The home of beer

If you drive out of Treviglio along Strada Statale (Highway) 42 towards Bergamo, you’ll see the Fabbrica di Pedavena pub on the right shortly before arriving at the village of Arcene.
But to properly understand the origins of the pub and the reasons for its immediate success, we need to take a short journey back in time. In 1897 the three Luciani brothers founded a brewery in Pedavena (BL). In more recent times it was sold to a multinational, which in 2004 decided to close it down. In 2006, Birra Castello, a young company that until then had only operated in the large-scale retail sector, decided to step in and purchase the brewery, thereby establishing a presence in the HoReCa channel. The owners planned a number of marketing operations to promote the repositioning of the brewery’s flagship brands (Castello and Pedavena, and subsequently also Dolomiti and Superior), including the opening of franchise pubs in collaboration with local dealers. Following several launches in Northeast Italy, Birra Castello arrived in the Lombardy region in 2014 with the Fabbrica di Pedavena pub in Treviglio.
The enclosed site consists of an industrial building with an extended front section and is an ideal location for the brand’s format in that it is outside the town centre and easily accessible. The pub concept which was developed and implemented by AP Design is based on the unique atmosphere of the Italian «birreria», with its welcoming and informal ambience, simple cuisine and above all fresh beer which arrives straight from the factory. The striking interiors feature panels reproducing the historic logos of Birra Pedavena and the old brewery, while frescoed walls feature scenes from the original pub that was built alongside the brewery (the model on which the franchise is based). Keynote elements include the colour and warmth of the materials used. Natural bare wood, marble, vintage carts, old wooden boxes (used on the floor as chairs or suspended from the ceiling as lampshades), wrought iron and exposed copper pipework all contribute to creating a sophisticated, warm and comforting sense of traditional craftsmanship. Original Pedavena lamps provide accent lighting in strategic zones. Open shelves perform a dual function as product displays and as simple partitions separating functional spaces. And no less importantly, the large porcelain panels from Panaria’s Bioarch series chosen in a brushed grey Barge colour for the floors in all the common areas, bathrooms and kitchen have an important unifying function. The pub’s large open space is organised into operational zones.
The first thing that attracts the gaze when stepping through the main entrance — a large iron-framed glass door that cuts obliquely across a corner of the front building — is the imposing island-style drinks counter standing in front of a frescoed back wall. On the right are the beer tanks and a shop for purchasing products for home consumption, while next to the window a two-step platform equipped with recycled wood sofas features a sitting area with vintage armchairs. In the centre there are tall handcrafted tables with light blue painted iron bases and sawn solid wood tops. Stools made entirely of wood or with metallic inserts are dotted around the pub. Alongside the bar with its wood colours is the restaurant area, dominated by the blue tones of the upholstered chairs, walls and iron artefacts, while the wooden plank inserts used in some areas of the floor further contribute to the pleasing visual effect.
Underneath a clear glass-topped table surrounded by iron stools reminiscent of items of vintage agricultural machinery can be seen an old cart.