It is a bar that is passed from generation to generation. The age of the Chavalier ended in the mid seventies and the age of the Chavalier's son Peppino began. An extravagant character, Peppino almost left the bar to be an actor, but he realised he had to build his life in Castelmola and so he stayed.
In 1975 Peppino married his wife Rosa and together they refurbished the bar as it stands today, particularly concentrating on enhancing the interior. They recognised that their era was particularly happy and prolific. Having had three sons within five years, there was one particular symbol that could represent it all: the penis, vulgarly referred to in Sicilian as: La Minchia. The idea of the penis has definitely had a big impact on the population, especially on the priest. However, in the following years the symbol was accepted by everyone and became a important part of the bar. In fact, it is present in different shapes, lengths and materials, in wood, ceramics, terracotta, worked iron, pasta and marzipan. The Minchia sets the tempo of the bar and the moods of all those within it. The penis is not a vulgar symbol and finds his roots in Greek culture, where the god Priapous represented fertility, freedom, fortune, life and beauty. Greek culture has influenced our own for centuries.
At the end of the 19th century the famous German baron
W. Von Gloden sent a message to all the world with his photographs of nude men and almond trees, as well as with his poetry, reflecting Sicily's absolute freedom. These ideals, always floating on the air of this warm and dry land, find a collocation and an exaltation well defined in Bar Turrisi. The Penis, together with the other ornamental items such as a Sicilian cart, puppets, old keys to mention a few, try to synthesise part of Sicilian culture.
Nowadays this place continues to bring the story with it, but without forgetting about the relevance of the present. The visitor also has the possibility to relax, sipping the classic almond wine or trying the strong red wine of our countryside with local dishes. The Bar Turrisi is not only part of what we have tried to explain here; from Chavalier to son and to nephews, but it is much more. It is a tradition rich with events and emphasis that deserves to be seen.