Directly across from the Collegiata dei SS Pietro e Stefano, you can find
Gianfranco Peverelli Panetteria-pasticceria (Peverelli tearoom), where you can find a variety of light fare, pastries, chocolates, coffee, and spirits.
The café holds a memorable place in local confectionery history. In 1997, Giulia Clerici-Cariboni, an employee of the café, created the tasty treat that won the
Confectionery for Bellinzona competition, called
bissoli. Castelgrande once housed a mint, and the mint created a coin called the Bissolo, which depicted a snake curled around a stake. If you look closely at the snake, you see it is cut into three pieces by the design, each of the three pieces representing one of the three cantons--Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden--that once held joint power in Bellinzona. This snake is pictured frequently around the city.
Bissoli are chocolate cups about 1 1/2 inches across and 1/2-inch thick, filled with a traditional chestnut filling and a white chocolate snake on the top of the treat. Paired with an espresso or coffee, they make a lovely treat while visiting the old town.
From journal Bellinzona - Gateway to Southern Switzerland