Doppietta

The story behind Doppietta

The Mille Miglia was a motor race that took place from 1927–1957, starting in Brescia, to Rome, and back to finish in Brescia. It was a race with unbelievable stories, countless memories and a legendary status.

Each car had a driver and a navigator, with the fastest ever time being recorded by the British pair of Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson in just over 10 hours. This British / Italian connection is reflected in the restaurant, owned and run by British restaurateur Badr Bennis and Brescia-born chef Nicola Valle.

The 'double' theme inspired the name Doppietta, which is also the name for a 'double-clutch' in Italian, a mechanism used by cars in the race. We decided to reflect these doubles by italicising the double tt's in the logo.

Our research led us to find amazing old photos from the race (and the culture around it) that now adorn the walls of the restaurant and can be taken home by guests as a souvenir in the form of a business card.

In our research we found large arrows used for hoardings and umbrellas in Brescia's main square during the race. We decided to re-utilise those to reinforce the elements of dynamism and movement that we wanted to bring to the motor race inspired visual identity.

The menus for Doppietta are designed to further provoke movement and dynamism, zigzagging down the page, each section going in a new direction.

The bathrooms pay homage to the stars of the Sanremo music festival of the era, the walls plastered in newspaper clippings and enlarged photos covering the doors.

Digitally, the identity is communicated via a mix of historic imagery that sets the tone for the Doppietta spirit, and modern photography of the various delicious plates and cocktails on offer.