With Reg and David on Chorlton station in 1925 and memories of a book stall in Varese

This is just one of those short little stories which feature some of the people and an unusual scene from the 1920s.

We are on Chorlton railway station beside the W.H.Smith’s bookstall and it is 1925.

On the right is David Ball who was the manager and on the left is Reg Croton who ran a taxi and lived on Sandy Lane.

By the time this picture was taken Reg was 36 and was running the family business.

His father would have made the move from horse drawn cab to motor car and was listed in the 1911 telephone book at Chorlton-c-H 481, CROTON, Chas, Coach Proprietor ...Sandy Lane.

And by another of those links with the past the family home had been a farmhouse and by the 1920s may have been a hundred years old.

But it is also the bookstall that fascinates me.  In their way these kiosks have changed little. To quote another famous retailer the simple approach was to “pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap.”  There is here everything the train traveller might want, need or just be seduced into buying.   So, there are piles of books, pencils, crayons, what look like paint brushes, and piles of books and magazines, including the latest issue of the Strand Magazine with a story by P.G.Woodhouse.

And as ever it is the adverts that draw you into the period.  Amateur Garden at 2d, with articles on "Bedding Plants, Dahlia Culture and Melons and Tomatoes" which underlines the growing leisure time that some of our new residents could enjoy.  But for me it is the WHS Pen in its smart case that intrigues me along with the ad “BOOKS WE’D LIKE TO BURN”

These old fashioned kiosks on stations have pretty much vanished as railway stations become just long empty and soulless platforms where even the waiting room is now a glass sided box.

But they live on in other places.

At the bottom of the road in Varese close by our usual bus stop is just such a kiosk where everything seems available, including English magazines and hard by the station is an even busier one which has the added bonus of a taxi rank next door.

Pictures; from the Lloyd collection and the collection of Andrew Simpson

The places I usually don’t photograph ................... nu 5 King Umberto of Italy

Now Kings and Queens I don’t usually do but we were in the big park in Varese when I can across King Umberto and I became curious.

He stands on the edge of the park facing the Town Hall and I can’t say I knew much about him but as the second King of Italy and the last to be buried in the Pantheon in Rome, it seemed a interesting piece of research.

He was born in 1844, ascended the throne in 1870 and was assassinated in 1900.

According to one source he was deeply conservative and supported the Bava-Beccaris massacre in 1898, when food riots in Milan led to the authorities using force in an effort to repress the demonstrations leading to the death of 80 demonstrators.*

He was also in favour of both the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria Hungary and Italy’s policy of colonial expansion.

Needless to say there were more than a few who were not disposed to him and after surviving a number of assassination attempts was killed in 1900.

All of which leaves me wondering how he got the nickname the Good (il Buono).

But no doubt someone with a greater knowledge of Italian history will help me out.  Of course it might just be another example of a version of history written by the Establishment.

Well we shall see.

Location; Varese, Italy

Pictures; Umberto King of Italy, 2016 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

* Umberto I of Italy, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umberto_I_of_Italy

The hotel amongst the clouds

Now I like the way that the unexpected can happen from a seemingly ordinary trip in to the mountains.

We had decided to take the opportunity of a bright sunny morning to visit the Sacred Mountain which towers above Varese and is home to a village, a stunning church and fourteen little shrines which you pass at intervals along the Holy Road before reaching the tiny village of Santa Maria del Monte and that 15th century chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The hardy will walk the 2 kilometres from the city to the summit, while the less hardy will opt for the funicular at the first chapel.

Now we tend to do the walk, usually at Easter when despite a sharp chill in the air, the sun shines and there are magnificent glimpses of the surrounding countryside.

This Sunday we opted for the funicular but as so often happens, missed the car park and by degree ended at the top which had its own rewards, because we decided to explore the village.

You walk along twisted narrow alleys which climb and alternatively drop down with the buildings rising steeply on either side and end where you began.

