Pizzeria Giuseppe
Pizzeria Giuseppe is located at via Carlo Mayr 71, along one of the oldest streets in Ferrara’s historic centre, just a few steps from via delle Volte. It was founded in 1945 by Giuseppe Seghieri, originally from Tuscany, who brought to the city specialities unfamiliar to Ferrara’s culinary traditions: chickpea farinata and pizza baked in a small pan (padellino). Originally the business followed a seasonal rhythm, pizza and chickpea flatbread in winter and ice cream in summer. Mr. Giuseppe, besides selling ice creams and ice lollies on site, came up with an incredible and imaginative marketing idea: a fun rooster-shaped ice cream bike-cart, with which he rode across the whole city selling his ice cream cones in the most classic flavours, such as chocolate, fior di latte and cassata, throughout the centre of Ferrara. The management of the business always stayed within the family: his daughter Elsa first worked alongside her father, then took over as owner together with her husband Romano Benini. Since 2002 the couple’s son, Gianluca, has led the pizzeria, keeping its informal and distinctive identity alive to this day. Management has thus reached the third generation, thanks also to the valuable and constant dedication over the years of some loyal staff members, such as Mrs. Giovanna Palermo, who accompanied the growth of the business through its many years of activity. There are many anecdotes and memories that customers associate with this place and its owners: it seems that Mrs. Elsa had an iron memory and that, although she never wrote down an order on paper, she never got a pizza flavour wrong! Not even at rush hour, and not even when, as a joke, some mischievous customer tried to contradict her! Legend has it that no customer ever received a pizza different from the one they ordered!
The premises consist of an air-conditioned room with tables and wooden benches, and a long counter with stools at the entrance right in front of the bar counter, where you can eat, but above all where you can stop and wait your turn before sitting down at a table, sipping a drink and savouring a fragrant slice of chickpea farinata while waiting to order your favourite pizza. One slice leads to another, and the trays of chickpea farinata always run out in no time. The wood-fired oven has always been the heart of the place: from here come steaming padellino pizzas, in small and large sizes, and the famous cecina, chickpea farinata cut into slices and served on sheets of paper. These two dishes are recognisable from the first bite and have made this pizzeria a landmark for generations of Ferrara residents, as well as for students and tourists. The premises also have some outdoor tables, where you can sit and enjoy a meal on warm summer evenings and feel part of the lively atmosphere of via Carlo Mayr.
As a testament to its long history, inside the premises, hanging on the wall, there are still black-and-white photos of its founder, as well as historical memorabilia such as the spatula used by Mr. Giuseppe himself to cut his inimitable slices of chickpea farinata. The family atmosphere, the genuine products with their unmistakable flavour, as well as the intoxicating aroma that wafts out of the doors of the premises every evening, have made Pizzeria Giuseppe a beloved place for the people of Ferrara and an experience not to be missed for visiting tourists.
