Aperture

🏨 B&B Hotels opened its seventh location in Piedmont, specifically in Settimo Torinese, targeting business clientele. The hotel features 194 rooms, a covered parking, a large congress center capable of hosting up to 180 people. B&B Hotels Italia, led by President Liliana Comitini, continues its national expansion strategy, aiming to strengthen its position in the mid-scale hotel segment, offering high quality at best prices for both business and leisure. Additional amenities include high-speed Wi-Fi, a restaurant, a bar, a seasonal Jacuzzi on the terrace, 24/7 reception, and buffet breakfast.

📈 Italian innovative coffee and milk-based beverage service "12oz" achieved a turnover over €14 million in 2024, a growth of 18% from the previous year with a like-for-like rate of +6.6%. Operating in 9 Italian regions with 30 stores, including two abroad in Athens, 12oz aims for further expansion in 2025. Seven new stores opened in 2024, including at Turin Airport and Porta di Roma Shopping Center. 12oz introduced two innovative formats: 12oz Kiosque at Globo Busnago Shopping Center and 12oz Express on the A22 Brennero Highway. Plans for 2025 include 5 direct and 10 franchised new stores, focusing on customer experience and food offering innovation. David Nathaniel, CEO, acknowledges the uncertain coffee market situation, attributing it to geopolitical, climatic, and financial factors.

🍴 Casa Lerario, located in Melizzano, a small commune in Sannio, Benevento, has been hosting "incontri del gusto" for over ten years, led by Pietro Lerario's family. The establishment, noted for its commitment to local enogastronomic traditions, recently welcomed Chef Salvatore Bianco, born in 1978, trained by Gualtiero Marchesi and Antonio Guida. Bianco, now Executive Chef at La Terrazza in Rome, created a menu at Casa Lerario showcasing regional flavors with dishes like "Cavolfiore e pepe rosa" and "Agnello al quadrato", and the unique "spaghetto ghiande, caffè, tabacco e orzo" which pays homage to Campania's culinary history. Bianco emphasizes minimal processing of ingredients and has a notable creation "Ragù 9850", made entirely without meat.

🍸 In Cava de' Tirreni, Salerno province, Bar Atelier opens, created by Danilo Bruno, known for his innovative approach to mixology. The bar offers a personalized drinking experience with conceptual drink maps and aims for a distillery license. Antonio D’Auria's cocktail, Mikiki, won the Campari Bartender Competition in 2022. Bar Atelier, succeeding Bruno's The Black Monday founded in 2015 in Salerno, offers continuous innovation, differing from The Black Monday's biannual cocktail changes. Bruno's vision positions Bar Atelier to become a mixology landmark in Salerno.

🏡 Annibale Carracci painted "Il Mangiafagioli" between 1584 and 1585, a pioneering work in Italian genre painting, now in Rome's Galleria Colonna. Inspired by this, Chef Agostino Schettino of Ristorante I Carracci in Bologna created "Tagliatella fagioli, cozze e plancton marino," blending Mediterranean tradition with artistic homage. The restaurant, located in the Grand Hotel Majestic “già Baglioni,” Bologna's only 5-star luxury hotel, offers a refined experience where cuisine and Carracci’s artistic legacy intertwine. Recognized by Tre Forchette from Gambero Rosso and Michelin Guide, Ristorante I Carracci celebrates the deep meaning of nourishment through a gastronomic journey connecting art, taste, and Neapolitan culinary tradition.

🍽 Dispensa Emilia, a Modena-based brand, celebrated 20 years in December 2024 and opened its 50th restaurant in Ravenna's Centro Commerciale Esp today. This marks the 15th location in Emilia-Romagna. The company, which operates all its restaurants directly, also plans further expansions in Rimini and Ravenna. The new Ravenna site created 18 jobs and spans about 300 square meters with seating for around 100 people plus 16 in the gallery, open daily from 11 am to 11 pm. Across Italy, Dispensa Emilia employs nearly 1,000 people. Founded in 2004, the brand has expanded to 7 regions and is supported by Investindustrial since 2018.

🏠 Masseria Secolario, situated in Palmariggi near Otranto, is set within a 70-hectare park of ancient olive trees and embodies the local culture through its Lecce stone construction. Fila's Hydrorep and Fob Xtreme products are used to protect stone surfaces from water and humidity without altering their aesthetic, providing hydro-oil repellent protection. Interior stone surfaces benefit from Fob Xtreme and MATT, a protective natural finish. For optimal cleaning, PS87 PRO diluted 1:5, and for regular maintenance, CLEANER PRO, are recommended; both cleaners are biodegradable. MATT finish can be reapplied as needed to maintain surface protection.

🍵 Ditta Artigianale, a top Italian specialty coffee roaster, opened its first café in Milan on January 25 at Corso Magenta 31, near Piazza Cadorna. Francesco Sanapo, the CEO, aims to create a convivial, human-sized bar reminiscent of the 1950s coffee venues. The Milan café offers espresso blends like MammaMia and Jump, single-origin coffees, alternative brewing methods (V60, Aeropress), seasonal and signature drinks like Coffeemisù, and an all-day culinary experience extending from breakfast to "Cocktail Dinatoire" with signature cocktails and gourmet tapas. Open weekdays from 7:30 to 23:00 and weekends from 8:30 to 23:00, the café's design features Liberty style in sync with the hosting building's dynamic ornamental lines. Ditta Artigianale, co-founded by Sanapo and Patrick Hoffer, is recognized for combining Italian espresso tradition with specialty coffee, earning Three Beans and Three Cups in Gambero Rosso's Bar d'Italia 2025 Guide.

🍦 Starting from Friday, January 31, the famed Gelato di Latte Biraghi will be available again in Turin at Piazza San Carlo 188. Despite its summer association, the gelato's year-round appeal has led to its early return. Fabio Benvenuti, Store Manager, mentioned over 250,000 gelatos served in 2024, hoping to surpass this in 2025. Made with milk, cream, and sugar from Cuneo and Turin provinces, it excludes emulsifiers, flavors, and stabilizers. Biraghi Spa, established in 1934, processes approximately 465,000 liters of milk daily, totaling 170 million liters annually, producing cheese and dairy without preservatives. As the Official Partner of the Italian National Football Teams since 2023, Biraghi highlights Italian production chains.

🍕 "Baccio e i gradini" opened in Rome's Aventino district at the end of 2021, and after 3 years it has become a staple for pizza enthusiasts. Led by Giovanni Lombardi, the pizzeria features Neapolitan-inspired dough with a 36-48 hour fermentation and 72-75% hydration, cooked at 410 degrees for about 2 minutes. The menu includes 6 Margherita variations, classic pizzas, and creative "pizze di Baccio," alongside a new wine list of about 25 labels, priced at 24-32 euros, and a selection of fried delicacies like the signature "Gradini." Founder Fabio Spada also recently opened “Emilio Osteria di Mare” in the same neighborhood.