At Caffè Balzola in Alassio, amongst the founders spanning three generations, Pasquale Valentino, Rinaldo and Pasquale Balzola, the sweet figure of Maria Teresa Verda remains unforgettable: Rinaldo’s tireless wife, who for 72 years (until the age of 92, in 2013!) was at the helm and in charge of the till, and who, alongside him, was the creator and driving force behind the success of the patisserie and the famous Baci di Alassio. Today, her granddaughter Maria Teresa Balzola stands alongside her brother Carlo Maria.
Rosa Maria and her husband Oreste Pollano were the last, unforgettable generation of the family that gave its name to and ran the renowned Caffè Nazionale in Aosta for a century and a half, turning it into a cultural venue with Belle Époque dance performances and the first cinema screenings of the early 20th century. Now carefully preserved by the Municipality of Aosta, which owns the building, it has been managed by Laura Bertone since 2002.
Giulia Porcellotti, the exquisite chef at the legendary Buca di San Francesco in Arezzo, is the daughter of and a great upholder of the art of Tuscan cuisine pioneered by her father Giuseppe, who opened the restaurant in 1929, and the wife of chef and publisher Mario De Filippis, the world’s foremost collector and printer of ex-libris.
As determined as her father Giuseppe, who led Grapperia Nardini in Bassano with unrivalled flair over the last fifty years, Cristina Nardini continues the family business’s great tradition, sharing the responsibility for seven generations of entrepreneurial ‘spirit’ with her cousins Angelo – who serves as chairman – Antonio and Leonardo Nardini.
Barbara Cerea, a descendant of the founders of the three-Michelin-starred Da Vittorio in Bergamo, has chosen to preserve and run the Caffè Pasticceria Cavour in the Upper Town, turning it into a splendid showcase for the restaurant’s fine patisserie – and, interestingly, the pastry chef there is her husband, Simone Finazzi.
The driving force behind the renewed prestige and stature that Bergamo’s Caffè del Tasso has regained in recent decades is Erminia Scotti, whose work over a quarter of a century – first alongside her husband Giuseppe Menalli and later with her sons Marcello and Massimo – has led to her handing over day-to-day management to them; they now carry on her legacy with the same dedication.
With extraordinary spirit, strength and vitality, Anna Maria Bonaga Atti, representing the fifth generation, is at the helm of the Panificio Pasticceria Paolo Atti & Figli in Bologna and holds the secrets to the ingredients of their inimitable tortellini, zuppa imperiale and the ‘Certosino’ – an iconic dessert made with honey, candied and stewed fruit, jam, mostarda, almonds, pine nuts, cocoa and wine syrup. She is president of the Bologna branch of the Bentivoglio family within the prestigious Italian Academy of Cuisine.
The romantic Crotto dei Platani in Brienno, on Lake Como, is the delicate creation of Renata Rosson, who took it over with her husband Fernando Cavadini in 1977 and has continued to foster its cultural and culinary heritage, turning it into one of the leading destinations for fine dining on Lake Como, alongside her son Francesco, who has been at the helm for the past twenty years.
Since 1999, Pina Pisani, representing the third generation, has been the queen of the Ristorante Nettuno in Capaccio-Paestum, in the province of Salerno, the guardian of the tradition of the finest ‘crespolini’ to be found – ultra-thin crêpes made with buffalo mozzarella from Paestum – and extraordinary fish dishes. Her grandfather Luigi, who was manager of the Hotel De Londres in Cava dei Tirreni, was called upon to open and manage the restaurant created by Mussolini himself in 1929 as the only dining establishment in the archaeological area.
Marinin fell in love with the young baker’s apprentice Gio Batta Luca Bonino, known as ‘Luchin’ to his friends: he took her on their honeymoon to Chiavari, first for a romantic stroll by the sea and then rushing off to see the shop where he envisaged their future; she immediately rolled up her sleeves and, together, in 1907, they opened the Osteria Luchin in Chiavari, a small shop with a wood-fired oven in the Carrugio Bighetti, which immediately became the home of farinata. With the arrival of the motorway, the business really came into its own from the 1970s onwards, thanks to their granddaughter Mariella and sister-in-law Renata, alongside their husbands Toni and Nicola, who have now handed over the reins to the fourth generation.
