Situated just a few meters from the Vatican, the Borgo Pio neighborhood has undergone a transformation and is no longer characterized by poverty. The combination of increased tourism and the absence of state assistance will compel Angelo Arrigoni, the owner of the bakery that has supplied bread for the last eight Popes, to shut down operations.
During the time of Pope Pius XI, a trusted aide would visit Arrigoni’s bakery at dawn, carrying a lockable ‘coffer’ of portable briefcase size. This precaution was taken to prevent any poisoning attempts, and the key was entrusted to only two individuals, one of whom was Angelo Arrigoni’s father, the former proprietor of the bakery, who was prepared to protect it with his life.
The baker would place the preferred Viennese bread of Achille Ratti, who was elected Pontiff on February 6, 1922, inside the coffer. Subsequently, the bread would be handed over to the nuns serving the Pope, who held the other key in the papal apartment.
John XXIII
Arrigoni also recalls with emotion the day when, as a child, he was assigned the task of delivering bread to Pope John XXIII. He personally handed the bread to him within the pontifical palace. “I remember that long corridor. The Pope walked past and glanced towards the door. I felt extremely embarrassed. Then, the nun said to me, ‘Come on, the Pope wants to speak with you.’ I was filled with excitement, and although I answered everything, I cannot recall the exact words.”
John Paul II
Each Pontiff had a preference for a specific type of bread. “Since we were unsure about the bread favored by the Polish Pope, we contacted the Vatican. The nun asked the Holy Father, who replied, ‘The bread my workers eat.’ His staff used to come here for meals. Throughout his lengthy pontificate, we sent him five rosettes, a simple inflated bread, and five ‘ciriole,’ a classic Roman bread.”
Benedict XVI
“Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger would also come during winter to purchase bread.” According to Arrigoni, “he appeared like an ordinary priest. Usually, he bought whole wheat bread, once or twice a week. A Vatican priest standing at the shop’s entrance greeted him with reverence, saying, ‘Your Eminence!’ That was when I realized his true identity.”
Following the 2005 conclave, Angelo contacted the papal apartment to revive the tradition of providing the ‘daily sustenance’ to the 265th Successor of Peter. “The nun went to inquire and returned feeling embarrassed, saying, ‘I’m sorry, but the Holy Father already has his own baker in Borgo Pio.’ I replied, ‘Sister, I am the Pope’s baker’ (laughs). And so, we continued delivering bread to him even when he became Pope Emeritus,” recounted Arrigoni.
Pope Francis
“For us, he was the ‘Argentine Pope’ coming from the end of the world. I investigated the most common bread in his country and was ready to prepare it, even experimenting with different recipes. However, the nun informed us, ‘No, no, the Holy Father doesn’t want bread made specifically for him. They will send him the leftover bread.’ And so, we continued sending the bread until recently.”
Affection from the Community “All that remains for me is the satisfaction of having performed my job well,” expressed Angelo, who, after three generations of bakers in the family, will be closing the oven established by his grandfather and father in 1930 this week. The Borgo Pio neighborhood’s residents recognize the bakery for its artisanal aroma and the warm, familial ambiance it embodies.
People come to greet Angelo affectionately, and some elderly women become emotional. Thus, concludes a ‘piece of history’ in Rome. The ‘Bakery of the Popes’ not only delighted the palates of the Pontiffs but also, as Angelo recounts, served as a source of nourishment for many impoverished Romans during the Great Depression, which persisted until the years leading up to World War II.”
