Starting from a small family pastry shop in the heart of the Sanità district, he transformed an artisanal business into a benchmark for excellent catering, helping to raise awareness of Naples and its gastronomic tradition at the most important Italian and international institutional events.

It is the story of Mattia D'Angelo, a Neapolitan entrepreneur who, at 85, has decided to retrace his personal and professional journey in the book "Naples in the Heart – An Entrepreneur Between the Sanità District and the Camaldoli District," presented in Bertolini's Hall, his company's headquarters, in the presence of the city's main authorities.

Sixty years of business and catering brought to the highest levels

D'Angelo's career has been built step by step, becoming one of the pioneers of modern catering in Italy. Over the course of his career, he has organized institutional receptions and official lunches for five Presidents of the Republic—Francesco Cossiga, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Giorgio Napolitano, and Sergio Mattarella—as well as international summits between heads of state, meetings with global economic leaders, and events that have become part of Italian diplomatic history.

Among the most significant events recalled in the volume are the lunch prepared for Russian President Vladimir Putin, the one organized for the Vienna Parliament, and an official reception at the Royal Palace in the presence of the King of Spain, occasions on which Neapolitan cuisine became an ambassador of Italian excellence.

The book and the institutions' tribute

The book's presentation became a tribute to one of the most representative figures of Neapolitan entrepreneurship. The event was attended by the Prefect of Naples, Michele di Bari, Mayor Gaetano Manfredi, Police Commissioner Maurizio Agricola, Provincial Commander of the Carabinieri, General Biagio Storniolo, President of the Court of Appeal Maria Rosaria Covelli, and City Councilor for Legality, Antonio De Iesu.

D'Angelo said that the publishing project had been born several years ago, but remained unfinished.
"I started writing it five or six years ago, then I put it aside. It was Prefect Michele di Bari who convinced me to finish it," he explained.

The message to young people: "Believe in your dreams"

The book also explores more personal aspects of his life. As a boy, he dreamed of a career in boxing, before his passion for the family business finally took over.

The entrepreneur wanted to conclude his story with a message to the new generations, inviting them to believe in their abilities even when everything seems against them.

"When I opened my little shop in Sanità, many of my father's colleagues said it would be a failure. Over time, they had to change their minds. I tell young people to never give up and to

keep believing in your dreams."
A story spanning over sixty years of entrepreneurial history, it tells how determination, sacrifice, and roots can transform a small neighborhood business into a center of excellence recognized by the world's most prestigious institutions.