Madonia Brothers Bakery

Mario Madonia opened this bakery on Arthur Avenue in 1918, and more than a century later his great-grandson, Daniel Mario Calano-Moore, runs it with his partner Charlie LaLima. It is the oldest bakery in the Bronx's Little Italy, four generations in, and the loaves are still Sicilian and European in style, made the slow, old-fashioned way.

Start with the bread: the olive loaf and the lard bread are what people carry home under their arms. Then look at the wall of biscotti, a dozen or so kinds, and the cannoli, which are filled to order so the shells stay crisp. If you are only stopping for a moment, a buttered roll and a coffee is a fine Arthur Avenue breakfast. Get here early on a Saturday or before a holiday, when the line stretches toward the door. Holiday orders and catering trays can be arranged through the bakery's own site.