orange flavor to that of lemons, making Arancello from oranges is also well worth a effort.

 Italian Dessert Snacks

Torrone

Believed to exist of southern European origin, this Italian nougat and nut confection will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth. It's fabricated with sugar, honey, egg whites, oftentimes with an orange essence, loaded with toasted almonds and sometimes pistachios are added for even more flavor.

You lot can usually find information technology shaped into rectangular logs or sliced into sparse slabs. To prevent sticking it has a thin edible wafer coating the top and bottom. Torrone has always been a Christmas treat for united states of america but don't wait for the holidays to effort it.

Taralle

This snack nutrient hails from the Foggia area of Puglia, where my grandmother comes from, and nosotros grew up eating these! Taralle tin can be small nigh the size of a coin (tarallini), or a chip larger similar the size of a plum. They tin be fabricated sweet or savory, only the most popular versions of them mix the wheat flour with anise or rosemary.

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Traditional Dishes

Italy, Calabria, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, Tuscany, Veneto, Naples, Bologna, Modena, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Capri, Rome, Genoa, Milan, Puglia, Florence, Venice, dessert, traditional Italian desserts

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