Walk into Dolce Italy, order a cappuccino and a ricotta raviola, secure a small table while listening to classic Italian tunes, and instantly, you’ll feel like you’re in a café that could be anywhere in Italy, from Perugia to Palermo.
The Di Grazia family has brought an authentic pasticceria (Italian pastry shop) experience to town. Their delicious journey started in 2014 when they landed in Southern California directly from Genoa and began making and delivering their handmade Italian pastries to numerous restaurants and cafés in Beverly Hills and Hollywood. They opened the first Dolce Italy in Rochester, New York, during the pandemic, where they were humbled by the overwhelming support from the neighborhood, and now, they’re thrilled to bring their creations to Greenville.
Choose from twenty-five to thirty pastries, freshly baked from scratch daily and crafted from Italian ingredients and generations of family recipes, some updated with a modern twist. A bestseller is the Magic Horn, filled with Chantilly cream and topped with powdered sugar or chocolate. From cannoli to cassata, the choices are dazzling and a true feast for the eyes.
Gelato, the frozen treat that can be traced to the Italian Renaissance and the Medici family, is made on-premises, using genuine Italian ingredients mixed with fresh, local fruit and local milk. In addition to many traditional flavors such as strawberry and lemon, sample croccantino al rum, a mix of hazelnut and pistachio nuts, or torrone, a Sicilian favorite featuring toasted almonds.
Savory selections include focaccia and Sicilian arrancini, which are fried rice balls traditionally stuffed with cheese. Also mouth-watering are cipollina, pastries filled with onion and cartocciate, the version stuffed with spinach.
Sit inside or outside, or stand up at the marble bar like they do in Italy to sip lattes, espressos, or a caffé freddo. The shelves are stocked with jars and tins of imported specialty foods like olives, olive oil, pasta, coffee, Sicilian tuna, and drinks like San Pellegrino’s Chinotto, a citrus-flavored soda.
The Di Grazia family—Francesco, Susan, and their son Luigi—will greet you with a welcoming “buongiorno” while they happily help you indulge in some of Italy’s most artistic and delectable creations.
Dolce Italy Address: 115 Pelham Rd, Suite 7, Greenville
Hours: Thursday and Friday, 11am to 6pm. Saturday, 10am to 6pm. Sunday, 2pm to 6pm.
Website: dolceitaly.us
Instagram: @dolceitalygreenville
Phone: (585) 448-5731
Photography by Jen Jefferson
