Last week in Milan was chilly, windy and rainy, a last winter stretch before the turn of the season. On gray days like this, it helps to keep spirits up by looking for signs of the sunnier days ahead, and in Milan, those signs tend to appear indoors first.
Around this time of year, shop windows suddenly juxtapose the dullness outside with splashes of color – specifically, the pastel-tinted boxes of colomba, panettone’s Easter counterpart, stacked high enough to reach the ceilings.
The biggest and tastiest spring tease came to me in the form of a recent tasting of Chef Gennaro Esposito’s colomba, and other baked Easter goods, at Gerry’s Bar in the Grand Hotel et de Milan.
The tasting was arranged as a decorative array of sweets and flower arrangements, while Chef Gennaro Esposito, the two Michelin star chef of La Torre del Saracino in Vico Equense (about a 30-minute drive from Naples) circulated through the room, greeting the guests with his characteristic warmth. I gravitated toward the pastiera, the colomba classica, and the caramel-glazed colomba, a new addition to their product line. As I tasted, the chef spoke with a small group of us about the importance of ingredient sourcing.
Notably, the candied Limone di Sorrento in the colomba created an especially perfumed, citrusy, and even floral, aroma, while the specially sourced ricotta di bufula in the pastiera brought natural fluffiness and sweetness to its texture and flavor. Mostly out of curiosity did I try the caramel-glazed colomba (as I tend to be more or a classics-girl) but was pleasantly surprised.
Looking for Italian Easter recipes? Explore Appetito’s seasonal coverage.
Chef Esposito’s product line for Easter 2026 is rich with both classic holiday staples and more inventive twists. Among the highlights is la ciambella glassata Isabella, a traditional Italian ring cake offered with a variety of glazes, including white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and mixed berry. The colomba itself comes in several variations, with flavors such as pistachio, lemon and milk chocolate, and dark chocolate with orange.
Other seasonal specialties include la pastiera, the classic Neapolitan Easter cake made with ricotta, eggs, and wheat and perfumed with orange blossom; il casatiello, the traditional savory ring-shaped bread of Campania; and il babà, a Neapolitan favorite served here in a jar of rum-infused syrup.
For anyone eager to get a head start on spring before the equinox, Chef Esposito’s Easter line does the job nicely. With its naturally aromatic ingredients, it carries the southern Italian sun, packaged in brightly colored boxes.
Shop Chef Gennaro Esposito’s Easter 2026 product line here.