Maria Romilda Albert, the ‘Lady’ of the Bellevue – as she was known, “with her magic that could turn any problem into an opportunity to be tackled calmly” – saved the enchanting Hotel Bellevue in Cogne on numerous occasions from the looting and fires that were common during the Liberation period; Today, the hotel is run by Laura Roullet, the fourth generation of the family, who created Europe’s finest hotel spa, which was honoured with the prestigious Prix Villegiature Award in 2013.
At an altitude of 2,500 metres, with extraordinary warmth, Gioia Brunod Viganò runs the beautiful Albergo Italia al Passo del Gran San Bernardo in the province of Aosta, just as her mother Andreina did, who took over the hotel from her father Giovanni Battista Brunod, the founder in 1933, who once welcomed the unforgettable Liz Taylor to the Alps.
It all began with elderly great-aunt Cleofe in 1780, when she transformed the family farmhouse – renowned for its prized culatello – into a grocery shop and refreshment stop for travellers, as well as a meeting place for the whole village. Today, at the Ristorante Al Vèdel in Colorno, on the outskirts of Parma, the sixth generation is at the helm: the dining room is Monica Bergonzi’s domain, and she has a unique way of describing – and making you savour them even before you’ve tasted them! – the exquisite recipes of chef Enrico Bergonzi.
With a smile and a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Michela Manaigo is at the helm of the legendary Hotel de La Poste in Cortina d’Ampezzo, alongside her mother Marisa, whose extraordinary elegance – and who, with her inimitable style, propelled the hotel into the pantheon of the world’s finest hotels and hosted Hemingway in 1948 – has been a hallmark of the family for five generations.
Since 1960, Maria Alberti has been at the helm of Pasticceria Lanfranchi in Cremona, founded by her uncle Umberto Lanfranchi. She is a devoted guardian of the historic recipes created and perfected by her father Aurelio, as well as the city’s confectionery traditions.
Following the culinary legacy of Enea Sperlari and his son Carlo – who, from 1878, led the Negozio Sperlari in Cremona to success, culminating in the coveted title of purveyor to the Royal House of Savoy – the exquisite tradition of nougat and mostarda, along with the splendid furnishings crafted by the cabinetmaker Guastalli, have been preserved since the 1930s by the women of the Cervi family: Rosa Bragutti, wife of Guido Cervi; then their daughters Franca and Marialuisa, together with their brother Giancarlo; and today, at the helm, Laura Vittori and her brother Carlo, the children of Marialuisa.
Rosa Arione, together with her husband Andrea, invented the exquisite, unique and inimitable ‘Cuneesi al Rhum’, and met Hemingway, who stopped off at her shop in Cuneo to buy some for his wife; later, her daughter-in-law Graziella, together with her husband Nuccio, launched the wonderful advertising campaign in the 1950s featuring posters designed by Carlo Prandoni: these are the two ladies who shaped the history and success of Pasticceria Arione in Cuneo, now run by the third generation: Andrea Arione and his wife Vanna.
In the late 1970s, Linda Valenza, through the Caffè Paszkowski in Florence, began – together with her husband Pellegrino – to build up the finest collection of historic cafés in the City of the Lily, subsequently acquiring the Caffè Gilli and recreating the legendary ‘duo’ of the two literary cafés in Piazza della Repubblica, which had been the pride and joy of the Frizzoni brothers since 1890. She handed over the reins to her son Marco, who, together with his sister Sonia, has also brought under their wing, amongst others, the historic Caffè Scudieri in Piazza San Giovanni.
Together with her husband Agostino Cona, her daughter Francesca and her exquisite style, Maria Ciardi Duprè runs the Hotel Monna Lisa in Florence, housed in the 14th-century Palazzo Marsichi-Lenzi, which in the second half of the 19th century served as the home and studio of her great-uncle, the sculptor Giovanni Duprè, and which has retained its magical atmosphere along with the works of art and antique family furnishings.
Franca Quintè was the leading lady amongst the ‘magnificent five’ restaurateurs who, in 1978, took over the reins of the Ristorante Sabatini in Florence from the founding family: it was she, together with her husband Angelo Schiavi and Pietro Lazzerini, Mario Pagneretti and Rosario Santoro, behind the opening of no fewer than three ‘sister’ restaurants to Ristorante Sabatini in Japan. Today, her son Claudio Schiavi and Carlo Lazzerini, Pietro’s son, continue to run them with great success.
