On 20 novembre 2024, the documentary “What’s Left?” shall be out in theater all over the country. Kachen spoke to director Donato Rotunno about the history of the Circolo Curiel, the subject of this film, an emblematic venue for associations in the capital for 50 years, but also an Italian trattoria.
Meals eaten around a table in a restaurant are sometimes magical: they create a bond between the people seated, who see their tongues loosen as their bellies fill up. The Circolo Curiel has had this power for 50 years: to create, around authentic and delicious Italian dishes, a place for meeting, debate and cultural exchange.
50 years of militant history
Circolo Culturale e Recreativo Eugenio Curiel’ was founded in Luxembourg in 1971 and takes its name from the scientist and physicist Eugenio Curiel, a communist activist who was murdered by the fascists in Milan in 1945. The men and women who founded and opened the Circolo Curiel all belonged to the Italian Left, specifically the Communist Party. Their aim was to set up a meeting place for Italian immigrants, as well as for all those who supported the principles of social justice and civil liberty.
The association’s headquarters were at 107 route d’Esch in Luxembourg City. It was demolished in 2024 as part of a new building project but hopes to rise again from its ashes in a few years’ time, still at the same address.
A documentary on the past and the future
In “What’s Left?”, Director Donato Rotunno (Tarantula) looks back over the Circolo’s 50 years of existence, collecting testimonies from the people who made it up, who spent evenings there talking politics and exchanging ideas. “In the 80s, the association sector was very active, I was myself very involved with other friends and we always ended up around the table at Le Curiel. It was the culinary arm that kept us dreaming, talking, imagining and arguing too”, Donato recalls with a smile.
The director speaks of the ‘cultural melting pot’ that took place around the pleasures of the table. “The place represented Italian tradition: we’d talk about food, and while we were talking about that, we’d also talk about other deeper subjects.”
Throughout the film, the testimonies gathered demonstrate the major importance of the restaurant in building the history of the place. “Without the restaurant, the story wouldn’t have been the same. Firstly, because the income generated by the restaurant helped to stabilize the association, but above all because the exchanges took place around the table. The founding members wanted everyone to feel at ease around a big table, and that’s exactly what happened,” explains Donato.
Over the years, the Circolo Curiel has become a unique place in Luxembourg: a cinema, a restaurant, a venue for conferences and debates, and an Italian library.
Women chefs and activists
Over the course of 40 years, the restaurant became a benchmark even for those who were neither Italian nor even militant, but who appreciated the welcoming atmosphere. “We were open to everyone!” Inside, you’d discover the welcoming atmosphere of a trattoria, with red and white tablecloths on the tables, authentic Italian cuisine and a large fireplace which, in autumn and winter, made the place even warmer. At the end of the meal, people would get up and move from table to table, chatting about various subjects. “The background noise in the restaurant is the sound of the Curiel”, as one former member says in the documentary.
In the kitchen, two sisters, Marilena and Renata, cooked traditional Italian dishes. “The women in the kitchen brought this place to life! It was their home”, says Donato. In fact, many of the activists used to pop into the kitchen to say hello to the two sisters, busy at their pots and pans, before returning to their tables. The sisters would also go into the dining room once the service was over to take part in the discussions.
Stuffed vegetables, Saltimbocca, Venetian-style liver and, of course, the trio of pasta dishes including cream, ham and peas were prepared with love and skill by the two sisters. In the last years of existence, the kitchen has been taken over by chef Elena Ginocchietti, who has modified some of the recipes. “Some people didn’t like the changes, and it’s true that you can’t betray food, if the taste changes then everything else changes”.
If the Curiel manages to rise from its ashes, Donato hopes that the new generation will be there to recreate a similar place based around cooking and living together. “The starting point must remain the table because that’s the only thing we’ll ever need to live!”
Dates and giveaway
Avant-premiere is on the 20th of November at Cinéma Utopia in the presence of the director.
Don’t miss out on a giveaway on our social media to win tickets for the screening on 24th of November at Cinéma Utopia, in the presence of Donato Rotunno. More info on our social media channels: click here !
