Cagliari, a bouquet of red roses on the table set for Gigi Riva

It was his table. There, in the left corner of the Stella Marina restaurant in Montecristo, in the Marina district of Cagliari. The gastronomic temple for Gigi Riva in the historic district of the city that adopted him and which he had adopted as his own.

A stone's throw from the port. You went there and found him often, Thunderclap. Anyone who met him called him Gigi and greeted him with deference. And he responded, kindly. But shy. He went to eat, to be with some friends.

The Myth was there too, but everyone knew that no, it shouldn't be disturbed. Now Gigi Riva is gone. The owner and friend, Giacomo Deiana, set the table on his table again today. There are red roses. And that corner will never be the same again.