Grandma Emilia: A Woman of the Land,
Lured by the Sea

Emilia, born Giulia Palmina Gasparoni, came into the world in the Poggio district of Ancona on August 30, 1899. A small but oak-strong woman, her story is forever intertwined with the history of the Portonovo bay. In 1920, together with her husband Emilio Dubbini, she opened a cellar in the Poggio district, which would become the present-day Osteria del Poggio. Soon after, in 1929, Emilia herself headed down to the beach to organize lunches and refreshments for the first tourists in the area, locals from Poggio, Camerano, and Ancona, who loved coming to the beach. First at Poggio, then further down, closer to the sea, near a freshwater spring, now the site of a hotel, where Emilia provided shade, fresh spring water, and traditional peasant dishes.

Right here, she opened her first restaurant, a makeshift but soon-to-be landmark spot, both for the few inhabitants of the bay and the increasingly frequent visitors. In 1950, Emilia moved to the beach, and that’s when the restaurant “Da Emilia’” was born.

Grandma Emilia: A Woman of the Land,
Lured by the Sea

The business Emilia started in Portonovo has really changed the landscape there, turning what was once a marshy and unwelcoming area into a valued naturalistic spot. It also reshaped the life of Emilia’s family and the locals. The restaurant naturally passed down from mother to daughter, from Emilia to Maria Luisa, called Marisa, the youngest daughter, always close together in the kitchen and the dining room. Today, the culinary tradition continues with Chef Lorenzo Focante, while Marisa’s family welcomes guests and visitors: her daughter Federica handles the management and dining area; Marisa’s husband, Franco, waits tables and entertains guests with memories, stories, and presents of flowers or fruit; and their son Edoardo, besides working in the restaurant, takes care of managing the beach.

Here, by the sea and at the foot of the mountain, many figures from culture, art, entertainment, and the jet set, both past and present, have visited: Ave Ninchi, Fausto Coppi and his lady in white, Walter Chiari, Rudolf Nureyev, Corrado, Mina, and Nilde Jotti. Then there’s Prince Charles of England, Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Lech Walesa, Giorgio Panariello with Carlo Conti and Leonardo Pieraccioni, Piero Pelù, Virna Lisi, Teo Teocoli, Mario Cipollini, Milly Carlucci, and Lucio Dalla. Plus, Ricky Tognazzi and Simona Izzo, Aldo Montano, Flavio Insinna, Vittorio Sgarbi, Giorgio Albertazzi, Neffa, Massimiliano Ossini, Luca Barbarossa, Raul Bova, and Tedua. On the occasion of the restaurant’s 80th anniversary, and fulfilling Marisa’s wish to share and pass on such a special and important story, the book ‘Il mestolo di Emilia’ by Marco Giovagnoli was presented on September 13, 2009, featuring several live testimonials, all particularly touching and moving. Copies of the book are available in our restaurant.