Famous Varese inhabitants snobbed in their native country

 Antonio Greppi (in the picture) from Angera and Antonio Ghiringhelli from Brunello have been two great Italians. They have been friends since 1919 and today they are associated in the memory and in the civic and cultural story of our country: Greppi as the first Milanese Mayor after the Liberation, Ghiringhelli as supervisor of the Scala theatre, a temple of worldwide opera, since the beginning of its reconstruction.

Milan has honoured them and now it honours them again: the city dedicated to them two “larghi” (little squares) near the Scala itself and furthermore takes the opportunities offered by events or anniversaries to re-propose with unchanged gratitude their memory.

A short time ago in Angera, a commissioner who runs the municipality, decided to deny the council chamber for the presentation of a book on Antonio Greppi. The political and bureaucratic scruple of the commissioner provoked the indignation of the Angera inhabitants who have never forgotten their fellow-citizen.

The episode turned out to be unpleasant, but modest if compared to the massacre of the memory of Antonio Ghiringhelli which took place in Varese. Ghiringhelli was remembered and re-proposed to the attention of the city towards the end of the last century by “Lombardia Nord Ovest”, a magazine of the Chamber of Commerce, but he has never been seriously taken into account for an initiative that was worthy his worldwide fame. The theatre has been dedicated to Mario Apollonio from Brescia, a certainly first-rate personality in the international culture related to the theatre, while in Ghiringhelli’s honour there has only been a speech by Andrea Campane at Villa Panza and the proposal, as a future certainty, of dedicating to him a hall of the Apollonio theatre. I do not know if a plaque has been put in the hall, what is sure is that the probable dedication has never been mentioned during public events.

The city cultural environment and the civic administration have always snobbed Ghiringhelli; they paid attention to some strangers when there was the occasion to put the mistake right. It happened so with regard to the square that the “Impero” theatre overlooks and where moreover Edgardo Sogno, who won the gold medal in the Resistance Movement,  has been mentioned in the street guide of our capital of the province, not as such, but with the really improbable if not ridiculous qualification of statesman. In the postwar period the only Italian who was recognized as such, was apparently Alcide De Gasperi.

The inhabitants of Varese have more memory for the protagonists of the sport world and we do not have to be ashamed because thanks to the exploits of the single athletes or clubs we have at least spread in an international environment the work culture of our people.

We are a small but strong community, even in the endurance of the political seasons, which lasted decades, donated little to everyone. But we know well who is the responsible for this. It is enough to look at ourselves in the mirror.

In 2014 there will be the occasion for the sporting soul of Varese to celebrate a fiftieth anniversary which is worthy to recover the public memory: the first promotion to the top football Division. It was an unimaginable event, that was made possible thanks to the passion of Giovanni Borghi, owner of Ignis, and the participation of the city.

Thinking back to that long run-up towards the national sports limelight will help looking with more serenity to the difficult moments we are going through.