If it comes to legends – oh, we can’t leave this out: HARRY’s BAR in Venice.
Giuseppe Arrigo Cipriani helped as a hotel employee a rich American kid who ran out of cash with his own money and later that rich kid came back to Venice as a millionaire and paid it back 1000 times. With that budget Giuseppe established 1931 Harry’s Bar. 1957 his son Arrigo took over the restaurant and built later with his family the Cipriani empire. Arrigo today is 92 and hasn’t really changed since his start other than his age – and that’s exactly true for Harry’s Bar as well:
It’s the only living legend in Europe I can think of, very expensive – but worth any Euro you spend! During my last visits Arrigo came each evening around 21:00 and welcomed each and every guest. For me it’s one of the Seven World Wonders of Gastronomy. Go there …!