Giglia Giuseppe SA (Lugano)

LOVE OF THE CRAFT

The Giuseppe Giglia SA marrons glacés company was founded in 1921 and bears the name of its founder.

Giuseppe Giglia, was born in Valenza Po in 1875. The son of pastry chefs, he learned from them the secrets and passion for the difficult art of candying.

After working in Turin and Milan, he moved to Lugano in 1912 as a result of Italian political events and with his friend Tadini began a collaboration by opening the "Caffè-gelateria Universo" in Piazza Rezzonico.

But Giuseppe Giglia carries with him and in his heart great experience in fruit candying, and in the backroom of the ice cream store he begins to work on and perfect the candying of marrons glacés.

Later he rents two cramped premises: in one he lays a boiler to bake marrons, in the other a "stove" to candy them.

With courage in 1920 he decided to offer his products at the Swiss Fair in Basel and left with three jars of marrons glacés under syrup.

During the train ride one broke and he "timidly" set up his stand with only two jars... he won the Gold Medal!

In the years that followed he received many awards and medals at the many fairs throughout Europe and the United States.

Upon his death in 1958, "the Bottega del marron glacé" was carried on by his daughter, Mariuccia Giglia, in an egregious manner and with dedication until the age of 85.

From 1992 until 2005, the year of his well-deserved retirement, this "store" is run by my father, Alberto Bervini.

During these years, working alongside my father in running the business, I have deepened the secrets of craftsmanship but above all I have received a great lesson: the value of honest work, respect for traditions and for the name "Giglia."

Cinzia Stuppia-(Bervini)