At this point three of us needed a lavatory, which proved difficult to locate but as ever the resourceful Simone discovered the hotel.

Given that it was closed I doubted our luck was in, but the owner politely allowed us to use the facility and as you do I got talking to him.

His English was far better than my Italian and his voice had that deep gravelly tone of the north and he offered to give me a tour of the main rooms which date back to the early 18th century.

A subsequent owner added two more floors at the start of the next century only for the place to close after the last war.

Now it is used for conferences, and special occasions, which seemed a shame for as a venue I can think of nowhere better to spend a few days.

But perhaps not so many people want to make the long trip up the mountain and sleep amongst the clouds.

I think that is a pity but there you are, at least I got my own private invite to the splendours of the place and more than a few pictures, so I was pleased.

What I failed to do was to take his name or that of the hotel which was a bit of an oversight.

Still I did give him my card so just maybe he will look up the blog and on the strength of this story get in touch and offer up a bit more of the history of the hotel.

I hope so because I bet there is more than a few stories of this magical place and above all of some of those that over the last couple of centuries took the Holy Road to the summit and tarried for a while in this hotel in the clouds.

Leaving me just to reflect that this wasn't a bad  day out on the Sacro Monte.

Location; Varese

Pictures; Sacro Monte, 2017 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

On being Billy no mates in Varese ....... meeting up

Now on a busy Thursday morning in Varese while the family are off shopping there is little to do but sit and watch as the city passes you by.

Location; Varese

Picture; meeting up, 2017 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

In the Piazza Monte Grappa

The Piazza Monte Grappa would not be my first choice of a place to sit and watch the world go by.

It is a rather drab place surrounded by unremarkable tall buildings and dominated by a fountain with concrete seats.

Even the bars are less than enticing.  The two of them face each other across the square but the tables are arranged under a series of arches which while they give you protection from the rain do little to give a sense of cafe life.   So on those days when the sun shines down and you want to feel it on your back you sit instead in a cavernous arch way and endure the gloom.

Occasionally there will be a concession to the sun and the tables and chairs on the eastern side will be pulled out from building but still you are in the shadow of those arches.
And so it was when we wandered through on our way to somewhere more interesting and I stopped to take a photograph.

And maybe on a bright early summer's morning with that freshness in the air, the fountain playing out, and the the huge tree to the south of the piazza it's not such a bad place.  So with this in mind perhaps I will inflict you with more from Varese.

Picture; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

**Varese, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Varese

Sacro Monte di Varese

“The Sacro Monte of Varese is located a few kilometers from the city and nestled in the regional park ‘Campo dei Fiori’ which literally translates to "Field of Flowers’. 

It consists of the Holy Road and the Sanctuary, as well as the small medieval village surrounding the Sanctuary. 

The Holy Road with its 14 chapels, rise up the mountain to the little village of Santa Maria del Monte and it ends with the Sanctuary (15th chapel) dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 

The rise is 2 kilometers along on a cobblestone path, and every chapel represents one of the Mysteries of Jesus Christ's life. You can find at the mountaintop the Sanctuary, the Cloister of Monache Romite Ambrosiane, 

The Museo Baroffio e del Santuario, the Casa Museo Lodovico Pogliaghi, the permanent nativity scene, and different restaurants, bars, a pizzeria, three hotels and a bed & breakfast.

The recently restored Vellone-Sacro Monte funicular operates between a parking lot at the first chapel ‘Prima Cappella’ and the top of Sacro Monte on Saturdays and Sundays throughout most of the year”.*

Location; Sacro Monte di Varese

Pictures, Sacro Monte di Varese, 2020, & 2016, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

* Sacro Monte di Varese, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacro_Monte_di_Varese

Passing the time ............... watching

An occasional series of pictures of people and places.

Location; Varese, Italy

Pictures; People & Places,Varese, Italy, 2010, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Getting ready for Easter …………..

So, getting ready for the big family gatherings there are heaps to do.

