Following on from Eating in Dubrovnik (Croatia), we flew to Italy and my home town Padua. I was born in Italy and my family has been living in Padua for over 40 years. It was a nice reprieve from the constant moving and traveling to the next destination as we were in Padua for a whole 7 days. There’s no need for me to do any research on food places to visit as I leave this all to my aunt – a foodie who I always trust to take us to the best eateries. She and the food never disappoint.
I’m breaking up the Italy blog posts into:
- Patisseries and gelato
- Various pizza and pasta trattorias
- A day in Venice
- Balsamic vinegar in Modena
- FICO Eataly Word in Bologna
- Anything else I’ve missed
So let’s kick this off! Starting off with the sweets…
Pasticceria Europa
Pasticceria Europa is my aunt’s favourite patisserie and she’s a regular (2-3 times a week regular!) that everyone knows her name. Mr FPJ described it as like being on the set of Cheers because as soon as she steps inside, everyone greets her even the pastry chef!
Pasticceria Europa opened in 1978, and my family has been visiting the shop since 1979. The shop has remained largely unchanged. There is a small sit down area to the side with some tables and chairs, but these get taken very quickly in the mornings.
The glass counter is resplendent with an indulgent display of bite sized cakes with various fillings, full sized cakes, apple strudel, as well as freshly baked goods like croissants sitting on top of the counter.
This is heaven for me. Where to begin?!!
I took a video which was actually harder than it looked. To get this video, Mr FPJ had to stand behind me to block out the glare bouncing from the glass cabinet 😂. We must have looked ridiculous.
I basically just pointed at the items I wanted – chocolate and coffee opera cake, hazelnut slice, pistachio profiterole, almond and custard tart, vanilla filled profiterole, a baked cannoli, and a Northern-Italian favourite a rice custard cake. Mr FPJ’s pick is a sultana and custard braided pastry.
Italian cakes seem less sugary than those in Australia. The small sweets are really only two bites each so it’s easy to share several goodies amongst a group.
We of course went back a second time during our week in Padua. Italian hot chocolate is usually quite thick. My aunt introduced this to me when I was much younger, and I always look forward to it whenever I go back. Hot chocolate is usually only a winter menu item as it takes a while to make (it’s not some easy cocoa powder mixed with milk). But since my aunt is such a loyal customer, the patisserie staff always make it for her even in summer. We got two cups of hot chocolate between the three of us as I know Mr FPJ isn’t a fan of thick hot chocolate. As you can see below, the chocolate is dark and almost black. But it is SO GOOD. Oh how I miss it! It also comes with freshly whipped cream, the real stuff.
I also love that most patisseries bake pistachio croissants, a new love of mine. I have absolutely no idea of cost at Pasticceria Europa, but I think it’s pretty affordable for a coffee and a couple of bite sized goodies.
Pasticceria Dalla Bona
Pasticceria Dalla Bona is a larger, more modern and sophisticated patisserie. You walk into this large open space with a huge four-sided counter right in the middle of it all displaying various cakes and chocolates. There are shelves of goodies to purchase on the walls on either side. A refrigerated section of the wall holds larger cakes that can be purchased.
One side of the counter holds the biscotteria, selling all sorts of Italian biscuits.
As with most foods, there are specialties in every region. Pasticceria Dalla Bona displays some biscuits that are specialties to the Veneto region like the rice tarts.
I really wanted to buy one of these trays filled with assorted ‘mignon’ bite sized sweets, but we were about to do some sightseeing for the day.
Another side of the counter displayed various praline chocolates, sacher tortes and other cakes.
The fourth side displays baked pastries like croissants, doughnuts, and danishes.
At the back is a large stand-up bar where locals sip their coffees and have a small pastry to start off their day. To the side, there are a few tables and chairs but these are all full and it’s standing room only.
The bar’s counter also has a glass display filled with various pastries – mostly the same as the main counter but I did notice a few new items.
My aunt ordered coffees and pastries, and we got to enjoy them soon after. We chose a regular croissant, a pistachio filled croissant, doughnut, and the Veneto specialty – rice custard tart.
I really loved the pistachio croissant. It is huge so I didn’t think I would finish it all, but the pistachio cream is so light and the croissant light and crispy, that it was actually pretty easy to polish off the entire thing!
This was our only visit to Pasticceria Dalla Bona, but I definitely recommend it.
Pasticceria Trolese
We stopped by Pasticceria Trolese for an afternoon coffee and snack. The rum baba is big in the area so we tried it but it is far too potent for me! I select three bite sized goodies instead with a cappuccino. I didn’t get any shots of the patisserie itself but it’s an old school traditional patisserie, nothing fancy, with a smaller selection of sweet treats compared to the above two patisseries. It has friendly staff, and a few tables and chairs where we can sit and chat for a bit.
Pasticceria Graziati
After some shopping and sightseeing in the middle of Padua, my aunt took us to have afternoon tea at Pasticceria Graziati. The patisserie has a traditional look that’s still very polished.
Pasticceria Graziati opened in 1919 and is most famous for its millefoglie – a layered cake of pastry and vanilla custard (like a vanilla slice).
The millefoglie is expensive at 5€ (approx AUD$8.50) a slice. It looks like it should be heavy with all of those custard layers, but it’s light with deliciously crispy pastry layers and is so easy to eat. A breeze knocks around the powdered sugar on top and some of the crispy fragments fly away so we eat quickly.
The high cost of the sweets is also due to the location of the patisserie – overlooking the Piazza della Frutta. Happy to try it once but I’d prefer to spend less at some of the other more inexpensive patisseries.
Now moving onto some gelato shops around Padua.
Gelateria da Nonno Piero
My aunt took us to this artisan gelateria after she noticed me buying up all things pistachio. Gelateria da Nonno Piero has three types of pistachio gelato! The day we visited, there were only the two flavours rather than three, but I was still excited. I got to sample both – the original pistachio, and a toasted pistachio with chunks, and decided to get a scoop of the original pistachio gelato.
I also got a scoop of the tiramisu gelato.
Whipped cream on top of gelato is a thing in gelato shops in Italy and usually doesn’t cost any extra. My aunt had her scoop with whipped cream while I had mine without. The pistachio gelato is just amazing – so pure, creamy and tastes exactly like the pistachio nut.
Gelateria Portogallo
Gelateria Portogallo is a very small shop selling premium artisanal gelato. The menu is at the back and there are some interesting sounding flavours like pear and chocolate, basil and lemon, ginger, and an almond paste ‘mandorla’ flavour.
I got a scoop of licorice which I found far too potent and bitter, and a scoop of straciatella which was smooth creamy and delicious, topped with whipped cream. I would have loved to have gone back to try more of the fruity and quirky flavours, but this was our only stop during the trip.
Eateries visited:
- Pasticceria Europa – Via Alberto Cavalletto, 14, 35122 Padova PD
- Pasticceria Dalla Bona – Via Roma, 1, 35036 Montegrotto Terme PD
- Pasticceria Trolese – Via Piovese, 152, 35127 Padova PD
- Pasticceria Graziati – Piazza della Frutta, 40, 35122 Padova PD
- Gelateria Portogallo – Via Umberto I, 101, 35123 Padova
- Gelateria da Nonno Piero – Via Roma, 222, 35020 Albignasego PD
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