Panettone – the gold of Milan on the Christmas table
December 9, 2025
The Italian Christmas cake – il Panettone – is a manifestation of taste. When luxury defines time and uniqueness, this Italian pastry acquires the status of a work of art, created from air and butter. The strict tribunal of Gambero Rosso examines its quality. Its verdict for 2025, regarding both the great masters (i Grandi Lievitisti) and the rising stars (gli Emergenti), carries a clear message: true elegance is a return to the roots, and the most precious currency of a pastry chef is patience.
When December dusk envelops Milan, and the windows on Via Montenapoleone sparkle with a thousand lights, the magic of Christmas alchemy begins not in fashionable boutiques, but in the artisanal workshops. In silence, amid the hum of ovens, time transforms flour, water, and wild yeast into a golden dome. Panettone forgives no mistakes. It is the Everest of confectionery.
The Italian oracle of taste, Gambero Rosso, sheds new light on this fascinating world in its 2025 edition. Analyzing two parallel dimensions—the pantheon of recognized masters and the training ground of young talent—it paints a picture of an industry experiencing a renaissance. It's a story of the clash of titans with a new wave of challengers, united by a single obsession: the search for the ideal.
The Alchemy of Time: 72 Hours of Silence
To understand why artisanal panettone commands prices that can shock the uninitiated, we must stop thinking about baking in terms of hours and start thinking in terms of days. This is luxury in its purest form—the luxury of time, a luxury you can neither buy nor hasten.
There is no panettone without lievito madre – the mother leaven – a living organism, often older than the baker himself, nurtured over generations like the most precious ancestral jewel. This organism is a capricious deity: it requires feeding, bathing in precisely controlled water temperature, and constant attention. It is this, combined with butter from Normandy or Brittany, egg yolks from free-range hens, and Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar, that creates an addictive holiday bomb.
The production process in the best workshops – both those with prestigious awards and those making their debut – takes a minimum of 72 hours. Three days and three nights of meditation. Rising, kneading, rising again, baking, and finally capovolgimento – the moment when the hot cakes are hung upside down so that their delicate, lace-like structure (the famous alveolatura) becomes fixed, defying the laws of gravity. In this year's reviews, Gambero Rosso emphasizes that it is precisely this technical virtuosity that distinguishes a premium product from mass production.
The triumph of classics over extravagance
According to Gambero Rosso, the world of fine pastry has grown tired of experimentation. After years of fashion for extravagant fillings and neon glazes, Il Panettone Classico MilaneseIn both the Grandi Lievitistiand Emergenti, the highest scores were awarded to pastries that honor tradition: a richly buttery cake scented with citrus, filled with top-quality candied orange and sultana raisins.
The judges clearly stated that preparing a cake with chocolate or pistachios is easier, as the intense additions mask any imperfections in the baked goods. The classic version reveals the skill of the pastry chef, who has nothing to hide behind. Every error in fermentation, every hint of acidity, is immediately noticeable.
The three tenors of confectionery
Reading through this year's list, we see that the jury, rather than following trends, rewards technical perfectionism and flawless execution. Here are three artisans, regularly recognized by Gambero Rosso as Italy's leading bakers, who define what a perfect, luxurious Christmas cake should be:
1. Vincenzo Tiri – Tiri 1957 (Acerenza, Basilicata). Tiri is a panettone for purists. Recognized for years as one of the best in the country, Tiri constantly strives for the absolute. His baked goods are synonymous with the perfect filante – a fibrous, silky texture. Gambero Rosso values his panettone for its long-lasting, impeccable freshness, resulting from perfect sourdough management, and for its exceptionally intense yet balanced aromatic bouquet, in which notes of butter and vanilla play the leading role. This is luxury based on subtlety.
2. Sal De Riso – Pasticceria Sal De Riso (Tramonti, Salerno). Sal De Riso is a pop-culture star, and his panettone is as famous as the views of the Amalfi Coast. Although he often experiments with flavors, his classic version is unbeatable. The Gambero Rosso jury consistently awards him for his exceptional candied fruit – juicy, full of flavor, and prepared exclusively with locally ripened citrus. De Riso's pastry is a triumph of southern richness, with a moist, dense dough and an explosion of sunny aromas.
3. Renato Bosco – Sesto Senso (San Martino Buon Albergo, Veneto). Renato, known as the Pizzaiolo Ricercatore (pizzaiolo – seeker), brought the scientific approach to fermentation from pizza to panettone. His baked goods are ultra-light and pure in flavor, characterized by an almost "cathedral" alveolatura – regular and evenly distributed. Bosco is a master of technique and innovation, proving that panettone is not just a tradition but also a constant laboratory of exploration. His presence at the forefront demonstrates that the future of craftsmanship goes hand in hand with science.
