This address with a legendary past has undergone a renaissance. Today it presents a dynamic, contemporary and versatile experience– advancing and satisfying expectations of an exacting, multifaceted, international audience by exercising a delicate balance of daring and finesse, and of respect for historical tradition while revolutionizing the future of Italian culinary arts.
Three different ways to enjoy the Del Cambio experience:
Baronetto’s uncontested realm is the Gastronomic Restaurant, where the XIX century furnishing and decoration are now engaged in an intriguing interplay with the artworks of Martino Gamper, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Izhar Patkin. Awarded its first Michelin star, the restaurant offers an à la carte menu, which ranges from the highly traditional to the most innovative courses. A “Light Lunch” accommodates the more dynamic urban request for a quick but refined midday break.
Bar Cavour is the evocative cocktail and American dining bar. Open till late evening, it is the ideal destination for an elegant and cheerful crew of bon vivants. The cozy and fascinating space is made intimate by especially commissioned site-specific artworks by Arturo Herrera and Pablo Bronstein.
Farmacia Del Cambio is a boutique that enables patrons to taste and purchase creations by both chefs, Matteo Baronetto and Fabrizio Galla.
BY LOY BERNAL CARLOS
January 2017
SINCE 1757
The Caffè Del Cambio made its first appearance under the name in 1757. The date coincides with the construction of the building with two flanking structures that encloses the square, adjacent to the pre-existing theatre, later known as Teatro Carignano.
History (and legend) offers various explanations as to where the naming “Cambio” was derived. The word means exchange or change, and the exchange in question could have been that of the post horses used in the area by travelers to and from Paris. Or might it have been the money exchange, provided that the square was a meeting venue for merchants and business people. Or, according to some authorities, the Caffè was headquarters of “la borsa dei negozianti,” the “shopkeepers’ exchange.”
Dina Rebaudengo, chronicler of Turin’s history maintains that the name was inspired by the “Consolato de’ Cambi, Negozi ed Artiin Torino,” to which the guild of confectioners and brandy distillers belonged.
One thing is for sure: Del Cambio is not just a common restaurant. A host of princes and princesses, artists and tycoons, liberals and conservatives, literati and musicians have signed its picture guest book.
Del Cambio, Piazza Carignano 2, Torino.
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