Piccola Pasticceria

Pralines are the reason to stop here: dozens of flavours in the case, worked from beans the shop chooses itself, in Piccola Pasticceria's small Casale Monferrato laboratory.

Chocolate first, worked from the bean

The work starts earlier than it does at most pastry counters, with cocoa selected from Madagascar, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru and taken through the shop's own hands rather than bought in ready made. That is what gives the praline case its range. Alongside the plain chocolate register sit flavours that read like a map of Piedmont and its edges: Grignolino, Piedmont saffron, licorice, balsamic vinegar, raspberry and almond, banana and ginger. Gianduiotto is the local anchor, and the house version took a world title for milk gianduiotto at the International Chocolate Awards in 2016. Fresh pastry follows the same chocolate logic through bigne, cremosi, single-portion chocolate cakes, arabica coffee and Tahiti vanilla desserts, hazelnut dischetti, and an aspic of moscato with peaches and amaretto bavarese.

A pastry laboratory with a counter attached

The shop reads as a laboratory with a display counter rather than a cafe with table service. The room is bright and design-conscious, the case is crowded, and the decision happens standing in front of it: pralines by the piece, a cake for the afternoon, or a jar of honey or jam from the shelf. Classic cakes are made without reinvention for its own sake, so the list stays legible: chocolate tart, Opera, mousse-bavarese cake, millefeuille, tiramisu, Sacher and Linzer torte, with the same classics also turned out in mignon format for a table of several people. Cakes for ceremonies and events come from the same kitchen. Gambero Rosso awarded the shop Tre Torte for 2026, the top mark in its pastry guide.

Start with the gianduiotto, then take an Opera

Begin with the gianduiotto. It is the single item that carries the most weight here, and it sets the reference point for everything else in the case. Move next to the pralines, choosing two or three that pull in different directions: Grignolino for the wine reference, saffron or licorice for the savoury edge, raspberry and almond for something closer to a classic. For cake, Opera is the natural pick, dense and coffee-led, with Sacher and Linzer torte showing the same classical training. Millefeuille and tiramisu are the softer options when the box is going to a table rather than a coffee. If the day is warm, the moscato aspic with peaches is the lighter close.