The location
The restaurant is located in a central street of Modena, on the ground floor of the historic Palazzo Pierallini, a building protected by the superintendence, built between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
What is now a commercial space intended for catering was originally a courtyard which was accessed from a main door, hosting several artisan workshops all overlooking the central open space. The entrance portico survived but the courtyard was transformed into a closed environment, following the covering with a glass window, introduced in the 1990s.

The project
The AVAMPOSTI project chose to enhance this historical stratification, making the previous use of the spaces architecturally more evident: the Berberè pizzeria decided to give the building back the "internal courtyard" flavor of the historic center. The rooms therefore highlight a reminiscence of the dual nature of the environments, open and closed, suggested in the different types of fixtures, colors and lights. Even the division of the area overlooking Via del Taglio into three separate rooms recalls the original layout of the three historic shops.
The entrance door has been maintained and the original wrought iron lunette inspired the customization of all the windows and doors. Finally, the closing effect of the glass above was negated, thanks to a play of stretched soundproof curtain panels, which bring the perception of space closer to that of the original courtyard.

As in the other premises of the Berberè brand, the collaboration with the communication agency continues
Comunicattive Agency: they designed the original neon lights, signs and hangers. The murals in this case, as in other venues of the group, were entrusted to visual artists TO/LET.

The rooms
In the center of the main room, a large skylight lets in lots of natural light during the day, becoming a light source even in the evening thanks to a light system that recalls a mechanical system, embellished because it is made of brass.
Thanks to a system of curtains with geometrically dynamic shapes, the function of closing the window is effectively negated and the function of opening onto the outside is enhanced, whilst maintaining the privacy of the customers who sit in the room. The same curtains are used to correct the bad acoustics caused by the glass ceiling, making it optimal.
The smaller rooms were finished with 230 cm high boiserie painted in antique red and enriched with two brass-plated globes as lighting fixtures.

The kitchen
The kitchen area, as well as the bar and the key operations areas of the group's restaurants, are designed together with the Berberè staff.
Also in this case the project was born from the functional positioning of the kitchen, taking into account the internal flows and towards the living room. The fixed furniture must be positioned immediately to then define the dimensions and insert the more versatile modules. 50m2 were allocated to the kitchen, dough and washing area.

In this particular project the kitchen area is opened to the view of the room by an iron window that acts as a pizza pass, which deliberately recalls a doorman's guardhouse. Here the pizzas for the dining room and for takeaway take place. The management of take away and delivery is concentrated in a visually defined area, thanks to the positioning of the take-away pizza boxes in a specific niche. The "gatehouse" features the same boiserie, with gray on white profiles, which also characterizes the external finish of the windows.

The bar
The bar area, created at the entrance to one of the three shop rooms, also serves as a reception area for customers.
The counter, as well as the corner paneling on the wall, are made of hollow milled wood, with a cherry laminate inside recovered from an old carpentry shop. The covering aesthetically isolates the corner bar, giving it a flavor of times gone by. The counter and back counter are embellished with a Bardiglio vein marble surmount, on which the beer taps are installed, helping to place this area in a 1950s Italy.
In this area, a wooden beam ceiling was also recovered and enhanced with the correct lighting.

The ceilings
The project pays particular attention to the different types of ceilings, further personalizing the spaces. Great dynamism is given to the spaces by the stylistic difference between the glass window with geometric/acoustic curtains and brass lighting system, ceiling murals, wooden beams and a frescoed vault. The latter, coeval with the building, was enhanced with dedicated lighting and with the installation of a wrought iron mirror which houses the neon badge that recalls the pizza.

The architectural effort, also in this case, is to make the interventions to enhance the original peculiarities of the property coexist harmoniously with the newly designed works and the elements of brand recognisability.

The windows
The motif of the iron lunette, recovered and preserved in the main door on Via Montevecchio, inspired the iron interventions of the other doors and windows, giving the shop windows and the entire building an aesthetic plausibly similar to the original one.

The outdoor area
To enjoy the restaurant outdoors, tables and seats in the micaceous color given by the enamel that serves to protect the iron from corrosion have been positioned on the characteristic cobblestones of Via del Taglio. The seating area is outlined and covered by cream-colored umbrellas. Finally, Italian-style lights were installed on the perimeter of the umbrellas, which create a pleasant atmosphere in the evening.

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Berberè Modena | Via del Taglio

Modena, Italy

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Berberè Torino | Porta Palazzo

Berberè Modena | Via del Taglio

Modena, Italy

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