The Amor Pontremolesi

Ct was a period in history, roughly the Napoleonic era, that we witnessed reverse immigration: from Switzerland many families arrived in Lunigiana to open stores and grocery stores. Many traces of them still remain today, such as the small cemetery “of the Swiss” in Fivizzano and the presence in many Lunigiana villages of a “Helvetic café.” In one of these, precisely in Pontremoli in the central Piazza della Repubblica, the “amor”, the sweets that have become the symbol of the town.

A soft heart made of a kind of chantilly cream, but whose recipe is still secret and jealously guarded, enclosed between two crispy wafers. At one time the wafer was homemade, it was the most difficult part of the recipe, because it did not have to be too soft or crispy, but today two wafers are used instead, specially packaged by a large northern company.

Perhaps the name “amor” comes from the way they are eaten, because after the first bite the cream spills out to the sides and to enjoy them you take bites that resemble very passionate kisses. If you want to taste them we suggest the art nouveau venue of the  Café Pastry Shop Aichta, Swiss for six generations….