Maritozzi - Beloved Roman Sweet Buns

In Rome they often start the day with a maritozzo – a light brioche bun, scented with orange zest and filled with fluffy whipped cream.

Rome’s most iconic pastry, maritozzi are brioche buns filled with whipped cream. They're made with flour, eggs, sugar, olive oil and honey, vanilla and citrus zest. While the process is lengthy, with several steps over two days and three leavening stages, the recipe itself isn’t actually that difficult.

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Maritozzi are Roman sweet brioche buns filled with whipped cream

Maritozzi (singular: maritozzo) are traditional sweet buns from Rome, Italy. They're soft, yeasted buns that are sliced and filled with whipped cream. They're particularly popular during Lent and are a classic Roman breakfast treat. The name "maritozzi" is derived from "marito" (meaning husband in Italian), as these buns were traditionally given by young men to their fiancées.

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Where to find the best maritozzi in Rome?

The best way to enjoy a maritozzo in Rome, is by scoring a table outside and people watching with an espresso in the morning hours. Maritozzi usually run out by 10am, so to try them go early.


Our tried-and-tested maritozzi locations in Rome:

  • Pasticceria Leonardo Roma (near Piazza Navona)
  • Roscioli Caffè Pasticceria (Piazza Benedetto Cairoli, 16)
  • Regoli Pasticceria (Via dello Statuto, 60), not far from Termini and the Colosseum
  • Sciascia Caffè 1919 (Via Fabio Massimo, 80/a), close to the Vatican

👍 We're inviting you to discover great maritozzi place on Testaccio food and market tour with Devour Tours. You'll have both breakfast and lunch on this foodie walk!


More about maritozzi

Maritozzi looks like doughnuts, but they are not. They are soft buns like brioche, baked and filled with whipped cream and dusted with icing sugar on the top. Romans call them "maritozzi con la panna".


When Rome is far away, make your own maritozzo!

We know this page has probably got your mouth watering, and we’ve got you dreaming of waking up in Rome. But even if Rome is far from home, you can enjoy a maritozzo, try this recipe to make it on your own!

We have the proven recipe, that makes 24 maritozzi buns. These are filled with whipped cream, slightly sugared and scented with vanilla extract. You can fill them with anything you want, from pastry cream, mascarpone, pistachio or chocolate spread. You can add a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder to the whipped cream, and turn then into chocolate ones...

It depends on your taste...

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