Volumnia Gallery in Piacenza Opens Restaurant IO Luigi Taglienti

The deconsecrated church of Sant'Agostino in Piacenza, once used for exhibitions until the 1980s, has been transformed into a design gallery and now a restaurant. In 2017, antiquarian and gallerist Enrica De Micheli won a public tender from the Demanio to restore the space. Volumnia gallery opened in late 2018, focusing on Italian design. On June 4, 2022, the restaurant IO Luigi Taglienti opened within the complex, with 35 indoor seats and 35 outdoor seats in a garden designed by landscape architect Anna Scaravella featuring 1950s furnishings. The interior includes Gio Ponti's Leggera chair for Cassina, a Carrara marble table by Angelo Mangiarotti for Skipper, and a Stildomus bookshelf. Artworks rotate, starting with Jiulia Fullerton-Batten's "Ikebana, Korea 2013" series. Lighting is by Davide Groppi. Chef Luigi Taglienti, previously at Lume in Milan and a stint at Hotel Splendido Belmond in Portofino, brings a menu focused on classic Italian cuisine with modern interpretations, using local ingredients like beef, vegetables, flours, scampi from Santa Margherita, and local cured meats and cheeses. The wine list emphasizes small producers. A tasting menu is available at €59. Taglienti aims for sustainability with a smaller brigade and plans future projects in Milan.