From our editorial team
Naples - The queue goes around the corner and then another 50 metres into the alley. If you want to buy a panino at the most famous panino shop in Naples, you need perseverance. Waiting time: one hour - at least.
"Con mollica o senza" is the name of the business - which translates as "with or without crumb", i.e. with or without the soft part inside a bread roll. Its inventor, butcher Donato De Caprio (45), has made Italian bread rolls a hit on TikTok. But it's hard to describe the bulging baguettes, you have to see them - or even better, try them. More than 4.3 million people watch his passion for juicy sandwiches online: More than 100 people queue outside the shop in real life.
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Fired due to high profile
The story of Panino-Donato offers material for at least one film. He led a completely normal life and worked in the delicatessen "Ai Monti Lattari". For fun, he started making videos of panini during his lunch break. What looked so delicious was very popular on TikTok. More and more people watched the videos, more and more people came into the shop and wanted selfies with the panini man. At some point, however, there were so many that normal work was no longer possible: Donato lost his job!
Italy's famous food guide on TikTok
@donatodecaprio3 Sono tornato dalle vacanze e fratm Carmine dice che sono ingrassato 🤔🥲 e' stata una bellissima vacanza con la mia famiglia e ora sono felice di tornare a lavorare per questo bel progetto Con Mollica o Senza ❤️ p.s. Ma quanto e' bello questo prosciutto cotto? 😋😍
♬ suono originale - Donato - Con mollica o senza
There are several versions as to why the boss sacked him. He would have liked to take on other tasks for the business, at least that's what Donato said at the time. Of course, the now unemployed man also made his despair known on social media, which brought entrepreneur Steven Basalari onto the scene. The two of them set up the first branch of "con mollica o senza" together, just a few metres away from Donato's old workplace.
A terrible blow of fate
Donato also learnt that fate can be cruel: In April 2023, his mother Rosa Gigante (†72) was allegedly fatally injured by her mentally ill neighbour Steffania Russolillo (47). It was allegedly an accusation of stolen mail. The physically weak mother was seriously injured in the head, then allegedly strangled with the tube of her inhaler. The whole of Italy sympathised and the community comforted Donato. "I already miss the look in your eyes when you spoke to me. Farewell, my mum, I will fight for you and our family until the end."
Expansion in Italy underway
After the mourning, Donato De Caprio carried on, also for his mother. He opened further branches in Milan and Rome. More than 2,000 people attended the opening, with the queue stretching all the way to the Pantheon. His community on TikTok and Instagram is constantly growing. He has also long been one of Italy's most successful food influencers. He has one tip for all fans: "When life presents you with a challenge, don't be afraid to take it on. You never know where it might lead you...
PS: If you would like to go: Via Pignasecca 29 in the Spanish Quarter in Naples
