One day long, long ago in 1981, Lucia and Alessandro began to sweeten the days of the inhabitants of the village of Radda with pastries, coffee and cappuccino, and on Sundays, even some cake ...
Today the produce on offer has grown, and so has the family. Together with their daughter and son, Gloria and Federico, and the faithful employees Maila, Giancarlo and Fabiola, the pastry / ice-cream bar "Sampoli & Lapis" now tries to improve the days of its customers every day (except Monday).

Like great works of oral literature, our flavours and aromas flew from mouth to mouth before being fixed permanently as recipes on paper, but unlike those that were later either enhanced or which lost some vital detail at each step, our products have remained as traditional as they always were. Alessandro, like Homer, has been able to scratch, not on the pages but on the pans, the secrets handed down to him from his teacher Pasqualino, so that anyone who passes by can even now find the same flavours as there used to be in the olden days, rather like having Sunday lunch at grandma's house.

Meanwhile, Lucia with her calm and gentle manner has been able to entertain the customers at the bar, so that people have been coming back for years just to greet her. She is a real magnet, but has also been able to take care of the furnishings and the "packaging" in the finest detail.

The bar staff then expanded, changing a few faces over the years , to arrive at its current set-up with :-
- Maila, in effect both the worker and the boss of everything to do with ice cream, and a lot more besides;
- Giancarlo, "the best cappuccino in Italy without a smile" as our customers describe him, who can be found walking behind the counter every morning until exactly two o'clock;

Finally, the children. First Federico, who arrived quietly at just 19 years old, fresh from his  diploma. He started off boxing up desserts, but is now creating a whole range of new products , including tiramisu, cookies, muffins, and many more which have still to land in the display cases of Bar Sampoli. A large part of the credit for the new look of the bar must go to him and his stubbornness. Then Gloria, the eldest daughter but the last wheel of the cart, as she would say, by order of arrival, has brought a breath of fresh air and joy to the afternoons of Radda.

Over the years our goal has always been to ensure a high standard of quality, and to attract our customers, not through sympathy, which is certainly not lacking, but through the genuineness of our products.

"Eat a pastry and you will lift up the world, then immediately eat another to put it back again."