Fernando Capecchi: the manager of the Tuscan band is from Pistoia!

Do you remember when Giorgio Panariello played as the character with the raincoat that came on stage holding his mobile phone and saying: ‘Roberta tell me....say hello to everyone'? As is often the case with the comic acts of the Tuscan character, this, like others, was not entirely the fruit of his imagination. To be honest it was basically the impersonation of Fernando Capecchi. Do you know who he is? Nothing less than the manager of Panariello himself but also of Conti, Pieraccioni and Ceccherini. He is the father of this bunch of born and bred Tuscans!

His story is truly one of bygone times. Capecchi was born in a small town in the province of Pistoia and his career as an ‘impresario’, i.e a manager, started right there: he contracted the orchestras for the dancing evenings of the Casa del Popolo! So it was that he met Iso Bellandi, an important manager from Emilia, who took him under his wing and taught him the trade, for which he evidently had a real talent!

In 1964 he began to tour Tuscany riding his Vespa but Fernando Capecchi got very far. In fact, from his collaboration with Gianni Ravera, he had the opportunity to work on important events such as Castrocaro, Miss Italia and also Sanremo. From this partnership comes the launch of artists such as Zucchero, Eros Ramazzotti, Fiordaliso, Paolo Vallesi and many others.

Recalling his career, Capecchi, who recently published a book about his own story entitled 'Saluta Tutti', points out that there are three very memorable moments of his fascinating journey: his work with Ravera, his discovery of Zucchero and having promoted the Conti-Panariello-Pieraccioni trio who still sell out at theaters all over Italy! We should really thank Fernando Capecchi for helping to launch the entertaining Tuscan band that has given us so much fun and laughter! Having said that, how about touring Tuscany on a Vespa just like Fernando Capecchi did in the 1960s? You could start with our Chianti Vespa Tour with typical lunch and wine tasting!