Panettone is a Christmas bread that originated in Milan, and its name comes from the Milanese dialect word panattón, meaning large bread. Food historian Francine Segan dates it probably to the 15th century, and the oldest certain record is a 1599 college expense list from Pavia that includes ingredients for 13 loaves for students at Christmas. In the early 20th century, Angelo Motta gave the cake its tall dome and light crumb by letting the dough rise three times over almost 20 hours before baking. Gioacchino Alemagna then adapted the recipe around 1925, and the competition between the two bakers pushed production toward industrial scale. Over time panettone spread through Italy and became popular in the south, where artisan versions flavored with local ingredients, such as limoncello in Campania, are now prized.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.