Italian croissants suck

written by Tiana Kai
Italian croissant

What is it with Italian croissants, brioche, cornetti or whatever you want to call them? Every time I order one it always sucks, completely. I try to wrap my brain around the fact that it’s the one thing that’s not made well in Italy.

Croissants date waaaay back, so why are the French croissants still far superior? Is the trick lots of butter or something?

So far, the only thing I like about Italian croissants is the cappuccino! Now if only they would start making cronuts, then I wouldn’t mind as much.

Please help me out. I’m dying to know if I’m the only one who feels this way.

Do the flaky looking pastries let you down too?

*photo by emilialiveslife

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24 comments

Scott Kosman? April 25, 2013 at 10:13 pm

Dutch croissants > Italian croissants. Come visit and I will prove this to you.

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tianakai April 26, 2013 at 5:49 pm

I will have to try that. Other pastries are amazing here, but I like plain croissants for their simplicity when I don’t want tons of cream, chocolate or jam. Unfortunately, I will have to wait until I’m back in the States for a good one, or Amsterdam or France!

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bellavia May 19, 2013 at 9:56 pm

Boh, go south. Eons better than any brioche or cornetto you’ll find in Florence or north.

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Tiana Kai May 20, 2013 at 10:37 am

I will totally try one next time I’m south of Rome.

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Angela April 26, 2013 at 5:16 am

Tell me about it. I live in Asia. Quality baked goods just doesn’t really exist!

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tianakai April 26, 2013 at 5:47 pm

Oh my! Are breakfast items good or decent there? I do love their soups, even though I have never been to Asia.

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Angela April 27, 2013 at 5:30 am

Breakfast in Asia isn’t much different from any other meal.. rice, noodles. I usually just get some oats and fruit. They really do know how to do soups though!

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tianakai April 27, 2013 at 1:21 pm

I would be piling on some dumplings! 😮

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juan pena June 9, 2015 at 4:09 pm

To say quality baked goods don’t exist in Asia would be unfair to an entire continent with many countries and varied cuisines. More so, I’d say you simply don’t personally like the baked goods to the countries in Asia which you have visited. I personally do enjoy baked goods from some Asian countries, because they tend to be more nuanced in flavor, instead of packing them with sugar, butter, and salt as western countries may do.

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georgette April 29, 2013 at 10:23 am

I like a great integrale croissant with honey but I only know two bars that do a decent one in Florence.

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Tiana Kai April 30, 2013 at 11:03 am

Yes, the integrali are better than regular cornetti. Hopefully for you, the decent ones are by your house. I think the best way to get a great one may be to bake it at home… with lots of butter!

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dario agosta May 7, 2013 at 1:12 pm

Georgette: you write your addresses, I’ll write mine(s)!

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dario agosta May 7, 2013 at 1:12 pm

It’s just that the brioche (cornetto, whatever) is a completely different animal from the french croissant, simple as that — and yes, you’re right in that there are no decent french croissants to be found this side of the Alps, sadly. Once you have that in mind it’s a matter of taste exclusively!

And generally the pastry offer in most pasticcerie goes well beyond the pale brioche, which is not -to be honest- Florence’s piece de resistance: go for sfoglia, either with apple or custard filling, ‘budini di riso’, ‘semolino’ or abandon all guilt and sink into a fresh made bombolone 🙂

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Tiana Kai May 8, 2013 at 10:39 am

So right Dario! This is why I steer clear from cornetti and always opt for a sfoglia, those are my favorite. I am a big lover of budini di riso, I think we have similar tastes 🙂 My dream is to work in a bakery for a few months and learn how to make the traditional ones from scratch. I’m not sure if waking up at 4am would be fun though.

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tigerlily1719 July 18, 2013 at 5:34 am

You just haven’t found a good bakery. They are wonderful if made correctly and served fresh and hot.

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Tiana Kai July 19, 2013 at 9:48 pm

Yes sometimes, even great bakeries have disappointed. Have no fear, I have not given up the hunt!

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Andrea August 30, 2013 at 10:34 pm

I just studied abroad in Florence Italy and two of my favorite coffee houses had the BEST croissants ever! I only miss the croissants and cappuccino’s in Italy.

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Tiana Kai August 31, 2013 at 9:34 am

Were you in an American student coffee shop? Where are these so-called-croissants? They sound like the real deal.

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AltheDago November 17, 2013 at 8:59 am

I just visited Camp Arena in Herat Province, Afghanistan, which is an Italian base. The cornetti there were fabulous. So much so that I never ate breakfast in the dining facility.

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Tiana Kai November 17, 2013 at 1:52 pm

Lucky you for getting delicious ones…and for not eating in the dining facility, at least for breakfast!!

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Steve Daraio December 13, 2013 at 5:46 pm

i eat 50 italian croissants a day with a bucket of marmalade–french? wee wee pee pee
Steve Daraio

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Tiana Kai December 15, 2013 at 8:40 pm

They have good Italian croissants in Miami!? Lucky man. Please say hi to Jacqui and Freddie for me! 😉

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The Best Pastries in Florence! | Select Study Abroad Florence March 28, 2014 at 11:44 am

[…] doing some research for this post, I stumbled across an adorable blog post by Tiana Kay called “ITALIAN CROISSANTS SUCK,” which I read with a chuckle because I know exactly what she means (and nothing puts a damper on a […]

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Massa Marittima To Do and See July 15, 2014 at 10:33 am

[…] I’ve found the best croissant in Italy—I swear it because if you know me I usually hate Italian croissants! It was flaky, buttery, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. So good, I had to dunk it in […]

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