"The best thing about our story is that it was born entirely by chance."
It is with these words that Marcello Menalli - manager, together with his brother Massimo, of "Caffè del Tasso" - opens up the doors of his world to us. It is made up of anecdotes enclosed in photographs hung with pride and messages left on the pages of a book considered a treasure.
We met them together with the Urban District of Commerce to listen to the most recent chapter of a centuries-old history, made of passion and commitment.
It was indeed the case, in 1989, that lead the Menalli family to visit Bergamo, and it was again the case that brought father Giuseppe, mother Erminia, Marcello and Massimo - the first a former bartender of the Costa Crociere ships, the second freshly graduated with a hotel management diploma - on the red bricks of Piazza Vecchia.
"Once there, they told us that the Tasso establishment was for sale", says Marcello, "but to be honest, I really didn't want to know. You know, the Upper Town wasn't like today, there weren't all these tourists. I was afraid of loneliness,” he confides.
But Mr. Giuseppe, who was not at all new to the management of the bars - and above all to the challenges - compensated his son's hesitations with trust and audacity. A week later, without saying anything to anyone, without even having ever seen the inside of the property, he decided to deliver a deposit for his purchase.
"We are probably the only family in history to have bought an establishment without having seen it." Marcello laughs at the memory. "It was the sign that won over my father!"
But the events of the first period of business certainly did not contribute to smoothing Marcello's misgivings. As a matter of fact, among the huge renovations and the difficult or even absent clientele - thanks to the closure of the Upper Town’s streets on weekend evenings - the boy spent the first months trying to convince the family to sell.
"My father said to have faith, repeating to me that the more a person is forbidden to do something, the more this person will be encouraged to do it." And so it happened, even with the closure of the historic centre, it took only a little patience before the tourists began to feel attracted by the mysterious Venetian walls. And, slowly, business began to turn.
"In the end, he was still right," says Marcello, with eyes full of gratitude.
It was only the following year, however, that the young Menalli was really convinced that he wanted to stay. When Renzo Arbore, in concert in Piazza Vecchia together with the Italian Orchestra, chose to play inside "Tasso", moving all the waiters and the patrons, cramming them behind the counter so the orchestra could pass.
"At that moment, I knew it was worth it. And look here,” he adds, pointing to his arm, “I get goose bumps just talking about it."
And there are so many "goose-bump" moments, all documented by carefully framed photographs and dedications: by Ricky Tognazzi, who thanked the "Caffè del Tasso" for allowing him to follow his father's footsteps - in 1970, Ugo Tognazzi had been there for the filming of "Cuori solitari"; John Nash, who fell asleep on one of the armchairs in the bar, attracting the disappointment of Marcello, who started the noisy coffee grinder to wake him up ("I didn't recognise him!", he confesses embarrassed); Francesco Nuti, who wrote "Thanks for the trust" after paying for grappa with a cheque; Dennis Hopper, who in order to stop at "Tasso" waited for a good fifteen minutes for a table to be free; Minister Tria, who claimed to have drunk the best coffee in Bergamo; Charlton Heston, who stayed in the café until late, telling anecdotes he hadn't even shared with the newspapers.
"They are things that remain in the heart", murmurs Marcello, vibrant with emotion. "It's the beauty of running a café: in front of a coffee people open up and talk to you about everything." And, flipping through the pages of the book with a light touch, he continues: "When I'm down in the dumps, nothing turns my mood around like reading the thoughts that customers dedicate to us every day."
Before saying goodbye, Marcello points out how the stone step of the entrance has been worn down by all the steps that have been trampled on over the years.
"These are the stories that need to be told," he exclaims. "The stories of the people who left us a piece of themselves here. Even if they arrived by chance."
Caffè del Tasso is part of the " Locali Storici d’Italia - Historical Establishments of Italy", along with other places that have been reviving tradition for centuries.
Originally named ‘Locanda delle due spade – Locanda of the two swords’ (1476), because of the duels held here, it then became Torquato Tasso Caffè e Bottiglieria in 1681, when Bergamo placed the statue of Torquato Tasso, the famous poet of the liberated Jerusalem and descendent of the noble Brembana Valley family, right next to the restaurant.
Caffè del Tasso is a certainty in Bergamo. The centuries go by, the styles change but he remains and here passes history, not even the Austrian cannonade in 1849 could interrupt this great tradition of goodness.
It has always been a crossroads of illustrious Italian and international characters. From Nobel prize winners such as John Nash to Hollywood and Cinecittà stars such as Charlton Heston and Ugo Tognazzi, from poets to writers, from sportsmen to singers... Sit at one of the tables, look at their photographs hanging on the walls and let your imagination take you on a journey through time and space!
You can enter every hour of the day: for breakfast, aperitifs, but also for lunches and dinners, thanks to the excellent restaurant serving the typical dishes from Bergamo together with more contemporary dishes based on raw materials from Slowfood.
But that’s not all, they offer a renowned selection of the best wines, able to satisfy the most demanding palates.
If you want to get to know the history of Bergamo, start your visit here. The Menalli family will be happy to tell you the secrets that have passed by one of the oldest "historical establishments of Italy"!