Three out of five generations at the Trattoria del Bruxaboschi in Genoa are women: Maria Giulia and Angela, the daughters of the founder Giovanni Battista; the unforgettable Mrs Gemma – ‘Grandma Gemma’ – wife of Ernesto Sciaccaluga, representing the third generation and creator of a sublime Genoese-style ‘cima’; her daughters Ada and Mariangela, who are the faithful guardians of the traditional Genoese recipes handed down since 1862 and already passed on to their sons Matteo and Giovanni.
In Genoa, Matilde Romanengo, with great elegance and grace, has for decades stood alongside her husband Pietro, running the utterly delightful shop on Via Roma which, together with the historic premises on Via Soziglia and the old factory with its nineteenth-century flavours – and scents! – forms the sweet realm of Confetteria Romanengo Pietro fu Stefano, built up over seven generations by Europe’s oldest line of confectioners.
The wonderful story of Ristorante Zeffirino – from the Trattoria Emiliana on Via Aurelia in Quinto to the high-class restaurant in the centre of Genoa – was created by Olga and Zeffirino Belloni.
Since 1973, sisters Carla and Maria Teresa Piccardo have personally run the Caffè Pasticceria Piccardo in Imperia: they are credited with having saved its precious Umbertine-style furnishings and the three antique mahogany façade-showcases, decorated with mirrors, columns, inlaid capitals and gold lettering – which were the subject of a major relocation and historic restoration project carried out by cabinetmakers Alfonso and Giorgio Maligno when the café had to move to the arcades of Piazza Dante in 2003. Now in their third generation, they are the custodians of this great tradition and worthy heirs to the entrepreneurial spirit of their great-aunt Teresa Piccardo, who founded the business in 1905 alongside her brother – and their grandfather – Giacomo.
Ida Bertolacci and her daughter Raffaella, along with Raffaella’s children—the fourth generation of the Tomei family—are the driving forces behind the Antica Locanda di Sesto in Sesto di Moriano (Lucca), at the gateway to the Garfagnana, a mecca for Lucca cuisine enhanced by the fruits of the family’s olive groves and vineyards.
Grandmother Firminia, wife of ‘Francischiello’ Francesco Gargiulo and a masterful exponent of Neapolitan cuisine; her daughter-in-law Donna Pina, with her exquisite “liqueurs” – alloro, nocillo, fragolino, arancio and limoncello – and her granddaughter Firminia – now working alongside her brother Francesco – are the three women who have shaped the history and success of the Ristorante Antico Francischiello da Peppino in Massa Lubrense, in the province of Naples.
Kreszenzia Weisskopf Glatt, known to everyone as ‘Zenzi’, born in 1914, was a pioneer in the hotel industry. For many years she ran the Hotel Adria in Merano and devised numerous therapeutic and beauty treatments that we now know as ‘wellness’. Now a highly regarded painter, she has passed the baton to her granddaughter Sissi Amort, who runs the hotel alongside her husband Florian Ellmenreich.
The Ristorante Da Berti in Milan is the brainchild of Enrica Colombi, who ran it with great skill for over thirty years before handing it over to her children, making it one of the hallmarks of Milanese cuisine, thanks to her refined entrepreneurial pragmatism, which also earned her the presidency of the Milan Restaurant Association.
Monica Brioschi continues the entrepreneurial and gastronomic legacy of the Antico Ristorante Boeucc in Milan, with the same style, refinement and elegance as her father Paolo, who was one of the great figures of the Milanese restaurant scene. She conceived and developed the Bistrot del Boeucc.
Teresa Miani is the proprietress of Caffè Camparino in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, which she and her husband, Orlando Chiari, have looked after with extraordinary care for decades, keeping this monument to culture – bequeathed to her by her father Guglielmo, a tailor to the princes, patron of the arts and philanthropist – very much alive. It was Guglielmo who saved the café after the war by bequeathing it to the city’s future.
