The Interview

NICOLA, ALSO KNOWN AS “THE MOUSTACHE”

My passion exploded in Verona

And to think that my relationship with pizza began abroad….

In the 1970s I left from the province of Cosenza. I was just Before Germany, my experience with pizza was linked to my region. At that time, there were no pizzerias in my small town and the only pizzas we ate were those prepared at home, by my mother and grandmother, to let the oven cool down.

So I arrived in Bremen and started working as a waiter. In the 1980s I worked with Enzo Pizzo, a Sicilian pizza maker to whom I owe so much. Let’s say that Enzo was always taking it easy. Even at peak times, when the restaurant was most crowded, he did everything calmly, no stress, no panic. Too bad, though, that the owners of the restaurant were not happy, so one day it occurred to me to ask him to teach me how to make the dough.

To speed up the process, but also to improve the service! Actually, I was also extremely curious, and after years and years in contact with those materials, between yeasts and flours, I really wanted to learn, to put my own spin on it, let’s say. So I proposed to Enzo that I could af- fend him. I was 30 years old, and from there, it was all a becoming.

At the same time, Michael’s family often came to eat at the restaurant where I worked, Michael’s mother was friends with my owner’s wife. We slowly got to know each other and it turns out that the manager of my restaurant in Bremen is the brother of the manager of the Empire. We got in touch and a few months later, during a visit to Italy, I stopped in Verona for a coffee… and the rest is history.

If in Germany I began to revolve around pizza, in Verona my passion exploded. Working at Impero has been a joy from day one, I don’t even have the words to describe how I feel about the place, about my work. After more than 30 years, Impero is my family, much more than just a profession.”

 

Season’s Vegetables

For healthy nutrition

Bringing seasonal ingredients to the table is one of the best ways to eat well and stay healthy. Respecting the seasonal cycles of the earth is important, especially in terms of environmental impact. Not only that. For our part, there are several reasons why we change the menu at regular intervals and include different ingredients depending on the time of year we are at. With regard to the early spring period for example, two vegetables that are excellent to prepare are the artichokes and asparagus.

to eat and stay healthy

The ingredients of our spring-summer

For the menu that will accompany us through the warm seasons, we have thought of two ingredients that give us a fresh feel: artichokes and asparagus. With vegetables like these it is all too easy to indulge, which is why we have chosen them to open the warm season.

The power of the artichoke

Introduced to Europe by the Arabs, the artichoke ‘is in season’ at two different times of the year: between October and November, and from January to June. Rich in protein and nutrients such as vitamins C, E, A and K, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium, artichoke contributes to a well-functioning intestine, aids metabolism and boosts its antioxidant properties by fighting free radicals and ageing.

Asparagus and its antioxidant properties Originally from Asia, but now widespread throughout Europe, the varieties of asparagus known to man are diverse and differ mainly in colour and taste: green, white, purple and red-purple. Being mostly water and containing few calories, asparagus is usually suitable for those on a low-calorie diet.

A source of potassium and vitamin C, asparagus possesses special substances such as asparagine, a powerful diuretic, rutin, which strengthens capillaries, and glutathione, an antioxidant capable of eliminating harmful substances and free radicals.

Ask our staff in which dishes we have included artichokes and asparagus, our spring menu is made especially to bring out the taste of these two vegetables!

 

Summer Flavors

What to put on the table at the end of summer aubergines and courgettes

Every time of year has its favourite ingredients and dishes. This is especially so because each season brings with it different fruit and vegetables. So what to eat when the summer season, for example, is coming to an end? One tip is to try aubergine and courgette dishes, two vegetables that reach their peak in late summer.

Roasted, fried or stewed, at the end of summer… it’s aubergine time!

Purple in colour, often tending to black, the aubergine is a popular ingredient in the Mediterranean diet. Originally from India, their period of availability is from June to October, but the best time to eat them is towards the end of August. They are a source of soluble fibre and therefore help keep cholesterol under control. When eaten with the peel, they help to release molecules with anti-cancer, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties into the body. What makes them an excellent ingredient for end-of-summer dishes is their flavour, which can be enjoyed both fried – an example is Pasta alla Norma – and roasted or stewed.

The characteristics of courgettes

Another great classic of late summer recipes is the courgette. Its taste and health benefits make it an indispensable part of everyday nutrition. Courgette originated in America, but today they are cultivated all over the world. Regardless of their type (there are different types, from long to yellow and again, round), courgettes contain very few calories – about 16 per 100 grams – and are rich in potassium. Their low glycaemic index also makes them ideal for diabetics and they are among the most digestible vegetables. Among the valuable nutrients contained in courgettes are vitamin C, vitamin A and folic acid. In addition to being highly digestible, they are also said to facilitate sleep.

We strongly believe in the seasonality of ingredients, which is why we have included recipes on our menu designed to make these vegetables stand out.

The proposals are all different, what does not change is the light and tasty result.

