From the Trattoria Cima Verde to today's family pizzeria: a story made of oven, hillside, honest work, and generations passing on the craft without losing its soul.
The building was acquired in 1936 by Alessandro Merelli. For years it remained a landmark of the hamlet of Orezzo, a concrete place before it was ever a symbol.
That fixed point would become the foundation of everything else: family, hospitality, work done with patience.
It is the last day of the year when Tarcisio, Alessandro's son, opens the inn under the name Trattoria Cima Verde.
From the very start the place stands out for its genuine character: somewhere to stop, drink a glass of red at the counter, play bowls, and spend time under the shade of the century-old chestnut tree.
Glasses of red at the counter, bowls on the lawn, the shade of the old chestnut. Here time could still slow down.
Tarcisio does not stop at the kitchen. In 1968 he founds the Sci Club Orezzo, bringing a passion for the mountains and sport to the heart of the hamlet.
What starts as a group of enthusiasts becomes a reference point for the whole valley. In 1983, Efrem Merelli wins the Italian Ski Championship: a result that speaks of the same determination that keeps the oven burning every evening.
From the snow to the oven: the same discipline, the same mountain, the same family.Sci Club Orezzo →
Tarcisio develops a passion for building bread ovens and brings that care into every gesture of his daily work.
In 1989 he reaches Naples as a finalist at the Centenary of the Margherita pizza: a rare achievement for a craftsman from Bergamo.
With Efrem and Laura Merla, the inn transforms into a pizzeria. The chosen name evokes the small tin-roofed shelters where farmers used to store their rakes and pitchforks.
It is a name that smells of soil, of hands that work, of Bergamo identity held tight without false nostalgia.
La Penzana del Merel: a name that smells of soil, weathered tin, and authentic Bergamo.
Believing that the present is what tomorrow will call history, the family continues the story without losing the character built over the years.
Change remains important, but only if it helps us recognise ourselves and stay close to the people who choose this place.
WE WANT TO CHANGE IN ORDER TO REMAIN OURSELVES, TO REMAIN WITH YOU.
The story continues at the table, one evening at a time.