The retro charm of modern Milan

In late June 2015, a restaurant with the curious name of Trippa (Tripe – an evident reference to the simple peasant food of the past) opened its doors in Milan, the city of fashion, design and avantgarde architecture. The name evokes simple, genuine food, with dishes prepared with care and first class ingredients – and that’s exactly what chefs Diego Rossi and Pietro Caroli mean by it. Trippa is in the south east of Milan, not far from the centre and close to the Porta Romana underground station. In past centuries, Porta Romana was one of the gates to the city, through which many of the leading figures in Italy’s history have passed.
This is the charismatic setting of Ristorante Trippa, whose vintage style expresses uniqueness and originality. The owners have aimed to create an old style trattoria, with a homely atmosphere and traditional dishes. The restaurant’s identity and authenticity are perfectly expressed by the furnishings, which are simple and minimal in style. The dark wooden chairs and tables follow the dictates of a retro style. The interior walls contrast the strong impact of ochre with white, to give the rooms a luminous and airy feel. The tables are laid out in an orderly grid pattern, and set with table cloths and heavy glass beakers, to underline the importance of the substance of the dishes. The centrally positioned bar counter plays an important role, ready to welcome the client for a quick, frugal snack or for a vermouth, the traditional aperitif, in a family atmosphere. The details have been carefully designed to express a vintage mood. The atmosphere at Trippa is both inebriating and welcoming, just as the selection of furnishings perfectly matches the flooring materials, taken from Fap’s Firenze collection. The porcelain tiles, characterised by an antiqued effect in a matt finish, are hexagonal with a diameter of 25 cm, and alternate the nuance of leather, gilt and black to form a refined and highly original floral pattern. The tiles call to mind the charm of the past, the perfect choice for a traditional trattoria in the modern city of Milan. To guarantee the uniqueness and familiarity of the restaurant, the owners have also furnished the washrooms with care: elegant and refined, the dominant colour is gold, both for the furnishings and the white body wall tiles from Fap Ceramiche’s Creta collection, in the Decò 30.5 x 91.5 cm version, featuring a mix of three colours with vintage patterning which repeat randomly for a very personal effect. These fine details make clients feel at home, recreating the vintage atmosphere of the traditional Italian trattoria. Cooking itself has become a sublime gesture with retro styling.