By boat, by sea up to the age of 80, driven by a great passion for fishing. Isidoro Balzano is now 96 years old and the Municipality of Stintino , his hometown, has decided to honor him with solemn merit.
"For having distinguished himself, during his long and industrious life, in the dissemination of the culture and maritime arts of the Stintino community", so is written on the plaque given to him by the mayor Rita Vallebella , during the last session of the municipal council.
«In particular, he produced very faithful models of our fishing boats with great skill, - writes the mayor - he made himself available to teach young people his art by generously telling them the anecdotes of his life as a fisherman, thus divulging the small, big stories of our seafarers». Uncle "Lollo", as many like to call him, has participated in numerous seasons of the Tonnara , faithful to his passion for the "Nicola" boat, he has spent most of his life in contact with the sea.
A love that he kept even in 1947 he was drafted into the Navy. He experienced the sad reality of the first and second world wars, became a helmsman and covered the functions of steward and boatswain. A few months after his leave, the ship's commander asked him to continue his military career. He had to say no to follow his desire to return to Stintino and support his family. Here, in the fishing village, he married Esterina with whom he had two daughters: Tina and Maria Antonietta.
For years he collaborated with Silvestro Pilo and Peppe Benenati, the last skilled shipwrights from Stintino. His love for the sea prompted him to also devote himself to the construction of ship models, pots and traditional fishing tools, a job carried out in his small workshop. In this long journey of life he was accompanied by the Madonna della Difesa, to whom he remained devoted as part of the Confraternity.
