A legendary character who was the face of a popular café that welcomed celebrities from all over the world has died.
Vittorio Bianchi, the former owner of the Piccolo bar van Sydney in Kings Cross, died earlier in the week, 91 years old, after coming to Australia in Australia in the 1940s.
Born in a village outside of Naples in 1934, Mr Bianchi could not speak English when he moved to Australia, but eventually rose to be called the 'real king of the cross' after he had bought Piccolo -bar in 1994.
It was in Piccolo Bar where Mr Bianchi the will of Jeff Buckley, Mel Gibson, Marianne Faithfull, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, artist Brett Whiteley and Prime Minister Gough Whitlam welcomed.
“Living in the cross meant that you knew Vittorio Bianchi,” said journalist Barry Divola.
“It was impossible not to know him. His infectious laughter and the cutting of Asids will linger as long as that building is. He is just as well part of that place as the walls and the ceiling.
“It was not surprising that he had a lot to say, about being an Italian immigrant and coming to Australia at the age of 14, do not know English, about the good and bad old days of the cross, about being a homosexual man about his hatred against gentrification and what it did to inner City Sydney, about his worship for the theater and his admission.”
Piccolo Bar was open in 1952 and has been a magnet for coffee lovers who want their favorite drink strong, black and bittersweet.
Vittorio Bianchi migrated to Australia in the 1940s and became one of the most popular figures in Kings Cross in Sydney
Vittorio Bianchi pose with artists later in life
Mr Bianchi ran 24 hours a day and it was open to everyone, from actors to strippers and drag Queens.
David and Amy Spanton nowadays walk Piccolo Bar as aperitivo bar and dinner and they paid tribute to the man who made the place famous.
“If you have the chance to come by this week, come and have a look at a few photos and get a glass to Vittorio and his life,” said David Spanton.
“He is really part of the fabric of the cross, and his memory will live on.”
Others brought online tribute to a man who is described as an 'excellent person'.
“He hired my father like a barista when Australians were not aware of what Espresso was. Vale Vito, “wrote one person.
'I feel completely blessed that I know this great man. I have some very cool stories that I will keep close to my heart and always remember him as an excellent individual with a magnetic personality. RIP legend, “said another.
Local writer, actor and artist Vashti Hughes said that Mr Bianchi was a 'colorful man' and one of the first people to follow training as an actor in the Sydney's Ensemble Theater.
Piccolo Bar has been a magnet for coffee lovers in Kings Cross for many decades
A GoFundMe page has been made to say Mr Bianchi a suitable farewell.
It wants to pick up $ 17,500 to cover costs, including crematorium costs, a memorial service in the Waysside Chapel, a cabaret show and food and drink.
'It was his wish that a cabaret show would say goodbye and pay artists. We want to send him to the next life to become a member of loved ones who have already passed, “said page organizer Tina Newton-Cara.
“It is now our responsibility to fulfill the wishes of Vittorio and to organize an appropriate tribute and monument that pays and nourishes the artists – causes close to the heart of Vittorio.”
