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HISTORY

Family, passion and tradition

The beginnings

"When I look at the lives that still flow in my restaurant I feel proud to have given birth, together with Lina, to this family."

Arnaldo Degoli was born in Rubiera on 28 October 1907 to parents who were caretakers on a farm. Passionate about music since childhood, he decided to learn to play the violin and then formed a small band with some friends. For some time they played in the dance halls of Rubiera and the surrounding area, but not satisfied, they decided to leave in search of fame and fortune in the 'cafes' of France. After wandering around for a while, Arnaldo returned to Italy and decided to start working seriously!

This is where their story begins. Arnaldo already had his restaurant project in mind and, having married Lina in 1936, began to realise it by buying the inn and giving it his name to mark the start of the new business. Arnaldo and Lina began to work together in the restaurant, creating a new menu where the recipes were partly handed down from Lina's mother and sisters and partly invented and elaborated by Arnaldo, who treasured his trip to France. In 1938 Anna, the first daughter, was born and in 1945 Franca, the second. The two daughters soon began working in the restaurant, feeling a passion for this job that, together with their future husbands, they would carry on brilliantly even after Arnaldo and Lina's death, maintaining the imprint that Arnaldo had wanted to give to traditional dishes and confirming the quality of the raw materials. Today, the business is run by the family of the eldest daughter, Anna Degoli, with her son Roberto and his wife Ramona, while the new generation of grandchildren is growing fast and holds great promise for the future of this wonderful family tradition.

"I have seen customers play chicken at heads or tails. Do you understand the joy that a chicken on a spit could give in the post-war period?"

Why gastronomic clinic?

During the 1960s, the Rubiera restaurant was very popular with the doctors of the Policlinico di Modena. Arnaldo liked to joke with them, saying that everyone in their clinic came out sad, while in his the patients came out happy, because instead of trolleys of medicines and drips, there were trolleys of excellent boiled meats, tasty soups, and even quality cold cuts! And so, jokingly, the name Clinica Gastronomica remained as an integral part of the sign. Today it has become a quality brand that sets us apart!

The building that houses the Restaurant Clinica Gastronomica in Rubiera is a historic building dating back to the 15th century. It appears to have been a post house since its origin, with a stable to house carriages and horses and an inn where pilgrims stopped to eat and sleep. It stands right in the centre of the village opposite a 13th century fort, used as a military fort.