Italian Food Specialties - The Tramezzino Sandwich

One of the World's Great Sandwiches is Celebrated in Cremona.

The English Tea Sandwich inspired This Edible Palette for Gourmets and Food Artists.

The Marcolino Tramezzino at Ugo's in Cremona. Bresaola, caprino, rucola.

Photo Courtesy of Ugo Grill.

Who doesn’t want a delicate and delicious English tea sandwich? I do, you do, pretty much everyone in northern Italy does. The Italian offspring born of this tea sandwich desire is the famous tramezzino. In 1925, Gabriele D’Annuzio invented these sandwiches as an inspired variation on the English version. He worked at Caffè Mulassano in Torino (still there) and he really knew the hungry inclinations of the Torinesi.

So why should a traveler care about a sandwich? Long lunches in Italy are a pleasure, and reason enough to travel to Italy.  But after a few days of long lunches and dinners it can be a relief to have a meal that isn't such a big deal. But a plain ham sandwich isn't an experience you'll remember dreamily in the depths of winter.  This is the time for tramezzini - simple, quick, authentically Italian, delicious and the food of dreams. Can you even imagine prosciutto, shrimp, and cream of asparagus.  How about a gorgonzola and salami tramezzini with mayo?

Cremona Duomo and the Torazzo Bell Tower.
Duomo begun 1107 AD, the Tower finished 1309.

The classic tramezzino is a small delicate sandwich made with two slices of soft white bread, crustless, spread with mayonnaise and filled with any combination of ingredients that satisfies, challenges, or amuses a needy epicure. Of course the concept has evolved and in some places now you might see the name tramezzino applied and/or misapplied to rolled-up sandwiches or toasted creations, and they might be the size of a matchbox or a multilayered affair half the size of a cigar box. Let others do what they may, here we are speaking of the classic version as celebrated in Cremona. They are hand-sized and the filling-to-bread ratio optimizes the taste, not the appearance.


Tramezzino is a diminutive of the word tramezzo, and it’s originally an architectural term meaning the division between spaces. So if you have an empty space involving your stomach between breakfast and lunch, here’s your snack. Today, it’s also used as an inexpensive, infinitely variable, and delicious lunch, an anytime bar snack, or a consolation for Hungarian train passengers (true).


First a word about the bread. Many people think that pane carre, the square loaf found in every Italian supermarket, is the proper bread to use. Well, it looks the same, but no no no. The proper bread is a particular type, made with milk in the batter to add softness and richness. The bread is soft - not in the way of Wonder Bread - but more in the way of the interior of a Parker House roll that’s freshly made. The whorls in the bread are distinct and supply strength without toughness - a marvel of sandwich physics. It has an almost meltingly fluffy texture, it’s irreplaceable and it's contribution is not to be underestimated.

Each tramezzino is made to order.
Tramezzeria XXV Aprile, Cremona

The other key ingredient is mayonnaise. This recipe is more closely guarded than the bread formula, and apparently everybody has a “secret” ingredient. A particular olive oil? Lemon? White pepper? It doesn’t really matter to your mouth, all you need to know is the stuff is smooth and unctuous and amazing and essential to this specialty.


The selections for the filling begin with the classics, lots of combinations of ham, sliced egg, tomato, artichoke, tuna...and now it's possible to make spectacular forays into new territory - turkey, brie, and even nutella. Tramezzini are available to a degree all over Italy, but especially popular from Turin to Venice, so wherever you find yourself in the north, you can seek them out. However if you strive - as we do - to know the best of Italy, you really want to go to the very epicenter of the modern tramezzini world: Cremona.

The most famous place to get one of these creations is at Ugo Grill.  The founder, Ugo Berti, was a restaurateur who was inspired to perfect this proto-street food almost 50 years ago, and now he's recognized as Il Re dei Tramezzini - the King!  Ugo went to his eternal rest in 2015 at age 87, but his spirit lives on in a tiny, standing-room-only shop filled with happy customers and friendly sandwich makers. Popular with office workers and tourists and laborers alike, the service is quick and the sandwiches are very affordable - about 2.50€ to 3€ (2018). The hard part is choosing from the extensive menu. Hint - it eases the stress to get two or three.

