Lombardi

Panettone, torte and a case that changes with the year

Panettone is the fastest way into Lombardi. The Maddaloni house has carried the line Pasticcieri dal 1948 since the family began building a pastry business in the postwar years, and leavened work still sits at the centre of the counter, including the shop's turns at Re Panettone in Naples. Around it are the sweets the counter is asked for all year: tiramisu, cheesecakes, tartellette con lamponi and babà ai frutti. The categories the house works in read like a map of the case, with torte for celebrations, pasticceria tradizionale, cioccolato, and pastry made for other kitchens to serve. Gluten-free pastries sit in the same case, and chocolate work and wedding commissions run alongside the daily trade, so the windows change shape through the year rather than holding one fixed display.

Sweet at the centre, savory alongside

In 2023 the pasticceria widened into pizza, and the address now works as caffetteria, cioccolateria and salateria under one roof. That gives it several rhythms in a day: coffee and something from the case early, boxed sweets in the afternoon, then a seated savory meal built on pizza, salsiccia and antipasto, with vegetarian plates on the same list. The savory side is not a bolt-on. Gambero Rosso named Lombardi Miglior Pasticceria Salata in 2026, putting the salty counter on the same footing as the sugar. The room stays calm and roomy, which suits both a box carried out and a table held for an hour. The family also runs La Scuola, a creativity school opened in Maddaloni in 2014, so teaching sits close to the production.

How to order across the counter

Order panettone first when the season allows it, then work back through the classics: tiramisu for the spoon, cheesecake for something denser, tartellette con lamponi if the fruit is on, babà ai frutti if it is not. Chocolate is a separate discipline here rather than a finishing touch, so a few pieces from the cioccolateria travel well. For a celebration, the torte list is where the house does its most elaborate work, and the pastry made for restaurant service shows the same hand at a different scale. If the visit lands at lunch or in the evening, cross to the savory side for a pizza, salsiccia, or an antipasto to share. The through-line is a single family counter that has kept its sweets central since 1948 while adding a kitchen that earns its own recognition.