Forty years ago, it was one of the first places in Basel where, alongside café crème, you could order cappuccino, latte macchiato and espresso. “My parents were certainly taking a risk when they opened a café in Basel”, says Carmela.

The story of Da Graziella, however, does not begin on Feldbergstrasse, but in Catania, Sicily. There, Carmela’s parents already ran a thriving pasticceria. But a successful business does not necessarily mean that a family is financially well off. In 1979, Carmela’s parents came to Switzerland to make a fresh start.

At the time, however, their children could not simply come with them. Carmela and her siblings therefore spent four years at a boarding school in northern Italy. “My two brothers were separated from us two sisters because our boarding school was too expensive for all of us”, recalls the now 54-year-old. Their parents visited whenever they could, but building a business in Switzerland took a great deal of time.

For the four children, it was an at times painful period. Later, however, they came to understand why their parents had chosen this path. “They did it for our future. And as parents, they probably suffered even more than we did.” This was particularly true of their mother, who died ten years ago. “Graziella was, I think, the proudest mother there could ever be.”

Once the family arrived in Switzerland, they not only had to adjust to a new environment, but also learn a new language. “Nevertheless, I am incredibly grateful that I am able to live here. For me, there is no better country.”

The story of the parents eventually became the story of their four children. Carmela’s brother Martino followed a career in pastry. After completing his apprenticeship at Beschle, he gained experience in leading hotels and went on to head renowned pastry departments at prestigious establishments across Europe. Carmela chose an apprenticeship in banking. Francesco and Maria remained with the family business. At a certain point, it became clear that all four siblings would need to take on responsibility, carry the business forward and continue to develop it. “One day, Martino said to me: ‘If you join me too, and all four of us pull together, then I’ll come back to Basel.’”

And so, around 25 years ago, the story of Da Graziella as it exists today began. Four siblings, each bringing different experiences, but united by a shared decision: to continue the family business.

The original branch on Feldbergstrasse remains the heart of the Graziella family to this day. “Even though we now have three other, larger locations, this one will always be our baby.”

That has a lot to do with the customers, too. “There are people who have been coming in every day since day one”, says Carmela. They were children back then; today, they return with children of their own. Over the decades, the café has become an integral part of the neighbourhood.

Visitors to Da Graziella don’t usually come just for the house coffee and relaxed atmosphere. As in Italy, payment is made “al banco” (at the counter), and your espresso can be accompanied by a tempting array of colazione pastries, their irresistible aromas filling the café. It’s worth arriving early. Despite the impressive selection, much of it may already have sold out by 11 am.

The menu also features Sicilian classics such as arancini, cannoli and amaretti. “We call them amaretti, but actually they’re biscotti di mandorla”, explains Carmela. “Pasta di mandorla – that’s Sicily!”

Carmela’s personal favourite is the raviola di ricotta – a triangular parcel of pastry filled with sheep’s-milk ricotta. And then there’s the treccina – a little braided pastry filled with vanilla cream and raisins, which has been part of the offering since the very beginning.

The treccina reminds Carmela every day of her mother, Graziella, who, despite not speaking German, was much loved by her customers. “I still remember a customer asking, ‘What is that?’ My mother replied, ‘A little plait.’ But the man wanted to know the Italian word. I can still hear my mother saying ‘treccina’, just as if she were saying it again today.”

The meeting of Basel and Sicily extends to the ingredients, too. The amaretti are made with eggs from the Basel region, honey from the Bruderholz neighbourhood and almonds from Avola in Sicily. “That’s where you find the best almonds”, says Carmela.

When it comes to beer, Basel brewing tradition meets Italian flair: guests can enjoy Unser Bier alongside Nastro Azzurro. While the fresh meat is sourced locally, ingredients such as almonds and pistachios are brought in from Sicily.

And although the Italian café now also serves matcha latte, the family has no desire to chase every passing trend. “We thought long and hard about whether, as Italians, we really should jump on this trend. But I think that, nowadays, you can’t completely shut yourself off from certain things.”

The same applies to social media. Even though Carmela would happily switch most of it off, she doesn’t want to be too rigid. “But I’m longing for a counter-movement.”