Our story

It could have been the usual start...

The story could have begun like all the others. A local guy leaves, travels, gathers knowledge. London, Barcelona, Ibiza. France, the Netherlands, Belgium for years. Even the Veneto region.
Then comes the return: the studied, well-reasoned kind, complete with a business plan, a vision, and a mission statement. The kind that, if told well, becomes an "inspirational story" with black-and-white slideshow photos that create that "cosmopolitan mood."
But that’s not how it went.

Ennio returned a bit by chance, just like the stories worth telling eventually do. There was no "I'm meant to build it here!" moment.
More honestly, it was a "Wait, why not here?". And amidst all that, Calascibetta (691 meters up, maybe four thousand souls, one of Italy's "Most Beautiful Villages" for those who didn't know) became a choice.
Not a compromise. A choice.

A “chianu" is in every place

Ochianu opened on April 17, 2022. It was Easter Sunday, but purely by coincidence: no cosmic plan, no symbolism. It was just the day chosen, and that was that.

(Though, let’s be honest, it sounds great in the story...)

Ochianu is a fusion of the Sicilian "o chianu." It means "in the square." Because we are in the square, literally. In one of the largest squares in Sicily, with the fountain, the view, and people passing by or stopping for a while. The square has always been a great equalizer: everyone passes through, anyone can be there, no permission required.
Historically, it’s where revolutions started and where people gossiped. Not such different functions, really.
Some say that to do great things, you have to compromise with city traffic and northern fog. Apparently, we only need to deal with the fog. And at this altitude, the fog arrives often and settles in; so even that, at the end of the day, is taken care of.

The Choice

Calascibetta was a choice for us, but it isn't a place you just pass through.
Not usually, at least.
Sometimes people do: an improvised detour between Catania and Palermo, a medieval village seen from the highway that seems worth the turn.

Ochianu, however, is not a place you just pass by.
Not usually, at least.
You choose Ochianu. You seek it out, or you end up here because you’re already in Calascibetta. But in any case, there’s a specific reason. Or a lucky Google search.

(But if you’re reading these words, it’s because you’ve already made that choice or are currently considering it.)

We’ll keep staying right here: chianu chianu.
We make cocktails, food, and occasionally, some noise.

#nividimuochianu