"The best thing about our story is that it was born entirely by chance."
It is with these words that Marcello Menalli - manager, together with his brother Massimo, of "Caffè del Tasso" - opens up the doors of his world to us. It is made up of anecdotes enclosed in photographs hung with pride and messages left on the pages of a book considered a treasure.
We met them together with the Urban District of Commerce to listen to the most recent chapter of a centuries-old history, made of passion and commitment.
It was indeed the case, in 1989, that lead the Menalli family to visit Bergamo, and it was again the case that brought father Giuseppe, mother Erminia, Marcello and Massimo - the first a former bartender of the Costa Crociere ships, the second freshly graduated with a hotel management diploma - on the red bricks of Piazza Vecchia.
"Once there, they told us that the Tasso establishment was for sale", says Marcello, "but to be honest, I really didn't want to know. You know, the Upper Town wasn't like today, there weren't all these tourists. I was afraid of loneliness,” he confides.
But Mr. Giuseppe, who was not at all new to the management of the bars - and above all to the challenges - compensated his son's hesitations with trust and audacity. A week later, without saying anything to anyone, without even having ever seen the inside of the property, he decided to deliver a deposit for his purchase.
"We are probably the only family in history to have bought an establishment without having seen it." Marcello laughs at the memory. "It was the sign that won over my father!"
But the events of the first period of business certainly did not contribute to smoothing Marcello's misgivings. As a matter of fact, among the huge renovations and the difficult or even absent clientele - thanks to the closure of the Upper Town’s streets on weekend evenings - the boy spent the first months trying to convince the family to sell.
"My father said to have faith, repeating to me that the more a person is forbidden to do something, the more this person will be encouraged to do it." And so it happened, even with the closure of the historic centre, it took only a little patience before the tourists began to feel attracted by the mysterious Venetian walls. And, slowly, business began to turn.
"In the end, he was still right," says Marcello, with eyes full of gratitude.
It was only the following year, however, that the young Menalli was really convinced that he wanted to stay. When Renzo Arbore, in concert in Piazza Vecchia together with the Italian Orchestra, chose to play inside "Tasso", moving all the waiters and the patrons, cramming them behind the counter so the orchestra could pass.
"At that moment, I knew it was worth it. And look here,” he adds, pointing to his arm, “I get goose bumps just talking about it."
And there are so many "goose-bump" moments, all documented by carefully framed photographs and dedications: by Ricky Tognazzi, who thanked the "Caffè del Tasso" for allowing him to follow his father's footsteps - in 1970, Ugo Tognazzi had been there for the filming of "Cuori solitari"; John Nash, who fell asleep on one of the armchairs in the bar, attracting the disappointment of Marcello, who started the noisy coffee grinder to wake him up ("I didn't recognise him!", he confesses embarrassed); Francesco Nuti, who wrote "Thanks for the trust" after paying for grappa with a cheque; Dennis Hopper, who in order to stop at "Tasso" waited for a good fifteen minutes for a table to be free; Minister Tria, who claimed to have drunk the best coffee in Bergamo; Charlton Heston, who stayed in the café until late, telling anecdotes he hadn't even shared with the newspapers.
"They are things that remain in the heart", murmurs Marcello, vibrant with emotion. "It's the beauty of running a café: in front of a coffee people open up and talk to you about everything." And, flipping through the pages of the book with a light touch, he continues: "When I'm down in the dumps, nothing turns my mood around like reading the thoughts that customers dedicate to us every day."
Before saying goodbye, Marcello points out how the stone step of the entrance has been worn down by all the steps that have been trampled on over the years.
"These are the stories that need to be told," he exclaims. "The stories of the people who left us a piece of themselves here. Even if they arrived by chance."
Caffè del Tasso is part of the " Locali Storici d’Italia - Historical Establishments of Italy", along with other places that have been reviving tradition for centuries.
Originally named ‘Locanda delle due spade – Locanda of the two swords’ (1476), because of the duels held here, it then became Torquato Tasso Caffè e Bottiglieria in 1681, when Bergamo placed the statue of Torquato Tasso, the famous poet of the liberated Jerusalem and descendent of the noble Brembana Valley family, right next to the restaurant.
Caffè del Tasso is a certainty in Bergamo. The centuries go by, the styles change but he remains and here passes history, not even the Austrian cannonade in 1849 could interrupt this great tradition of goodness.
It has always been a crossroads of illustrious Italian and international characters. From Nobel prize winners such as John Nash to Hollywood and Cinecittà stars such as Charlton Heston and Ugo Tognazzi, from poets to writers, from sportsmen to singers... Sit at one of the tables, look at their photographs hanging on the walls and let your imagination take you on a journey through time and space!
You can enter every hour of the day: for breakfast, aperitifs, but also for lunches and dinners, thanks to the excellent restaurant serving the typical dishes from Bergamo together with more contemporary dishes based on raw materials from Slowfood.
But that’s not all, they offer a renowned selection of the best wines, able to satisfy the most demanding palates.
If you want to get to know the history of Bergamo, start your visit here. The Menalli family will be happy to tell you the secrets that have passed by one of the oldest "historical establishments of Italy"!
