Francesco Arena Mastro Fornaio

Bread first, focaccia close behind

The counter at Francesco Arena Mastro Fornaio carries many varieties of bread at once, with focaccia, brioche and savory snacks filling in around them. It is a working Messina forno, so the case does most of the explaining and the choice is made by looking rather than by reading a menu.

The baking rests on ancient Sicilian grains and lievito madre, the natural starter that gives Sicilian bread its keeping quality and its sour edge. Focaccia messinese is the local form to look for, and pizza in pala and breadsticks round out the savory side of the case.

A neighborhood forno rather than a dining room

The room works as a bakery and focacceria first. There is no table service to wait for and no dining-room premise; people come in, take what the counter has that hour, and go.

That rhythm is the point. A forno is busy in bursts, and this one is best caught when a bake has just come out, while the focaccia is still warm and the bread has not yet been picked over.

Recognition and what to take away

Gambero Rosso awarded the bakery Tre Pani for 2026, its top mark for Italian bread, and the award fits what the counter actually does: daily bread and focaccia rather than an elaborate service format.

Begin with a loaf made from the ancient grains, then a slice of focaccia to eat immediately. Brioche is the sweet end of the counter and the Sicilian breakfast habit. If you are traveling the island, Caffè Sicilia in Noto, Forno Biancuccia in Catania, Frangipane forno e cucina in Milazzo and Maison Bocum in Palermo cover the same territory from other towns, while this is the Messina stop.