Byline: Henry Bird

'There are no words."

When Giuseppe Dell'Anno was crowned Bake Off winner this week, he was stunned into silence, even as Paul Hollywood tried to give him a bear hug, while yelling in his ear, "You've won ... You're the first Italian to do it!"

Speaking with him on the phone last week, though ? bakers are naturally drawn to one another, particularly those of us who are Bake Off alumni ? he was more garrulous as we chatted about where winning the competition might take him. And where he'd come from ? a vital part of his journey. Born in Rome, his family is based south of the capital in the coastal town of Gaeta, near Naples. His wife's family, meanwhile, is from Puglia in the southeast, and he lived in Tuscany before moving to the UK and has now relocated back to Milan for work.

Dell'Anno focused our attention on the vast heritage of Italian baking, but before you dust your work surfaces with flour and try to emulate him, it's important to recognise that you're not just trying to bake the Italian way ? but the Italian ways.

The 20 regions of the country have distinct geographies, economies and an abundance of fine produce, all of which affect their cuisine. Despite each one proudly staking its claim to a particular dish, the continuous exchange of recipes and ingredients throughout the country has led to intense rivalry over whose is the better version. For example, tiramisu, the most famous Italian dessert, was created in the city of Treviso, but bakers from all over Italy have put their own twist on it, replacing the marsala wine with dark rum or port, or switching up the traditional savoiardi sponge biscuits with the more festive panettone.

In the Bake Off semi-final Dell'Anno made his own alteration, introducing a layer of marsala-stewed sultanas to the sponge and mascarpone layers (his recipe can be found on the Times website).

Another factor that made this year's final a little more poignant was the revelation that in Italy, Dell'Anno's elderly father was having health problems and watching his son bring honour to the family name was clearly a tonic for him. Dell'Anno said, "Everything I've done to deserve this comes from his heritage," and spoke about his hopes to co-write a book with his father, a former professional chef and patissier, to preserve his culinary legacy for his grandchildren....