A place to turn every bite into a unique experience

Prestigious Italian chef Paolo Griffa shows us a space where flavor and sustainability merge in perfect harmony.

Project location:	Aosta
Project type:	Restauration
Neolith materials:	Restrostone, Calatorao, Himalaya Crystal, Abu Dhabi White y Pulpis

Paolo Griffa is a young Italian chef who has a Michelin Star and is also considered one of the best chefs in Italy under 35 years old. Although he began by dedicating to pastry, Griffa's passion for this "art" led him to climb to other culinary spheres such as haute cuisine, where creativity and sophistication merge with flavors that vary depending on the seasons of the year. And if there is one particularity to highlight about the renowned chef's cuisine, it is the "seasonality" of the foods that make up his dishes, a reflection of his commitment to making the kitchen a sustainable place.

In Aosta, a city located in the Italian Alps, Paolo Griffa restored the historic Caffè Nazionale - which had been closed since 2019 – and, with a respectful and careful renovation, he opened it as a renovated bar-restaurant. The chef Griffa, advised by the Studio Montovert Architects, relied on a total of five different models of Neolith sintered stone surfaces. Restrostone, Calatorao, Himalaya Crystal, Abu Dhabi White and Pulpis, harmoniously integrated, transformed the venue into a masterpiece of elegance and style, respecting the past and boldly looking to the future.

A place with centuries-old history

Located in the heart of Aosta, in Piazza Emile Chanoux, the Caffè Nazionale is divided into several rooms: a chapel dating back to 1300, a pastry shop and a cocktail bar with outdoor areas that are opened every day.

For Griffa, the restoration of this space was a challenge completed in record time. The renovation was completed within the three months stipulated thanks, according to the chef, to an important synergy with the client, the owner, the professionals and the workers who collaborated to “awaken” the Caffè Nazionale. “The greatest achievement was meeting the planned deadlines, and this was possible thanks to the important coordination work of the various workers and the great punctuality in the delivery of material,” underlines the chef.

“While preserving the historical and cultural heritage that characterises Caffè Nazionale, the aim was to restore the structure to its original splendour through a sartorial design approach that took into account the exceptional nature of its spaces,” explains Griffa.

The main difficulties of this project related to the definition of the technical elements, seeking a general concept that would meet the requirements of the new client and respect the historical character of the envelope.

The change leaders

To make this project a reality, Griffa relied on five Neolith models, all of them offering such a complete range of colours that allowed each of the environments to be fully customised with their own personality, whilst providing beauty, elegance, resistance and durability, properties that make Neolith surfaces unique.

For the kitchen countertops and the pastry laboratory, the chosen model was Retrostone Silk, inspired by terrazzo and synchronized with the design to add shine to different selected stones, thus achieving a very elegant, yet expressive color.

Griffa opted for Neolith Calatorao Silk model for the bar countertops and the dehors tables, which provided the room with the elegance and beauty characteristic of natural stone, with its chocolate brown tone with a fossilized background and white and gold veins.

For the pastry counters, the Himalaya Crystal Ultra Soft model was a perfect fit, offering a clear contrast to the wooden frames of the outdoor display.

Likewise, Abu Dhabi White Decor Polished looked spectacular on the restaurant countertops and on the vertical bathroom panels, giving both rooms a high level of sophistication with its golden and greyish veins on an off-white background.

Finally, for the floors and countertops with integrated sink, the best choice was Pulpis Silk, with a classic inspiration but ideal for adding contemporaneity to the spaces.

In short, Neolith sintered stone offered a whole range of possibilities to dress each of the rooms at Paolo Griffa's Caffè Nazionale.

Materials that combine beauty and sustainability

Neolith sintered stone surfaces have become a “must-have” in Michelin-starred restaurants. In addition to its extreme beauty and possibility to be customized, Neolith offers design, functionality, hygiene, resistance and it is very easy to clean. It also offers durability and versatility, supporting and reinforcing all types of designs and decorations, from the most avant-garde to the most traditional one.

For all these reasons, Neolith provides an added value to the gastronomic experience and, at the same time, offers the best chefs in the world a material that allows them to take their creations one step further, combining design and sustainability with superior technical performance.

For years, Neolith has been working with the best restaurants in the world, which have chosen Neolith, the leading global brand in sintered stone, for the surfaces of their kitchens, for their decoration or for certain elements of their furniture, as is the case of Caffè Nazionale, run by Paolo Griffa.