Italy has a great many Christmas sweets, ranging from simple cookies to extraordinarily elaborate puddings and cakes, varying depending on the regional specialty. Pandoro and Panettone, the Christmas cakes of Verona and Milano, have achieved national popularity because they can be baked in industrial quantities and will keep fresh long enough to be distributed throughout the country. Because of this, pastry shops most everywhere in Italy make panettone in addition to their local specialties, and those who want something with a more individual touch than industry can provide visit their bakers rather than the supermarket. Not that one can't get some pretty unusual touches in the supermarket; the traditional panettone is a light, airy cake with candied fruit and raisins in the dough, but I also found, among other things, traditional dough with frosting and slivered almonds on top; frosting and slivered almonds on top but no candied fruit or raisins in the dough; frosting on top and almonds in the dough; with chocolate frosting and custard filling arranged in a spoke pattern (no fruit or almonds), and with chocolate frosting and orange custard filling. Pandoro, which is a light, airy cake made with a great deal of butter and baked in a high 8-pointed star-shaped pan, is generally just dusted with confectioners' sugar (nothing in the dough), though there are versions with custard fillings.