Three extraordinary women stand alongside Mario Faccioli, the mastermind behind Pasticceria Confetteria Cova in Milan: his wife Graziella, who, together with him, built the renewed success of the historic establishment; in 1994, she began the brand’s international expansion in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai, as well as on cruise ships; and in 2013, she brought the business into the luxury conglomerate LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy S.A.); and his daughters Paola and Daniela, who have been close collaborators since their youth and are now minority shareholders and members of the management team at the French giant, but, above all, guardians of the continuity of Italian tradition.
Just like Grandma Vittorina and Grandad Luigi, who launched the ‘caffè concerto’ in Milan in 1936 to extraordinary success, Laura and Vittoria Cucchi – representing the third generation – are at the helm of Pasticceria Cucchi in Milan, organising the cultural events centred on art and gastronomy held at the venue, alongside their inimitable and elegant father Cesare, who ran the business for years alongside his wife Anna.
The vibrant Bar Jamaica in Milan has been a distinctly feminine establishment from the very beginning, thanks to the unforgettable figure of grandma Lina Mainini, the venue’s leading light, loved by all for the bohemian atmosphere she created in the Brera district alongside the Academy of Fine Arts; a patron of the arts from a bygone era, who extended interest-free loans and always refused paintings as payment so as not to take advantage of artists in times of need! Her son Elio was the driving force behind the venue, which under his leadership became a hub for Milan’s leading artists, photographers and cultural figures; his wife Vittoria vigorously carried on his legacy, passing the reins to their indomitable and dynamic daughter Michela Mainini, who, like her father, is the creative mind and cultural driving force behind the venue.
Three extraordinary women from the Antica Trattoria della Pesa in Milan: the unforgettable and ever-so-sweet Ezia Calatti, granddaughter of the founder Napoleone, who lovingly kept one of Milan’s last true trattorias going right up until the dawn of the 2000s and handed it over to Alba Sassi, who has elegantly and tastefully infused Milanese cuisine with her own Emilian traditions (she still very often makes the filling and ravioli herself!). Today, her daughter Francesca runs the restaurant.
The Bar caffè pasticceria Grigolon in Mondovì, in the province of Cuneo, is the brainchild of Barbara Grigolon and her boundless enthusiasm. This delicate Art Nouveau gem was taken over from her parents, with the precious furnishings carefully restored and the venue skilfully revitalised with a contemporary twist.
Nadia Santini is the owner of Caffè Fiaschetteria Italiana in Montalcino, the home of Brunello in the province of Siena, alongside her husband Franco Pazzaglia and her son Alessandro, both expert sommeliers.
The Ristorante Caffè Poliziano in Montepulciano, in the province of Siena, is the brainchild of Marisa Bernini, who took it over in 1991 together with her friend and fellow student from La Sapienza University, the film director Claudio Borgoni, restoring its original magic and cultural heritage through extraordinary literary and film events, before passing it on, all too soon, to her close friend.
Donna Emilia Del Tufo was known as ‘la Bersagliera’ because she was the daughter of a Bersagliere; she had seven daughters and five sons who ran a boat hire business in the little harbour of Borgo Marinari, where she had also been serving vermicelli and fine wine to sailors and students since 1919. The delightful smile that greets you today at Ristorante La Bersagliera in Naples belongs to Elvira Chiosi, Donna Emilia’s granddaughter, guardian of the authentic cuisine of the Santa Lucia neighbourhood, alongside her irreplaceable manager, Claudia Core.
Onorina Gay, together with her husband Isidoro Odin, created the legend of the Fabbrica di cioccolato Gay-Odin in Naples in the late 19th century; today, Marisa Del Vecchio has continued the work she began with her husband Giuseppe Maglietta, building a sweet empire centred on the historic premises in Via Vetriera, comprising nine shops in the Campania regional capital, one in Rome and one in Milan, which she runs alongside her children – the custodians of the secrets behind delicious creations such as ‘la foresta’, ‘tartufi’, ‘ghiande’ and ‘noci di cioccolata’.
Angela Di Pascale deserves great credit for having, together with her husband Luigi Follari, believed in and breathed new life into the historic Locanda del Cerriglio in Naples, through a meticulous restoration project lasting a decade, after this 13th-century tavern had almost been forgotten; it had closed when Naples was sanitised following the cholera epidemic of the late 19th century.