Taste of Autumn

Black and cantarelli mushrooms

With the end of the summer season and the appearance of autumn colours and scents, our menu also changes.

Telling the story of the land through first fruits allows us to offer dishes with recognisable and authentic flavours, rich in health and taste. Two ingredients that characterise the arrival of autumn are black porcini and cantarelli mushrooms.

Versatility made into a product: porcini mushrooms

With its delicious flavour, this mushroom is among the most loved and sought-after. It is called the summer mushroom because it can be found during the summer months.

It is characterised by its squat and and massive shape, its dark brown, sometimes almost black colour and its pleasant pro- smoke.

But above all, what makes it unique is the sweetish taste. The black cep is thought to have been known and appreciated as far back as ancient Rome, thanks above all to its virtues. It is rich in vitamins PP, K and group B, as well as antioxidants and folic acid, and also contains various minerals such as potassium, selenium, calcium and phosphorus. There is no shortage of ways to prepare it and recipes include risottos and omelettes, but it can also be eaten stuffed or fried.

Cantarelli, finferli or gallinacci: three names, same goodness

Together with porcini, cantarelli are the most sought-after mushrooms. Also called finferli or gallinacci, cantarelli are widespread in Italy and grow from April to October.

They can be recognised by their colour, which ranges from straw yellow to the egg colour of the stem.

Excellent not only for their taste and versatility, chanterelles contain the vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, D and are rich in minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. Chanterelle recipes range from hors d’oeuvres to risottos, and their preparation always lends a refined and elegant note.

Savour autumn, by ordering our black porcini or cantarelli mushroom dishes.

Our Lessinia Mountains

Lessinia between cheese and nature parks

This is where the Veronese dairy product par excellence, Monte Veronese, was born.

The ancient art of cheese-making also has its place in the province of Verona. Our city boasts both a respectable mountain area and a cheese-making tradition that offers some of the finest products in the Veneto region.

Verona’s mountains are the Lessinia Mountains that surround the northern part of the province. Lessinia is a part of the Venetian Pre-Alps that includes the beautiful Lessinia Regional Natural Park, a green paradise nestled between the Little Dolomites, enchanting Verona and Monte Baldo. With peaks between 1,500 and 2,200 metres in the Care- ga Group, the area is a popular destination for mountaineers.

For the Veronese, ‘Lessinia’ means many things: hiking, alpine pastures, but above all cheese. It is here that the Veronese dairy product par excellence, Monte Veronese, was born. PDO since 1992, Monte Veronese is a semi-cooked cheese, made from whole cow’s milk for the fresh type, or partially skimmed for the mature type. We offer it in four of its productions, all to be tried, to really get to know Lessinia.

Our Food and our Identity

Veronesity in four typical products

Being in a place so full of value for the city and its culture, for us to create a menu that reflected Verona and its history was more than a national gesture. We started out in the early 1900s as a café, but already in the 1960s we decided to install the first pizza oven. 60 years later, pizza is still a mainstay of our offer, but so are our pasta dishes, which combine the gastronomic identity of Verona with that of Italy.

Gnocchi, bigoli, Lessinia truffles and Monte Veronese: four fundamental elements of Veronese hospitality, four excellences of our region that we would like to present to you in more detail.

Gnocchi

The history of gnocchi is inextricably linked to that of the Scaliger carnival. Gnocchi Friday is a typical feast of the local people, which some trace back to the 13th century. In 1531, Tommaso da Vico, a well-deserving citizen, took steps to convert the bacchanal into a public charity.

In that year, due to a severe famine, the price of flour increased so much that the poor people risked starvation. Vico got in touch with the neediest population and managed to collect enough money to provide the underprivileged with the flour needed for gnocchi, a dish – at the time – that was the staple of the common people’s diet. The flour was then ‘converted’, and from this custom the Friday of meat was named ‘Venerdì gnocolar’.

In his will, Da Vico left a sum so that, every year on Shrove Friday, plenty of dumplings and wine would be distributed to the inhabitants. In memory of this episode, the best-known mask of the Veronese carnival was born: the Papà de gnoco, a pot-bellied, bearded king who, instead of a sceptre, holds a huge fork held by a large dumpling.

BIGOLI

Among the pasta shapes from this region, bigoli are undoubtedly the best known. In shape, bìgoli are reminiscent of a thicker, coarser spaghetti. There are two hypotheses as to the origin of the name of this pasta: the most accepted one says that the word derives from the dialect word ‘bigàt’, ‘caterpillar’; the second one claims that it comes from the Latin ‘bombyx’, “baco”.

Bigoli are 100% Veronese. This is confirmed by documents from 1636, when bigoli were first recorded on the city’s tables. In that year, the Arte dei biavaroli was established, the group of artisans who sold flour, grains and pulses. The statute of these shopkeepers also laid down the shape that the pasta had to take ‘bìgoli, paparelle, lasagne, macaroni di Puglia et ogni altra sorte di simili paste’.