Iginio Massari: Champion in a League of His Own
This year's ranking is conspicuously absent from the podium of one key name. Iginio Massari, the patriarch of Italian pastry making and the man who taught Italians to respect the lievito madre, was placed in the special Fuori Concorso ("Out of Competition") category. This decision carries enormous symbolic significance. Gambero Rosso recognized that Massari had ceased to be a competitor and had become a model from Sèvres. His Panettone Alta Pasticceria is no longer subject to evaluation—it serves as the benchmark by which others are judged. The champion has ascended to Olympus, and the judges' decision is a tribute to his career and—at the same time—a gesture that opens the door for a new generation, one that can finally compete for gold without standing in the shadow of a living legend.
"Emergenti", or pretenders to the throne
In addition to the champions' podium, the judges present a fascinating selection of rising stars, the Emergenti. It's in this category that the ferment is at its most intense. These contenders for the throne are proving that panettone no longer belongs solely to Milan and northern Italy. Tradition and luxury inspire young artisans, who bring fresh energy and an innovative approach to their guild. They are proving that the future of panettone lies in the hands of those who combine historical techniques with modern science. These are the three artisans who made it to the podium of the Gli Emergenti Gambero Rosso 2025, confirming the collapse of geographical barriers:
1. Antonio and Paola Luzi – Makí (Fano, Pesaro, and Urbino). This year, the top spot on the podium belongs to Antonio and Paola Luzi, owners of an ice cream parlor in Fano. The jury praised their small, low-rise, panettone , without icing, and with a distinctive cross-shaped cut (scarpatura). Bourbon vanilla and candied orange dominate the cake. The flavor and aroma profile is rich: the nose detects fresh, buttery, milky, and fruity notes, which create a harmonious and complex composition on the palate. Despite its modest appearance, the cake is perfectly risen and baked, as evidenced by the loose and lush alveolatura.
Piazza degli Avveduti, Fano (PU)
2. Stefano De Cia – Artelié (Villafranca Padovana, Padua). Stefano De Cia's panettone is distinguished by its rustic, homemade character. Baked in a wood-fired oven, its dough has a darker color and a loose air bubble structure ( occhiatura ), although the dough is quite dense. Its appetizing cupola shape , scarpatura , and lack of glaze illustrate the classic Piedmontese style. The aroma is dominated by warm and sweet notes of honey and buttery dough, combined with subtle fruit accents. Australian raisins soaked in Marsala wine and homemade candied orange cubes and cedro diamante give it a special flavor .
3. Domenico and Domenico Petronella – Maison Petronella (Altamura, Bari) – Gambero Rosso's verdict is often unpredictable, but the success of the artisans from Altamura proved exceptional. The two cousins took the podium in the competition despite submitting a panettone with a visible defect (one side of the baba was dented). However, the unglazed pastry, known in the Piedmontese dialect as galup ("delicious"), immediately captivated the judges with its exceptionally expressive bouquet. The distinct aroma of butter, milk, citrus, and vanilla was considered evidence of the high quality of the ingredients. The warm, amber color and the elongated, playful structure of the air bubbles captivated the jury with its purity and elegance of flavor. Ultimately, despite the damage, the consistency proved commensurate with the quality: very moist and soft (morbida), and the panettone melted in the mouth, sealing the cousins' success.
https://www.maisonpetronella.it
Celebrate luxury
Gambero Rosso's article isn't just a ranking, it's also a manual for luxury. Serving panettone from Tiri or De Riso is a must. Remember, this cake isn't meant to be eaten in a hurry! To unleash its full aromatic bouquet, panettone should be served at room temperature, or even slightly warmed. Placed near a heat source an hour before serving, it will release volatile, aromatic butter and citrus esters. To avoid damaging its delicate internal structure, panettone should be cut with a serrated knife.
And the company? Contrary to the popular habit of drinking dry champagne, sommeliers suggest returning to sweeter sparkling wines like Moscato d'Asti, which harmonize with the sweetness of the cake. It's a moment of pure hedonistic pleasure.
In summary, this year's Gambero Rosso analysis paints a picture of panettone as a symbol. In an age of digitalization and fleeting illusions, this physical, fragrant, time-consuming, and labor-intensive baked good is a luxury that allows us to return to reality.
Whether we choose a work by a renowned master from the Grandi Lievitistior play a new game with one of the Emergenti, we'll receive much more than just delicious calories. We'll enter a world of sleepless nights spent amid the scent of butter, yeast, and an Italian winter, with the promise that quality, tradition, and passion are unwavering values. And this is perhaps the greatest gift we can put under the tree in 2025.
