ristorazione — Polignano a Mare · Puglia
Polignano a Mare leans out over the Adriatic between white-rock coves and alleyways that smell of sea salt. In Piazza Garibaldi, facing the Arco Marchesale, a sign has held its place since 1935: Il Super Mago del Gelo, a three-generation institution that turned artisan gelato into a village ritual.
It all began with a cart and a tray of grattose (shaved ice treats): it was 1935, and Giuseppe Campanella rode through the streets of Polignano a Mare with his load of crushed ice and syrups. When the family opened their permanent shop in Piazza Garibaldi, facing the Arco Marchesale that marks the entrance to the old town, the move felt natural: from cart to counter, without ever losing the thread.
It was 1965 when Mario Campanella perfected the Caffè Speciale: espresso, homemade sweet almond amaretto made from a secret recipe, lemon zest, and a dark, velvety foam. Behind that counter, the family's secrets have passed from hand to hand for three generations, guarded with the same care used to stack the cups every morning.
In the workshop, they work with seasonal fruit: the granite are made from watermelon, prickly pear, black mulberries and mango, while the gelato follows the original recipe with fresh ingredients. From the same kitchen come pasticciotti filled with custard and sour cherry, zeppole, and traditional biscuits that fill the display case every morning, before the piazza even wakes.
The Coppa Volare, dedicated to Domenico Modugno with its wave-patterned glass recalling the sea, is the perfect farewell: the page tells the rest.
