“When you find a job you love, you’ll never be tired, and you’ll never grow old.” That’s what Diego D’Ambrosio, known in the U.S. as “the world’s most famous barber,” used to say. He passed away last October at the age of 87.
The presidents’ barber
In nearly 60 years in business, he has cut the hair of hundreds of U.S. presidents, ambassadors, and foreign heads of state from around the world, as well as senators, Supreme Court justices, and even the Pope, Sergio Mattarella, and Mario Draghi. His fame and success were truly incredible, so much so that, until 2021, he was the only living Italian to have a street named after him in the United States of America! In 2010, Washington Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, an Italian-African American, dedicated a section of Q Street—the street where the popular Diego’s Hair Salon is located—to him, naming it D’Ambrosio Way.
The secret of success
It’s an incredible story that began when Diego, born in 1934, left Santa Marinella (Rome) at just 25 to head to the U.S. capital, where the Italian Embassy was looking for a barber.
Here, he makes everyone appreciate his innate politeness and incredible talent for cutting hair. In 1961, he opened his shop in Dupont Circle, a few blocks from the White House, offering men’s and women’s haircuts. Humble and polite, thanks to word of mouth, he became for everyone Diego the Italian, a trusted barber, inexpensive and always giving a perfect cut. Il segreto del suo successo è semplice, ma al tempo stesso unico: mantenere sempre il sorriso, avere un buon caffè italiano da offrire, saper creare un’atmosfera amichevole grazie a un caloroso benvenuto e… ultimo, ma non meno importante, una tariffa fissa di 20 dollari!
Work and a sense of humor
Until 2021, Diego D’Ambrosio went to work every day with a smile. His children never managed to convince him to retire – at most, he worked two or three hours less per day! – and tell of his incredible energy and how working with customers helped him to stay young. And let’s not forget his sense of humor: when a customer called and asked who was the best at cutting hair, he would usually reply, “Everyone except Diego!” Finally, even though he had left Italy when he was just over twenty, whenever someone asked him about his homeland, he loved to say, “Italy is the flower I always carry in my heart”!
In 2008, the Italian Embassy honoured him for his ability to promote the true values of Italian culture.
Congratulations to those who bring the values of work and Italy to the world!