Plates often carry the best memories, those of good food and good times. But you always have to leave them on the table as you move ahead in search of the next best dish and company. In Italy, things are done a bit differently. In a tradition called The Piatti del Buon Ricordo, or “Plates of Good Memories,” which dates back to 1964, diners can enjoy a meal and take the plate it was served on home as a souvenir.“The Italian trattoria is one of the symbols of our people’s culture and tradition. It’s not just a place to eat but also a place for tradition and memorable encounters—all of which are deeply rooted in our history,” said Alberto Cauzzi, food editor for Forbes Italia, as per a report by Smithsonian magazine.
A marketing trick turned tradition
While many travellers and foodies have enjoyed a meal at a trattoria, but few know about a custom called Piatti del Buon Ricordo that was conceived in the 1960s to promote trattorias nationally and worldwide. The phrase means “plates of good memories.” In participating trattorias, diners who order the signature dish can take their plate, a hand-painted ceramic collectable, home as a souvenir.A dozen restaurants participated in the promotion at the start. The movement grew to include more than 130, and, today, 111 authentic trattorias still promote regional cuisine in this special way. Vintage plates draw interest worldwide, with collectors searching thrift stores and spotting the ceramics at notable design fairs in Italy, reviving interest in the hobby itinerant eaters once obsessed over.The mind behind the tradition is Dino Villani. He was a businessman with a knack for finding trends and marketing them. He was the mastermind behind some unforgettable cultural touchstones in 20th century Italy, such as the “5,000 lire for a smile” contest.In essence, Villani wanted to boost tourism and gastronomy in Italy following World War II, when supermarkets were becoming more prevalent and farmers were slowly losing their gravitas in society. In 1964, when Villani launched the program, French-influenced menus were gaining attraction among young and influential Italians. Michelin-starred chef Davide Scabin of Carignano in Turin, Italy, said the initiative was an “early expression of marketing Italian gastronomy to counterbalance the overwhelming influence of French gastronomy, which was gaining momentum in Italy at the time.”“It was the years of the economic boom, and restaurant customers were eager to embrace new lifestyles. They were more attracted to international models than to the authentic values of traditional Italian gastronomy, which was in danger of disappearing from restaurant tables,” added Cesare Carbone, president of the Buon Ricordo Restaurant Union, the official governing body championing the concept for more than half a century.Wanting to keep Italian cuisine at the forefront, Villani gave diners an incentive. “Dine in a trattoria, order and enjoy a regional dish, and take home the handmade ceramic plate at the end of your meal,” said Carbone, who also owns Trattoria Manuelina in Recco, a member restaurant. The idea was conceived to “promote, and defend rigorously, Italian cuisine,” Carbone explained.The hands behind the plates are those of artisans of Ceramiche Artistiche Solimene, a family-run business in the Amalfi Coast’s Vietri sul Mare that is known for its ceramicists. They have always hand-painted the plates, made from raw clay from the quarries of Ogliara. Since 1985, Milanese graphic designer Paolo Argenton has designed the pieces. “Each restaurant chooses its signature dish, which is then illustrated by Argenton with other elements depicting the city or town in which it is located,” Carbone explained. “The plate is given to those who choose the Buon Ricordo menu, so they can take home a ‘good memory’ of an unforgettable tasting experience.”Villani could be regarded as an influencer of his era, said Michelin-starred chef Davide Scabin of Carignano in Turin, Italy. “At the time, Italy itself was still somewhat exotic as a travel destination for Italians, and going from north to south and tasting ingredients never before encountered was a genuine discovery,” he said.When Villani’s initiative launched, Italians hadn’t yet realized that the great richness of the country’s gastronomy lay in the extraordinary diversity of its regional cuisines, Carbone explaied. “The Unione Ristoranti Buon Ricordo was founded precisely to safeguard this extraordinary heritage and enhance what is now commonly called ‘local cuisine,’” he said.
A new tradition continues
Buon Ricardo still remains on the table. On eBay, bidding for a plate can start at 3 euros and reach more than 150 euros, and home enthusiasts can find the ceramics in places as diverse as major design fairs like the Maison et Objet in Paris to stores like ABC Carpet and Home in New York City. There is even an association for collectors.When Piemonte-native Roberta Ceretto opened the trattoria La Piola in Alba in 2005, paying homage to the Piatti del Buon Ricordo concept was a way to express her family’s love for art. “We wanted to honor that heritage while giving it a contemporary edge,” she says. “We commissioned 12 different artists who created 39 custom designs for us. Some of them found the request completely crazy, because they had never painted on a round canvas before. But as you know, art is beautifully unpredictable.”La Piola serves traditional Piemonte dishes like agnolotti del plin and a chocolate dessert called the bonet on plates decorated with art by Italian, Swiss, British and American artists. These plates are not given to diners after their meal, but they are sold at the family’s Ceretto winery nearby.“For us, a trattoria is a cultural institution, far more than just a place to eat,” said Ceretto. “Here, we keep our tradition, and we are deeply proud of our roots. The classic trattoria remains an essential part of who we are.”
