60 years of Nutella on show at Maxxi, from Pasta Gianduja to ice cream
From 20 December at the Roman museum, an itinerary retraces the most salient stages of the Alba speciality that has become a global icon
2' min read
2' min read
From '64 to the present day, it has traversed epochs and seasons, entering everyone's lives. It has delighted palates, warmed hearts, enveloped nostrils in Madeleine fragrances, but above all it has marked the - definitive - take-off of a family-run company that has become one of the world's major players in the agri-food industry. From 20 December, the sixty years of Nutella (500 thousand tonnes produced) are the subject of an exhibition at the Maxxi that - through a mix of play and in-depth examination - retraces its most salient stages.
"Celebrating Nutella is not only a tribute to an iconic product, but also a journey to the roots of a story of family entrepreneurship, community focus, ingenuity, resilience and constant innovation," comments Fabrizio Gavelli, since last autumn new ad Ferrero commercial Italy. "This exhibition," he continues, "comes at the end of a historic year entirely dedicated to Nutella Lovers: in 2024, we launched successful innovative products such as Nutella Gelato and Nutella Plant-Based, but also Muffins, Croissants and the latest addition, Nutella Donut".
The exhibition curated by Chiara Bertini "joyn! A journey through the world of Nutella on its 60th birthday" opens with a graphic representation (the illustrations are by Francesca Gastone) of the place where it all began: the first pastry shop in Dogliani (in the province of Cuneo) opened by a 25-year-old Pietro Ferrero in 1923. In the 1940s - due to the lack of cocoa availability because of the war - the first experiments with Pasta Gianduja, named after the traditional Carnival mask: a solid cream composed of hazelnuts from the Langhe, vegetable oil, molasses and cocoa powder, sold in cloths wrapped in golden foil. It was cut into slices and sold for 600 lire per kilo, against the 3,000 lire due for a kilogram of chocolate.
In 1951 Pasta Gianduja became Supercrema, the true forerunner of Nutella: easier to spread. In 1964 came the first jar of Nutella.
In the centre of the room stands the gigantic sculpture Machine à tartiner by Henri Gallot-Lavallée, which spreads Nutella with scientific precision to 'arrive at the creation of the most beautiful tart you can dream of'.
