Gluten free pastry shop Navotti

Italy Gluten free Food Tour with Niepi: Milan

The first gluten free pastry shop in Milan? Navotti!

The gluten free pastry shop Navotti opened in Milan in … 1997 ! How pioneers of them!

Today I am heading there on the occasion of the first Italy gluten free food tour that I organised for Frédérique and Fabien from the French magazine Niepi.

It’s a hot summer day, the sun is shining and we are thrilled to go there.

Alessandro Navotti is there to welcome us and tell us a bit of his story in the middle of chocolate pastry choux, fruits tarts, cannoli, cakes, croissants and brioches, all gluten free of course!

Alessandro has celiac disease as Frédérque and I. He started to work as an apprentice pastry chef with his father when he was very young. His father used to make Italian traditional pastries and one day, due also to Alessandro’s disease, he decided to turn to pastry that was “free from” but as good as its gluten counter part. That was 19 years ago. Actually a long time ago. During this time both Alessandro and his father worked hard experimenting over and over to find the best consistencies and taste for their pastries. Their biggest challenge? The croissant. Today their clients are happy with the results.

I was particularly happy to eat my very favourite Baci di Dama biscuits stuffed with delicious chocolate cream. All good and gluten free! Frédérique, instead, loved the “ventaglietti”. The “ventaglietti” are biscuits made of feuilleté pastry dough that are very common both in Italy and in France. Actually in France they are called “palmiers”.

Another good news is that at Navotti, almost everything is also lactose free. This is quite unique for a pastry shop in my opinion. Alessandro explains us that they are specialised in making pastries that can satisfy people with different food allergies. You can order them on demand and be delivered in a few days.

Besides pastries here are from all over Italy: there are the cannoli and the cassata that are typical from Sicily, babà from Napoli, the « Pan Meyno » that is a traditional sweet bread from Milan, made of millet flour. And I can tell you that the list is quite impressive…

At Navotti gluten free pastry shop, bread and focaccia are baked fresh everyday. Some are made of rice flour, others with buckwheat, millet or amaranth. Organic products are available too.

I can tell that here the word is …variety!

I left bringing with me some delicious taralli topped with sesame seeds. I know already they will go beautifully with the Italian aperitivo I am planning for later!

pS Looking for the best risotto in town? Look no loger than Taverna Guyot, this gluten free restaurant is great! Check out my post right here.