Already bulging with succulent prosciutto, earthy hunks of parmigiano and syrupy balsamic vinegar, Italy’s Reggio Emilia has a new gastronomic delight called Sambirano. Located in the city’s historic pasticceria (formerly called La Torinese), Sambirano is much more than a chic pastry shop. The sprawling space features a bistro restaurant, a cafe, tea room, a chocolate shop, a well-stocked Enoteca wine store and champagne bar, and a homeware design and flower shop, as well as a delicatessen packed with fresh foods and canned specialty items under the new Sambirano label.
The multi-tasking, 500 sq m food space was designed by architect Benta Wiley and interior designer Luca Mercatelli. The duo preserved the 18th century bones and façade of Palazzo Scaruffi-Busetti. Inside, however, the designers added intriguing details such as an island pastry bar shaped like a giant asteroid hunk in the middle of a cavernous room. Though it looks like glass-topped, faceted stone, the bar is made from aged brass printed with a tapestry effect, while the coffee bar is made from butterscotch-and-cream-swirled Palomino marble. The other rooms – for dining and shopping – each have light and dark aesthetics, giving a different rhythm to each space. The minimal restaurant features a black and white etched-looking forest scene wallpaper, antique wood tables and Vitra chairs, while the bathroom is jazzed up in red paint and circus wallpaper.
The delicatessen, meanwhile, features a huge selection of Sambirano’s locally-made specialty products, categorised on library-style bookshelves. Wrapped up in great-looking, sartorial packaging, standouts include artichokes and asparagus packed in oil, exotic passion fruit and preserved tomatoes that look as chic as table top accessories.
While preserving the original building’s 18th and 19th century bones and façade, the designers added intriguing details such as an island pastry bar shaped like a giant asteroid hunk in the middle of a cavernous room
The sprawling space features a bistro restaurant and a well-stocked Enoteca wine shop and bar...
... a homeware design and flower shop, and a delicatessen packed with fresh foods and canned specialty items under the new Sambirano label
The dining and shopping rooms each have light and dark aesthetics, giving a different rhythm to each space
The minimal restaurant features a black and white etched-looking forest scene wallpaper, while the bathroom is jazzed up in red paint and circus wallpaper
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Sambirano website
Photography courtesy Matteo Piazza
ADDRESS
Sambirano
Via Francesco Crispi
3 Reggio Emilia + Piazza Monsignor Biella
Seregno, Reggio Emilia
-
12 photographers vie for Prix Pictet 2025, lenses firmly focused on sustainabilityPrix Pictet is the world’s leading award for photography and sustainability. Here’s how the 2025 shortlist responded to this cycle’s theme, ‘Storm’
-
The Standard, Brussels makes a stylish case for work-life balanceThis playful yet polished city escape blends global flair, local flavour, and rooftop views worth lingering over
-
In Brazil’s Minas Gerais, Casa Koba is an ‘unserious’ house full of freedom and comfortA relaxed, high-altitude home is Estudio Haa's latest residential project; welcome to Casa Koba, a house designed for comfort and fun
-
'Moroseta Kitchen' is a new recipe book offering a glimpse into the Puglian countryside'Moroseta Kitchen - A Window Into The Puglian Countryside' by Giorgia Eugenia Goggi is based on the essence of eating in Italy, rooted in farm to table seasonal recipes
-
Cantinetta Antinori is a Florentine wine-making family’s new gem of a London restaurantCantinetta Antinori opens in Knightsbridge, offering excellent Tuscan cuisine paired with the family’s storied wine
-
Celebrate 160 years of Martini, the iconic aperitivoWe mark 160 years of Martini & Rossi, creator of the original Martini Rosso vermouth, a perfect blend of fragrant botanicals and sweet wines
-
Cin cin: discover the story behind Campari, Milan’s signature aperitivoWhere better to indulge in the delights of the Italian golden hour than Milan, the home of Campari? We trace the origins of the city’s signature aperitivo
-
Milan’s Triennale Design Museum spills the beans on the art of food (and food of art) -
Buccellati sets the table for conviviality at Milan Design Week 2022Designers Dimorestudio, Ashley Hicks, Chahan Minassian and Patricia Urquiola create spectacular dinner table designs for Buccellati’s Milan Design Week exhibition, ’Il Galateo – a journey into conviviality’
-
Meta is poised to be Milan’s new food destinationMeta is a new culinary concept space that brings the best of Italian food and design together in one place
-
Neopolitan street food goes gourmet in NovaraAntonino eatery in Vicolungo has given us food for thought
