Il Fornaio Fratelli Zenatti dal 1979

Live mother yeast, selected flours and long fermentations set the terms at Il Fornaio Fratelli Zenatti dal 1979, an artisan bakery-cafe in Sommacampagna. The family forno started in 1979 in Caselle before moving here, and the founders' son now runs it as owner and maestro panificatore, shaping the dough himself. Bread, viennoiserie, pastry, savoury bakes and coffee all pass across one counter.

Competition-grade viennoiserie

Technique is the through-line. The owner describes his role as an Ambassadeur du Pain, committed to genuine flours, live mother yeast, long fermentations and proper baking, and the shift from traditional bottega to contemporary bakery-cafe came out of his pastry work, frolla above all.

The record backs it up. Competing with the Italian team at the Mondial du Pain in Nantes in 2021, he took first place for croissants and third for bread. In 2024 the team placed third at the Coupe du Monde de la Chocolatine in Toulouse, where he also took the special prize for innovative viennoiserie, and at the Coupe d'Europe de la Boulangerie in Clermont-Ferrand he earned silver for best croissant. The bakery also holds Gambero Rosso's Tre Pani.

A modern bottega built around the counter

The room is a bottega moderna rather than a dining room, and the bel banco at its centre is the whole experience: breads, laminated pastries, frolle, fried sweets, focacce and cafe service in a single flow, to eat in or take away. It suits Sommacampagna residents and anyone crossing the area near Verona's main routes who wants better baking than the road usually offers.

The production thinking shows even on a quick stop. Flours are selected, including varieties from outside Italy; the bread programme runs several different fermentations; the viennoiserie leans on butter, eggs, milk and sugar in leavened and laminated doughs. A weekly bread calendar structures special releases, so the counter changes by the day rather than orbiting one signature loaf.

Start at the counter

Begin with the viennoiserie if croissants or pain au chocolat are out, since that is where the competition record is strongest. Then look for focaccia, simple, soft and well made, which doubles neatly as travel food. On the sweet side, frittelle come filled with cream or chocolate, and Carnevale brings chiacchiere, also called galani, light fried pastries finished with sugar.

Seasonal baking is the other reason to read the counter carefully. Easter brings colomba in classic and more inventive versions, and at Christmas the panettone joins the programme and has won awards of its own. Coffee belongs to the same modern setup, with a caffetteria inside the bottega pouring a cup that avoids the harsh, burnt character of most roadside coffee. The best visit takes one thing from each side: bread, pastry, viennoiserie, focaccia and a coffee.