Genoa: Genoa's Mangini 1876 bar and patisserie has unveiled a Coronavirus inspired pastry that has been an immediate success among locals.
Pastry chef Gianluca Ceresa says he and his colleagues came up with the idea earlier this week as a little joke, a playful way to cope with the panic.
The majority of Italy's cases, which overall total at least 650, have been reported in Lombardy, a populous region that includes Italy's financial hub, Milan.
According to the Liguria region's governor Giovanni Toti 19 people tested positive to the new virus as of Thursday.
Now the pastry chefs at the popular cafe bar are busy trying to keep up with demand for their new creation.
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The pastry has been designed to resemble a CDC computer rendering of the COVID-19.
The bottom is made of shortcrust pastry, quite crumbly, typically Genoese. It consists of a chocolate dome that holds the virus, the inside is filled with namelaka, a Japanese-style cream. Orange flowers as a symbol of hope that everything will turn out all right in the end.
Another version has coffee instead of orange peel and flowers.
Upstairs, the new pastries are in high demand, with customers either enjoying them at the bar with a coffee, or seated at tables.
The new invention has sparked some criticism from some locals who believe some things must not be joked about.
But the atmosphere at Mangini 1876 is lighthearted, with customers ordering two coronavirus pastries, please and the cashier replying with a smile.
As of Friday February 28, Italy had reported 650 cases and 15 deaths.
The virus has sickened more than 82,000 people worldwide and killed more than 2,800, according to international health authorities.
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