In the heart of Turin, beneath the arcades of Piazza Castello, a small wood-paneled café guards the origin of one of Italy’s most beloved culinary inventions — a tale of travel, intuition, and a name that forever marked gastronomic history.
There’s no doubt about it: the tramezzino is a true Turin creation, officially recognized by date and place. Inside the historic Caffè Mulassano, a discreet brass plaque — in perfect Piedmontese understatement — informs visitors:
“In 1926, Mrs. Angela Demichelis Nebiolo invented the tramezzino.”
Today, this humble sandwich is experiencing a renaissance, gracing the menus of Michelin-starred bistros and redefining modern Italian gastronomy.
Behind it lies the story of a daring Piedmontese couple, Angela Demichelis Nebiolo and her husband Onorino Nebiolo.
At only fifteen, Angela emigrated to America in the early 1900s. In Detroit, she met Onorino, who ran restaurants and nightclubs with his brothers. After several successful years, the couple longed to return home — according to legend, partly because their flourishing business had caught the attention of the Italian-American mafia.
In 1925, upon hearing that Amilcare Mulassano, owner of the famed Distilleria Sacco, was selling his café in Turin, they decided to buy it — using their hard-earned American savings.
Angela, a determined woman who even held a U.S. driver’s license at the time, breathed new life into the place.
From America, they brought the first toaster, but Angela’s true innovation was her use of pancarré — soft white sandwich bread, crusts removed, un-toasted, and filled with flavorful ingredients.
Thus, the tramezzino was born — delicate, refined, and instantly adored by Turin’s café society.
The name itself has a literary origin. One of the café’s regular guests, Gabriele D’Annunzio, once ordered
“Uno di quei golosi tramezzini” — “One of those delicious little sandwiches.”
With that simple phrase, he coined a word that would become legendary.
By 1936, La Cucina Italiana had published the first tramezzino recipe, sealing its place in national culinary heritage.
The tramezzino is not fast food — it’s a gesture of taste, an art form that expresses comfort and Piedmontese refinement in a single bite.
It all begins with the bread: pancarré. Don’t try baking it yourself — buy a high-quality one instead.
Each slice must be gently spread with butter, cream cheese, mayonnaise, or another sauce — olive oil simply won’t do, no matter how Italian it feels.
The classic fillings remain eternal favorites:
- Tuna and artichoke
- Prosciutto and mushrooms
- Robiola cheese with olive purée
- Cooked ham with mustard mayonnaise
The mayonnaise should be light and silky — the secret to that melt-in-the-mouth texture that turns a tramezzino into an experience.
Step inside Caffè Mulassano today, and you’ll find that same elegance and charm that have endured for nearly a century.
A slice of Turin’s past — still one of the city’s most refined, timeless, and delicious inventions.