April 6, 1966 - April 6, 2026
The beginning of any great story must include these elements: a meeting, a dream, an opportunity, a challenge. And in Da Vittorio, all these ingredients fit together perfectly.
The fateful meeting was between Bruna Gioconda Gritti and Vittorio Cerea, who met in 1960 at the Caffè Orobica in Bergamo—managed by the latter with his brothers—and would never leave each other again.
They married three years later and dreamed of opening their own restaurant.
The opportunity was to take over the old Roma restaurant on Viale Papa Giovanni, which was on the verge of bankruptcy.
The challenge: changing the consumption habits of the people of Bergamo, focusing on a food that had previously been a luxury but was now becoming more accessible thanks to the prosperity of the economic boom: fish.
On April 6, 1966, Vittorio and Bruna Cerea opened their Da Vittorio, laying the first "stone" of what would become a culinary empire that continues to dictate the world of gastronomy.
The challenge: changing the consumption habits of the people of Bergamo, focusing on a food that had previously been a luxury but was now becoming more accessible thanks to the prosperity of the economic boom: fish.
On April 6, 1966, Vittorio and Bruna Cerea opened their Da Vittorio, laying the first "stone" of what would become a culinary empire that continues to dictate the world of gastronomy.
The growth of a shared dream
As happens in the most compelling stories, the stages fly by in an instant: in 1978, the first, unexpected Michelin star, repeated in 1996; in 2005, the move to the Cantalupa hill with the simultaneous opening of La Dimora; in 2010, the third star, the most beautiful and precious (but also the most bittersweet, because father Vittorio—who passed away in 2005, a few months after the opening of Brusaporto—didn't get to see it); From there, the galaxy gradually expanded, with fine dining openings (St. Moritz in 2012, Shanghai in 2019, both now holding two Michelin stars), the creation of a new casual dining concept—under the aegis of DaV (which began as an intuition during the Covid period and transformed into a successful format, now present in Portofino, Milan, and Brusaporto), consultancy, pastry shops, and the exponential growth of external catering and the gift sector.
But everything this Group represents today in the collective imagination and in the global gastronomic landscape would not be possible without that most precious of ingredients: a sense of belonging. A partnership not only between family members, but between people who have embraced a cause, embracing those gestures, thoughts, and values that make the world of Da Vittorio a universal dispenser of joy and happiness for anyone who chooses it.
But everything this Group represents today in the collective imagination and in the global gastronomic landscape would not be possible without that most precious of ingredients: a sense of belonging. A partnership not only between family members, but between people who have embraced a cause, embracing those gestures, thoughts, and values that make the world of Da Vittorio a universal dispenser of joy and happiness for anyone who chooses it.
The story of Signora Bruna
Mrs Cerea is moved as she thinks about the past 50 years. In Bruna's words: “Vittorio and I decided to open our own restaurant. I was panicky, and despite his great courage, he was a bit scared too”. Now Vittorio is no longer with us, but Bruna brings him to life with her every word, "because he was special. He put his life into his work”.
Their love story began with a hot chocolate at the Bar Orobica in Bergamo. Mrs Cerea used to go into her future husband's venue after the movies. She confesses: "I saw Vittorio and it was love at first sight. I won him over with his mother's help". Two years after that meeting, Bruna was standing at the altar, wearing her wedding ring. After a while, the two of them decided to open their restaurant in viale Roma (now viale Papa Giovanni XXIII), in Bergamo. She made the cakes and the "cannoncini" (pastry horns), he worked in the kitchen. The major innovation that Vittorio brought to Bergamo was “fish” - an unknown ingredient there at the time.
In the meantime, their children were growing up and when they weren't studying they were working in the restaurant. Mrs Cerea explains: "They used to get home from school, throw their school bag in a corner and go into the kitchen or the dining room".
As they grew older, they ventured out into the world: Chicco travelled a lot, Francesco a bit less, Bobo went to France for a while. In the meantime, the two youngest were also growing up: Barbara - who now runs the Cavour café - and Rossella, who wanted to be a doctor because she took care of her grandma.
Many years after opening their business in Bergamo, the Cerea family moved to Brusaporto. A few weeks after they moved, Vittorio passed away. Bruna gets emotional: "I'm happy he was able to see the new restaurant. I loved my husband so much, my feelings for him are so strong that I still feel his presence alongside me". Now her grandchildren have also joined her children. But, as Mrs Cerea says: "I'd prefer them to go their own way. I'm happy for them to help out on Saturday nights, but they need to follow their dreams".
As they grew older, they ventured out into the world: Chicco travelled a lot, Francesco a bit less, Bobo went to France for a while. In the meantime, the two youngest were also growing up: Barbara - who now runs the Cavour café - and Rossella, who wanted to be a doctor because she took care of her grandma.
Many years after opening their business in Bergamo, the Cerea family moved to Brusaporto. A few weeks after they moved, Vittorio passed away. Bruna gets emotional: "I'm happy he was able to see the new restaurant. I loved my husband so much, my feelings for him are so strong that I still feel his presence alongside me". Now her grandchildren have also joined her children. But, as Mrs Cerea says: "I'd prefer them to go their own way. I'm happy for them to help out on Saturday nights, but they need to follow their dreams".
How the dishes of
Da Vittorio Restaurant evolved
“My husband's dishes were very beautiful, my sons' dishes are more studied”.
Mrs Bruna Cerea is clear. On the one hand, putting into practice the gastronomic tradition of Italy, on the other the evolution towards modernity served up by the heirs. A mix that cannot be separated, and which is now the trump card in the cuisine of the Da Vittorio restaurant.
Mrs Bruna Cerea is clear. On the one hand, putting into practice the gastronomic tradition of Italy, on the other the evolution towards modernity served up by the heirs. A mix that cannot be separated, and which is now the trump card in the cuisine of the Da Vittorio restaurant.
Da Vittorio
Via Cantalupa, 17
24060 Brusaporto (BG) - Italy
Via Cantalupa, 17
24060 Brusaporto (BG) - Italy
Phone +39 035.681024
Fax +39 035.680849
Fax +39 035.680849
www.davittorio.com
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A charging station for electric vehicles is available to our guests in the restaurant, so while you’re enjoying a break, our staff will recharge your car.