“Garrisca al vento il labaro viola…”. "the violet banner fluttering in the wind…" Who does not know the famous first line of the Fiorentina theme song by Narciso Parigi, which has been a loyal companion encouraging the actions of the Fleur-de-lis team since the 1950s, through the good and the bad times? 

He began his career at the age of 16 at Campi Bisenzio (where he was born on 29th November, 1927, singing on Radio Firenze and straight from there was taken to Rome by the RAI. A career which very soon passed to the other side of the ocean. 

Over his long career he has cut 5.500 titles and sold tens of millions of records.  Parigi has also starred In 17 films (he played in the The Graduates (1995) by Leonardo Pieraccioni, where he played the part of Berto or, in 1959 the realisation of the film Assi della Ribalta together with Ferdinando Baldi and was also ambassador of the Fiorentina song ("Un bacione a Firenze" to give just one example) in the United States and the rest of the world.  Narciso is a Fiorentina in every respect.  He is his city's emblem and just like its symbol, Parigi is a Fleur-de-Lis who has knowingly opened his petals to the entire world.

And Florence - which was never very magnanimous towards its own Masters from Dante onwards - has this time, and quite rightly so, placed Narciso amongst its artistic emblems and has awarded him a well-deserved title during the presentation of the book "Narciso Parigi, a Tuscan's sense of music and life from another era", which was held in 2006 at the Palazzo Vecchio.  A book with the Idea of celebrating the artistic birthday of this great Florentine artist, one of the few examples of the internationally famous "made in Tuscany", exactly 60 years after cutting his first record "Ho lasciato il mio cuore a Firenze" - I left my heart in Florence - (June 1946).  The book is a 300 page biography, published by Semper, which covers the life of "the voice of Florence in the world" from his beginning.  A book full of news, curiosities and photographs written by the musical critic, Giovanni Ballerini, with a preface by one of the best experts in the field of Italian songs, Paolo Limiti.

But during our telephone conversation, wherein Narciso retraces his early years, it is to his time spent in Campi Bisenzio that he frequently returns to and where he lingers over memories linked to his youth and the second world war…..he tells me of friends lost In the war, of them dying a hero's death, of the pain he has carried within him all his life……melancholy stories, measured, sometimes, by pauses of uncertainty during which, in the background, one hears the voice of his wife Fiorella, (to whom he has been married for 51 years), who reminds Narciso of names he cannot remember; sometimes, cadenced by meaningful silences falling after raw anecdotes, my imagination leads me to see those people, those places and even recreate the smell and noise of bombings. 

The post-war years were hard, but in Narciso's heart can be heard "i bei tempi che furono", (the good times that were),  the time of "….that Florence described in my songs….. Mattinata fiorentina, Firenze sogna…..", "i tempi di una Firenze sana….", Florentine morning….., Florence dreaming…., the times when Florence was good….   
In truth, Narciso Parigi is "a Tuscan from another time", but nevertheless a reality to be proud of.  For yesterday, today, tomorrow.