Signor Lievito combines the past and modernity

The Covid pandemic is a crisis that cannot be glossed over. But for Natalia Nikitina, it has brought a surprising new beginning. The former model dedicated herself to her art of baking and now runs one of the hottest bakeries in Milan. A story of centuries-old ingredients and Californian modernity in the heart of Italy’s capital.

If you stroll along Via Maestri Campionesi in the XXII Marzo district of Milan on a Saturday morning, you are likely to regularly encounter large crowds of people. They are all queuing up at Signor Lievito. People wait there to get their hands on baguettes and rye bread, desserts in the Latvian tradition, such as bulka with poppy seeds or Apulian focaccia.

The now flourishing bakery was opened in 2022 by Natalia Nikitina. The story behind its founding is one of the few positive ones that the global coronavirus pandemic is likely to have written. The lockdown prompted Natalia Nikitina, a former Latvian model, to start baking. While she initially limited herself to her closest family and friends, her “clientele” grew over time. As a result, she soon found herself delivering bread to the neighborhood. “It was the contact with people that convinced me to enter this adventure,” she describes the beginnings. She eventually turned her private passion into a new profession.

The decision to open their own bakery was accompanied by the appointment of Hannes Peer. The South Tyrolean architect and designer can look back on 10 years of professional experience and has already gained a wealth of experience in designing stores. Among other things, he is responsible for the store concepts of the N°21 brand, whose managing director is none other than Natalia Nikitina’s husband. The Nikitina family and Hannes Peer continued their successful collaboration with the renovation of their private apartment. A collaboration for the new bakery was an obvious choice.

The task was to set up a sales counter, a small bar, an open workshop and a relaxation area. Natalia Nikitina and Hannes Peer quickly decided on a natural theme as the basic concept. What had already created a warm atmosphere in the private apartment through the use of birch and terracotta wood and a large brick fireplace inspired the duo to design the bakery. The oven, in particular, plays a key role. “I found the choice of bringing a piece of one’s own fireplace to the workplace particularly significant,” explains Hannes Peer. And where could an oven serve as a more fitting design focal point than in a bakery?

Hannes Peer used terracotta tiles for the walls and floor, which warm up the room with their rustic texture. The minimalist interior design with the furnishings integrated into the architecture gives the tiles the main role in setting the scene. The material also mediates between the interior and exterior, as the tiles are reflected in the completely redesigned exterior façade. The warm red-brown tone forms a strong contrast to the white plaster of the remaining façade. A deliberate decision by the architect: “We wanted to create an osmosis between inside and outside. The white plaster is an allusion to Californian modernism, which is a constant source of inspiration for everything I do.”

But it is not only Californian modernism that plays a role for “Signor Livieto”. The bakery is also inspired by tradition and the past. The name of the store is derived from the basic ingredient of the dough, a mother yeast that is over 120 years old. Natalia Nikitina received it as a gift from the owner of an old oven in San Giorgio a Cremano in Campania, her husband’s region of origin.

Exceptional interior design and high-quality products – “Signor Livieto” combines many things. This mix also won over numerous customers and word quickly spread. Natalia Nikitina’s bakery went viral on TikTok in particular. A single video about the sweets from “Signor Lievito” alone has already been viewed more than 250,000 times. And although the prices are not exactly in the lower price segment, “Signor Livieto” attracts people from all over the city. For a cinnamon roll – and a photo for social media.

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