Baratti & Milano
Baratti & Milano is a confectionery and chocolate house founded in Turin in 1858, and the historic café bearing its name at piazza Castello 27, at the entrance to the Galleria Subalpina, in late Art Nouveau style.[1][2]
Origins
In 1858 two confectioners from the Canavese area, Ferdinando Baratti of Piverone and Edoardo Milano of Bollengo, opened a confectionery and pastry workshop at via Dora Grossa 43, now via Garibaldi.[2] In 1874 they presented the plan for a new shop in the Galleria dell'Industria Subalpina, just built by Pietro Carrera, and were appointed purveyors to the Royal House; the café opened to invited guests on 31 December 1874 and to the public on 1 February 1875.[1][3][4]
The café by Casanova and Rubino
In 1909 the firm bought two premises under the arcades of the square; the design by Giulio Casanova of Bologna, with sculptures by Edoardo Rubino, was completed in 1911, a few months before the International Exposition.[1] The façade is in yellow Siena marble with bronze panels by Rubino depicting the four seasons, and the bronze bacchanal on the serving counter is also by the same sculptor.[1] The poem "Le golose" by Guido Gozzano was inspired by watching the café's female customers and first appeared in the "Gazzetta del Popolo della Domenica" on 28 July 1907.[2]
The company
The joint-stock company was founded, according to different sources, either in 1899 or 1905, with a plant on corso Mediterraneo; in 1906 the "Caramella Classica" trademark was registered.[1][3] Bombing during the Second World War destroyed the plant and badly damaged the café, which was rebuilt between 1946 and 1948.[3][1] In 1985 the Ministry placed the premises and their furnishings under heritage protection.[1] After several changes of ownership, the company is now controlled by Elah Dufour, with production based in Bra; the café reopened in 2003 after a conservative restoration.[3][2][1] On 10 December 2024 the café's 150th anniversary was celebrated; it now also houses a restaurant run in partnership with chef Ugo Alciati.[4][5]
Related articles: Galleria Subalpina
Pages linking here
Chronology
- — Turin celebrates the sixth edition of the National Day of Historic Venues of Italy, with visits and tastings at historic establishments such as Pfatisch, Baratti & Milano, Stratta, the Caffè Mulassano, the Ristorante Del Cambio and the Caffè Al Bicerin. → Torino Free
Sources
- MuseoTorino
- MuseoTorino
- Baratti & Milano
- Quotidiano Canavese — 16 December 2024
- Baratti & Milano