When Mary and Pompeo Ursini opened Cafe Andiamo, Degraves Street was not the hub of Melbourne’s coffee culture it is today. Thirty years on, a lot has changed. sopphie
With only a butcher’s shop, a dry cleaner and a florist, the street was a “dump”, according to 80-year-old Mary Ursini, who along with her husband, Pompeo, 85, opened Cafe Andiamo specialising in Genovese Italian coffee on September 29, 1992.Mary Ursini recalls that back then, the laneway was still being used by delivery trucks and it had an issue with pigeon droppings, forcing Melbourne City Council to do routine clean-ups.
“We chose it because we just loved the area … We had a good feeling that we could really make something of it,” said Mary. But Mary recalls outdoor dining wasn’t common practice when they first opened and it took a while before neighbouring eateries jumped on the bandwagon. Capp recalls starting work in the CBD as a young lawyer in the early ’90s and stopping by Degraves Street on the way to and from Flinders Street Station – something that became a “rite of passage” for many city workers.“It really humanised the city,” she said.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Vision to revamp Mary Street in time for Albert St train stationBrisbane City Council has released its Mary Street Vision, with the aim of reshaping Gardens Point before 67,000 commuters begin to use the city’s newest train station.
Read more »
Police officer cleared of assaulting ex-footballer Dalian AtkinsonCourt heard Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith struck Atkinson with her baton three times as he lay on ground
Read more »
Vision to revamp Mary Street in time for Albert St train stationBrisbane City Council has released its Mary Street Vision, with the aim of reshaping Gardens Point before 67,000 commuters begin to use the city’s newest train station.
Read more »
'This is a story that has to stay alive': Schwarzenegger meets with Holocaust survivorsFilm icon Arnold Schwarzenegger has visited the site of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp, meeting a Holocaust survivor and the son of survivors, and saying it is time to 'terminate' hatred.
Read more »