![Rossi's Ices, Weymouth, front view](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Rossi%27s_Ices%2C_Weymouth%2C_front_view.JPG)
Rossi's is a traditional historic
ice cream parlour
Ice cream parlors (American English) or ice cream parlours (British English) are places that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream (also called hard-packed or hard se ...
in
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...
,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
, and
Weymouth,
Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The Original Rossi's Ice Cream is located at 12–14 Western Esplanade,
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...
. The Original Rossi ice cream company was brought to Southend on Sea in 1931 by Massimiliano Agostino Rossi, known as Agostino, and his wife Anna. His first shop was at 37 High Street Southend on Sea. By 1932 he had opened shops at 1 Marine Parade and 12-14 Western Esplanade. In 1937 he was joined by his wife's cousin Pietro Rossi who took over the running of the shops at Marine Parade and Western Esplanade. Meanwhile, Massimiliano opened another shop at 99 Southend High Street. Rossi's Ices is also located at 92
The Esplanade, Weymouth
The Esplanade is a wide walkway and street on the seafront at Weymouth, Dorset on the south coast of England.
Overview
The Esplanade is immediately next to the sandy Weymouth Beach. To the south at the end of the Esplanade are Weymo ...
, facing
Weymouth Bay
Weymouth Bay is a sheltered bay on the south coast of England, in Dorset. It is protected from erosion by Chesil Beach and the Isle of Portland, and includes several beaches, notably Weymouth Beach, a gently curving arc of golden sand which st ...
.
It was founded in 1937 by an Italian immigrant, Fioravanti Figliolini and has remained open continuously apart from a brief period during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
The premises feature original 1930s decor and were
Grade II listed in 1997 as part of the Royal Arcade. As of April 2021, Rossi Ice cream (Southend-on-Sea) Ltd is now owned by Essex based entrepreneur James Sinclair.
History
In the 1920s, Fioravanti Fioravanti immigrated with his brother Peter and his wife Pasqua to England from
Cantù
Cantù (; Brianzöö: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Como, located at the center of the Brianza zone in Lombardy. It is the second largest city in Brianza.
History
The name could stem from that of the Canturigi, a population o ...
,
Lombardy, north of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
They initially traded as the Figliolini Brothers in
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
, before joining forces with Toni Rossi another immigration entrepreneur. In 1937, they were looking for new premises and decided to establish another ice cream parlour in the Royal Arcade at Weymouth, in four old shops. Fioravanti eventually took over the franchise from Toni Rossi but remained trading under 'Rossi's'. He set up his own ice cream parlour "Rossi's" on The Esplanade at Weymouth.
Modern day
Rossi Ice Cream is still manufactured in Southend-on-Sea and supplies Rossi parlours, supermarkets, theatres and attractions around the UK.
In popular culture
In 2012, to coincide with the
2012 Olympics that featured sailing events in Weymouth Bay, the establishment was included in the Weymouth version of the
Monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...
board game.
See also
*
List of ice cream parlor chains
This is a list of notable ice cream parlor chains. Ice cream parlors are places that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream (also called hard-packed ice cream), gelato an ...
*
Francis Rossi
Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, (born 29 May 1949) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is the co-founder, lead singer, lead guitarist and the sole continuous member of the rock band Status Quo.
Early life
Rossi was born o ...
of
Status Quo
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 50, 36, 50, N, 2, 27, 11, W, dim:500_region:GB, display=title
1937 establishments in England
Restaurants established in 1937
Ice cream parlors
Buildings and structures in Weymouth, Dorset
Tourist attractions in Weymouth, Dorset
Restaurants in Dorset
Grade II listed buildings in Dorset
Ice cream brands
Buildings and structures in Southend-on-Sea
Restaurants in Essex