Recently inaugurated in the province of Salerno Cinquanta - Spirito Italiano, a cocktail bar that combines, in the name of theatricality, the spirit of the Italian bars of the 50s with a contemporary style, recovering an abandoned building in the urban context of Pagani.
The style di Cinquanta (and the name already suggests it) is a balanced encounter between the typical spirit of the 50's Italian bars, welcoming at any time of day, from breakfast to after dinner, and the contemporaneity of international cocktail bars.
A mixture made possible also by the place where Fifty stands, made in an abandoned building for several years: "We are in a non-place - specifies Daniele Della Porta - an urban void belonging to an area of Italy architecturally worn down by the expansion of the 60-70s. " A courageous choice, therefore, to open a restaurant in an anonymous spot in a provincial town that looks, stylistically, at its counterparts in the great European cities. The proposal, however, was immediately accepted and appreciated, especially by the boys and girls of the area who have already made it a meeting place full of life.
The project
“I chose the monochrome - he explains Daniel Della Porta - to assign a precise imprint to the place, I wanted it to have the strength of a monolith knowing that its presence in the area would be perceived as the arrival of a white fly. I was inspired by the concept of theatricality and around this I drew the different elements of the Fifties. The large counter, in charcoal-effect brushed wood, with a bright orange back-lacquered glass top, without a back counter, the beating heart of the activities, is powerfully placed in the center of the room like an island whose fulcrum is the bottle rack.
All around, as an alternative to a single room on one level, I created small reception areas located on a terrace and facing the "stage". In particular, on one side there is a smaller platform with pouf and coffee tables (with marble top of Alfa Marbles) for those serving at the bar, on the other the platform with the orange Babila seats (by Pedrali, such as the armchairs, and the Buddy poufs) and tables, also in marble, intended for catering. The background color is a single dark gray, while on the ground the grit, of Sorrentino floors, I had it prepared with hints of orange, to warm the atmosphere and pick up the color note of the large neon sign. "
The soft curtains used inside (of Acre Texture like the external curtains) underline the theatrical aspect of the whole, as well as hiding the entrance to the services and technical rooms. The architect then marked the perimeter with bottle racks which, by increasing the depth of the walls, reinforce the telescope effect for those who observe the room from the outside. The lighting is warm and the narrow-beam light points allow to obtain a scenographic alternation between shaded areas and cones of light.
Orange also dominates the sofas, custom made by a local upholsterer, and the bathrooms, in which the orange resin of the walls frames the new Smoking washbasins, designed by Daniele Della Porta for Rexa Design, for now a preview from Fifty.
The spirit of the Italian bar, taken from the large collage made up of brands and graphic quotations of the time placed inside on the curved wall, meets internationality also in the external equipment (also by Pedrali), resting on a wooden platform dark and protected by orange sheets. Daniele Della Porta managed to involve local workers and artisans (such as the blacksmith, Giuseppe Mostacciuolo / Art Ferro 2003), decisive for creating the entire tailor-made furniture proposal.
project info
Project name: Fifty - Italian Spirit
Location: Pagani (SA) - Via Trento 44/46
Website: https://barcinquanta.it/
Architecture Office: Daniele Della Porta in collaboration with arch. Antonietta Memoli and arch. Rossella Notari
Website: http://www.danieledellaportaarchitetto.it/
Architectural photographer: Gaetano Del Mauro
Manufacturers
Flooring: Sorrentino floors
Seats, armchairs and poufs: Pedrali
Washbasins: Rexa Design
Marble tops: Alfa Marbles
Curtains and external blinds: Acre Texture
