Førma Bakery

The people behind it

Førma was created by Simone Ciuffetelli, a chef from L'Aquila, and Roberta Milone. Linkiesta, in an August 2023 article, recounts that Ciuffetelli returned to his city after working in Australia, in Melbourne, and in Copenhagen, and that in summer 2020 he opened the Førma restaurant, the first venue to open in that part of L'Aquila after the earthquake. The project began with Roberta Milone, Pamela Manieri and Silvia Cianfrini.

The bakery followed in March 2022: according to Linkiesta it grew out of the demand for bread and pastries that rose during lockdown. Virtù Quotidiane, in December 2024, describes Ciuffetelli as patron and soul of the project together with Roberta Milone, and names the pastry chef Leonardo José, an Argentine of Italian origin, in the workshop. After the 2026 Three Loaves the two owners thanked those who "for four years" have chosen Førma every day and "the small producers and artisans" they work with.

Sources: Linkiesta — Cucine in fermento: ristorante e bakery, nuove Forme per L'Aquila · Virtù Quotidiane — Ecco i panettoni Førma, l'alta pasticceria è di casa all'Aquila in via Fortebraccio 63 · Virtù Quotidiane — I Migliori Panifici d'Italia: tre forni abruzzesi premiati dal Gambero Rosso

What they make

Førma Bakery is a bakery of naturally leavened bread and baked sweets. Linkiesta describes loaves fermented for twenty-four hours with sourdough, made with organic stone-ground flours, including type 2 flour from Molino Marino, Solina and Senatore Cappelli, together with loaves of local wholemeal rye, spelt and various seeds and a bread made with maize from a small local farm. L'Aquila Blog, in January 2024, also mentions bread seasoned with dried tomatoes, olives and Sicilian oregano, focaccias, pizzas and breakfast items.

At Christmas the workshop makes panettone. Virtù Quotidiane, in December 2024, lists four: the classic with mountain honey, candied orange and raisins, dark chocolate, chocolate and raspberry, and pistachio; the classic and the chocolate and raspberry versions are also available lactose-free. According to the same outlet the double chocolate panettone came first in its category in an Abruzzo artisan products competition organised by Gironi Divini.

Sources: Linkiesta — Cucine in fermento: ristorante e bakery, nuove Forme per L'Aquila · L'Aquila Blog — 'Gambero Rosso' sceglie il pane aquilano · Virtù Quotidiane — Ecco i panettoni Førma, l'alta pasticceria è di casa all'Aquila in via Fortebraccio 63

Ingredients and territory

The raw material is the grain of the L'Aquila basin. L'Aquila Blog reports that Simone Ciuffetelli's bread and pastries are made with flours from the L'Aquila basin, and Linkiesta lists among the organic stone-ground flours Solina, the ancient soft wheat of the Abruzzo Apennines, and Senatore Cappelli. The same pages mention local wholemeal rye, maize from a small local farm, Sicilian whole salt and, for the pastries, strawberries from the L'Aquila Farmers' Market.

Gambero Rosso, in the guide to Italy's best bakeries reported by Scatti di Gusto in June 2026, places Førma among the new contemporary bakeries that work with organic flours, local grains, live sourdough and long fermentations. After the 2026 award the owners publicly thanked the small producers and artisans who share their passion for quality, as Virtù Quotidiane reports: the bakery thus presents itself as the last link in a short chain of people and nearby fields.

Sources: L'Aquila Blog — 'Gambero Rosso' sceglie il pane aquilano · Linkiesta — Cucine in fermento: ristorante e bakery, nuove Forme per L'Aquila · Scatti di Gusto — 70 i migliori panifici del 2027 con i Tre Pani del Gambero Rosso · Virtù Quotidiane — I Migliori Panifici d'Italia: tre forni abruzzesi premiati dal Gambero Rosso

Recognition

The recognition comes from Gambero Rosso, with its highest rating for bakeries, the Three Loaves (Tre Pani). In the guide to Italy's best bakeries presented in Naples in June 2026, which Scatti di Gusto reports as the 2027 edition with seventy bakeries awarded, Førma Bakery is one of the three Abruzzo bakeries with Three Loaves, together with Farina del mio sacco in Atessa and Mercato del Pane in Montesilvano, as Virtù Quotidiane writes. It was not the first time: the newspaper Il Centro, in June 2023, reported Three Loaves for Førma in the fifth edition of the Pane e Panettieri d'Italia guide, presented at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome.

In January 2024, according to L'Aquila Blog, Gambero Rosso also placed Førma Bakery second among the six best bakeries in L'Aquila and its province. The entries on Gambero Rosso's website cannot be read without access, so the awards are documented through these outlets.

Sources: Virtù Quotidiane — I Migliori Panifici d'Italia: tre forni abruzzesi premiati dal Gambero Rosso · Scatti di Gusto — 70 i migliori panifici del 2027 con i Tre Pani del Gambero Rosso · Il Centro — La forza dei giovani, due panetterie abruzzesi al top secondo il Gambero Rosso · L'Aquila Blog — 'Gambero Rosso' sceglie il pane aquilano

Going there

The bakery is at Via Fortebraccio 63, in L'Aquila, a few steps from the Førma restaurant, which Virtù Quotidiane places at the foot of the great staircase of the Basilica of San Bernardino da Siena. According to the same outlet the products can be bought at the bakery counter, at the Farmers' Market in Via Eusanio Stella and through the bakery page of Førma's website; for telephone orders of panettone the outlet gave the number 331 688 0236.

The visit fits well with a visit to the city: the Basilica of San Bernardino is a short walk away, and the Førma restaurant, listed according to Virtù Quotidiane by both the Michelin Guide and Gambero Rosso, offers contemporary cooking tied to the territory. Opening hours and days are not reported consistently by the sources consulted: it is worth checking them on the website or by phone before going.

Sources: Virtù Quotidiane — Ecco i panettoni Førma, l'alta pasticceria è di casa all'Aquila in via Fortebraccio 63 · Linkiesta — Cucine in fermento: ristorante e bakery, nuove Forme per L'Aquila

Products and flavours

The place

L’Aquila

A capital between the Gran Sasso and the Monti della Laga, with the UNESCO-listed Celestinian Forgiveness and reconstruction still under way.

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Photo: Syrio / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized and converted to WebP.

The region

Abruzzo