Yet another Milan d'Antan sign forced to beat a retreat: the outburst of the family that has run it for decades.
The news
Another establishment that has made history in Milan - and not only - is forced to close. Next July 20, in fact, the stoves of Il Cerchio, a Tuscan cuisine restaurant that for more than five decades has hosted songwriters, sportsmen and artists of all kinds, will shut down for good. Il Cerchio was founded in 1969 by siblings Santina and Gino Donati, who were later succeeded by Santina's husband Beppe. For diners, as well as the owners of the restaurant at 15 Via Galvani, Il Cerchio has always been a family affair, even when management passed to Fabio and Riccardo, Santina's son and grandson, respectively, in 1992.
As soon as you enter, photos on the walls will tell you the story of the restaurant and its most loyal customers: from Fabrizio De André, to cartoonist Bruno Bozzetto, to the Morelli brothers (aka the "Alunni del Sole"), to Maradona, Gullit, Bruno Pizzul, Giacomo Poretti, Mario Delpini, Borg, John McEnroe and Ilie Năstase. "He would sit at the table in the morning and write the lyrics of his songs until the afternoon: “La buona novella”, “Non al denaro non all’amore né al cielo” and “Storia di un impiegato” in particular. No one dared to disturb him, not even to ask him what he wanted to eat. He would slowly drink a glass of whiskey, and call us when he had finished composing," Riccardo tells Tgcom24, referring to De Andrè. "He would eat eight or nine plates of pasta, because he needed carbohydrates to train or to play a game," he continues, speaking of Ilie Năstase.
Today, regular guests at Il Cerchio include, for example, Gualazzi and the Pinguini Tattici Nucleari. Despite many loyal customers, however, after 55 years of honored business and dedication, the Donati cousins find themselves having to close the family restaurant for good. "We never wanted to: nine employees, who have been with us for decades, will be laid off. When we hung notices of us leaving outside the window, droves of customers started coming in, asking us how come. The ownership did not renew the lease and negotiations were impossible," Fabio and Riccardo explain to Corriere della Sera. "I come from a Tuscan reality, where the restaurateur is not an entrepreneur, but a host. I'm more interested in the customer being happy, than in making money," Riccardo continues. However, dedication and love for the profession are not enough to keep a business alive, so Il Cerchio will have to close and "drop off" its historical employees, as well as customers.
Over the years, Il Cerchio has changed its appearance, but never its soul, and it was a stage for numerous (more or less happy) events in Milan: "On April 18, 2002, when that small tourist plane crashed into the twenty-sixth floor of the Pirellone, all hell broke loose. The restaurant became a kind of emergency room for the injured. Milan has changed. Places where the restaurateur is a true innkeeper are disappearing. I welcomed countless people who, maybe after an argument at the office, would come to me to vent," says Riccardo as he traces the history of the family business. The affection of Il Cerchio's customers has remained undiminished, and even now that it is closing, those who have enjoyed it for a long time do not hesitate to show it: "A gentleman who has been retired for 24 years now, heard that we were closing, and from Brianza came just today to say goodbye, with a sorrowful feeling. He told us: you are part of my story."
In recent times, there have been many restaurants in the Milan d'antan that have been forced to close, mainly due to high rents, a problem that catches the attention of many: "In the last two years, at least 20 or so historic establishments have closed, and many others, according to the reports I receive, are at risk. The real estate market has the flip side...it drives up rents for restaurants, generating turnover and to some extent favoring (restaurant) chains," Alfredo Zini, president of Milan's historic botteghe for Confcommercio, tells Corriere della Sera.
