by Alfonso Guerrero jr.

Old Italian barber shops in the United States are on the verge of extinction. For much of the 20th century, most big cities had many Italian barber shops. These barber shops and their trademark red, blue and white helical stripes or "barber's pole" signifying whether the shop is open or closed, was as ubiquitous as a McDonalds or a Starbucks.

The barber shops were a staple to most urban cities across America and this blue collar profession was dominated by many Italian male immigrants who had learned their skill in Italy before arriving in the US. One of the few Italian barbers still around in New York City is Michele Cataldi, who works at Sigfrido's Barber Shop located near Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan.

Read more

Fonte: L'italo-Americano