This is one of the best-loved pastry shops in the area, with pastries that have become legendary. Every weekend hundreds of people travel from the city and surrounding towns to enjoy breakfast or afternoon tea in the famous village of Cernobbio. Established in 1985 and recently renovated, Pasticceria Poletti has over thirty years of history behind it and has become the go-to place both for locals and for tourists who travel the world to discover the wonders of Lake Como. “The early days were not easy, but my mother told me that by working honestly and offering quality service and products we would make it”, recalls Francesco Poletti. And so it proved, from a small family-run workshop, today Pasticceria Poletti has fifteen employees and two large bakeries.
Hard work, thorough sourcing of local ingredients as raw materials from Valmadrera and some small Italian suppliers, and great care in their preparation, have been the hallmarks of all the delicacies that have emerged every day from the bakery of Francesco Poletti over the last thirty years. These include not only the brioches, but also small pastries, fresh cakes, among which the famous Chantilly, and occasional products like the Easter doves, or colombe, and the Christmas panettone prepared according to the tradition. As he says, “I am very demanding and meticulous in my work; I want to offer the best possible product to my customers. I will never sell a product that I myself would not buy. If you work with the freshest ingredients, you always work well”.
To those who have suggested to the Poletti family that they expand the pastry shop business by opening new shops, Francesco has always answered with a blunt “no”, saying “I would prefer to keep just one shop, but keep it well”. The customers can take tea in the tea room with its long counter, filled with a delicious range of pastries, that has been extended with recent renovations, and a courtyard, a green oasis for refreshments away from the bustle of tourism in the teaming summertime streets of the village.
Not only loyal customers have for years been returning to Poletti's for Sunday breakfast, for a special cake or just for a coffee and a quick hello, but also showbiz personalities like Adam Sandler, Silvester Stallone, and Anthony Hopkins, to name but a few. There have also been many sports personalities, as well of course as the guests of the renowned hotels on the lake. They all come for the famous brioches, a symbol of quality and the typically Italian craftsmanship handed down from generation to generation.