Luciano Pradal, the sunny man who used to offer passers-by a free chestnut from his sidewalk “fornella,” died earlier this year from heart failure and pneumonia. He was 79.Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Ottawa SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter.
He even wrote a book entitled “Chronicles of an Ottawa Chestnut Lover.” It’s a chatty diary of his interactions with customers while working as the city’s ‘castagnaro,’ its chestnut roaster.Photo by Jean LevacPradal’s daughter, Sophia, said her father was a happy, curious and engaging man, who considered himself an ambassador for the Italian community.Article contentPat Nicastro, the owner of La Bottega Nicastro, said Pradal always handed out free chestnuts to passing children.
Luciano Pradal was born during the Second World War on June 11, 1942, in Vittorio Veneto, a town in northeastern Italy. His father was a soldier in the war and perished on the Russian front while Luciano was still an infant.