The team at Da Aristo’s in Barga Vecchia have been hard at work, more or less non stop since Lorenzo took over Aristodemo Casciani’s historic bar in March of last year (article here)
During the summer they were open 7 days a week from first thing in the morning until late into the evening. It was only as the summer months gradually cooled as the autumn arrived, did they finally set a weekly day off.
Giovanni has been a constant presence in the piazza and now for him and Antonella it is time for a rest, a break, some time off.
This evening they posted up a notice on the window of the bar saying that they would remain shut for the next 20 days.
To help send them on their way for a well deserved holiday, the Barga swing band – the Aristodemo’s (or at least three of the members) turned up to give them a musical goodbye.
Da Aristo’s, the famous bar in Barga Vecchia which has been without a doubt the unofficial cultural centre of Barga was run by the Casciani family for three generations.
Aristodemo Casciani had appeared many, many times on barganews – in fact he has his own category here on the site, his own comic strip DA ARISTO here and even a group playing Italian swing from the 30′s, 40′s and 50′s named in his honour – The Aristodemo’s can be seen and heard here.
Aristo actually retired in 2002, passing on his famous bar to be run by his son in law – Marino but for many years he could still be found inside playing his battered keyboards and thumping out his own particular style of syncopated Italian jazz floating out of the bar and into the piazza.
Then in March 201 the guard was changed once again as Marino retired and handed over to Lorenzo Togneri.
Lorenzo had been Moreno’s apprentice for 5 years and so was remarkably suitable for carrying on the traditions that have been part of daily life at Casciani’s bar for three generations.