If you haven't already read my exposè on this neighborhood character, I heartily invite you to do so by clicking on the aformentioned link, before you behold and share with me now his folkloric cry. (Feed readers, click through to the post.) Speaking of which, I might add: this guy has got one splendid set of pipes.
All together now:
"ARRRROOOOOTTIIIIINOOOOO!"
Did you catch Pietro and his dog Nano, too?
13 comments:
yeah, I saw Nano ;-)
How the old guy seems to struggle to get his bike moving is striking !! It looks like the motorbike weighs a ton !!
Shelley,
(Sorry, had to re-post my comment -I had spelled arrotino wrong, and I couldn't live with having that out there!) Yep, love the knife sharpener/umbrella repairman. I have two questions/comments that are a bit off-topic.
1) I notice you add a lot of video to your posts. Is there some secret? I'm pretty proficient in HTML/coding, but something is not right with the YouTube code! Or Blogger. Uffa!
2) Do you think the arrotino sharpens tweezers? I have two Tweezerman(s) (Tweezermen?), which I love, love, love but they've gotten dull over here and to get them sharpened you have to pack them off to upstate New York and wait 4 weeks. But I doubt they'd send them back to me over here. I thought of asking the arrotino but thought maybe he'd scoff at my wacky American tweezers.
this is so funny - I love the way you write about him! I did chuckle a little out loud:)
Hi Shelley:
It's Cobalt from Expats in Italy. I am keeping up with your blog, it's great!
It's so funny that you write about this because I live in the Upper East Side in Manhattan. For a while in my neighborhood on the weekends I kept hearing this annoying loud bell sound, it drove me crazy and I thought it was coming from the park which is next to my house. I finally figured out what it was by looking outside as soon as I heard it - it's a guy who drives around in a litte strange looking truck and sharpens knives. The roof of his truck has "Knife Sharpener" on it so when you look outside from your window above you can see it, and I guess once you know and you hear his bell you can go outside with your knives. Ironically he stays on the street for a hour or so actually sharpening knives. I can't believe there are that many knives to be sharpened, considering he's there almost every weekend. I never sharpen any knives, am I doing something wrong!!!
Anyway, apparently this old custom is alive and well in NYC too, just so you know!
Ciao Cobalt! That's crazy! Thanks for sharing. I had no idea that these guys existed in NYC, too. Pretty amazing. But I'm with you--I don't know who all these people are getting their knives sharpened... I've sure never gone to him before! I think at least in my neighborhood, it's mainly shops like the fruit shop at my front door, and restaurants.
i'm waiting for someone to come around hollering "ceeeerrrrrreeeeetttttaaaa!"
wouldn't THAT be fabulous?
WOW, so you have the old-style bicycle-riding arrotino in your neighborhood!
Lucky you ;-)
That is beautiful. The guy in our neighborhood drives a tiny green truck and has a loudspeaker. Not as quaint as the arrotino in Trastevere. But I totally agree with Tracie B. I would love for someone to holler "Ceretta! Donne! E arrivata la ceretta!" That would be beautiful.
Tell me technology isn't simply amazing? I just watched a man pushing his motorcycle down your street and you live thousand of miles and dozens of countries away. HOW ODD! Love it.
Hope you are doing well. I'm so behind in blogging. But I am thinking of you and Ale more and more!!
Trace & Averina: Ceretta! You silly girls! ;-)
Diego: I know, it's so crazy. I hear him hollering about once a week when I'm on my computer.
Kel: Thanks girl! I ate at a Thai place last night and thought of you! And about the motorcycle... it's actually a bicycle that turns into a knife-sharpening workshop. Even more amazing!!!
send him my way will you, my knives are as blunt as all buggery.
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