The 'Gigina' - an history to enjoy

In the heart of the Giardino area, right next to the Darsena and on the railway tracks of the nearby train station, stands a small house that seems almost there by mistake. But do not let yourself be fooled! There is just as much history and tenacity in those stones as in a bastion of our walls. And maybe more!

Trattoria 'La Gigina' - a 100-year history

Trattoria Gigina has gone through the entire 20th century - and not without difficulty, as you can imagine - surviving the incredible social and architectural upheavals that surrounded it. It was bombed during the Second World War and rebuilt with the same stones of the previous constructions. In contrast to the radical urbanistic changes that have affected the entire neighbourhood since the 1980s, the Gigina has remained in its original place. And so it did during the Emilia earthquake of 2021.
It was its proud founder, Maria Luisa Zaccaria, also known as 'Gigina', who started running a small eatery on the ground floor of her house in the middle of the train tracks. Since that distant 1901, the business has always been in the expert hands of the family: first by her son Tonino, then by her grandson Gianpaolo Franco Baglioni, and now joined by her daughter Claudia.

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^{The photographs were taken by Corradino Janigro for Listone magazine. The historical photographs belong to the Baglioni family archive and were taken from the activity's official facebook page (Trattoria Bar 'Gigina' - since 1901).}

The trattoria was a fundamental meeting place for workers from the nearby industrial area throughout the early 1900s, then for university students during the '68 uprisings, arriving at the fans of our football team, the SPAL, and in general for all beer and sausage lovers, yesterday and today. Because the Gigina was the first and for a long time the only place to serve beer on tap. In the beginning, tapping used wooden barrels and a bicycle pump, but then Giampaolo came up with the idea of the first instant refrigeration system, which we have taken for granted ever since when we enjoy a nice pint. And for the salama da sugo, the Gigina has been a stronghold for preserving the tradition that has delivered it to us still today in all its magnificence.

Trattoria 'La Gigina' - an island of peace

Whether you have the pleasure of seeing the Gigina in its summer version, an island of peace and quiet under the pergola, or in its winter version, an intimate dive into the memories of the family and our city, in addition to the salama you cannot miss the traditional dishes that have made it famous: tagliatelle al ragù, caplaz, caplit and Italian-style fritto misto (with a mouth-watering version of mozzarella in carrozza!). Wrapping it all up with a rich, textbook zuppa inglese. A small note: don't think that a traditional Ferrara trattoria cannot also satisfy a vegan request because the Gigina can!

In short, an obligatory stop on a tour of our city: a monument to oral history, that which is far from the books but close to the people, created by a strong, resolute woman and which, thanks to generations of equally strong women, has come down to us today. And we leave you with the words of Roberto Pazzi, a historian and writer from Ferrara, who wrote of the Gigina: 'We need places that are points of reference, happy islands, lifesavers that protect us from the vortex that drags us down'.

^{The photographs were taken by Corradino Janigro for Listone magazine. The historical photographs belong to the Baglioni family archive and were taken from the activity's official facebook page (Trattoria Bar 'Gigina' - since 1901).}