Spaghetti, ragù and stockfish with potatoes were the speciality of Grandma Ermelinda, who opened Pizzeria Umberto in Naples with her husband Umberto Di Porzio in 1916. Then came her daughter-in-law Maria, the heart and soul of the dining room, as her husband Giuseppe – nicknamed ‘o ragiunier’ because of his academic qualifications – preferred to look after the accounts and staff. Today, the third generation is at the helm, with Linda, Lorella and Roberta, alongside their brother Massimo. And the fourth generation is often at the till too, with great-granddaughter Giulia.
In 1900, Margherita and Giacomo Rossi opened the Osteria della Villetta in Palazzolo sull’Oglio, in the province of Brescia – an establishment with accommodation situated near the railway station on the Milan–Venice line, which had been built in the mid-19th century by the Austrians. In the early 20th century, the business was taken over by their children Virginia, Luigi and Andrea, who, from the 1950s onwards, handed over the running of the establishment to Lina and Giovanni. They, in turn, passed it on to their son Maurizio Rossi, who now runs this Art Nouveau gem of a family business alongside his wife Grazia, serving up traditional Brescian family dishes.
Ada Romeres, alongside her brother Gaetano, is the fifth generation at the helm of the historic Casa del brodo “dal Dottore” in Palermo, the custodian of recipes for everything the world of boiled meats has to offer – from tortellini in broth to boiled beef with potatoes, stews and beef tongue – as she learnt from her mother, Maria Luisa Catanese, who for decades was the heart and soul of the restaurant and the living memory of a tradition stretching back over a century.
For fifty years, Margherita Fontana, with her unforgettable smile and an enviable talent for hospitality, was the figurehead and guiding force behind the Hotel Moderno in Pavia, which she acquired in 1956 together with her husband Andrea Merlino and subsequently managed personally, overseeing the restoration of the splendid Art Nouveau building, until she handed over the reins to her son Giovanni Merlino, the architect of the skilful fusion with modern art.
A painter, a highly skilled master pastry chef, an entrepreneur, shrewd, at times sharp-tongued, and a champion of the value of hard work and tradition: this is Carla Schucani, the fifth generation of the family that founded Pasticceria Sandri, an undisputed institution in Perugia and one of the last two historic patisseries still run by the descendants of the more than 100 Swiss pastry chefs who, in the 1800s, came to Italy in search of their fortune and opened workshops and shops that have since become legendary. It bravely weathered the crisis and, after a year of closure, reopened at the end of March 2014, bringing on board the young and capable entrepreneur Francesco Ferretti and celebrating with a giant Sacher cake offered to the city as a symbol of renewed continuity.
In the history spanning seven generations of the Ristorante Erasmo in Ponte a Moriano, near Lucca, a place of honour is reserved for grandmother Argenta, for her exquisite yet simple recipes which made the restaurant’s fortune after the Second World War; she is remembered by everyone not least because she washed off the drawing that the painter Lorenzo Viani had sketched on the back of a plate at the table, complaining about the effort involved; then her daughter-in-law Eria, who skilfully perfected and enriched those recipes, and Maria Paola, who now runs the restaurant alongside her brother Lorenzo.
Boasting an exquisite array of objects collected over the years, the exquisite Art Nouveau interior of Ristorante Al Gallo in Ravenna – with its D’Annunzio-inspired flair – is the work of Delia Clapiz, the Friulian wife of Commendatore Ferdinando Turicchia. A graduate of the Art School in Venice, she is also a master in the kitchen, having learnt the secrets of local and seasonal ingredients and produce from her mother-in-law, Mrs Verdiana.
In 1885, Manuelina Cichero opened her restaurant in Recco, signposted to travellers by a branch! And thanks to her exquisite Ligurian dishes, fine wine and superb cheese focaccia, together with her daughter Vittoria, she won over the high society who chose the Riviera for their luxury holidays between the two world wars. Today, her great-granddaughters Cristina and Gloria Carbone, together with their brothers Gianni and Cesare, run the culinary empire built around the Ristorante Manuelina in Recco by Gianni Carbone – husband of their niece Maria Rosa and the architect of the restaurant’s success – and the Focacceria Manuelina, which has a branch at La Rinascente in Milan.
