Maestro of Italian Heritage
The Italian culture is full of passion … passion for their Heritage, their Families, their Food, and their Entertainment!
Tanino Bisconti, Italian Barber Extraordinaire
Nestled in the mountains surrounding Palermo, Sicily, there’s a town called Belmonte Mezzagno, and a barber shop that celebrates the passion for heritage and music everyday. It’s the shop of Tanino Bisconti, Barba e Memoria (Barber and Memories) and it’s the unofficial archive for the town’s long history. When Tanino’s not busy giving a haircut or shave to his diversified clientele, he’s busy on his computer, carefully annotating the latest information given to him by one of his friends … or he’s adding to the family tree of one of the townspeople.
Stop in almost any day and you’ll hear music coming from Tanino’s shop … from traditional folk music to Italian ballads everyone knows by heart. While the older gentlemen sit and play games like Scopa (similar to rummy), his friend Gioacchino plays the electric piano and sings! But anyone can take a turn if they know the words, and everyone is encouraged to participate. Sometimes the music takes to the streets with local musicians stopping by to share with anyone who wishes to pull up a chair.
It’s an atmosphere of comaraderie and love and it brings a multitude of friends and patrons from everywhere. But it’s more than that … it’s a non-stop labor of love that Tanino Bisconti does better than anyone I know, and you always walk away with a great haircut, a smile on your face and a new friend for Life! It’s passion … Italian style!
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Top photo: Everyone goes to Tanino’s barbershop!
Middle photo: The music often spills out into the streets as local musicians stop by to entertain their friends.
Bottom: Blog author Davide Cuccia, his cousin Nino Cuccia, and Tanino Bisconti, enjoying a Summer afternoon.