Rinaldini

MacaRAL, the house rebuild of the macaron, is the first thing to look for in the case. Rinaldini's Milano store sits in the Arrivals area at Milano Linate, carrying the pastry brand of Maestro Roberto Rinaldini into an airport terminal without thinning it out.

MacaRAL, mignon pastries and gelato

The pastry case is the reason to stop. MacaRAL is the brand's reinterpretation of the macaron, and around it sit mignon pastries, cakes, individual portions, confectionery, pralines and panettoni kept on the shelf year-round rather than only at Christmas. Gelato is part of the assortment too.

The packaged range gives the counter its gift function: fruit gelée in luxury boxes, Tenerina al Cioccolato and Tenerina al Cioccolato Bianco e Limone, both gluten-free and made without preservatives, Frollini al Caffè, butter biscuits with a pronounced coffee aroma made to sit beside an espresso, and hazelnut-cacao and pistachio spreads.

A boutique built for a terminal

The airport setting shapes everything. This is Arrivals, so the traffic is arriving, meeting, gifting and leaving, and the selection is designed both to eat on the spot and to carry away. It reads as a polished pastry retail stop rather than a slow specialty coffee room.

The presentation follows the brand: alta pasticceria, an emphasis on looks and invention alongside taste, and the recognisable fuchsia of Rinaldini's visual identity. Display, packaging and finish do as much as the recipes, which is the point of a boutique format, and the house holds Relais Desserts membership.

Order from the signatures

Start with MacaRAL for the most direct read on the house, then take mignon pastries or single portions for a compact view of the pastry style. Babà is the other named classic, made in several sizes with orange liqueur syrup and candied orange slices, while cakes and panettone travel best.

The savoury side is more specific than an airport snack case. Spianata gourmet comes in many variations, alongside the Puccio Burger, Pizza Stirata d'Autore and daily proposals that lean on zero-kilometre ingredients. A strong order follows the house formats: MacaRAL, mignon pastries, gelato, babà, panettone, and one savoury signature if the stop is more of a meal.