Jytte Holmqvist
OUR TRIBUTE TO SISTO MALASPINA
Sisto Malaspina Photo courtesy of Nino Pangrazio - Source The Australian
A life taken during a random act of terror, Melbourne icon Sisto Malaspina was cruelly ripped away from the breathing fabric of the city in the recent Bourke Street attack on 9 November, 2018, as he generously offered his help during the commotion – only to be fatally stabbed instead.
The much loved and respected 74-year-old Italian restaurateur and co-owner of Pellegrini’s espresso bar, located in the vicinity of the scene of the crime, had run the establishment originally set up by Pellegrini brothers Leo and Valdo in 1954, for decades and is forever present in the hearts of those who remember him, his important contribution to local history and culture, and his warm smile as he greeted customers, telling anecdotes as he went along.
Pellegrini’s Bar Espresso Photo Daniele Curto
A native from Le Marche, Malaspina arrived in Melbourne in the early 60s and took over Pellegrini’s – an increasingly popular Italian establishment – in 1974,
Nino, who knew Sisto for 56 years and who kindly shares a few words with
running the bar with co-owner Nino Pangrazio. Melbourne was at that stage
me inside the bar on the busy morning of 19 November, first met his friend when
positively influenced by several waves of Italian settlers promoting their culture
they were working together at a reception room at Inkerman Street in St Kilda.
in suburbs like Carlton and Preston, and most definitely the Pellegrini’s part of
Nino says that for a long time the two were “conjoined at the hips” and sum-
Bourke Street which was a hub not only for Italian locals with an appreciation
marises Sisto’s personality as follows:
for simple but authentic Italian signature dishes, and the homely and accommodating feel to the bar, but also for a mixed nationality clientele who made Pellegrini’s their regular hangout. Malaspina embodied the very essence and goodness of Italian style and values: cultural sophistication in simplicity, human kindness and generosity, narrative abilities, and appreciation of the family as a unit – in this case Sisto’s additional family was very much Pellegrini’s clientele and the staff who made and keep making – it such a special place.
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“Happy, outgoing, complete love of life, fantastic with the customers, a lovely family man, he’s got beautiful children, his wife, the whole lot.“
