Luxury Milan hotel launches panettone tour - can we have the same in Scotland?
As the festive season gets into full swing, Rosalind Erskine is hoping for an Italian-inspired tour.
There’s no denying that, now it’s early December, everything Christmas is really kicking into gear. The decorations are up in most public places, tree lights have been switched on and the shopping has started in earnest.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll have started a list of food and drinks to make or buy for entertaining over Christmas. I have all the family over for a Boxing Day buffet, and I am hoping to see friends before Christmas Day too, as well as helping my sister and brother in law with cooking for the 25th.
One of my favourite seasonal treats is a panettone. I’m lucky to live near a few of Glasgow’s long-standing Italian restaurants and delis, who import these dome-like beauties in their stylish cardboard boxes from Italy.
I tend to buy one for guests and one for myself, which, if there’s any left after eating as part of breakfast, I’ll turn into a panettone bread and butter pudding.
It was with interest that I recently read about a panettone tour, taking place in Milan this winter. The birthplace of the panettone, the Italian city is (quite rightly) proud of its festive export and celebrates it every year.
First created in the Renaissance as a sweet delicacy for noble families, the dome-shaped cake of butter, candied fruit, and raisins has since become a symbol of Italian festivity, perfected by Milan’s finest pasticcerie and served with a fresh mascarpone.
This winter, Portrait Milano, a luxury hotel in the city, is inviting guests to experience this beloved tradition through a specially curated panettone experience, designed by the hotel’s Lifestyle Team.
Guests will be guided on a festive journey through the city, sampling both time-honoured recipes and modern interpretations at some of Milan’s most celebrated pastry shops.
These include: Marchesi 1824 – baking panettone to the same family recipe for nearly two centuries; Giacomo Pasticceria– with its dedicated pastry laboratory and refined Milanese style; Pasticceria Cucchi– a 1930s institution where tradition meets old-world charm; Pasticceria Cova – renowned for its artisanal wrapping and historic interiors and Pasticceria San Gregorio – a local favourite, prized for naturally leavened creations.
The experience concludes back at Portrait Milano, where executive pastry chef Cesare Murzilli presents the hotel’s own artisanal panettone, served with mascarpone cream in true Milanese fashion. Guests may also take part in a private masterclass to discover the artistry behind panettone-making.
This experience got me hoping for something similar in Glasgow and Edinburgh - a tour of our wonderful Italian restaurants and delis, sampling the delightful sweet, soft and fruity cake from each. It’d be a chance to hear more from the families who set up these institutions - Valvona & Crolla in Edinburgh, Eusebis Deli in Glasgow, for example, as well as an indulgent treat.
As we head into the season of celebration and community, it’s the seasonal food and drink that brings us together and starts conversations and stories. So here’s to the panettone, the queen of Christmas cakes, and to all those that serve her.
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