Locations; Beech Road and Varese

Pictures; Hurricane, Beech Road, Tuesday April 4th, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, Esselunga, Varese, Saturday April 8th, 2023, courtesy of Balzano

Thinking ice cream ……….. and throwing in more than a bit of history

Now yesterday I reflected on the Italian tradition of taking cakes and pastries when visiting family and friends.

And today, prompted by a programme on the wireless celebrating The Ice Cream Van, I am thinking of that other great Italian activity of going for an ice cream.*

Not for our family, the block of “Neapolitan” bought from the newsagents or the multi flavoured tubs which are on offer in supermarkets, but the real thing.

For which a visit to the local shop is more than just buying an ice cream, but becomes a trip out, which then turns into a debate on which to have, and whether to go for two flavours, or trust that someone in the family will share a bit of theirs, in return for some of yours.

We did that trip several times last week, either to the one at the top of the road or as a special excursion into the town centre.

But the real pleasure comes when you are on holiday and take that promenade along the seafront, which always ends in an ice cream.

So for all those who have enjoyed such a treat, there is today’s piece, The Ice Cream Van: A Celebration, from The Food Programme in which “Dan Saladino and his dad Bobo (a former ice-cream man) talk Mr. Whippy, 99s and Screwballs. Together Dan and Bobo (who also used to work in restaurants) have explored the wonders of pizza, and looked at the rise of 'Spag Bol,' Now they turn their attention to the history, science, and magic of ice-cream on wheels.

Featuring John Dickie (author of Delizia and The Craft) and Polly Russell (British Library) on the history of ice cream.

Graphic novelist Matthew Dooley (who drew the image for this edition) talks about his book Flake, a drama set in the world of ice-cream vans.

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino”.

It is a delightful celebration of all things ice cream, with lots of social history thrown in.

Location; the Wireless

Pictures; Italian ice cream from Sapori di Sicilia, Varese, 2020, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*The Ice Cream Van: A Celebration, The Food Programme, Radio 4 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000mj2x

A little bit of Cambridge returns to Manchester after 50 years in Milan

Now, in a country which is known for style the classic Ronson Varaflame held its own against all that Italian design could throw at it.

It was introduced in 1957, and was one of the world’s first gas lighters, which was refilled by those distinctive blue torpedo tubes, which when empty ended up as a prop on my model railway.

I remember the lighter well, mainly because it looked so modern in a house still dominated by clunky heavy unfashionable objects from the late 1940s.

And today, holding one in my hand, it combines a robust solid body with that pioneering aerodynamic shape, and it knocked the socks off everything else  that was around at the time.

Mother had one, which she cherished, but I rather think it has long been lost.

All of which made the discovery of Simone’s Varaflame a real find.

It was bought sometime in the early 1960s, in Cambridge, and travelled to Italy a decade later where it  busied itself doing the business for sixty years, and has now made its way to Manchester.

Sadly, the Kodak Instamatic, 304, has not be joined it.  

It first appeared in 1965 and was one of the more sophisticated instamatics, which along with others in the Kodak range introduced a generation to low-cost photography, and in turn had many imitators.

But as fun as it still looks, it is old smelly photography, relying on film, chemicals, and a dark room to recreate its magic.

And we have embraced the digital alternative.  So if it made its way to Manchester, it would just sit in a corner of the study, gathering dust, but never likely to be put on the market for sale

Such are the relics of family history.

It was also bought in Cambridge in the 1960s, left with the family for Italy, but will stay in that country.

Location; Cambridge, Varese, Manchester

Pictures, Ronson Varaflame, 1957, and the Kodak Instamatic, 304, 1965, 2020, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

The magic of the markets ............. crossing the Continent

Yesterday was a wet day in Varese.

And while today it is dry and sunny the weekend offers up more rain.

So far there is no sign of snow, but I live in hopes.

After all, it will soon be Christmas, and like Manchester, there is plenty of emphasis on the forthcoming festival, which should be accompanied by snow.

But in the absence of the stuff, I am reflecting on a day at the markets.

