Ristorante Del Cambio
The Del Cambio is the historic restaurant at piazza Carignano 2, in Turin, in the building next to the Teatro Carignano and facing Palazzo Carignano; it owes its fame above all to the frequent visits of Camillo Benso di Cavour.[1]
Origins
Already in 1711 drinks were served at the theatre, and from 1721 there was a liquor shop at the entrance; the drawings by the architect Francesco Antonio Bellino attached to the Royal Letters Patent date the birth of the Caffè del Cambio to 1757, which the restaurant traces to 5 October of that year.[1][2] The name «Cambio» appears in 1790 in a petition by the owner Lorenzo Gazzola, «liquor-maker and confectioner of the shop called del Cambio», and is most likely linked to the Consolato dei Cambi, Negozi ed Arti.[1]
The 19th century
In 1842 the arcades were closed in with glass windows, giving shape to the «small hall» later known as the Cavour room, designed by Carlo Ravera; from 1840 the establishment had gas lighting, and in 1846 Barnaba Panizza added the restaurant in two rooms.[1] From 1851 it was run by the Cornagliotto brothers, who became owners in 1859; from 1875 Giuseppe Reale had the ceiling restored by Roberto Bonelli and commissioned him to create the glass-painted overdoor panels depicting the four seasons.[1]
The 20th century and the restoration
In the 20th century the establishment passed through various managers and owners; in 1973 it was bought by a company of the Cinzano group, which had it restored by the Jansen firm of Rome, recovering the original pastel colours.[1] At the start of the 2000s it was purchased by the entrepreneur Michele Denegri.[1] Reopened in 2014 after a renovation, it still has the Risorgimento room and a second room by Michelangelo Pistoletto with furnishings by Martino Gamper, one hundred and fifty Sèvres plates by Izhar Patkin and the vault of the Bar Cavour by Arturo Herrera; the cellar holds over 16,000 bottles.[1][3]
The kitchen
After ten years with chef Matteo Baronetto, on 29 January 2025 Diego Giglio, sous chef since 2014, was named executive chef.[4] From July 2026 the kitchen has had a dual leadership, with Giglio and Francesco Rovai, and a tasting menu inspired by the 18th-century recipe book «Il cuoco piemontese perfezionato a Parigi».[5]
Related articles: Camillo Benso di Cavour, Cinzano
Pages linking here
Timeline
- — Turin celebrates the sixth edition of the National Day of Historic Establishments of Italy, 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
Sources
- MuseoTorino
- Del Cambio
- Del Cambio
- Torino Oggi — 29 January 2025
- Cook_inc. — 10 July 2026