There are places in cinema that transcend the scenic fiction to become a material and sentimental heritage of the collective imagination. Blue Bar Of Deep Red rightfully belongs to this special category. It was never a real place, but rather a wooden and glass stage set that the crew of Dario Argento built in 1975 and dismantled immediately after filming under the arcades of CLN Square in Turin. Yet, for generations of film buffs, thrill seekers, and Turin residents, that bar, steeped in jazz and a suspended atmosphere, has always remained there.
Saturday, September 12, 2026, 51 years after the release of the Italian thriller masterpiece, the Blue Bar will come back to life in the exact same place where it was set up. The occasion is the Via Roma Festival, an event celebrating the complete pedestrianization and redevelopment of Turin's city center. This extraordinary blend of cinema, mixology, and artisanal gelato is curated by two Piedmontese excellences: Coconuts e Alberto Marchetti.
From the canvas to the set: the genesis of a cinematic legend
In 1975, to set up the Turin set of Deep Red, Dario Argento looked directly to modern art. For the structure of the Blue Bar, he took inspiration from one of the most famous and alienating paintings of twentieth-century America: Nighthawks (The Nighthawks, 1942) by Edward Hopper. A building with large, brightly lit windows and clean lines, nestled in the elegant rationalist rigor of Piazza CLN. It is here that pianist Marc Daly (played by David Hemmings) watches his friend Carlo (Gabriele Lavia) play the piano before the crime triggers the nightmare.
The fictional bar in the film, however, didn't serve drinks. For one night only, the illusion transformed into an experience to be lived, drunk, and savored.
Cocchi and Alberto Marchetti: The Flavor of the Blue Bar
Giving substance to the legend are two names that are symbols of the city's gastronomic culture. On the one hand, the Cocchi Vermouth of Turin, a pillar of the Savoy aperitif and a point of reference for international signature mixology; on the other Alberto Marchetti, a master of the highest quality artisanal gelato. The choice of location has an almost native feel: Casa Marchetti is located right next to where the Blue Bar was originally built.
The pop-up cocktail bar will showcase creations born from the dialogue between Cocchi Vermouth-based cocktails and Marchetti gelato. A contemporary blend that combines the rituals of the historic Piedmontese flavored gelato with the creaminess of excellence, reinterpreting the concept of Turin's expert culture through a pop and cinematic lens.
The voices of the protagonists
«It's exciting to be able to bring the Blue Bar back to the very place where it was built for Deep Red - explains Alberto Marchetti –. Piazza CLN is a special place in Turin, and for one evening we'll have the opportunity to bring together a cinematic story that has become part of the collective imagination with gelato and vermouth, two elements that are deeply rooted in our city's culture. Above all, it will be an opportunity to experience the square in a different way and share a special atmosphere with the public.».
It echoes him Roberto Bava, CEO of Cocchi: «Cocchi Vermouth di Torino is part of Turin's history, and the Blue Bar is part of the city's cinematic history. They are two different worlds, but they share one common thread: the ability to create an atmosphere and tell the story of a place. Recreating the Blue Bar with Alberto Marchetti means playing with this memory and transforming it into a contemporary experience, through vermouth and gelato. For one evening, Piazza CLN will once again become a film location, but this time to be experienced firsthand.».
An unmissable event for the Via Roma Festival
The Blue Bar installation will be one of the beating hearts of the grand evening of September 12th, during which Turin's city center will celebrate its new pedestrianized character with cultural events, performances, music, and entertainment. A unique opportunity for film buffs, fine drinkers, and discerning lifestyle enthusiasts to immerse themselves for a few hours in the mysterious and captivating atmosphere of Dario Argento's Turin, ordering their perfect cocktail at the bar.
Event info:
The Blue Bar of Deep Red
CLN Square, Turin
Saturday, September 12, 2026, starting at 6:45 PM
In collaboration with Vermouth Cocchi and Gelato Alberto Marchetti
Photo credit: Vermouth Giulio Cocchi
Reproduction reserved
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