Professional food critic at work.

So now you’ve got the special bread, the special mayonnaise, the classic fillings... at Ugo Grill these are not cut in delicate little  triangles, they’re just handed to you freshly made and whole in a napkin with a smile and out you go. Don't expect a dine-in experience, but if the few tables outside Ugo's are full, head for the Public Gardens nearby, and you have a memorable picnic. After all, that’s why they call it street food, right?  We got one with tuna and artichoke, and one carbonara, which is pancetta and egg, both were fantastic.  You may also encounter tramezzini makers in other cities favoring a different approach - offering the sandwiches in small triangles or thick slabs.  Either way, they're great.

Cremona's Tramezzeria XXV Aprile at lunchtime.

What kind of food reviewers would we be to try only one place? Idiots is the word you're looking for.  So, a few doors down, we went to another Cremona hotspot - Tramezzeria XXV Aprile, with a bit more expansive menu. It caters to a broader market - offering hot dogs, hamburgers, piadini, as well as a large, adventurous and different selection of tramezzini. So, branching out - we tried two more: smoked salmon with asparagus, and shrimp with tomato. Here there's some seating inside and also seating outside in the arcade. The crowd of students and workers was pleasant,and  the tramezzini were very good. Yet, as romantics having been steeped in tramezzini history, we couldn’t help but feel disloyal to the King. Long live Ugo!

Ugo Grill Menu, pre-covid.
Start deciding now. Click to enlarge.

Ugo Grill
Via Antonio Gramsci, 13 Cremona
Phone 0372 20354
Ugo Grill Website  For info, online ordering, and even delivery.

Ugo Grill on Facebook with Menu link

Tramezzeria XXV Aprile
Piazza Roma, 25 Cremona
Phone 0372 750242
Tramezzeria XXV Aprile on Facebook with Menu link


Link: Tourism Cremona (Provincial Site)

Link: Tourism Cremona (Regional Site)

Written by Martha

Below Mighty Massa Castle, a Perfect Tordelli Waits.

Tordelli are Tortelli are Tortelloni.  Enjoy this Many Named Pasta at a Tordellaria. 

Eat Massa's Unique Piatto Tipico in an Authentic Local Restaurant.

Malaspina Castle still watches over  Massa, Tuscany. CC by Richard  Avery.

At the northern end of Tuscany, hard by the sea and the Apuan Alps, is an interesting provincial capital with a crazy name - Massa. It is full of history and busy people and stone industry enterprise, and has its own lovely beach community. Although some of Massa's historic areas were damaged in WWII bombing, much of the historic center, and one of the largest and fiercest castles in Italy survived. The Castle of the Malaspina, established before 1,000 AD, and first mentioned in documents in 1164, is still powerful looking and fearsome. The Malaspina ruled the area known as Lunigiana for centuries and competed fist-to-fist with all who challenged.   It's fascinating to visit the castle, and you can tour it on weekend and holiday afternoons.  Generally the tours are in Italian, but we've experienced very helpful guides who recognize perplexity in an instant. For hours and fees, see: Castello Malaspina Massa

Dining room at Abacab Ristorante & Tordelleria, Massa, Tuscany, Italy.

If you'll be visiting the castle or are shopping in Massa, of course you'd like to know and try some of the food specialties. Well, there's a standout. Tordelli alla massese is rightly famous and it's delicious. It's made with a sturdy egg pasta, a rich and satisfying filling with a 'Massese' taste, and a sauce that's like the country cousin of bolognese: more robust, more sincere, more down to earth. The dish is so much a part of Massa that there are variations on the basic tradition, and there are both shops and restaurants devoted to tordelli.

Eating Well Above the Plain in Nicola

Ristorante Da Fiorella Dominates Lunigiana Bassa. 

Excellent Food and Huge Views in the Historic Hill Town of Nicola.

The hill town of Nicola overlooking the plain of Luni. Beyond is the Caprione peninsula, Ameglia, and the Magra River.

