Lanterna Blu – Ristorante Imperia

Leading Seafood Restaurant in the Italian Riviera opened by Tonino and his wife in 1952 and located in the historical setting in the Porto Maurizio Harbour, and now with his son Massimo under the third generation of family management.

THE START FEBBRAIO 1953

FROM TRATTORIA “ANCORA” TO LANTERNA BLU

The Blue Lantern was born in Porto Maurizio from the chance meeting of two young “children of the war”: who were both very far from home as Lucia, 15, was born in Sicily, in Augusta (Syracuse), while Tonino was a young Neapolitan who came to Imperia to complete his military service at the Port Authority of Imperia when he was almost 20. An accidental meeting triggered the spark between the two young southerners, precisely in what was then the restaurant “Ancora” and which shortly thereafter – but Lucia and Tonino did not know this at the time – would become a culinary institute of the city (and not only).

Lucia and her mother settle here in the autumn of 1952, while the purchase of the license takes place after a few months. The deed of purchase, written with a fountain pen and still jealously guarded within the walls of the Lanterna Blu, is dated February 1953. The interior space measured about 30 square meters with a strawberry grape pergola hanging outside. There was the public telephone 01837959, the table football, and the wooden barrels from which the wines coming directly from Sicily, were tapped and served.

The Lanterna Blu was born therefore from a former trattoria bought by a Sicilian mother and daughter, from a family of migrants, and this is precisely the trait that characterizes the beginning of this story: From the intertwining passions of Sicily and Campania that meet, the spirit of that Lanterna Blu which turns seventy today, will develop later.

MATERIAL

MATERIAL THAT MEETS TASTE THE EXPERIENCE FROM CUSTOMERS FOR CUSTOMERS

Material, combined with experience that meets taste: This is our concept of being a professional restaurant. As with a nineteenth-century painter, we start materials and then with passion, good taste, culture and the comparison with our guests we work, study, experiment. These are the factors that led two self-taught young people, Lucia and Tonino, to celebrate 70 years of activity in Borgo Marina (Imperia).

Everywhere in the world. Lucia and Tonino, in fact, have always listened to and accepted advice with great humility, with a view to continually improving the level of the restaurant. A special thanks, therefore, on the occasion of the 70 years of activity, goes to all the friends who have passed through the Lanterna Blu, leaving something to this story and allowing Lucia and Tonino to make their meeting so long that at the beginning it was absolutely casual, but full of romance and love for one’s work. In these long years we have been accepted and loved but also discussed: for a certain period, the quality / price ratio of the Lanterna Blu was difficult to understand since it was inexplicable for an unprepared public. Over the years we have achieved extremely high-quality standards to satisfy the demand of an increasingly exclusive public; our cuisine has always tried to support them and make them happy, because this means being professionals: we choose an audience that has chosen us, and we share a path together.

Nobel Prize Winner
Renato Dulbecco

President Sandro Pertini

Ranieri III
of Monaco

The Belgian Royal Family

Charles Adrien Wettach “Grock”

The culmination of this path was reached in 1991 with the recognition of a star by the authoritative “Michelin Guide”. We have customers who have spent the first twenty years of our history with us, customers who have discovered us in the last 5-6 years hearing about this “legend” and we have customers who are still here, and after 50 or 60 years they arrive, almost ninety years old, accompanied by their children and their grandchildren.

As Winston Churchill purportedly said: “we have simple taste; we like the best.” There are many decent chefs and cooks up and down the Italian Riviera. For the past decade or so, Michelin has taken away more stars than they have awarded. I’m not sure if they really understand the soul of Ligurian cooking. Massimo Fiorillo does.

If you have never been here before, or even if you have from time to time, it takes awhile to understand the purity, simplicity and passion emanating from this kitchen. Not only does the chef search and find the very best ingredients, he knows what to do and not do with them in a fashion that may seem deceptively basic. But less is more if it reveals the true wonder and magnificence of the ingredient(s).

There is a time and place for fancy, creative and thought provoking cooking. But often, that is complex for complexity sake, to show the chef can do something new and unexpected, even if at the end of the day it is merely a gimmick… Here, you need the courage to go along with what the chef wants to offer this day, No a la carte menu and the charade that everything on the menu is a great choice. Better to accept and understand with every plate, the chef is showcasing what he thinks is best at this very moment. We have never been disappointed.

It is a very personal place. It would be best if you behave like a guest in his home. If he likes you, both sides will be happy. If not, you will both will wish you were somewhere else.

You can get the traditional menu in 1,000 other places. You have been warned, and hopefully encouraged. It is a magical venue that has been making us happy for over 30 years. The prices are fair for the extraordinary quality of the ingredients and the artistry of the presentation.

Data della visita: ottobre 2021

"Lanterna blu, dove il cibo è una religione civile"

"Storie di ristoratori e della capacità di ripartire, l'Italia migliore"

VIDEO

My Italian Family

CRAFTSMANSHIP

THE HOUSE OF CRAFTSMANSHIP

Home. To have become, for thousands of nationals and above all international guests, a stop on their journey in this strip of wonderful land and to be considered an obligatory stop in the path of someone’s life … we think it was the most beautiful recognition that a professional can achieve.

The exclusively “tailored” relationship, that is, the idea of an artisanal menu, tailor-made for the customer, has been one of the topics since the birth of the Lanterna Blu. We therefore want to define ourselves as “artisans of taste”. We transform the material with our hands, with our head, with passion and we offer it tailor-made for our customers.

MUSIC

THE HOUSE OF MUSIC

The passion of singing. Tonino, like most of the Neapolitans, has a passion for singing: a passion that he has cultivated professionally since his youth. In the 1950s Tonino participated in the Neapolitan Song Festival, which was then held concurrently with the Sanremo Festival, on the Ariston stage, and on that occasion he met Domenico Modugno. Tonino recorded, under contract, some discs with Renato Carosone’s record company and for a couple of years, at the beginning of the 60s, he performed at Radio Monteceneri, in Italian Switzerland, also recording several very beautiful songs, from moment that Neapolitan songs were also transmitted on that broadcast in the daily programming Thirty years later Mario Robbiani, the director of Radio Monteceneri at the time, presented himself at the Lanterna Blu with reels, forgotten for 30 or 40 years now, on which the recordings of Tonino Fiorillo were archived. These have been transferred on CD or cassette and for thirty years the Lanterna Blu has donated them, as a Christmas present, to the most loyal customers. The music in our club, therefore, is an atmosphere and accompaniment to a nice evening with friends.

Flute Master
Severino Gazzelloni

Tonino with
Domenico Modugno