MEETING LORETTA FANELLA MEANS ENTERING A WORLD WHERE PASTRY BECOMES ART, EMOTION, AND RESEARCH. AFTER YEARS WORKING WITH MASTERS SUCH AS CARLO CRACCO, ANNIE FÉOLDE, AND FERRAN ADRIÀ, THE TUSCAN PASTRY CHEF IS ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZED SIGNATURES OF ITALIAN FINE PASTRY. HER VISION COMBINES AESTHETICS, SCIENCE, AND SENSITIVITY, AND FINDS IN PANETTONE ONE OF ITS MOST AUTHENTIC EXPRESSIONS.

Loretta, your name is now synonymous with signature pastry making. What does panettone mean to you? For me, panettone is much more than a Christmas cake: it's a symbol of Italian craftsmanship, a collective ritual that combines technique, time, and sensitivity. Every year I rediscover it, study it, and interpret it anew. It's a living, breathing product that must be respected. Behind it lies a slow process, made of sourdough starter, kneading hands, and aromas that transform into emotions. Every year I enjoy rediscovering and reinterpreting it.

What's new this year? For 2025, I've launched two new flavors: Coffee and Lemon Panettone, which plays on aromatic contrasts, surprising with every bite, and Chocolate Panettone. It may seem like a banal flavor, but every year I tell a different story through this panettone.
In 2023, I used a Colombian cocoa “created” by an Italian fermenter who loves to play on the acidity typical of the local terroir: it was quite a challenge to balance the dough with such an acidic raw material.
In 2024, I chose a single-variety Peruvian cocoa, VRAE99, grown by the Shipibo Conibo ethnic group in the central Peruvian rainforest: a community that protects agricultural biodiversity through agroforestry methods. That panettone, tracked on blockchain using Trusty technology, carried a QR code that chronicled the product's journey, from plant to packaging.
The 2025 chocolate panettone was born from a trip to Mexico in March, where I had the privilege of meeting Concho, the driving force behind the Cacao-Trace project, which has been dedicated to growing sustainable aromatic cocoa for sixteen years. It was a personal and professional encounter that deeply inspired me.

Speaking of travel, you're about to leave for Uruguay for Italian Cuisine Week in the World. What's it about? I was invited by the Italian Embassy to attend a series of events: a gala dinner for high-ranking state officials, a breakfast at the Ambassador's home, but above all, they invited me to teach a course on leavened products for Uruguayan professionals.
The goal is to spread the culture and technique of Italian panettone. This dessert is beloved in South America: in many countries, it's already part of local festivities. Of course, its short shelf life (about 40 days) makes it difficult to export the finished product, but it's easier to export the know-how. And from there, interesting fusions with local ingredients and gastronomic cultures will arise. That's the beauty of Italian cuisine: it travels, inspires, and evolves without losing its identity.
I believe that in the next few years panettone will become an international dessert, as happened with pizza.

Your pastry making is often described as "experiential." Where does this vision come from? It was born from the desire to offer not just a dessert, but a gastronomic journey. This, for example, gave rise to the "Breakfasts from Around the World" format: every Saturday in my workshop we offer a breakfast inspired by a country or an Italian region, a sensory journey that has captivated Livorno and demonstrates how pastry can be a source of dialogue, discovery, and emotion.
Also debuting in December is "Merende Dimenticate," a format dedicated to traditional Italian desserts, allowing you to rediscover the flavors and rituals of the past.

How do you reconcile creativity with tradition? Tradition is my foundation, my language. Only by deeply understanding it can I allow myself to reinterpret it. Each of my innovations stems from a rigorous study of classic techniques. I like to think that every dessert can tell a contemporary story, yet one that is always firmly rooted in our culture.

How do you think the taste of panettone and holiday desserts is evolving? We're moving toward a more "emotional" approach: less sugar, lighter flavors, and a focus on texture and sensory experience. There's also a growing deseasonalization: more and more people want panettone year-round.
Even aesthetics are changing: today a dessert must be “good to look at,” because sight is the first sense to be activated.
But the future of pastry making lies above all in sharing knowledge: training young people, spreading Italian culture around the world. That's what I'm most passionate about.

Why choose a panettone by Loretta Fanella for Christmas? Because it's a sincere dessert, made with hands and heart. It's my idea of pastry: elegant, light, traditional yet contemporary. Each slice tells a piece of my story and that of authentic Italy.