Enrico Pagliari (Ernie) Pagliari emigrated from his home village, of Belmonte and lived and worked with relatives in Glasgow for a number of years . In 1929 he moved to Inverness and opened a fish and chip shop at 101 Academy Street.
Through hard work – often up to 20 hours a day – and his engaging personality, the business thrived, allowing him to take over neighbouring properties which he converted into the first ice-cream factory in the north of Scotland. At its peak the factory supplied many hotels, restaurants and other commercial properties in the Inverness area with traditionally made ice-cream.
In addition, Ernie had a fleet of 8 vans which toured housing estates and provided refreshment at public events – an early example of which is shown below:
(On a Caley Thistle discussion forum concerning Inverness cafes, one of the later Pagliari vehicles is described as “a wee blue van with the Harry Lime tune”.)
Ernie and his wife Maria had two children, Armando and Laura.
In the mid 70s he retired leaving the running of the business in Academy Street business to his son Armando, and returned to Belmonte to live in the villa he had built close to his old family home.
Armando sold the business in the 1980s and later began a career in Italian tourism
Ernie did not sever connections with his adopted Scotland and made regular trips to Inverness to meet hid family and old friends until illness prevented further travel.
Ernesto Pagliari died in Rome, aged 80.
He was survived by his wife Maria, son Armando, daughter Laura (married to Inverness singer Drew Ross and grand-daughters Manuela, Simona, and Sonia (the children of Armando and his wife Daniela)
In the 1950s, his nieces, Adelina and Filomena Pagliari, came from Belmonte to work for him for several years.
Adelina later ran The Royal Fish Bar in Grantown on Spey.
Filomena married Giuseppe Volante and opened Volante’s Cafe in Kingussie.
Adelina and Filomena’s brother Mario, (Ernie’s nephew), also arrived in the 1950s and took over the Merrythought Cafe in Fortrose.