Tall flames and hot oil, stacked plates and searing pans, shouting and laughter: the kitchen of this trattoria may look chaotic, but it is a perfectly organized and harmonious chaos that well represents Palermo’s vibrancy – the same energy that can be found in one of the old town markets or in city traffic.
The same liveliness extends to the dining room, where a jovial and festive atmosphere is established among customers, waiters, and the restaurant’s owners. Waiters sweep in and out each time the cooks ring the bell, bringing traditional Palermo dishes to the tables.
We are at the trattoria Ferro di Cavallo, located on Via Venezia in Palermo’s historic center. Giuseppe Ciminna, who represents the third generation to run the restaurant, shares a bit of its history with us.
“The trattoria officially opened in 1944, during the war, at the behest of my grandfather Giuseppe, whose name I carry,” he says. In the year after the Anglo-American landings in Sicily in July 1943, while the rest of Italy was still fighting against the Nazi-Fascist occupation, life in Sicily resumed a slow start. Young Giuseppe Ciminna I, who everyone called “Pinuzzo,” had started work in a carpentry shop that produced wooden crates for transporting Sicilian citrus fruits to northern Italy. But years of war and bombing had destroyed roads, railroads and disrupted trade.
Young Pinuzzo, then, began working as an apprentice in a former carpenter’s shop converted into a wine and liquor tavern with an attached kitchen, where he prepared dishes that were simple but destined to become the pride of Sicilian cuisine. This included beans with celery, broad beans with vegetables, sardine fishballs – dishes that the poor people of Palermo could afford, in the absence of meat. The postwar period was characterized by much poverty, but also a desire for rebirth. Pinuzzo Ciminna, who was also an opera singer, abandoned his passion for singing to devote himself to the restaurant business, as in the meantime he had also become a father and had the responsibility of a family on his shoulders.
But his passion for singing never abandoned him, as his grandson Giuseppe recounts with a hint of emotion. “He was very good at it: every day a gentleman with an accordion would pass by, and [my grandfather] would delight in singing to entertain customers, including many artists who would stop here after the shows at the Biondo Theater to eat. It was his nature; he was a born artist. That period was beautiful.”
The name Ferro di Cavallo, meaning “Horseshoe,” was not chosen by the owners, but by loyal customers. The restaurant, in fact, is not only U-shaped, but the street it overlooks is shaped like a horseshoe as well. And finally, right in front of the trattoria is a walkway where you will see cars parked today, but which, at the restaurant’s founding, was the place where carriages were parked and horses were shod. It was natural for the people of Palermo to say, “Meet you at the Horseshoe” – a name that has stuck to this day.
The founder was succeeded by his son, Franco Ciminna, who was later joined by the third generation of the family, namely Giuseppe and his brother, Valerio. Franco continues to oversee the business, even though he is officially retired.
Giuseppe began his apprenticeship after he finished middle school; today he is a 49-year-old man who has worked in the family trattoria for 33 years, most of his life. But the years have not made him lose his love for the job, which in fact seems to be renewed every day. As he tells us the story of the family trattoria, it is Giuseppe’s genuine and infectious passion that most impresses us. For him, the business and holding onto its original identity is a point of pride. The city has changed much over the years, especially due to tourism. But not at the Ferro di Cavallo: here it is the tourist who adapts, discovering traditional dishes at affordable prices.
Giuseppe also takes pride in this exchange with customers, who come here from all over the world: “The environment is very joyful and lively, also thanks to the customers, both from Palermo and abroad. It is beautiful, because you get to know the world and all the facets of the different countries. Welcoming customers from all over the world means giving them a gift. People come, you give something and you take something. I feed on these exchanges, I need it,” he tells us.
He also inherited his grandfather’s artistic inclination: the walls of the restaurant are artfully decorated with paintings donated by affectionate customers, and the bricks are covered with writing, drawings, and mementos left by guests.
The menu features all of the most classic local pasta and seafood dishes – think delicious pasta alla norma with eggplant, tomato, and ricotta; nero di seppia, pasta with cuttlefish in its ink; or calamaro ripieno, stuffed squid. When we ask him what the signature dish of the house is, Giuseppe replies without hesitation: “Pasta with sardines.” He then goes on to praise the ingredients, which he thinks best represent Sicily: wild fennel, sardines, raisins, pine nuts and breadcrumbs.
He then orders us a plate, accompanied by a glass of local white wine. As we delight in the delicious pasta dish, the waitress brings us a marker, with which we write on a brick – adding another treasured memory to these storied walls – “Culinary Backstreets was here.”
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