I have always liked markets, from the one at home in Woolwich, which once upon a time was so busy that the stalls spread out across the square forcing buses to gingerly crawl past them, flanked by traders and shoppers, to the battered old one in Grey Mare Lane and the bigger and busier ones in Ashton and Bury.

And into that mix are added the Christmas Markets, which pretty much pop up everywhere.

Varese has them, and so does Manchester, and here I have to confess to being a little down on them.

I like the idea, and I know lots of people find them fun, and come away with some smashing stuff, added to which there is a magic about wandering past countless different stalls, all lit up against the night, with the promise of all sorts of interesting things.

And there is no doubt that they bring in lots of people into the city centre, who go on to visit the pubs, bars and restaurants as well as the more traditional shops.

So, it all looks a winner, and on top of  this, there is the atmosphere, which reminds me of being taken to see the Christmas lights on Oxford Street in the 1950s

The historian in me wonders just how different the stalls might have been in the early  19th century, when in the absence of street lighting, the markets would have offered their own little bit of bright light, noise and bargains.

Of course I am well aware that the present Manchester Markets are a recent Christmas addition.

But there would have been their Victorian and Edwardian equivalents

And here there is a danger in being too romantic.  Those 19th century traders were forced to stay open late to catch workers, who in turn were late at work, and there was little in the way of trading regulations, with the result that some foods were heavily adulterated, and in the gloom offered by just candles and oil lamps, the quality of what was on offer was hard to judge.

Today, the lighting and the quality of the produce are not in question, it is just that often the products are replicated across the streets, but that I suspect is a small objection, compared to the magic of the markets, here or in Varese.

Location; Varese; and Manchester, 2016, and 2019

Pictures; Varese; 2016, 2017, and the Manchester markets, 2019, from the collections of Andrew Simpson and Balzano

A quiet afternoon in Varese part 2

It was one of those quiet afternoons in spring just a little on the cool side and there was a hint of rain but it didn’t stop people sitting out and watching as the crowds went by.

Location, Varese, Italy

Pictures; Varese 2012 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

A quiet afternoon in Varese part 1

It was one of those quiet afternoons in spring just a little on the cool side and there was a hint of rain but it didn’t stop people sitting out and watching as the crowds went by







































Location, Varese, Italy

Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

On going home to Varese

Varese is not I suppose somewhere I would naturally have ended up in.* 

It is a small Italian town of just under 82, 000 people, and an hour from Milan and depending on the road you choose about 15 minutes from the Swiss border.

It has its own grand lake, a pretty impressive mountain and a fine 18^th century town hall.

And that is about it.  But it is where we go once or twice a year to visit family and so it is a bit like a second home.  More than that it is a comfortable place to be.

I can walk into the centre in just fifteen minutes, wander a maze of little side streets which as if by magic open onto small piazzas and find in the shops all that I need.

And as always there are the bars, most like this one in the Corso Giacomo Matteotti spread out on to the square lapping the statute and pulling in the shoppers.

Today it had attracted a mixed bunch and I suppose if the weather had been a little drier and warmer there would have been many more.

It is a good spot.  Directly ahead is the archway that leads to the church of San Vittore, while behind me another more discrete set of doors leads into a hidden place. 

Here in what was once a monastery with its cloisters on three sides is a quiet spot.

A mix of shops, offices and a restaurant it is the sort of place you stumble across by accident and then keep getting drawn back.

I love the fading wall paintings and the fact that people still live just beyond the wall in an even smaller enclosed yard just to the south of the cloisters.

And that is one of other the attractions of the place, that people do still live here in the centre, so even as the city workers leave for the day and before the evening crowd arrive, there is still a buzz about the place.

So while stillness descends and there is a waiting expectation of what is to come this is no ghost town.

It may be quieter but the place has not been deserted.  All of which makes for a manageable place to live.

Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Varese, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Varese

Sapori di Sicilia …….. the Flavours of Sicily

Now I like the Italian custom of taking cakes and pastries when visiting family and friends.