Nicola is the most evocative village in the lower part of Lunigiana. High on a sharp little hill that bumps out of the coastal plain just before Liguria becomes Tuscany, it is poised for filming a movie set in the middle ages. So in truth, we didn't really need an excuse to visit twice. However, both times we just happened to visit around lunch time, and Da Fiorella was the only restaurant in town. Heh, heh.

Da Fiorella. Bread & Focaccia

The restaurant is in a nice pink building with a stupendous view of the sea and the coast, and you are warmly welcomed when you enter. The first good thing is the first thing they bring you – an amazing bread basket. There's a focaccia topped with poppy seeds that's just the way you always hope focaccia will be – almost crispy, almost creamy, with seeds that really have flavor. Next in the basket is an excellent bread, and another focaccia with sesame seeds – if anything even more delicious.

The antipasto misto is not the usual selection of sliced meats. It has five portions - torta di verdure; torta of rice and onion; eggplant caponata; stuffed cabbage; and polenta incatenata, a creamy soft square of polenta with beans and vegetables just showing through. All except the caponata are flavored with great Parmigiano cheese. Each one is worth a sentence rich with adjectives - the flavors complemented each other perfectly, and left us enthusiastic for the primi.

Da Fiorella.  Ravioli con Ragu

On our first visit, we ordered two primi piatti. The first was house-made lunette, half moons of pasta filled with radicchio and gorgonzola, which came topped with chopped walnuts and drizzled with butter. Very enjoyable. The second was a thick soup of pureed chickpeas with fresh quadrucci pasta. Anything with chickpeas sounds like a simple dish, but it was actually extraordinary: the quadrucci were perfectly cooked squares of hand-made pasta that never got gluey, the ceci soup was nutty, and seasoned with a touch of fresh tomato, garlic, and oil. It was served with grated Parmigiano, fresh olive oil, and black pepper on the side.

On the second visit, two more primi. The first sounds a little predictable – ravioli with ragu. Da morire! The ravioli filling declared itself, but didn't control, and the meaty ragu played a great supporting role. A tribute to the kitchen for all the care brought to this dish.

Panigacci from Lunigiana Bassa

The second primi was panigacci and these continued our Lunigiana education. The best known panigacci from upriver Podenzano are made of wheat flour, mixed with salt and water until it forms a thick paste, and cooked in hyper-heated shallow bowls of clay, which are stacked so the top and bottom of the panigacci are cooked simultaneously. The resulting pancake-like jobbies are about 1/4 inch thick, and served with cheese and coldcuts, or even nutella. At Da Fiorello, however, a tradition from the Ligurian end of Lunigiana is preserved - they make crepe-thin panigacci in a cast iron pan, and while they’re still hot, roll them with fillings: one with pesto and cheese, the other with olive oil and cheese. The little brown spots on the panigacci added crunch and flavor, and they were a prefect primi. (Thanks to the excellent local website Le Cinque Erbe for: I Panigazi di Castelnuovo Magra).

Oven-baked Stuffed Rabbit.  Coniglio Farcito al forno.

In our two visits, we tried three secondi. Da Fiorella offers numerous grilled meats, and the Coniglio alla brace (grilled rabbit) we ordered was perfectly cooked, still juicy but thoroughly cooked.  The Coniglio Farcito al forno (stuffed rabbit) was more interesting though. The rabbit is, of course, boned, then topped with a thin layer of prosciutto and a stuffing that is rich, cheesy, eggy, the whole thing is rolled up and baked, and it's truly delicious, the flavors intermingling. Our other carnivore adventure was another local specialty, which you can probably tell is one of our weaknesses. The Agnello di Zeri, (Zeri lamb) - a little village in the mountains near Pontremoli in Lunigiana Alta - is famous for its tenderness and delicacy, and can be hard to find. This was oven roasted and tasted just as good as it sounds. The portion was generous and the pieces as meaty as a local lamb can be.

A lunch with due coperti, a ½ liter of the light but flavorful house red wine, and a one antipasto, two primi piatti and one secondo, cost 41E. The same with no antipasto, two primi piatti and two secondi, cost 47E. In our humble opinion, all of this combines to make Da Fiorella a regional treasure. They’ve been in business since 1970, and their mission statement is clear: they are dedicated to "cucina tipica" in order to offer visitors a voyage into the tastes and flavors of Liguria. Punto e basta, secondo noi.

