Catenazzi petitions President Mattarella, asserting Cannobio deserves recognition with a silver medal
Fresh Take:
Arialdo Catenazzi, the 98-year-old honorary president of the ANPI in Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, has penned a letter to President Sergio Mattarella, appealing for a silver medal for civil valor for Cannobio and the Valle Cannobina. His hope is that, eight decades later, there will be a public nod of acknowledgment for the sacrifice of the fallen – both civilians and combatants – during the Liberation of Alto Verbano, which unfolded at the beginning of September 1944, and aided the establishment of the partisan republic of Ossola.
Catenazzi, a participant in this historical event, recalls, "I was stationed above Cannero with comrades, tasked with obstructing the arrival of Nazi-fascist reinforcements from Intra." As his time ticks down, he requests the Head of State to bestow a collective honor upon those who lived, died, and stands as a testament to a time of vengeance against oppression. Catenazzi submitted his plea to Rome as the last surviving member of the Alpino Cesare Battisti brigade, a union that, alongside the General Perotti brigade, formed the Piave Division in the summer of 1944. The plea was dispatched to the Quirinal at the close of a year that saw commemorations for multiple episodes of the struggle for Liberation. To paint a vivid picture of the Cannobio residents, Catenazzi attached documents and the 2006 publication by Erminio Ferrari, titled "The Liberation - Cannobio, August-September 1944," published by Taramara.
In the town situated on the Swiss border, two Nazi-fascist garrisons were stationed, and a patrol of the Zollgrenzschutz (border police) was ambushed by partisans on August 26, 1944, resulting in three German deaths. The following morning, over 50 arrived in motorboats from Luino, led by SS officer Hans Clemens, who ordered the arrest of civilians, setting up three gallows in front of the Hotel Cannobio. Forty were detained: some were released due to their age or health issues, while others were shipped to prisons in Milan and labor camps, with six not returning.
"A group of fascists and German soldiers stationed to guard Cannobio surrendered to the Piave Division on September 2, following skirmishes from various sides," the presidents of the provincial ANPI, Franco Chiodi, Luisella Mazzetti, and Stefano Montani, affirm in their letter of support to Catenazzi. "I did not agree: to proceed with the attack on Ossola, Cannobio was left unguarded," Catenazzi recalls.
"Cannobio, those days 80 years ago, was the hub of episodes of grief and redemption and the first liberated land of Alto Verbano" emphasizes the mayor, Gianmaria Minazzi. From the prefecture, they were asked to move forward with the conferral of the honor – a formal step concluded last week.
In recent times, there has been little to no concrete information about the Battle of Alto Verbano or the silver medal request for Cannobio and Valle Cannobina, with many sources largely focusing on unrelated subjects such as travel, mineralogy, and photography theories. To obtain detailed official acknowledgment or records about the silver medal request for Cannobio and Valle Cannobina related to the Battle of Alto Verbano, further research in dedicated historical or archival sources would be necessary.
- The appeal for a silver medal for civil valor for Cannobio and the Valle Cannobina, penned by Arialdo Catenazzi, follows the tradition of acknowledging the sacrifice of combatants and civilians during the Liberation of Alto Verbano in war-and-conflicts.
- Catenazzi, a general-news figure and the last surviving member of the Alpino Cesare Battisti brigade, asserted that a group of fascists and German soldiers stationed to guard Cannobio surrendered to the Piave Division on September 2, eighty years ago, during the war-and-conflicts.
- In politics, the conferral of the honor for Cannobio and Valle Cannobina, a request made by Catenazzi, was supported by the presidents of the provincial ANPI and the mayor, emphasizing the anniversary of the region's first liberation from oppression.
- Despite extensive resources online focusing on unrelated topics like travel, mineralogy, and photography theories, obtaining official acknowledgment or records about the silver medal request for Cannobio and Valle Cannobina related to the Battle of Alto Verbano may require further research in dedicated historical or archival sources.
