Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

In person

Fabio Picchi

This year, Florence’s most famous restaurant Cibrèo turns 30. And since opening the restaurant in 1979, proprietor Fabio Picchi has set about annexing a whole corner of Santa Croce, opening a member’s club, a restaurant, a trattoria and a café all on one street

Text Tabitha Lasley

I learnt to cook in my family’s home, where great food was made.

It happens in most Italian homes.

I affected the Slow Food movement and Slow Food affected me.

It’san intense and complex relationship.

When I opened my restaurant Cibrèo, I wanted to go deep into the Florentine tradition.

Pasta doesn’t belong to our tradition. It’s an import from other regions and arrived 100 years ago. Still, I love pasta and since we’ve opened Teatro del Sale I’ve let myself go, making huge pans of it.

The cuisine that has a place in history isn’t written in recipe books by men.

It never has been. It’s the one generated by women, who make food every day all over the world – particularly in Italy.

We’ve had a great experience working with someone with Down’s syndrome.

He is one of the pillars of our staff. We decided to promote the same experience in public institutions, so we asked the county government of Florence to start a programme to enrol people with Down’s syndrome in their police corps. Two girls have already been enrolled and two more are in training. It’s the first police force in the world to do so… that we know of.

Seriously, I’m not a communist.

If I were in the US, I would vote for the Democratic Party, which is what I do here in Italy.

I am a democrat who always looks forward to what will come next.

I am proud of the relationship I have with the people in my neighbourhood.

I am proud of the relationship I have with my coworkers, too. I am proud of the fact that when I wake up in the morning, I am a happy man.

We are working with the Italian parliament on tax credits for culture.

We’re looking at a national law that will allow people from eight years old to 28 to build credit with the state every time they or their families spend money on their education. Expenses to attend music classes, buy musical instruments or tickets for the cinema, theatre, exhibitions or museums, or to learn a foreign language. Purchases will be recorded on a card that works like an ATM card. Then, once they’re employed, for the first year they’ll have 80% cut off their taxes. Over the following years, the percentage will lessen until all the credit ends.

Tourists who spend time in Italy will be able to build credit too.

If they decide to come back to establish their professional life here, they will get the same benefits. For teachers, the credit will last a lifetime. Of course, all categories will be subject to income parameters. If you were born rich, you can afford a violin without tax credits.

Our suburbs are in the countryside, which is beautiful.

It’s understandable that locals want to move there. We need to explain to tourists that Florence is more than just the downtown area.

Theatres are places where everything is possible.

The need to act, represent and perform is everywhere in the world. Every culture finds expression in performance and rituals. Theatres are places where human values are preserved; an existing network built on humanity. So, if we consider theatres as embassies of culture, every artist could be an ambassador of those values. Every embassy will have consulates in its territory and will be able to release ‘ethical passports’. An ethical passport is based not only on a commitment against the death penalty, but to good standards of life; not only against war, but to the pursuit of peace.

The first year we opened Teatro de Sale we expected to get 5,000 members.

We got 20,000. Now we have almost 90,000 members.

We’ve thrown a few people out of Teatro de Sale for not observing the rules.

One because he completely disliked pets, one because he was very unkind to our female staff and another because she had a very peculiar relationship with wine and was unkind to our male staff.

My favourite food memory?

Aged 11, climbing a fig tree in September on Isola d’Elba, picking the figs dried by a powerful sun and putting them in my mouth.

All meals are memorable ones if shared with your friends and children.

A good poached egg together with some good bread, good olive oil and a nice glass of red wine can be enough.

Fabio’s Florence

Best restaurant
My favourite restaurant is a trattoria in Dudda, on the hills outside Florence. It’s on the main road to Greve in Chianti. I will personally take anyone who wants to go!

Best bar
The European Institute on the hill of San Domenico di Fiesole: A striking view!

Favourite shop
A framemaker in my neighbourhood, just around the corner from Teatro del Sale. He’s an extraordinary craftsman. When I look at his work, I know I live in a city full of extraordinary hands – they’re our real treasure.

Best time out
The roof of Biblioteca delle Oblate overlooking the courtyard, in the heart of the city behind the Duomo.

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