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Any Bikes Made in Sicily?

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Any Bikes Made in Sicily?

Old 04-12-22, 04:16 AM
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Bianchi84
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Any Bikes Made in Sicily?

Like the title says, is anyone aware of a quality CV era bike made in Sicily? My searches come up with the usual Italian "mainland" makers. Thanks!
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Old 04-12-22, 11:20 AM
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I don't know of any, tho there could be one or two that never got any notice.
Industry tends to cluster in the North, north of the "Mezzagiorno" imaginary line of demarcation, below which everything is "Southern".
I won't repeat what we'd consider now to be slurs and stereotypes, but the Southern territories were not considered suitable for industrial work (by the Northerners, mainly).

The one notable exception I know of is farther North than Sicily, but the "other" DeRosa (not Ugo in Milan, but Rafaele DeRosa) was made in a town (Pozzuoli) near Naples:
ITALIAN CYCLING JOURNAL: The "Other" De Rosa
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Old 04-12-22, 11:23 AM
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Originally Posted by unworthy1
I don't know of any, tho there could be one or two that never got any notice.
Industry tends to cluster in the North, north of the "Mezzagiorno" imaginary line of demarcation, below which everything is "Southern".
I won't repeat what we'd consider now to be slurs and stereotypes, but the Southern territories were not considered suitable for industrial work (by the Northerners, mainly).

The one notable exception I know of is farther North than Sicily, but the "other" DeRosa (not Ugo in Milan, but Rafaele DeRosa) was made in a town (Pozzuoli) near Naples:
ITALIAN CYCLING JOURNAL: The "Other" De Rosa
Thanks for the response and link!
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Old 04-12-22, 03:14 PM
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Maybe most of the frame builders who weilded their torches everyday, preferred working in the cooler northern regions......
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Old 04-12-22, 03:21 PM
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Altieri is made there. Pretty nice looking bikes, too.
https://velo-orange.blogspot.com/201...ilys-best.html
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Old 04-12-22, 04:46 PM
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Vittoria was out of Palermo.

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Old 04-13-22, 04:57 AM
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Originally Posted by unworthy1
I won't repeat what we'd consider now to be slurs and stereotypes...
My father-in-law's family is from Gerenzano, northwest of Milan. My dad's family is from Faeto, between Naples and Foggia. When the topic of Italian geographic heritage comes up in conversation, my wife looks to the side and lets fly with a fake spit.

Aside from geographic differences, there's really not much difference in professions that would suggest origins. Ellen's grandpa was a bricklayer, mine was a carpenter. Ellen's dad was an architect, mine was an aerospace engineer. Both grandpas were born in the "old country." Both dads where born in the US.
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Old 04-13-22, 10:40 AM
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Regardless of the country or the product, industries tend to cluster. That’s been the case all through history. There are cities or areas know for steel, or jewelry, or textiles. More recently, Silicon Valley is an example of an area with a large concentration of businesses focused on similar products. There’s a lot of reasons for these clusters but there’s no reason why the bike making wouldn’t have followed a similar pattern.
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Old 04-13-22, 04:14 PM
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The first 5 on this list made at least some of their frames. The rest may have built their own, although it was much more likely they just bought outside frames.

Cannatella and Bonanno are probably the most well known outside Sicily, so you should easily find some upper-mid range examples of their bikes online.

Cannatella - First Nenč, then Enzo & Totō and now Massimo (Palermo (PA))
Alfio Bonanno (Catania (CT))
Speranza (Catania (CT))
Lombardo (Buseto Palizzolo (TP))
Giuseppe Altieri (Misterbianco (CT))
Centamore (Scordia (CT))
Tosto (Catania (CT))
Garozzo, Angelo (Catania (CT)) - VIS (Velocipedi Industria Siciliana) was his sub-brand
Maniscalco (Palermo (PA))
Ferrara, B (Palermo (PA))
Grecch (Messina (ME))
Castiglione (Trapani (TP))

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Old 04-13-22, 05:28 PM
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Be careful trying to buy one though... you might get an offer you can't refuse!
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Old 04-13-22, 05:31 PM
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Originally Posted by old's'cool
Be careful trying to buy one though... you might get an offer you can't refuse!
Or pushing up tomatoes.
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Old 04-13-22, 06:40 PM
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Originally Posted by smontanaro
Or pushing up tomatoes.
Pushing up Sicilian olive trees would be more honorable than tomatoes. Not Espaņa, for a good tomato fight.
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Old 04-13-22, 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Wildwood
Pushing up Sicilian olive trees would be more honorable than tomatoes. Not Espaņa, for a good tomato fight.
I thought about explaining the (weak) connection, but decided against it. I think the final scene of the Godfather has Don Corleone tending to his tomato garden when he keels over and dies, yes? (I could be mixing up my scenes.)
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Old 04-13-22, 07:43 PM
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My wife is the movie expert around here. She watches more than enough for both of us.

I just remember 3 short visits and the hills & mountains had many olive groves. Centuries old groves, in 'clanish' Sicily. I wish I had been a cyclist back that far.
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