Biscottificio Antonio Mattei: 167 years of history, combining traditional recipes with a contemporary vision.
“In Prato, people often say that the city smells of Mattei,” they say. It is a recognizable scent that wafts through the streets of the historic center and mingles with the collective memory: toasted almonds, anise, and warm ovens. It is the smell of daily work that has lasted for 167 years and, over time, has become part of the city’s very identity.
That scent has a precise origin. It was in the mid-19th century when, in the historic center of Prato, a few steps from the Town Hall, Antonio Mattei opened his bakery in Via Ricasoli.
He produced bread, pasta, and cantucci, and every morning, baskets full of these goods were sent in different directions: the Collegio Cicognini, the Seminary canteen, the Misericordia hospital. And then to Florence, where Prato’s bozza was already known and appreciated.
The smell of warm bread dominates the morning air. But on Sundays, something different happens. After the first batches come out of the oven, the smell changes. The most attentive—those who trust their noses more than their watches—enjoy guessing what Antonio Mattei is preparing: aniseed cantucci, almond biscuits, schiacciata fiorentina, biscotti della salute, torte mantovane, paste regine, savoiardi.
It has already become a small collective ritual, an olfactory game that reveals surprising variety and extraordinary care.
It is not just craftsmanship, it is entrepreneurial vision. The bakery supplies the main institutions in the city and soon expands beyond the borders of Prato. Antonio Mattei personally selects the retailers and takes his products to major national and international exhibitions, where he wins prestigious awards: the gold medal in Florence in 1861, in Paris in 1867, and finally in London. This is how Biscotti di Prato began to represent Tuscany around the world.
That bakery is still there. The restored old sign hangs above the two entrance “sporti” (canopies): Antonio Mattei, manufacturer of cantucci, biscuits, and other goods. It was in these very spaces that the recipe for Biscotti di Prato alle mandorle (Prato almond biscuits), now known everywhere as cantucci or cantuccini, was created.
In the early 20th century, the business passed to the Pandolfini family, who have kept the secret recipes ever since. Generations have come and gone, but the heart remains the same. Today, Francesco, Marcella, Elisabetta, and Letizia carry on the daily production in the historic workshop in Prato, using selected ingredients: flour, sugar, fresh eggs, almonds, and Tuscan pine nuts.
Over time, modern machinery arrived, wood-fired ovens gave way to new technologies, and production became more specialized. Alongside the historic recipes, new creations appeared: Brutti Buoni, Filone Candito, dark chocolate, pistachio, and hazelnut cookies. The tools changed, but not the approach. Technology entered the workshop quietly, serving the artisan’s knowledge, improving efficiency without distorting the process.
In recent years, Biscottificio Antonio Mattei has embarked on a process of renewal based on three pillars: permanence in the territory, technological innovation, and enhancement of historical heritage. Remaining in the original premises in Via Ricasoli is not just a logistical choice, but a statement of identity. The spaces have been redesigned and optimized, with equipment custom-designed in collaboration with local mechanics, according to the specifications of Francesco Pandolfini, production manager.
This is accompanied by a natural generational change, where new skills interact with consolidated experience.
Memories, however, do not remain locked away in a drawer. In collaboration with ETT S.p.A., a creative digital industry part of Dedagroup, a digital photo archive has been created, collecting around 760 vintage images. Family photos, moments at work, faces, and places that tell almost two centuries of history. The archive will soon be accessible online and through an interactive station inside the historic shop, transforming the past into a shared heritage.
From March 2025, the biscuit factory will also open its doors to the public. Two Saturdays a month, from January to June, small groups of visitors will be able to access the historic workshop for guided tours by appointment. In forty minutes, you will go through all the stages of production: from mixing the dough to baking, to packaging in the iconic blue boxes. This is an opportunity to watch cantucci being made according to the original 1858 recipe and understand how much rigor and sensitivity lie behind simple ingredients.
And we assure you that it is well worth it! That “delicious aroma” lingers in the air and accompanies the entire guided tour with love.
After 167 years, the Antonio Mattei biscuit factory proves that respect for the past is not a hindrance, but a driving force. Investing in production processes, opening up to the public, and making its historical memory accessible, covering many years of important and prestigious history, are choices that tell the story of a family business capable of evolving without losing itself. A model of artisan enterprise deeply rooted in the territory, capable of speaking the language of the present without forgetting where it comes from.
There is a distinct sound when tradition bakes the present.
It is the sound of a biscuit breaking. And it has been the same for a hundred years.
