Italy is famous for many of its desserts around the world but here we will introduce you not only to the popular ones but also some of the more local desserts. For the Italians dolce is an important part of any meal and after the apritivo, antipasto, primo, secondo comes the dolce. You can also add frutta and caffe to the courses in an Italian meal to give a maximum of seven courses. Of course you don’t need to have all of the courses, you simply take what you like from the menu but dolce is the most favourite part for many people. In the majority of restaurants dolce will be prepared fresh and made by the chefs themselves.

Tiramisu – This needs no introduction to most and many will have sampled this at one time or another. This is ladyfinger pastries dipped in coffee and then covered with a mix of whipped eggs, sugar and mascarpone, cocoa is then added to the top. Although a simple recipe chefs will try to prepare this as freshly as they can so you will notice the difference from one restaurant to the next. For me the lighter it is the better it is, plus the addition of coffee in the dessert makes it a great way to end a meal.

Cantucci with Vin Santo – This is another favourite of mine. Cantucci are hard biscuits or cookies containing almonds. You can buy these on their own in most supermarkets in Italy and elsewhere but they are quite hard and dry on their own. Sometimes you will see these at the breakfast buffet if you are staying in an Italian hotel. Vin Santo that accompanies this as a dessert is a sweet dessert wine from Tuscany. The idea is that you dip the cantucci in the wine then eat them. This not only makes the biscuits more palatable but also makes the dessert wine not as sweet so they are an excellent combination when paired together.

Zuppa Inglese – Yes this translates as English soup, it is closely related to the English trifle. It is made from layering custard with sponge cake or lady fingers on top of each other which is then topped off with some fresh fruit. The sponge cake or lady fingers will usually have been dipped in Alchermes which is a liqueur. Each restaurant will make the dessert slightly differently but this is one to sample and is especially popular in the Emilia-Romagna region in the north and Marche, Tuscany and Lazio in the centre of the country.

Mascarpone – This is actually a cheese but is very popular as a dessert, normally cover with cocoa. Whilst you may hesitate having this for a dessert if you have already had tiramisu then you have already tasted it so don’t hesitate giving it a go.

Panna Cotta – This is made from sweetened cream which is then moulded together with gelatin. There are different versions of panna cotta and they can be flavoured with chocolate, coffee, vanilla or different types of fruit. The possibilities are almost endless so you will need to choose a flavour you like and sample it. The dessert originates from the Piedmont region of Italy but is now popular over all of Italy and in restaurants around the world.

Torta Barozzi – Torta in Italian simply means cake and there are plenty of cakes around for dessert. Torta Barozzi is a chocolate cake that is infused with coffee and nuts, generally peanuts and almonds, it can also contain rum.