«But what closure! Let’s not talk rubbish please”, Alfredo Tomaselli, historic patron of the Bolognese, the place in Piazza del Popolo that wrote an important piece of Roman customs around a table, is indignant, but laughing. «The story is very simple. No closure, as some have said. Just a hand-off. We are now firmly rooted in Milan. My son Ettore, who is called like my father, is a fantastic professional and here in the Bolognese area in the shadow of the Duomo and the Madonnina, he works great. As also happens with my daughter Diletta, moreover. Except that she is a psychologist and she has very little interest in boiled meats and fettuccine. As if this wasn’t enough, Rome and the historic center are no longer what they once were, unfortunately. So I was happy to be replaced by a serious and very good manager like Martino Benvenuti who took over with a very clear idea: to guarantee continuity. Let’s not forget that we are a winning brand, known throughout the world and that we also have around thirty employees who deserve to be valued and protected.” In short, as in The Leopard, does everything change so that nothing changes? «No, because the big news is that Bolognese-Milan and Bolognese-Roma are ready to play a great challenge abroad. But… we’ll see.”
After all, there are many stories that have passed through this place in Piazza del Popolo, a place that already bore the same sign during the war years. «There are no doubts about the historicity – continues Tomaselli – because we still have at home a half-yellowed photo from the 1940s where you can see a German tank with the restaurant in the background. My father Ettore, when he bought it in 1960, did not want to change the name, as if it were a boat: after all, we were Bolognese, even if we were from the world. We had two locations in Casablanca before we became successful with what was, at the time, just a neighborhood restaurant. Simplicity and tradition were key to gaining success. People tried our tagliatelle with meat sauce and the boiled meats from the trolley and came back happy to visit us.”
CHARACTERS
Thus, over time, from Marlon Brando to Bono of U2, from Federico Fellini to Jean-Paul Sartre, from Moravia to Flaiano, from Francesco Cossiga to Gianni Agnelli, celebrities from all over the world have passed through Bologna, those who have left their mark on the customs of time. There are endless anecdotes, from when the legendary John Ford came to try tortellini and gave the young Alfredo, who was reluctant to become a restaurateur, a box of chocolates bought in the next shop, from Rosati, to when Claudia Schiffer’s companion pulled the ice bucket in the face of Rino Barillari, annoyed by one of his sublime paparazzi shots. «But the most mangy was Gaddafi», underlines Tomaselli. «When he came to us there were more bodyguards than customers. Not to mention that he also had a personal taster who remained permanently in the kitchen without releasing a dish that had not been previously examined.”
THE ARTISTS
A large group of artists, from Tano Festa to Schifano to Franco Angeli were also regular customers. Many of their works decorate the walls today. «Unfortunately, the drawing that Mirò gave us is no longer there. Dad had brought it home for fear that it would be stolen, but instead the thieves arrived in his apartment and the Mirò disappeared forever from our collection. Luckily I still have the Snoopy that Schulz gave me, a drawing that I consider a real lucky charm.”
The Bolognese area is not a place of memories that lives on its laurels. Its classics are always there, with some tweaks, such as the fried brain that has disappeared, but the spirit of traceable concreteness that customers like prevails. «In Milan they tell us: finally a menu that can be read and understood immediately. Maybe also because we don’t have chefs, we have cooks. People don’t come looking for the star of the moment but the reliability of a long tradition. On the other hand, when talking about Guides, my grandmother used to say: my stars are my customers. And she wasn’t wrong because we can say that we have a real firmament that accompanies us. It is with this spirit that we are preparing for Il Bolognese-Mondo.”
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