Italy’s oldest barista still pulls espresso at 101 | The Express Tribune

NEBBIUNO, ITALY:

In the village of Nebbiuno, perched on the Piedmont hills overlooking Lake Maggiore, Anna Possi has been pulling espressos at Bar Centrale every day since 1958.

Celebrating her 101st birthday recently, Possi shows no sign of slowing down, greeting locals and tourists alike with the same precision and warmth that has defined her decades-long career.
Possi opened the cafe with her husband over six decades ago, running it themselves without staff or frills. Originally, it operated as a coffee house because they lacked a license to sell alcohol.

After her husband’s aunt passed away in 1960, the bar expanded slightly, and Possi continued on her own following her husband’s death in 1974. It’s been 51 years she has been working alone, as a widow, in this bar.

Her career spans extraordinary social and historical change. Growing up, she worked in her parents’ restaurant, bar, and tobacco shop, and later in Genoa at her uncles’ restaurants just after World War II.

Possi has witnessed the evolution of coffee culture in Italy. In the early days, the bar thrived on nearby paper mill workers, who stopped in for morning coffee and a little grappa.
In the 1960s, a dance floor was added, attracting visitors from towns across the region. Lawyers, doctors, and engineers became regulars, drawn by the bar’s lake view and open-air entertainment.

For Possi, Bar Centrale is more than a cafe. “I like it because I like to be surrounded by people,” she told Reuters over an espresso. “This bar is a bit like family. It does not feel like a bar; it’s a meeting place,” she said.

“People come not just to consume, but to connect. I help with paperwork, errands, even showcasing artwork for free. Whatever they leave me always goes to charitable causes,” she added.
Despite changes in society and younger generations’ preference for smartphones over social gatherings, Possi credits her long life to her work. “Work is what distracts you and at the same time gives you something — it makes you feel independent,” she said.

Her advice to her granddaughters is clear: work, save, and remain self-reliant, as the world grows ever more challenging. “You don’t have to depend on others,” she says.
Awarded Italy’s honorary title of Commander of the Republic last year, Anna Possi stands as a testament to dedication, resilience, and the enduring social role of the Italian cafe.