Carlo brought a flavour of Italy to the Capital

Published on Wednesday 16 July 2008 10:23

Carlo Contini, a member of the family which owns Scotland's oldest Italian deli, Valvona & Crolla, has died aged 83.

Carlo Contini was a face on the Edinburgh food scene for more than 50 years, greeting customers in Elm Row's Valvona & Crolla with his trademark Italian charm.

He had not expected his presence in Edinburgh to last so long though, having moved to the city in 1951 with the intention of learning English to enable him to further his career in his homeland.

Born on May 1, 1925 in Naples, Mr Contini was one of eight children. His father was a carpenter and his mother a housewife.

He grew up in the town of Pozzuoli, near Naples, and learned the carpenters trade from his father.

When he was called up for military service he opted to join the police – part of the army in Italy – and served with them for five years in Genoa.

Enjoying his time in the police, Mr Contini decided that he wanted to join Italy's equivalent of special branch.

As this was part of the country's diplomatic service he believed that he was more likely to succeed in his efforts if he learned English.

He wrote to a friend in Edinburgh and asked if he could visit him with the intention of learning English. The friend agreed and in 1951 Mr Contini arrived in the Capital.

Edinburgh at that time had a large and extremely active community of first generation Italians who organised regular social gatherings and dances.

It was at one of these gatherings that Mr Contini met Olivia Crolla, daughter of the owners of the Valvona & Crolla cafe and delicatessen on Elm Row.

After a whirlwind romance, Mr Contini and Miss Crolla married in Edinburgh in 1952.

Mr Contini was considerably younger than the then managers of the store and so was brought into the business as a wine merchant.

The business opened a bottling plant soon after Mr Contini joined and he was put in charge of it.

Mr Contini's son Philip says that Edinburgh undergraduates of a certain age will remember fondly heading to parties with a gallon jar of Valvona & Crolla's chianti in one hand and a gallon of its Yugoslavian wine in the other.

In an age of postwar austerity Valvona & Crolla brought a touch of the Mediterranean to Edinburgh and Mr Contini's charm and cheerful nature were seen as being a huge part of the shop's appeal.

His son said: "On a grey Saturday morning customers would go in and it was a ray of sunshine for them. They walked out of the shop feeling invigorated."

Mr Contini stayed with Valvona & Crolla for the rest of his working life. Even after his retirement in 1995 he continued to visit the shop to meet and speak to the customers.

Away from work he was a keen stamp collector and enjoyed walking by the sea, either watching ships in Leith or on the beach in Portobello. He was also a devout Catholic, attending mass daily.

He was found to have stomach cancer in January and his faith was a comfort to him in the months leading up to his death on July 8.

He is survived by his wife Olivia, two children and five grandchildren.