From the late nineteenth century onwards, for many decades, it was Marinin, wife of the innkeeper Vittorio Emanuele Bisso, who welcomed travellers with her simple yet extraordinary dishes at the family trattoria in Recco; today, at Ristorante Ö Vittorio in Recco, her great-granddaughters Paola and Chiara Bisso, together with their brothers Mattia and Federico, welcome guests (though always under the watchful eye of the inimitable twins Gianni and Vittorio!)
Flavia Jozzi, a member of the family that owns Caffè Greco in Rome, manages and runs the historic venue on Via Condotti and its cultural activities alongside her husband, Carlo Pellegrini. Just as Antonietta Gubinelli Grimaldi had done before them – whose family owned the Caffè from 1872 until the turn of the millennium (and who witnessed the founding in 1919 of the Circolo dei Caffegrecisti, which brought together the finest minds in culture every Tuesday around Giuseppe Prezzolini) – and later her daughter Maria Grimaldi, together with her brother Luciano.
Originally known as Babington’s Tea Rooms, this tea room was opened in Rome in the late 19th century by the exquisite English ladies Anne Mary Babington and Isabel Cargill for the capital’s Anglo-Saxon community. Today it is run, with equally exquisite style, by Mrs Cargill’s great-granddaughter, Chiara Bedini, alongside her cousin Rory Bruce, creator of the exclusive courses on the Victorian art of serving tea and of the ‘7 Teas of Rome’ blends.
Clorinda Mariani, with her husband Lorenzo, created the cuisine of Checchino dal 1887 in Rome, specialising in sweetbreads, brains, backstraps, tripe, ‘padellotto’, rigatoni with ‘pajata’ and ‘zampi’ salad; her daughter, Sora Ferminia, devised a fabulous stew of oxtail and cheeks with celery, thus creating ‘coda alla vaccinara’; in the fourth generation, the guardian of these ancient recipes was the unforgettable and ever-sweet Ninetta Ceccacci Mariani, who passed them down to her children: Marina, along with her brothers Elio, an exquisite chef, and Francesco, a highly refined sommelier.
For a quarter of a century, the elegant Hotel Quirinale in Rome has been a testament to the high professional standards of its managing director, Johanna Fragano, recognised as one of the world’s leading managers in the hospitality sector, elected in 2007 as president of the European Hotel Managers Association and honoured in 2011 with the ‘Worldhotels Leadership Award’, one of the most prestigious international accolades for hotel management.
The lady of the Grand Hotel Cocumella in Sant’Agnello di Sorrento, is Vera Del Papa, whose exquisite sense of style helped shape the hotel alongside her husband, the architect Nino Del Papa, when they purchased it in 1978. Joining her are Gaia and Fiammetta Del Papa, alongside their brother Lionello, who now runs the splendid hotel.
The irrepressible, unstoppable, and dynamic driving force behind Pasticceria Gemmi in Sarzana is Fiammetta Gemmi, daughter of the founder Silvano, who, together with him, created the Loggiato in 1995 – a magical cultural space built next to the patisserie within the 16th-century convent complex of the Friars Minor of St Francis of Paola, where high-calibre events are held and offered free of charge to the public; It was here that Fiammetta Gemmi – whose extraordinary alter ego is Rossella Pellini – launched the international opera competition ‘Spiros Argiris – Città di Sarzana’ in 2000, which each year discovers and promotes outstanding young international talents in bel canto, organised under the prestigious patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, the Liguria Region and the City of Sarzana.
With extraordinary grace and charm, the Ristorante Corona in San Sebastiano Curone, in the province of Alessandria, is run by Marta Allegrina, the twelfth generation of the Fontana family, as attested by a contract dating from 1702 preserved in the parish archives, in which the parish priest of the time undertook to provide board and lodging to a bell fitter ‘at the Corona inn owned by the Fontanas near the friars’ . She is the custodian of the historic recipes featuring the typical produce of the Curone Valley – including truffles, Giarolo salami and Caldirola cheeses – as taught to her by her mother, Matilde Fontana, who was regarded as a pillar of the community throughout the valley, and her grandmother, Mariuccia.
Great women also played a key role at the Caffè Grande Italia in Sirmione, on Lake Garda, which weathered the trials and tribulations of the Second World War thanks to the determination of Angiolina Cracco, daughter of the founder Antonio, who was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic; and then her daughter-in-law, Lidia Pagiaro, who firmly took the reins of the café following the untimely death of her husband Carlo, before passing them on to her son Mario.
