A bakery chef and master baker based in Messina, Francesco Arena leads Panificio Focacceria Francesco Arena. He holds Tre Pani in Pane e Panettieri d’Italia 2025 (Gambero Rosso) and ranked 7th in 50 Top Italy Street Food 2023. In 2019 he was named Best in Sicily – Miglior Fornaio by Cronache di Gusto.
Born in Messina (class of 1976), he represents the third generation of a baking family whose story begins in 1939, when his grandmother Teresa started the first bakery activity. In 1970 his father Masino took over, and the family workshop remained rooted in the Sant’Agata area of the city.
Arena’s professional path is built on the day-to-day discipline of the bakery and on targeted training. In 2014 he attended CAST Alimenti’s advanced course for bakers with Piergiorgio Giorilli; in 2016 he passed the admission exam to join Richemont Club Italia (Sezione Sud)—a technical network widely referenced in Italian breadmaking circles.
The contemporary chapter of the project is tied to the city center address—Via Tommaso Cannizzaro 137, Messina—where the brand operates as Panificio Focacceria Francesco Arena, balancing breadmaking with focaccia, bakery counter items and a street-food dimension that also includes tray-baked pizza.
On the product side, two specialties are frequently cited: focaccia messinese and panini di cena, the spiced sweet bread rolls typical of the area.
Recognition has accompanied this trajectory. In 2019 he received “Miglior Fornaio – Best in Sicily”, an award curated by Cronache di Gusto.
For the bakery, the Tre Pani distinction in Gambero Rosso’s guide Pane e Panettieri d’Italia 2025 places the shop among the selected Italian addresses for breadmaking.
In the street-food arena, Panificio Focacceria Francesco Arena ranked 7th in 50 Top Italy Street Food 2023, receiving the Latteria Sorrentina Award 2023 within that list.
Alongside the counter work, he has also taken on representative roles in the trade: in 2021 he was appointed president of Assopanificatori Confesercenti Messina, an association created to represent local bakers within Confesercenti.
