Palazzina Majani
Strolling along Via Indipendenza, coming from Piazza Maggiore, on the left side of the portico you will come across an elegant building whose style is quite different from that of the surrounding buildings. This is the Palazzina Majani, a historic building dating back to 1908, commissioned by the Bolognese family of the same name still known today for its chocolate production.
The Majani family built the building at a time of strong expansion, both in production and in the sale of their products. It was then that they entrusted the project to the architect Augusto Sezanne, who built it according to the dictates of the Art Nouveau style that was very much in vogue at the time, inspired by the famous Viennese chair. The building housed not only the workshop and a bar, but also a dance hall, as well as parties and concerts on the beautiful terrace that still overlooks the street.
Today, the building no longer sells the delights of the Majani family. After the Second World War, it remained unused until the 1950s when it became the headquarters of a bank. Since 2004, it has been converted into commercial premises and now houses the shop of a well-known low-cost clothing chain.
The Majani family and chocolate
The link between the Majani family and chocolate dates back to the
late 18th century. This was the time when Teresa Majani founded the company, still in business today, which was based in the
shop in Via de' Carbonesi. The shop in Via de' Carbonesi is a historic premises furnished with period wooden furniture, where you can still breathe in the magical atmosphere of the shops of yesteryear. What makes it even more fascinating is its proximity to the ancient ruins of the Roman theatre, which can only be visited on certain special occasions.
What made the Majani famous throughout Italy was the ingenious intuition to
sell chocolate in solid form: until then, chocolate was only consumed as a drink. In 1832, the Majani confectioners produced the sfoglia, a special shape due to the chocolate curling up on itself, rolled out just like a sheet, which made it particularly light and crispy. The sfoglia still exists today, and can also be found in the shop in Via de' Carbonesi.
In 1867, the Majani family was then able to purchase a very modern machine made in Turin, which enabled them both to produce chocolate more efficiently and to supply the workshop with the necessary electricity. This was a turning point for them, but national celebrity came only a few years later, in 1878, when Majani chocolates arrived on the tables of the
Savoy family. After tasting the Majani delicacies, the royals decided to make them their official chocolate supplier.
Besides the sfoglia, one of Majani's most famous chocolates is certainly the
cremino Fiat. The cremino was created during a competition organised by Fiat in Turin to celebrate the birth of the Fiat Tipo 4. Inspired by the number 4, Majani created an original chocolate with
four layers of gianduia, as a tribute to the city of Turin, which pleased the jury so much that it beat off competition from renowned local master chocolatiers.
