Even at the age of 100, Anna Passi is still behind the coffee maker of her small café in Nebbiuno every morning. The oldest barista in Italy has clear opinions – both about cappuccino in the afternoon and doctors: “You don’t have to believe everything from the doctor!”
Since 1958 she has opened her “bar central” in the small village of Nebbiuno on Lake Maggiore – and 365 days a year. “Why should I stop?” Officially she retired at 60 – 1984. “My bar is so much more than work for me. That’s my life. “She is also on the machine on Sundays and holidays.” People also want to drink their coffee for Christmas. “
She thinks many Italian coffee traditions. “Some also order a cappuccino in the afternoon,” says Anna and smiles. This is nothing unusual in Austria. In the more than 130,000 bars of Italy, on the other hand, this is rejected in many places: “There is usually only cappuccino in the morning. But who I am that I have to prescribe my guests when they have which coffee to drink. I also have regular guests who still like to drink a cappuccino after twelve, “says Passi. “And they get him – what time it is.”
And yet there are two limitations “Nonna Anna” (grandma Anna), because she calls everyone in the place: in combination with an orange juice or immediately after lunch she does not like cappuccino. “The stomach is too full.”
She herself has no influence on this: the hundred -year -old -old stopped drinking coffee in the mid -1970s -because of blood pressure. Your health? She does not need glasses, a hearing aid – but it probably never works. “I only take half a tablet a day – you don’t have to believe the doctor!”
But the business community is not easy. The number of Italian cafés has shrunk by 20,000 in the last ten years. Young people avoid the long working days and low wages. And: “Nonna Anna” does not earn much money either. The coffee costs 1.20 euros, the cappuccino 1.50 euros. If there are no tourists, she has no more than 40 euros in the cash register on some days. She receives 590 euros in retirement. Anna nevertheless lasts. For them this counts together.
Sometimes her daughter Cristina now helps her, who works diagonally in the town hall. The 61-year-old also lives directly above the bar in the secondary apartment. The son lives 75 kilometers further in Milan, the two grandchildren are already out of the house. So the old lady usually makes from early to late at 100 years. Today everyone just looks at the mobile phone, “she says melancholy.
The oldest barista in Italy no longer has big plans. “I used to want to go to Paris again. But nothing will happen, “she says. And adds naughty: “This is not bad: the French can’t have coffee anyway.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
