Matteo Brunasso Cassinin was a woodcutter in Val Soana, then the pandemic: “Everything stopped, this opportunity presented itself to me, I jumped at it”
PONT CANAVESE Tomorrow, Saturday 11 September, is the great day for Matteo Brunasso Cassinin, 23, a pontese doc and a maturity, despite his very young age, to be the envy of many adults. In via Roscio 5, almost next to the ally, and between two banks (we are in the center) Lo Strillone opens the newsstand – stationery – gift items and he will manage it. It is a reopening, in truth, in the place where Cornelia Roncaglia, an institution in the village, which died on May 1st at the age of 92, carried out her business until the very end. That closed shop, a point of reference for everyone, could not remain so, and Matteo immediately gave us a thought.
affection for cornelia
“When I was a child, as for all my peers, Cornelia’s newsstand was not just the resale of newspapers and magazines, but a special place to hang out. She loved us and went out of her way to accommodate our needs. If we were looking for something special that wasn’t in the shop, she would get it for us. How many barrels, the harmless ones, of course, we bought from Cornelia, and everything we need for school. We were really fond of her, as if she were our grandmother. When she died, we were really sad because it’s like a family member left. Having learned that the business was for sale, and after having discussed with my family, I decided to take the plunge and I must say that now I am no longer in the skin. I’m just waiting to be able to raise the shutter ».
renovated premises, very long hours
Matteo has been working on it since May, completely renovating the premises («It hadn’t happened since the 1970s» he confides). To take care of some details he got help from friends and now Lo Strillone is ready to welcome customers, only the newspapers are missing, but those will be there tomorrow, and the rest. “I would not have been able to undertake this feat without the help of my mom (Lisa Tomatis, ed), who will take over the management when he can, since the opening hours are quite long, since we won’t close for the lunch break », assures Matteo.
Wake up at 5, because at 6 Lo Strillone will have to be open, to close at 19 / 19.30. Only on Sunday afternoons will the stationery kiosk have the shutters lowered. «But the fatigue doesn’t scare me – Matteo confesses -. I didn’t finish ITIS, in Rivarolo, because I immediately started working as a bricklayer, and then became a woodcutter, in Val Soana, until the outbreak of the pandemic, which stopped everything. I had time to think about the after, too much, so much so that I was getting bored, because I’m not used to being so long without doing anything. Now I’m super charged, it’s my chance. I will not let it slip away. ‘