Rome's historic bakery to the popes closes

For over 90 years, the Arrigoni bakery has been serving bread to tourists, Romans and popes, from Pius XI to Francis. (Photo: AFP)

ROME - The Arrigoni bakery has made bread for the popes for almost a century, from rosetta rolls to wholewheat loaves -- but mass tourism has proved deadly and no prayers can save it now.

"We turned the oven off on Tuesday," said Angelo Arrigoni, 79, whose father opened the little shop in 1930 during Pius XI's papacy, and who would hand-deliver bread to the papal household.