Iconic pastry cafe Pasticceria Marchesi has opened a third shop in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Already one of the most visited dining establishments in Italy’s fashion capital, the new opening will cement Marchesi’s reputation as the place to go for traditional Italian pastry in a fabulously stylish setting.

The cafe, which was bought by Prada in 2015, is newly located on the mezzanine floor of the Galleria, which is one of the world’s oldest shopping malls. It’s more like a baroque palace than your average shopping centre in fact, with an arched glass roof and a floor of such beautiful mosaic that you almost don’t want to walk on it. If you’re ever in Milan it truly is a must-visit, and now that allure is doubled with the arrival of Pasticceria Marchesi: shoes and cannoli in the same building? Yes please.

The original Marchesi opened in 1824 on via Santa Maria alla Porta where it still stands today. The shop’s heritage is absolutely key to its status as an icon of Milanese culture. Whilst the dining area is contemporary and sleek there are still echoes of old world glamour from the days of the original Angelo Marchesi, in the traditional shop front and polished marble floors. The pistachio interior immediately invokes the flavour of the delicately sweet confectionery which are still made by hand at the Pasticceria. The signature chocolates and pralines rival any Belgian chocolatier and the pannetones are so famous they have to be ordered weeks in advance come Christmas. Whilst the majority of the exquisite array of pastries and sweets are bought to take away, we have a feeling that the striking ambience of this new 250 square metre space will have hungry hordes clamouring to for a seat in order to properly take in the surroundings, particularly come Milan Fashion Week which begins 21 September.