Donna Livia Russo is the grande dame of the Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento; she has always stood by her husband, Luca Fiorentino, during the extraordinary revival of this luxurious five-star hotel since the 1980s, before handing the reins over to her son, Guido.
Antonietta Cacace and her husband Vincenzo Acampora, a young couple from Sorrento, decided in 1912 to devote their lives to hospitality and founded one of the sector’s leading groups, whose historic jewel is the Hotel Minerva in Sorrento, which is run with the same passion by their granddaughter, Antonietta Acampora.
Behind Onkel Taa – whose real name is Karl Platino – the brilliant mastermind behind the Ristorante Museumstube Bagni Egart in Tel, in the province of Bolzano, and the adjoining museum dedicated to the Habsburgs and the culture of the Val Senales, there are two exceptional women: his wife Marianndl, who has built this unique corner of the world alongside him, and his daughter-chef Janett, who has taken on board – and surpassed! – his culinary teachings, making the thirty famous snail-based recipes her own. And the third generation is already working in the dining room, with his granddaughter Juliane.
The splendid Confetteria Avvignano in Turin is a dreamland of gianduiotti and pralines, carefully selected by Grazia Ferraro for their extraordinary flavour; she carries on this unique business with the same charming elegance as her father, Ezio.
The Caffè Baratti & Milano in Turin is an elegant creation by Maria Rosa Repetto, a member of a prominent family in the Italian confectionery industry – the Elah-Dufour-Novi group – who oversaw the restoration work, completed in 2004, which restored the café in Piazza Castello to its former splendour, reminiscent of the era when the poet Gozzano used to frequent it.
For over a century, Caffè Al Bicerin in Turin was run entirely by women: from 1910 to 1975, it was managed by Ida Cavalli and her daughter Olga, who established the custom of ladies stopping off for coffee at a time when this was not commonplace; the baton was then taken up by the inimitable Maritè Costa, who loved, restored and looked after the café in an extraordinary manner until 2015 with the help of her daughter Eleonora, before handing over the reins to her husband Alberto Landi.
The Caffè Gelateria Fiorio in Turin owes its feminine spirit to Paola Quarello, who for decades has worked alongside her husband Luigi in running this historic establishment and preserving the tradition and quality of Turin’s most famous ice creams – which, not without controversy!, launched the trend for the ‘walking cone’ in Italy at the start of the 20th century.
Vanna Chessa, together with her business partner Patrizio Abrate, has taken over the prestigious legacy of Caffè Mulassano in Turin, left to her by her cousin Antonio Chessa, who saved and enhanced the café’s splendid Art Nouveau furnishings through two extraordinary restoration projects, elevating it to the status of a symbol of the city and its refined taste. At the helm are the warm welcome and professionalism of Angela Amoruso, alongside her husband Cristiano Ruggiero.
Monica Werling, together with her brother Dario, oversees production and design at Confetteria Stratta in Turin, which has been family-owned since 1959. For decades, the business was led by its unforgettable owner, Adriana Monzeglio, who paid meticulous attention to the products and the combinations of flavours and colours in the beautiful packaging, and who created the delicate and refined Torta Adri.
The Grand Hotel Tremezzo, on Lake Como, is the embodiment of the personality of Valentina De Santis, a third-generation hotelier from Como, who has infused the hotel with her own style and taste, recreating the elegance that once captivated the elite tourists of the early 20th century. Here, too, the story is one of women, beginning with Maria Orsolini, who designed and organised the hotel alongside her husband Enea Gandola, opening it in 1910; followed by her daughter Mariuccia Gandola, who steered it through the Belle Époque, and her heiress Mariella Bontempi; then Maria Mallone, grandmother of the current owner, who left her mark on the hotel’s style with her strong personality, and her daughter Antonella Mallone who, together with her husband Paolo De Santis, has ushered in a new lease of life for the grand hotel.
Representing the fourth generation and the first all-female generation, sisters Federica and Giovanna Suban work alongside their father Mario and now run the kitchen and front-of-house operations respectively at the Antica Trattoria Suban in Trieste, a landmark of culinary tradition in the city of San Giusto.