Da Fiorella in Nicola di Ortonovo.

Ristorante Da Fiorella 

Via per Nicola, 46
Nicola di Ortonovo

Closed Thursday. Reservations advised.
Da Fiorella Website
Tel. 0187 66857
Cell 331 7451707   nicola.bertucci@gmail.com

In 2017, the name of the comune of Ortonovo was changed to Luni. Most signs still say Ortonovo.


Written by Martha

Osteria Gloria - The Pleasure of a Business Lunch

Slow Food Quickly Served 

Osteria Gloria,  Marina di Carrara

At the base of Carrara's marble mountains with the dramatic white quarries, in the flat, rather featureless industrial section of Marina di Carrara , is one of the most enjoyable restaurants in the area, Osteria Gloria.  A Slow Food recommendation for many years in their guide, 'Osterie d'Italia', this restaurant has complete authenticity.  Family owned and run, the place has been a standby since 1979. It is seconds from the autostrada exit, and no hungry traveler should pass it by.

Gnochetti with shrimp.

We went for lunch on a weekday in October.  It was packed, but, unusual for many Italian restaurants, they 'turn the tables', quickly setting up for new guests as happy people leave, and there was no wait.  The walls are covered with vintage pictures of the quarries: tiny workers posed by impossibly huge blocks of stone, with insignificant looking portable hoists and stone cutting tools littering the foreground.

There’s no written menu, but after your water and wine are delivered, a pleasant man with a short beard promptly appears and says in Italian ‘May I disturb you?’ and recites today's dishes. No antipasti were mentioned – it’s a work lunch, after all. For the primi piatti, they offered pasta with pesto, pasta with ragu, vegetable soup with faro, taglierini with beans, and gnocchetti with shrimp.  For seconds, they offered chicken involtini, fried calamari, seppie in humido with potatoes, tripe, anchovies, oven-roasted beef, and rabbit cacciatora.  Whew, that recitation went by fast!  Ancora, per favore!

Taglierini with fagioli.

We ordered the taglierini with beans and the gnochetti with shrimp to start. The soupy taglierini con fagioli is a Carrara specialty and it was hearty, of course, with lots of fresh pasta incorporated, a few delicious dark whole beans to add some drama, and it was accompanied by a liter of olive oil and a big bowl of grated Parmigiano - let your conscience be your guide.  The gnochetti were ½” light potato cylinders, about half the size of a typical gnocco, and just grainy enough to let you know how fresh and potato-y they were.  They were served  sauced with an oil that tasted just like the small shrimp that hid underneath.  This is the inadequate description of a really delicious dish.

Seppie in umido with potato.

For seconds, we chose the fried calamari, the lightest and freshest version we've ever enjoyed, and - the hit of the day - the seppie in umido.  Seppie are cuttlefish in English and they're cousins of squid and octopus. This dish had meltingly tender pieces of seppia, with a sauce just a touch piquant, and the potatoes falling apart to thicken the sauce. This, too, made the best ever list.  Rather surprisingly, there seemed to be no tomato in the sauce – our best guess: a simple base of celery, onion, and parsley, long stewed with a little white wine and a good fish stock.  I watched a man in a suit diligently mopping his plate, getting every bit of sauce with the very good bread they serve, and it was clear that this dish was a constant favorite.

Fried Calamari.

We wished we had room for contorni, which were salad, beans, greens, french fries, etc. but it wasn’t possible, and the desserts will have to wait, too.  After coffee, when we went to pay, the pleasant ending was that the whole wonderful mess including wine, water, and coperti only cost 34 Euro.

Lunch at Osteria Gloria.

Osteria Gloria is located at Via Covetta, 92, Marina di Carrara. Telephone 0585-53876.
Lunch and dinner daily. Closed on Sunday.

Directions: From the A12 Genova-Livorno, exit at Carrara and turn left after the tolls. Turn right at the first traffic light, and Gloria is about 100 meters down on your right.

Written by Martha