Vercelli: what remains of the Luigi Rossa company (and of chicory coffee).
2 min read
This establishment, founded in 1858 by Luigi Rossa, represented a reference point for the economy of its ward and especially for the success of this factory the bridge was built on the Cervetto waterway, in order to make the connections quicker with the city. This was the first Italian factory to produce chicory coffee.
Until the 20s of the twentieth century, many ties united the inhabitants of the area to the chicory coffee factory, and the development of the village, in part, is also due to the establishment: it seems that there was not a family of the district that did not have a component, when he did not have more than one, employed at the “Rossa”.
This is a vast area (the entire building complex is about 33 thousand square meters), inside which there was the large liberty villa with the turret and the gazebo visible from the street, and what was left of the sheds where a coffee was produced. Abandoned for years, the complex has been repeatedly the subject of vandalism and theft and, for some time, was in complete ruin.
A few years ago, as reported by local newspapers, with great regret of the inhabitants of Vercelli, the demolition of the area began but it never ended.
Today (my photos are dated January 2019), the structures have been mostly demolished, the villa has also suffered major collapses and the upper floors are inaccessible.
Now, to remember what was one of the many production sites of Vercelli of the last century, there will be nothing but the beautiful decorated tin boxes and the Liberty-style labels that, on e-bay have, among other things, discreet prices. There is, for example, the famous series of “Elephants” of which, to date, we know more than thirty examples ranging from liberty-style to futurism.
