In 1953, trattoria A’Riccione, then known as Vecchia Riccione, was opened by the Metalli family of Rome. At the helm of the kitchen was Mrs Lucia, who’s cuisine was largely based on lasagne and tortellini, with just a small section dedicated to fish.
At the time, the people of Milan didn’t have a great taste for what was swimming around in the deep blue sea. However, this trend began to dramatically shift as fresh Mediterranean produce began to make its way into the city’s borders. In the blink of an eye, people’s appetite for fish became insatiable, so much so that A’Riccione decided it was time to shake things up.
And so, in March 19 1955, Tonino, Giuliano and Gino Metalli rebranded the family restaurant to A’Riccione and became Milan’s first restaurant exclusively serving the ocean’s beautiful bounty.
From the famously fried ‘Cloud’ fish , to the marinated sole and barbed sea bass, the dishes were a roaring success and started to attract attention from all corners of the world… But just as twin restaurants opened in Japan and America, Tonino passed away.
As the heart of the restaurant and family, Tonino’s absence was greatly felt and after more than four golden decades, A’Riccione was passed on to new hands.
Brothers Dante and Giuseppe revived the iconic Milanese trattoria in1999, and today they continue to preserve delicious tales of the past while making new waves.