Caffè Mulassano
The Caffè Mulassano is a historic café at piazza Castello 15, beneath the «Portici della Fiera», opened in 1907; at 31 square metres it is one of the smallest cafés in Italy and has been a Locale Storico d'Italia (Historic Establishment of Italy) since 1985.[1]
History
In the second half of the nineteenth century the owner of the Sacco distillery, known for its mint liqueur, opened a liquor shop at via Nizza 3 and in 1907 moved it to piazza Castello; the «Menta Sacco» lettering above the mirror still recalls the distillery.[1][3] In 1925 Angela and Onorino Nebiolo, Piedmontese emigrants who had returned from America, bought the premises from the Mulassano family, paying 300,000 lire for the licence alone, and ran it until 1938; after the decline of the war years and several changes of ownership, the premises came into the hands of Antonio Chessa.[1][2]
The furnishings
The shop window and furnishings were designed by the engineer Antonio Vandone di Cortemilia, and the magazine «L'Architettura Italiana» published them in 1908-1909 among the finest examples of architecture for commerce.[1] The mirrored walls and boiseries are the work of the cabinetmaker Enrico Pezza, the floor is in Rosso di Francia and Giallo Imperiale marble, the coffered ceiling is in Madeira leather and the bronze decorations on the cherrywood counter are by the Fumagalli brothers; the boiseries are screwed a few centimetres from the wall, so that they can be moved.[1] In 1978 Antonio Chessa entrusted the restoration to the architect Cesare Volpiano.[1]
The tramezzino
The Mulassano was the first establishment in Turin to serve toast, using a machine brought over from America, and under the Nebiolo family the tramezzino was born here, now served in more than thirty varieties; according to the café's website, the name was given to it by Gabriele D'Annunzio.[1][2] Sources disagree on the date and on who invented it: MuseoTorino gives 1925, while a plaque inside the café credits the invention to Angela Demichelis Nebiolo in 1926.[1][4] The café has served as a film set, including for «Piccolo mondo antico» by Mario Soldati (1941) and «Quattro mosche di velluto grigio» by Dario Argento (1971).[1]
Timeline
- — Turin celebrates the sixth edition of the National Day of Italy's Historic Establishments, with visits and tastings at historic venues such as Pfatisch, Baratti & Milano, Stratta, the Caffè Mulassano, the Ristorante Del Cambio and the Caffè Al Bicerin. → Torino Free