The announcement was made with a very brief note on the Facebook site of the Grand Master of Italian pastry, Iginio Massari, the chef who raised the culture of made in Italy pastry to its maximum expression, recognized not only in Italy but also abroad , the chef who in his long career has collected more than 300 competitions won, prizes and national and international recognitions: “From today Pop up at #Termini Station #Rome. Good day! Panettone-Panettone with chocolate-Pandoro-Pralines-Biscuits-jellies-Macarons”. Followed by a photo of the location, all glass, 40 square meters, in the central corridor of the station, or in the place of maximum visibility.
That was enough to send thousands of fans into raptures of the patron of "La patisserie Veneta" in Brescia, considered a sanctuary, a must for all gourmands in Italy.
In a few minutes, thousands and thousands of comments arrived from all over the place, with some jealousy from some admirers who wondered why in Rome and not in Milan, ignoring that Massari is already present in Milan with a pastry shop inside the Banca Intesa branch of Via Marconi, just as it is present in Turin in Piazza Cln, where in a room that extends over an area of 300 square meters with 70 seats opened last year you can taste its celebrated single portions such as the Black Forest with sponge cake, cherries and dark chocolate; Reale alla Pear with mousse and pear jelly; the Caramel Mousseline with its caramel glaze or the famous tiramisu.
The fact is that the news is one that makes noise. At the moment it is only a Temporary Store, which will remain open until 7 January, with a simple but significant sign "Iginio Massari, Alta Pasticceria" to delight the palates of those who pass through the station of the capital every day, who will thus be able to taste place the great Maestro's creations – only packaged products among which his super panettone excels – or take them home to celebrate the Christmas festivities with the family which, this year, will need many sweet treats to console the sad moments we are experiencing.
Just as the news came as a surprise, it is impossible to prophesy a Roman future for Massari, but certainly the Termini Station store is the absolute debut of Pasticceria Veneta in travel retail thanks to the temporary formula proposed by the Retail Group and Grandi Stazioni Retail and this could herald a new sales perspective. There is already talk of a reopening at Easter.
Despite the crisis Massari therefore shows confidence,
“We started with online sales already 7-8 years ago – he recently declared in an interview – now the tool is proving to be fundamental, the results are excellent. But what pleases me the most is to find that 70% of customers go back to shopping online: selling once is easy, selling several times to the same people is confirmation of the good work we do".
And in any case, the Pop Up of Termini Station is an address that will soon be followed by many. In times of crisis, Italian food and wine needs inventiveness and new commercial outlets. And temporary stores can partially solve the problems of the reduced mobility of Italians in times of lockdown.
