🇮🇹100th Edition Level 1
100th Edition — I Was There
There are moments in your life where you realize you didn’t just show up for work…
You showed up for something that will outlive you.
This was one of those moments.
Bovino.
A place most people will never find on a map.
But somehow, it became a destination for over 900 barbers from all over the world.
And this time… I wasn’t just attending.
I was part of it.
The 100th edition of the Scapicchio Academy.
A number that sounds big—until you stand there and realize what it actually represents. Years of discipline. Generations of repetition. And one man who refused to let this craft fade into mediocrity.
Luigi Scapicchio.
Something Changed
This edition was different.
You could feel it before anything even started.
Before the first razor touched stone…
Before the first stroke on skin…
Something shifted.
NEXT LEVEL.
Not a marketing term. Not a slogan.
A direction.
Level 1 stays in Bovino.
Level 2 moves to Ghent.
Ambassador returns to Italy—with me stepping in as mentor.
That’s not expansion.
That’s responsibility.
Because when something grows, you either protect it…
or you lose it.
The Weight of Tradition
We stood inside the castle.
Stone walls. Silence. History pressing in from every side.
And then Luigi spoke.
Not loudly. Not dramatically.
But with weight.
He thanked the people who never left his side. The ones you don’t see online. The ones who build things without needing credit.
Then Vincenzo stepped in.
His father.
And suddenly this wasn’t about barbering anymore.
This was about legacy.
You didn’t need to understand Italian to feel what was happening. You could see it in the room. In the faces. In the silence.
Even the Americans—jetlagged, far from home—stood there, trying to process something they couldn’t explain.
Because some things go beyond language.
Work Begins
Then we got to work.
No warm-up. No bullshit.
Steel. Stone. Focus.
Different razors. Different steels.
Full hollow. Full wedge. Kamisori.
The system is simple.
It works—or it doesn’t.
And here, there’s nowhere to hide.
I watched. I corrected. I stepped in where needed.
Not to show—I’ve done that long enough.
But to guide.
Because that’s the shift.
You stop proving.
You start building.
Italy Doesn’t Rush
Lunch came the way it should.
No stress. No shortcuts.
Food. Wine. Time.
And then straight back to work.
Because discipline doesn’t disappear just because the table is full.
The Test
Day two is where things get real.
You walk in—and he’s already there.
Vincenzo.
Watching.
No words needed.
He picks up a razor… and you realize again how far this craft can go. Small angles. Invisible pressure. Movements that look simple—until you try them.
Then the candidates step in.
Not in silence.
In chaos.
Real barbershop chaos.
Noise. Movement. Pressure.
They shave. They adapt. They get tested—not by me—but by the other masters.
No protection. No bias.
Then stones.
Freehand. Different blades. No excuses.
And then… silence.
Decisions get made.
Final.
They all passed.
No shortcuts.
Meanwhile… The Future Walks In
While all this is happening…
Level 1 continues.
Mistakes. Sweat. Corrections.
The Italian way.
Controlled chaos. Precision inside disorder.
And then you see something that makes everything click.
The 7th generation.
Gaia Scapicchio.
Not standing on the side.
Not observing.
Working.
She watches. She corrects. And at one point, she just steps in and executes a haircut.
Clean. Calm. No hesitation.
That’s not talent.
That’s years of watching before touching a tool.
That’s lineage.
That’s how this survives.
This Isn’t the End
100 editions.
Let that sink in.
And still—it feels like we’re only getting started.
Everyone was there.
Captain Fawcett.
France Cadillac.
ROMAIN.
The Gallego family—the second oldest barber family in the world, still shaving father to son.
Not because they had to be.
Because they understand.
This isn’t a trend.
This isn’t a business model.
This is a craft carried by people who refuse to let it die.
What It Means for Me
Being part of this…
It changes something.
You stop thinking short-term.
You stop chasing noise.
You start building things that last.
And you realize:
This isn’t about being the best in the room.
It’s about making sure the room still exists in 50 years.
And We Move Forward
100 is not a finish line.
It’s a checkpoint.
Next Level has started.
And this time—
I’m not just part of the story.
I’m helping write the next chapter.
Want to join the Scapicchio Academy at ROMAIN in Ghent, belgium?
Get in touch to plan your 1-on-1 training with Master barber Stijn De Sutter and take your straight razor, honing and shaving services to the next level. Send us a Email
Ready for the real thing?
If you want more than just a good story and you’re ready to sharpen your craft (or your own look), you know where to find us.
From straight razor training and honing on natural stone to classic shaves and serious beard work in the chair, ROMAIN Barbershop & Academy in Ghent is where it actually happens—no noise, no shortcuts.
Book a service in ROMAIN
https://booking.optios.net/6064/select-location
Follow the journey
ROMAIN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/romain_ghent
Stijn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desutter_stijn
Stijn on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@desutter_stijn
Academy info, courses or questions
Email: info@romainghent.be and we’ll take it from there.
Website ROMAIN: http://www.romainghent.be
Website Scapicchio Academy: http://www.scapicchioacademy.com