Daniela Carlotto works alongside her father Giuseppe at the helm of the renowned Liquoreria Carlotto in Valdagno, in the province of Vicenza – the historic establishment specialising in the sale and serving of spirits and wines, which still produces rare, top-quality spirits in the Central European tradition. Today, she is the custodian of the closely guarded recipe for ‘Biancorosso’, the aperitif liqueur created by her family in 1920.
Gabriella Oliosi has been an exceptional hostess at the 15th-century Antica Locanda Mincio in Valeggio, in the province of Verona, whose former splendour and reputation she has restored together with her husband, Gabriele Bertaiola. It was his mother, Lisetta, who passed on the historic Mantuan recipes of their grandfather and founder, Angelo, to him – and now to his son Paolo, representing the fourth generation – including ‘agnoli’, the traditional Mantuan tortellini.
Since the 1990s, Pasticceria Barberis in Valenza has been the domain of Sabrina Saglimbeni, who, in 2006 – after fighting to prevent the demolition of the historic building that housed the shop – saved the historic 19th-century furnishings and traditional recipes, including the extraordinary ‘Panfrutto’, invented out of necessity during the war: plenty of candied fruit but no butter!
From 1982 to 2009, Daniela Gaddo Vedaldi, founder of the Associazione Locali storici d’Italia and now president of the Soroptimist Club of Venice, was the owner and driving force behind Caffè Florian in Venice, and the cultured architect of its great cultural revival, with exhibitions by leading contemporary artists staged in the historic rooms overlooking St Mark’s Square. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the café’s female driving force was Chiaretta, the beautiful young wife of Valentino Francesconi (grandson of the founder Floriano), who inherited the café from her husband and later lived with her great admirer, the sculptor Antonio Canova. Today, Silvia Zanella is responsible for the café’s public relations and exhibitions, alongside the managing director Marco Paolini.
With great entrepreneurial flair and a keen eye for the history and traditions of her city – of which she is a profound connoisseur – Annapaola Rey is the driving force and guiding light behind Caffè Lavena in St Mark’s Square, Venice, which she runs alongside her husband Giovanni Rey, the great-grandson of the founder Carlo Lavena. She is one of the founders of the St Mark’s Square Association, dedicated to the promotion and preservation of one of the world’s most famous landmarks.
The ownership and management of the Albergo Quattro Fontane on the Lido of Venice are truly extraordinary and exude a timeless elegance, with sisters Pia and Bente Bevilacqua taking centre stage (Pia is also a highly acclaimed painter!) with their family’s collection of fabulous antiques, which have adorned the hotel since 1954, and the unrivalled care taken over the marvellous garden, where they have created the highly sought-after annexe, La Barchessa.
Together with his wife Rossella, Antonio Gioco took over the Ristorante 12 Apostoli in Verona (and managed to do so thanks to a letter of recommendation from the publisher Arnoldo Mondadori, who was a regular at the hotel where Gioco worked as a porter!); his son Giorgio took it to the very heights of Italian cuisine, alongside his wife Jole, his assistant in the kitchen; Antonio, representing the third generation, now carries on the tradition with his wife Simonetta.
Silvia Gioco is the highly talented daughter of chef Giancarlo Gioco, who has followed in her father’s footsteps, and is now the driving force behind the cuisine and success of the Ristorante Arche in Verona, a refined and exquisite specialist in seafood.
The driving force behind Caffè Fantoni in Villafranca, in the province of Verona, is Mariarosa Ciresola Chiaramonte, the great-granddaughter of the legendary Cavalier Marcello Fantoni, who was renowned for creating inimitable sweets and spirits for every major 19th-century event in Italy and who invented the famous ‘sfogliatine’. Like her great-uncle, she too is the tireless heart and soul of the café, which she has exquisitely restored and revitalised.
Overwhelming in her warmth and compassion, quintessentially American yet possessing the style and charm of a Piedmontese noblewoman – with which she has welcomed at least ten US presidents – Laura Maioglio represents the second generation of the luxurious Barbetta Restaurant in New York, opened by her father Sebastiano in 1906. As the wife of Günter Blobel, winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Medicine, she manages the family’s farm in Fubine, in the province of Alessandria, from which she sources traditional Piedmontese produce.