Bianchi84

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!

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

Bianchi84

Thanks for the response and link!

Chombi1 

Maybe most of the frame builders who weilded their torches everyday, preferred working in the cooler northern regions......

satbuilder 

Altieri is made there. Pretty nice looking bikes, too.
https://velo-orange.blogspot.com/201...ilys-best.html

iab

Vittoria was out of Palermo.

smontanaro 

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.

Mr. Spadoni 

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.

MauriceMoss

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))

old's'cool

Be careful trying to buy one though... you might get an offer you can't refuse!

smontanaro 

Or pushing up tomatoes.

Wildwood 

Pushing up Sicilian olive trees would be more honorable than tomatoes. Not Espaņa, for a good tomato fight.

smontanaro 

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.)

Wildwood 

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.