Although not originally from Milan, Confetteria Romanengo is rightfully considered one of the best pasticcerias in the city. Tucked away in a courtyard in the historic center, the first Milan location, La Corte Caminadella, offers the delights of one of Italy’s oldest confectioneries, founded in Genoa in 1780. A world of candied almonds and flowers, jellies, jams, ginevrine (small sugar candies typical of Genoa), chocolates, and marzipan awaits. All of the treats are made fresh daily using only natural ingredients, free of preservatives, and are inspired by the recipes of 19th-century French confectioneries. In the salon de thé, guests can enjoy breakfasts featuring pastries and other baked goods, as well as savory delicacies; at lunchtime, salads and other dishes feature Ligurian flavors. Afternoon tea is celebrated in the intimate setting of a charming parlor. This April another location, La Corte Manzoni, opened on Via Alessandro Manzoni.
Pasticceria Cova, Via Monte Napoleone 8
Photo: Courtesy of Pasticceria Cova
Founded in 1817, Cova is another of the city’s iconic gathering places and a beloved symbol of excellence. The store’s story began with Antonio Cova, a Napoleonic soldier who opened the Caffè del Giardino next to La Scala, which soon became one of the most highly praised spots among the Milan elite. Two leaders of Italian unification, Garibaldi and Giuseppe Mazzini also sat at its tables during the days of the uprising and Antonio Cova was on the front lines, leading the rebels. In 1890, the artist Romano Di Massa painted a portrait of Giuseppe Verdi at Cova, attesting to the fact that it was then the city’s most luxurious café. It even makes an appearance in Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. After the bombing of Milan in 1943, the Cova was relocated to Palazzo Marliani on Via Montenapoleone at the corner of Via Sant’Andrea, where it continued to serve as a gathering place for both Italian and international celebrities, including Brigitte Bardot, photographers from the American Richard Avedon to the Italian Giovanni Gastel, actor and poet Carmelo Bene, and novelist Alberto Moravia. Among its many specialties, its cappuccino was declared the best in Italy by writer Lina Sotis.