A selection of the pastries

Last week at Rosa’s when the family gathered on the Sunday, Johnny brought a tray full of them.

Inside the shop

And yesterday, when we decided on breakfast out, we gravitated to Sapori di Sicilia, which is on the Viale Belforte 68, 21100, in Varese.

The area is a mix of residential properties, a range of everyday shop, including a supermarket and some industrial units.

My favourite is always a bombolone which is a doughnut filled usually with custard, jam, or chocolate, and for me it is always custard.

But these you can get almost anywhere, while at the Sapori di Sicilia, they specialize in Sicilian food, and along with a range of wonderful pastries there are piles of savory ones not unlike our own pasties.

And of course ice cream ....

And of these the one they make filled with a mix of rice and vegetables, is just perfect.

So that is it, I could say more, but I won’t.

Location; Varese

Pictures; Sapori di Sicilia, Varese, 2020, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Breakfast …. an Easter discussion ….. and the promise of sun

Now Varese is warming up .

The Easter display, 2022

Yesterday the sun shone and while there was the threat of rain in the afternoon, the temperature hovered around 19˚ and there is the promise that by Easter it will be in the mid-20s.

But then that is what you can expect of this city, which is north of Milan, surrounded by lakes and close to the Swiss border.

Every Easter holiday we have headed south from Manchester, taken in a few cold days and then basked in the sun which is warm enough to take in a bit of sunbathing and visit the local gelateria for an ice cream.

And that same sun makes you want to get out early and take in breakfast at La Cucina di Altamura at the top of the road. *

 La Cucina di Altamura, 2017

It has a prime location facing the main road and just a minute’s walk from the local church, making it a perfect spot for a treat after the service, or an espresso before catching the bus into the city centre.  

I can’t be sure when it opened but it was well established by 2017 and is a regular haunt for the family.

There was some discussion about whether to buy a little something for Easter, but then Rosa cooks a shedload of traditional festive food and so the discussion drifted onto what we would being eating.**

Rosa's festive food, 2019

But here there will be a departure from normal because this year we will be back in Manchester for Easter with Rosa cooking all the traditional Italian food and serving it in Chorlton.

I am guessing the sun will not be as kind but the food will be as excellent as ever.

Location; Varese

Pictures; La Cucina Di Altamura, 2022, from the collection of Balzano and in 2017 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

* La Cucina di Altamura,  Via Pietro Giannone, 2, 21100 Varese VA, Italy http://www.lacucinadialtamura.it/

** A little bit of Italy this Easter ....... Neopolitan pastries and Colomba, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-little-bit-of-italy-this-easter.html

A Wednesday afternoon in Varese

It was just another ordinary afternoon in Varese, the sun was hot, it was getting on to late afternoon and I was waiting on the family who were clothes shopping.

So as you do I wandered up and down one of the fashionable streets taking in the street musicians, the cafes, and the people eating ice cream.

The Corso Giacomo Matteotti is one of my favourite parts of the city.  Here you can find posh clothes outlets, elegant cafes and wonderful food shops ranging from the expensive bakery to ordinary fruit and veg shops a fishmonger and a butcher.

It is named after the socialist MP who denounced the fascists in the Italian Parliament for election bribery in 1924 and was murdered by them just 11 days later.

The area was once a monastery and little bits of it are still there hidden behind later buildings including two wonderful cloistered spots which  offer havens of peace off the busy thoroughfare.

And I kept coming across a group of men who just kept walking up and down, talking, stopping and then moving on.  I followed them  up the street and back down and then back again.

Every so often they looked as if they were about to part company but then they were drawn back together.

Perhaps for an hour and half I watched them before finally two walked off, but the others remained.

Location, Italy

Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Places to call home .......Varese

Now, Varese is a small Italian town north of Milan and hard up against the Swiss border.

Il Broletto, 2008

As a place to live it doesn’t have that edgy excitement which is Naples nor the grandeur of Rome but I like it.

