Each panettone tells a story made of carefully selected ingredients and slow times. If once it was the pastry shops that guarded the secret, today many restaurants and chefs also Ticino Gourmet They dedicate themselves to this art. Making a good panettone takes days, and in the frenetic pace of kitchens, it becomes an invitation to slow down.
Throughout the Canton, panettone takes on different shapes and flavors, blending tradition and creativity. Some remain faithful to the classic version, flavored with butter, vanilla, and citrus: the Hotel Splendide Royal in Lugano produces a low-fat classic Milanese panettone; chef Egidio Iadonisi of the Swiss Diamond Hotel creates his festive panettone; chef Salvatore Squillante of the Osteria del Carlin in Claro has been making panettone with both solid and liquid sourdough starter for four years, preserving tradition. Cantinetta Balmelli also offers the classic version of Pane Amico by Andrea Priori, based on a recipe by Massimo Turuani. For Federico Palladino and the team at the Osteria del Cuntitt in Mendrisiotto, the classic panettone is a distinctive sign of local pride, produced in small quantities and eagerly awaited by enthusiasts.
Other chefs reinterpret the dessert with local ingredients: honey from the valleys, chestnuts, figs, Merlot, or Swiss chocolate. The Boutiques Al Porto in Locarno, Ascona, and Bellinzona, along with the Grand Café Al Porto in Lugano, offer the traditional, soft, and fragrant panettone alongside festive logs and logs in raspberry and blackberry or chocolate and pear versions. Pietro Leanza, of La Bottega del Gusto Gruppo Seven in Ronco sopra Ascona, offers the classic version as well as chocolate and pistachio variations, as well as his "Ronchino al Lampone." Chef Guglielmo Curcio of the Origini restaurant in Morbio Inferiore creates a limited-edition traditional panettone, all natural, with beech-smoked mountain butter, hay soaked in honey, and summer apricots: a dessert scented with smoke, grass, and light, encapsulating the very idea of warmth.
There's no shortage of surprising interpretations, like that of Flamel in Lugano, where panettone becomes a liquid experience: mixologist Nicolò creates Glühwein, a panettone distillate obtained by drying it, macerating it in organic Swiss alcohol, and distilling it. Its notes of butter and lemon immediately evoke Christmas, perfect for an aperitif or brunch, expressing the venue's creative and sustainable philosophy.
Between yeasts, aromas, and innovation, panettone in Ticino thus becomes a collective story: that of those who love the region and choose to celebrate it, with sweetness, every Christmas.
