A legendary West Leeds ice cream man has resurfaced to the delight and surprise of residents - with his famous van spotted out and about in the city on Tuesday (June 8).
Vittorio di Mascio hasn't been seen in his ice cream van for two years before this week - leaving many residents to wonder what had happened to him.
But on Tuesday, a member of the neighbourhood caught sight of di Mascio - better known as Mr Rossi - in Bramley.
Described by locals as a "legend", Mr Rossi is a bit of an institution in Pudsey and the surrounding areas. Now in his 80s, he's known for his smiley demeanour and has served ice cream to multiple generations for roughly 60 years now.
Two years ago, though, the popular ice cream man was left heartbroken after losing his wife and son within days of each other and subsequently disappeared.
A crowdfunder put together by neighbours helped him through the most difficult period, raising over £1,000.
Now he's back at it though - and people are overjoyed.
The resident in Bramley who spotted him was very much taken by surprise, having not heard his tune in some time.
"I was just sat in the garden and heard the tune he plays - I've never moved so quickly in disbelief," she stated.
"A little boy shouted 'Dad, Dad - Rossi is here' - he got an ice cream and I waved to him from the garden.
"He’s known four generations of our family."
The sighting was shared on Leedsplace Facebook group and prompted a big reaction from locals, many of whom thought that he had passed away and it was a new person driving the truck.
Suffice to say, they were overjoyed to hear that it was in fact the original Mr Rossi.
One said: "Aww is he still going....good old Italian Rossi!!!!"
Another said: "He must have been going at least 40 years now - we used to chase around the estate as kids on our bikes.
"Good old Rossi - god knows how that van of his is still going."
Another said: "Remember on my street it used to always be someones birthday for free ice cream. He was ace!"
While another added: "The nicest bloke around and has time for anyone and everyone. I've grown up with him visiting my street and now my little lad is doing the same."
News
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Georgina Pellant -
9th June 2021 
