Roletti

Think about Biscotti della Duchessa and you think about Roletti. In fact, five generations of this family of confectioners have made these goodies in San Giorgio Canavese so that today the biscuits have, to all intents and purposes, become a speciality of the town. Made by hand and flavoured with cocoa according to founder Giuseppe Roletti’s original recipe, they are crisp and ethereal, ideal with a cup of hot chocolate. They are named after Lydia d’Aremberg, Duchess of Pistoia, who used to enjoy them whenever she stayed at the nearby Agliè castle. The establishment itself is a hymn of love to the history of the place, with interior boiseries and lead glass that conjure up times gone by and an elegance of service and attention to customers hard to find these days.

Be sure to try the tiny cream-filled beignets, available in 15 different flavours, and the bignole flavoured with wine, especially the ones with Passito di Erbaluce, typical of the local area. Then come cakes, jam tarts and an array of Viennese pastries that make Roletti the place to be for morning breakfast. Closed on Monday morning and Wednesday.

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