Findings that prove the presence of bigoli in Verona centuries and centuries ago also include some shopping lists of religious communities. Some of the notes in these registers highlight the occasions when bigoli were eaten: at the nuns’ table, bigoli could replace traditional gnocchi at carnival time, one speaks of ‘bìgoi del venerdì casolaro’.

The traditional recipe for bigoli calls for only three ingredients: water, wheat and salt. Over time, however, the recipe has been enriched and today also includes eggs.

In the best-known traditional cookbooks, the sauce of anchovies is the main ingredient for bìgoli. We have chosen instead to offer them with another typical product of our town, the Lessinia truffle.

Lessinia truffle

It seems that Napoleon, in his military campaign in Verona before the Battle of Arcole, took an interest in Lessinia truffles. Of course, the prestige of this mushroom has grown exponentially in recent times, but truffles were present in the diets of the ancients as far back as Sumerian times.

In Verona, the culinary use of truffles has always been known and appreciated. It is used to flavour dishes and should be used in moderation so as not to risk covering up other flavours. The finest truffles, such as the Lessinia truffle, should be eaten raw, cut with a truffle-cutter at the time of serving and directly on the ready-to-eat dish.

The ‘truffle of the Veronese mountains’, the Tuber melanosprium, comes from natural truffle beds, has a black surface tubercle and is round and irregularly shaped. We like it both on pasta dishes and on a good beef fillet.

Monte Veronese

Monte Veronese is a typical cheese from the Veneto region and has been awarded PDO certification. The milk comes from the northern part of the province of Verona, where the processing and maturing phases also take place. This is a predominantly mountainous area: in addition to fertile pastures, the land boasts an ancient tradition of cattle breeding, mountain pasture and the production of milk and cheese. This territory coincides (roughly) with Lessinia, Monte Baldo and the Veronese pre-Alpine hills. This cheese is produced in two types: Monte Veronese whole milk and Monte Veronese d’allevo. Monte Veronese whole milk is produced with whole milk from one or two consecutive milkings; its delicate and pleasant taste is reminiscent of fresh milk, cream and fresh butter. Monte Veronese d’allevo, on the other hand, is produced with partially skimmed milk from one or two milkings.

The genuineness and culinary value of these products accompany us on a journey through the history of Verona, making them true witnesses of a thousand-year-old culinary tradition. Who is leaving with us?

Our Home: Piazza dei Signori

Our little treasure chest, our home / Piazza Dei Signori

Piazza dei Signori is like this, a small oasis of peace.

A stone’s throw from Piazza Erbe and Juliet’s house, but still sheltered from the crowds: the Piazza dei Signori is like this, a small, rectangular oasis of peace.

Vicolo Barbaro, Pozzo Mazzanti, Piazza delle Erbe… we are in the beating heart of Verona, a position of honour that we have succeeded in transforming over the years into a unique and very special place. We were born right here, at the beginning of the 20th century, when we were still just a café.

Referred to as the ‘drawing room of Verona’, the history of Piazza dei Signori is closely linked to the Della Scala family, the Seigniory that ruled the city until 1387. It is to the Della Scala family that we owe the symbol that represents the spirit of our Piazza: the statue of Dante sculpted by Ugo Zannoni.

Dante in Verona

In 1302, the supreme poet learnt that he had been condemned to exile on a charge of ‘bartering, illicit lec- tures and iniquitous extortion’. Thrown out of Florence, Dan found refuge first with Bartolomeo della Scala and then with Cangrande della Scala in the Palazzo del Podestà, one of the buildings in this square.

The poet’s influence on the city, but especially the statue in Piazza dei Signori, was so great that the Veronese themselves call it ‘Piazza Dante’.

The architecture and function of the Piazza

Along the perimeter of our living room are some of the most beautiful palaces in the entire city, accessed through the Arco della Costa it is possible to see: on the right the Palaz- zoo della Ragione (also known as the Palazzo del Comune); the Palazzo del Tribunale (Palaz- zoo del Capitanio); opposite is the Palazzo del Podestà (or the Government Palace), on the left is the Palazzo del Consiglio or Loggia del Consiglio (on the left side); followed by the Casa di Pietà; finally there is the Domus Nova or Palaz- zoo dei tre archi (past the Arco della Costa on the left).

At the time of the Scaligeri, Piazza Dante was the representative square in contrast to, but also complementing, the mercantile Piazza delle Erbe. If the former was intended to present the city to visitors and political leaders of the period, the latter was spontaneously formed in the transitional period between the Roman Empire and the early Middle Ages and was a meeting point for the people.

The role of representation is clearly visible in the architecture surrounding this time, where buildings combined the functional but also the social needs of the new political climate under the Della Scala family. An example of this trend is the Domus Mercatorum, which, with its portico, had become an urban and collective element.

From being the place where the most important political decisions were taken, Piazza dei Signori began to have a more popular function in the 15th century. It was here that tournaments, banquets and revelry were held, and it is this aspect of entertainment, conviviality and tradition that we would like to bring back to our venue.