Pintauro

Pintauro is a pastry shop at Via Toledo 275 in Naples, Campania, Italy, on the main pedestrian-friendly shopping street that runs through the centre of the city. The shop is associated with the commercial origin of the sfogliatella, the shell-shaped pastry that is one of the symbols of Neapolitan baking, and it is credited with selling the pastry commercially since 1818. The story told about the sfogliatella is that it began in a convent on the Amalfi Coast before a Naples pastry maker adapted the recipe and put it on sale to the public, and Pintauro is the shop most often named in that account. Visitors should treat the date and the attribution as the shop's reputation rather than a settled historical fact. The cuisine is Neapolitan pastry, and the specialty is the sfogliatella in its two classic forms. The sfogliatella riccia has a crisp, layered, many-ribbed shell with a filling of semolina, ricotta, candied citrus and spices, while the sfogliatella frolla uses a softer shortcrust pastry around the same filling. Both are sold by the piece at a low price, rated at one dollar sign, which makes this one of the cheapest and quickest sweet stops on Via Toledo. The shop is a counter operation, with a small selection of other pastries and takeaway boxes, and the focus is on speed rather than seating. The atmosphere is quick and busy, especially around shopping hours, and there is no dress code. There is no beverage programme, so visitors who want coffee usually take the pastry to a bar nearby. Reservations are not applicable, and walk-ins are the rule. The shop is open daily during daytime hours, but hours should be confirmed locally. Pintauro is a short walk from the Toledo metro station, Piazza Trieste e Trento and the Galleria Umberto I, so it fits easily into a day of central sightseeing. Visitors who want to compare sfogliatelle across the city often pair it with Attanasio near the railway station.