[Photo provided to China Daily]

Easter is a couple of weeks away, but many Italian bakeries and restaurants are getting ready with traditional sweet cakes prepared in the shape of doves. The tradition may have roots in a medieval battle that ended on the eve of Easter in 572, when King Alboin conquered Pavia and received gifts of sweet cakes shaped like the birds of peace. The dessert became part of Italy's Easter tradition only from the 1930s, however, when the pastry company Motta decided to bake something similar to panettone, shaped like a dove and enriched with almond paste and sugar. In China, Bella Vita's master bakery chef Riccardo Raneri, just back from Milan, has his team churning out 500-gram cakes for 128 yuan and 100 gram versions for 28 yuan.

The cakes have been available since March 18, for pick-up or takeaway at both restaurant locations. To pre-order, call 021-2067-6027 in Shanghai and 022-5969-8238 in Tianjin.