Italian Pastries: A Guide to the Classics of Southern Italy

Southern Italy has some of the best pastries in the world, and every region does them its own way. Naples has the layered sfogliatella and the rum-soaked babà. Sicily has cannoli and a long list of ricotta pastries. Puglia has the custard-filled pasticciotto. This guide walks you through the classics, region by region, with a photo of each one and a link to our recipe so you can make it at home.

Jump to: Naples and the Amalfi Coast | Sicily | Puglia | Cream puffs and fried dough | The creams behind them | Comparison table

What Makes Southern Italian Pastries Different?

Most southern Italian pastries come down to a few building blocks. Ricotta, often sheep’s milk ricotta, fills the pastries of Sicily and Naples. Almonds, pistachios and candied citrus show up across Sicily. Lemons from the Amalfi Coast flavor creams and glazes. And crema pasticcera, Italian pastry cream, fills pastries in every region. Many are fried, especially for holidays and festivals.

Naples and the Amalfi Coast

Neapolitan pastry shops are famous for crisp, layered doughs and rich creams. For the full list, see our guide to Neapolitan pastries.

Sfogliatella riccia

The famous shell-shaped pastry of Naples. Paper-thin layers of dough bake up crisp around a filling of semolina, ricotta and candied orange. See our Sfogliatella riccia recipe.

Sfogliatella frolla

The soft, smooth cousin of the sfogliatella riccia, made with pasta frolla, a tender shortcrust. Our version is filled with a bright lemon cream. See our Sfogliatella frolla recipe.

Sfogliatella Santa Rosa

A sfogliatella from the Amalfi Coast topped with a swirl of custard and sour cherries. See our Sfogliatella Santa Rosa recipe.

Neapolitan lobster tails (aragoste)

Long, crisp, layered cones that look a bit like a lobster tail. They are filled with cream after baking. Ours use a lemon custard. See our Neapolitan lobster tails recipe.

Babà napoletano

Small, airy yeast cakes soaked in a sweet rum syrup. In Naples they are eaten plain or split and filled with cream. See our Babà napoletano recipe.

Delizia al limone

The lemon pastry of the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento: a small dome of soft sponge filled with lemon cream and coated in a smooth lemon glaze. See our Delizia al limone recipe.

Fiocchi di neve

“Snowflakes” in Italian. Soft little brioche buns filled with a cold cream of ricotta, mascarpone and whipped cream, buried in powdered sugar. See our Fiocchi di neve recipe.

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Rings of choux pastry topped with custard and a sour cherry, made for St. Joseph’s Day on March 19. Our recipe bakes them. See our Zeppole di San Giuseppe recipe.

Sicily

Sicilian pastries lean on ricotta, almonds, pistachios and candied fruit. For more, see our guide to Sicilian pastries.

Cannoli

Crisp, fried pastry tubes filled with sweet ricotta cream, often with chocolate chips, candied orange or pistachios. Fill them just before serving. See our Cannoli recipe.

Cassatelle

Half-moon pastries filled with sweet ricotta and folded shut. They are usually fried in Sicily. Our version is baked. See our Cassatelle recipe.

Cassatella di Sant’Agata (minne)

Small shortcrust domes from Catania filled with ricotta and chocolate, covered in white icing and topped with a candied cherry. Made for the feast of Saint Agatha. See our Cassatella di Sant’Agata recipe.

Iris

A Palermo breakfast pastry: soft dough wrapped around ricotta and chocolate chips. The classic is breaded and fried. Ours is baked. See our Iris recipe.

Pantofola

A Christmas pastry from Lercara Friddi near Palermo. Soft semolina shortcrust is filled with almonds and candied orange, then brushed with a lemon glaze. See our Pantofola recipe.

Testa di turco

A big, turban-shaped dessert from Scicli in the Ragusa area. Layers of crisp fried dough are filled with lemon custard. See our Testa di turco recipe.

Ciarduni

A sweet from western Sicily: shortcrust baked around a tube into a crisp shell, rolled in chopped nuts and filled with sweet ricotta cream. See our Ciarduni recipe.

Pizzicotti

Soft almond pastries from Sicilian pastry shops, pinched into shape before baking. Chewy inside and fragrant with almond. See our Pizzicotti recipe.

Sciù

The Sicilian cream puff: light choux pastry filled with sweet ricotta cream, often with chocolate chips. See our Sciù recipe.

Ricotta and chocolate graffe

Fluffy fried doughnuts with a soft yeast dough, rolled in sugar. This version is filled with ricotta and chocolate. See our Ricotta and chocolate graffe recipe.

Pignolata messinese

A Carnival sweet from Messina: little balls of fried dough piled into a mound and covered half in lemon glaze and half in chocolate. See our Pignolata messinese recipe.

Puglia

Puglia’s pastries are simple and generous: shortcrust, puff pastry and lots of custard, plus fried sweets for the holidays.

Tette delle monache

Soft, round little sponges filled with cream and dusted with powdered sugar. The name means “nuns’ breasts,” a playful nod to their shape. See our Tette delle monache recipe.

Pasticciotto leccese

The oval shortcrust pastry of Lecce, filled with custard and baked golden. A common breakfast in Salento. Ours adds black cherries. See our Pasticciotto leccese recipe.

Sporcamuss (sporcamusi)

Warm puff pastry squares filled with custard and buried in powdered sugar. The name means “dirty mouth” in Bari dialect. See our Sporcamuss recipe.

Bocconotti

Small, round shortcrust pastries from southern Italy with a sweet filling. Our recipe uses custard and jam. See our Bocconotti recipe.

Cartellate

Apulian Christmas fritters: thin strips of dough pinched into rose shapes, fried and soaked in vincotto (cooked grape must). See our Cartellate recipe.

Cream Puffs and Fried Dough

These pastries are made all over Italy, from bakery cream puffs to breakfast doughnuts and buns.

Bignè (Italian cream puffs)

Small, hollow choux pastry shells filled with crema pasticcera. The base for many other Italian cream puff desserts. See our Bignè recipe.

Chantilly cream puffs

Choux puffs filled with chantilly cream, sweetened whipped cream. Light and simple. See our Chantilly cream puffs recipe.

Chocolate bignè

Cream puffs filled with a cocoa pastry cream and dipped in dark chocolate. See our Chocolate bignè recipe.

Profiteroles

A tower of cream-filled choux puffs covered in a glossy chocolate sauce, served as a spoon dessert. See our Profiteroles recipe.

Bomboloni alla crema

Italian doughnuts with no hole. Soft yeast dough is fried, filled with custard and dusted with sugar. See our Bomboloni alla crema recipe.

Cornetto

The crescent-shaped Italian breakfast pastry. Softer and sweeter than a French croissant, filled with jam, Nutella or cream. See our Cornetto recipe.

Maritozzi con panna

Soft sweet buns from Rome, split open and filled with a thick layer of whipped cream. Not from the south, but loved all over Italy. See our Maritozzi con panna recipe.

The Creams Behind Them

Learn these two creams and you can fill almost every pastry on this page.

Crema pasticcera

Italian pastry cream: egg yolks, milk, sugar and starch, flavored with lemon zest and vanilla. It fills cream puffs, cornetti, pasticciotti, lobster tails and more. See our Crema pasticcera recipe.

Chantilly cream

Sweetened whipped cream, piped into cream puffs and pastries like tette delle monache. In many Italian bakeries the name also means pastry cream folded with whipped cream. See our Italian chantilly cream recipe.

Italian Pastries Compared

Here is a quick look at how the classics differ.