OBLO’—The New Challenge for Tommaso Mazzanti and Clara Fioretti
There are entrepreneurs who devote their lives to building a successful business.
And then there are those who, just when that success might be enough, choose to start over.
It’s a decision that goes against the grain. And perhaps it’s also the most difficult one.
To truly understand Oblò, the new gelateria opened on July 3 in Forte dei Marmi with a well-attended event, you have to start here.
Because Oblò isn’t just about opening a new shop.
It represents the courage to put yourself out there again.
The story of Tommaso Mazzanti has become one of the most significant in contemporary Italian entrepreneurship. Starting from a historic Florentine shop, All’Antico Vinaio has become one of the world’s best-known Italian restaurant brands.
This journey has taken the Florentine schiacciata far beyond Italy’s borders, with locations opening in major Italian and international cities—from the United States to the United Arab Emirates—now numbering about 60 locations, transforming a local tradition into a symbol of Made in Italy.
This expansion has been achieved without losing its identity, evolving over time to include gluten-free options while always keeping quality, authenticity, and respect for tradition at the core.
At the side of the CEO of Antico Vinaio is his wife, Clara Fioretti:
“We felt the desire to take on a new challenge with a fresh project: that’s how Oblò was born, from the same passion that has driven us from the very beginning and the desire to create something authentic, capable of evoking emotions and turning into memories. This time we’ll do it through gelato, creating a place that smells of family, of vacations, and of those simple moments worth sharing. A project deliberately launched in Forte dei Marmi, with the ambition of bringing the atmosphere of a classic Italian summer everywhere.”
Clara Fioretti, his partner in life and in this new entrepreneurial adventure. After recently celebrating their second wedding in Kefalonia, the two have chosen to start anew together with a completely new project.
And they’re doing it with the same enthusiasm as when they first began.
“We wanted to build something different, yet still rooted in the values of Made in Italy, starting from scratch once again, with the same enthusiasm and energy I had when I began nearly twenty years ago,” says Tommaso Mazzanti.
Words that explain the spirit of Oblò better than any marketing strategy.
Not the ambition to replicate a success.
—But the desire to experience once again the thrill of building it.—
“When I started out with my parents, I knew nothing about what might happen to me or what I would create. Today, however, we are aware that we can achieve something wonderful. The most important thing will be to uphold those unique values that have made our group a success story.”
A realization shared by Clara Fioretti, who describes Oblò as a project born from the desire to create memories even before products.
And perhaps this is precisely the word that best captures Oblò.
Memories.
Because the entire project is built around the experience.
Starting with the name.
Oblò—why?
“The name is inspired by theviewing window on soft-serve machines,through which customers can watch the ice cream being made live, following every stage of the process and tasting it as soon as it’s churned—at the moment of its peak freshness and best flavor,” explains Mazzanti.
Right before the customer’s eyes, the ingredients slowly transform; the gelato takes shape and is served as soon as it’s churned, when its texture, aroma, and flavor reach their ideal balance.
It’s an invitation to slow down. To observe.
To understand that value lies not only in the final result, but in the process that makes it possible.
The entire project reflects this same philosophy.
It’s a simple idea. But the strongest ideas almost always are.
For the first time, the workshop takes center stage. The process is no longer hidden.
It’s on display.
Churning becomes a spectacle. Artisanal craftsmanship becomes a story. Transparency becomes a value.
The menu focuses on the great classics of Italian gelato, made with a rigorous selection of ingredients sourced from the finest Italian and international producers. An essential philosophy that prioritizes quality over special effects and substance over passing fads.
Even the interiors speak the same language. Bright, elegant and inspired by the Italian summers of the 1970s, they evoke an image of vacations, family, lightheartedness, and conviviality.
An aesthetic that seeks not nostalgia, but authenticity.
And this is perhaps the most interesting lesson coming out of Forte dei Marmi.
For years, we thought that “Made in Italy” was simply what we knew how to produce. Today, its greatest value lies elsewhere: transforming a product into an emotion, an everyday gesture into a memory, and a tradition into an experience worth living and sharing.
Perhaps this is the true difference between a successful entrepreneur and a great entrepreneur.
The former defends what they’ve built. The latter finds the courage to start over.
And sometimes, it’s precisely from that new beginning that the most beautiful story is born.
“For me, embarking on this new adventure with Oblò alongside Clara—who brings 20 years of experience at All’Antico Vinaio—gives me so much energy because when I started out with my parents, I knew nothing about what might happen to me or what I would create; today, however, I—and we—are aware that we can achieve something wonderful. Oblò would be a huge success even if it achieved only a tenth of AV’s success. The wonderful thing will be maintaining those unique values that have made our group a success story—
…and he continues— Developing a replicable and standardizable format, designed to grow over time far beyond the initial opening in Forte dei Marmi. The project, in fact, aims for gradual expansion, initially focused on Italy, with the future goal of also evaluating international opportunities.”
And it is through a window called Oblò that Tommaso Mazzanti and Clara Fioretti seem to have chosen to look at the next chapter of their story.
And so… it could be: “GUARDA COME LA GIRA!”
