La italiana Rivali

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Few places are able to preserve their essence and tradition for over a century, but La Italiana Rivali is an exception. Attilo Rivali, after coming to Barcelona from Genoa, opened a small kiosk along Las Ramblas. In 1904 they moved to their current location along Bonsuccés and have continued to pass their skills, techniques and knowledge about Genoa gastronomy from generation to generation. Carla Rivali is the latest heir to this family business and she continues to offer the quality you’ve come to expect from La Italiana.

La Italiana has a wide selection of imported and artisan made products. You’ll find wine, coffee, conserves, balsamic vinegar, sausages, authentic buffalo mozzarella, sauces and artisan pastas made daily, and any kind of seasoning you’d want to accompany a good Italian dish.

For the Rivalis, the foundation of traditional cooking has always been high quality ingredients. Carla, the current owner, tells us how she inherited recipes from her great-grandmother and grandmother (the pesto and the bolognese haven’t changed at all). Here they manage to stay true to tradition while still evolving to adapt to the times. The most important thing, she says, is ensuring that the customers who have been loyal for generations are always satisfied. Every day regulars will come to do their weekly shopping or to pick up some take out: beef or eggplant lasagne, shrimp fettuccine, spinach cannelloni, risotto, stuffed squid, tripe or lemon chicken among others.

La Italiana also offers workshops on Italian cooking and tasting menus.