I own this Sunset cookbook, and I have made this Columba a number of times since we returned from our sojourn in Italy. We discovered Columbas during an Easter trip to Venice. It was not as widely available in Italy as it may be now. The results were wonderful, and we prefer it without the candied fruit. Easter has enough sweets involved! Italian bakers use the paper pans, but we actually came to prefer this free-form as it is more birdlike. Be careful not to make the head and beak too thin or it will surely overbrown or burn. Of course, everyone loves the sugary wings and tail best, but the whole sweet bread is delicious.

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