Our Italian family are from Naples, but settled in Varese in the early 1970s after a spell in Britain.

It has some fine old villas, a posh few streets and an abundance of modern buildings some better than others and a few which no one would miss.

But what makes it so pleasant is that it is manageable by which I mean that you can traverse the city centre quickly, bump into people you know and in a relatively short time be out in the countryside.

And it does have a series of spectacular lakes, including Lake Varese.

So as they say, what isn’t there to like?

Walking the Corso Giacomo Matteotti, 2013

In particular there is the Corso Giacomo Matteotti which was once part of a sprawling monastic complex but is now one of those fashionable Italian streets with expensive shops which people parade past with no intention of visiting.

But in the same street nestling beside the patisserie and clothes shops, there are the mundane places selling fruit, and veg along with a pharmacy and a couple of butchers.

And that is just as it should be.

It certainly doesn’t bother the elegant who sit outside the equally elegant cafe, listening to the buskers and no doubt discussing everything from the weather to the group of retired men who one day in July strolled up and down the street before finally taking their leave of each other.

I followed the group who had no purpose other than enjoying each other’s company on a fine summers afternoon, and who when it came to part, didn’t quite get to say their final goodbye.

In the Piazza Monte Grappa, 2013

Instead one, and then another would remember something, retrace their steps, rejoin the conversation and then by degree all of them would set off again down the Corso Giacomo Matteotti.

Close by is the Piazza Monte Grappa which would not be my first choice of a place to sit and watch the world go by.

It is a rather drab place surrounded by unremarkable tall buildings and dominated by a fountain with concrete seats.

One of its two main cafes has had a makeover and with a nod to the young, has jettisoned its old stylish decor for something more simple, losing the well worn furniture for plain tables and chairs and bright walls.

At the market, 2014

And that does point up how Varese has no trouble embracing change, which includes, Le Corti, a small shopping mall which does pretty much have all you need, from sports and baby clothes, to camera, computers and TVs.

At the same time like any prosperous European town, the developers have moved in and the old army barracks opposite Le Corti is undergoing renovation but surprisingly, will not become a residential complex but so I am told will be a centre for agricultural research.

But there is still much that is old.  The market by the railway station continues to provide a variety of stalls offering up everything from cheap underwear, fake Italian football shirts to a bewildering array of watches and domestic cleaning products.

In the last thirty years the only noticeable difference is that many of the stall holders are first generation Italians, and still have relatives far away in North Africa, the Sub Continent or the Far East, but the business of piling the merchandise high and selling cheap is as it always was.

With the family 2015

There is even a MacDonald’s which vies with a Burger King and appears as popular as the nearby Chinese restaurant.

But given that when we are there, we eat at home, all three are places to pass, leaving us the occasional ice cream from the shop on the corner of the Corso Giacomo Matteotti.

Location; Varese

Pictures; Varese, 2000-2018, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Street furniture I love ….. back by popular demand ……. the one in Sacro Monte

I say back by popular demand, but I fear only a handful of friends share my interest, but no matter.

And of all the different forms of street furniture, my favourite has to be the heavy metal cover, which might sit over a drain or a coal hole, or event an old telephone conduit.

Either way they are something to marvel at and enjoy.

This one comes from Sacro Monte, Varese

Location, Varese.

Picture; drain cover, Varese, 2020, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Of camels …. pastries and epiphany

 There are very few Christmas traditions which have survived in our house from my childhood.

But we are brining them back and adding new ones.

So now we don’t take the Christmas tree down the day before the kids would have gone back to school, but observe the old practice of leaving it up for the full twelve days of Christmas.

And tomorrow is that day, to which Tina is adding the Italian tradition of making glazed puff pastry animals. In Varese in the north where she grew up, the animal which the bakers make is the camel, and so that is what we will have tomorrow.

Location; Varese and Chorlton

Pictures; Varese, 2019, from the collection of Balzano