Located in the heart of the Parioli district, the bar - patisserie - ice-cream parlour Il Cigno is a certified historic venue in the centre of Rome.
Inaugurated on Christmas night 1949, it is located at Viale Parioli 16 a b, and is to this day one of the oldest and most renowned venues in the city.
Our history has always been linked to the San Gabriele Institute, founded in 1928, which, under the direction of Brother Angelo, excavated the embankment of the football field and built some commercial premises on Viale Parioli.
The Swan was conceived in the studio of Arch. Luigi Moretti and is still striking today for the characterisation of the furnishings and the modern and elegant conception given by the service: a decorated panel divides the production from the serving to customers, offered on a counter suspended above swans cast in an alloy of silver and brass from Agostino Anselmi's artistic foundry.
The decoration of the panel, in polychrome ceramic, by artists Achille Capizzano and Lorenzo Gigotti, measuring 1.60 x 6.60 metres, made in the laboratories of the WOLF company in Rome, is composed of eighty-four assembled parts and represents the ancient Greek Myth of Zeus' love for Leda, giving the bar its character and name.
Three were the founders:
Rodolfo Bonifazi and Domenico Ortolani, from Amandola (AP) in the Marche region, and Angelo Trabucchi from Norcia, invested 20,000,000 lire in the works, achieving immediate but not lasting success. In 1958, the two brothers Agostino and Onelio Scagnoli took over the management and purchased the premises from the bankruptcy trustee, and with skilful management, they were able to restore it to its original splendour.
In 1989, Daniele Scagnoli Architetto, Onelio Scagnoli and Salmi Paolina's son, and Alessandra Roscini carried out renovation work on the production workshops, as well as the conservative restoration of the sales premises for the public.
To this day, the elements of the furnishings are the original ones, with the exception of the internal structure of the counters, the entrance showcases and the floor, made of basalt, with brass inserts representing the twelve constellations of the zodiac.
The swan constellation was then added to the centre, with the names of the stars that compose it and the distance in light years from our solar system.
This concludes the representation of the myth, which sees Zeus place the image of the swan in the sky as a reminder of his cunning and which we have represented by bringing it back to earth!
In 2009, the new generation joined the company management: Giulia and Nicolo' Scagnoli, who bring lifeblood to this wonderful and creative craft.
