Characters...and more

Giuseppe Agnello was born on 5 February 1888, son of Santo and Concetta Cultrera. In 1913 he obtained the Bachelors Literature Degree; he taught literary subjects in many secondary schools (in Adrano, Caltanissetta and Catania) until 1916. In 1921 he began to teach again at the High School T. Gargallo of Siracusa, where, meantime, he became a member of the Popular Party founded by Don Sturzo, starting his political commitment. His anti-fascist attitude was the cause of his stop from teaching.
In 1943, after the fall of the fascism, he became Director of Education and Christian Archeology Professor at the University of Catania since 1948 to 1963, when he retired to private life.
He published several titles about politic, history and art in Sicily, like Swabian architecture in Sicily, awarded by the Royal Italian Academy in 1936, despite the ostracism of the fascism.
He also wrote for many magazines (especially about Christian Archeology and Architecture), giving a strong contribute to the develop of these subjects: he founded the National Congress of Christian Archeology; the first one took place in Siracusa (1950). He also became the president of the scientific committee (1967-1975).
He died on 28 September 1976 in Siracusa.
Ten years later Canicattini Bagni reminded him naming the Town Library with his name: Biblioteca Comunale Giuseppe Agnello.

Santo Aiello (1899-1967), was one of the best stonecutters in town he was gifted with very good technical skills and a big creativity.
He was the only one, during his long activity period, who maintained a stylistic coherence clearly inspired to the Art Nouveau.
After a short time as trainee in Palazzolo Acreide he began to work very young in Canicattini, ending his activity in 1947, when he moved to Canada.
Among his many artworks, the front of the building placed along Via Vittorio Emanuele (251) is a pearl of the Sicilian Art Nouveau: it made Aiello acclaimed as original, versatile and, primarily, modern artist.

Sebastiano Ajello, Church Minister, he was born on 31 October 1871, son of Emanuele and Vincenza La Rocca.
After the primary school he began to study at the Archbishops Seminary of Siracusa, where everyone could know his smartness; he became priest in 1894.
Man of culture, he was literature professor at the Seminary and director of the Alagonian Library for a very long time; he also wrote for numerous newspapers and magazines.
He was very attached to the town, living its political and social events for fifty years, influencing and sometimes forcing them thanks to his strong nature; he became famous after the publication of the Illustrated Dictionary of the Sicilian municipalities which contained a monograph about Canicattini (1907).
He died in 1954.
After this short presentation, it is impossible not to write about the greatest thing he made: his interesting personal library; he collected about 4000 books, some of which date back to 1500 (the famous Cinquecentine), while others are more recent (1900).

Arturo Basile was born on 16 January 1914, his family moved to Torino when he was 9; he studied oboe at the Music Conservatory G. Verdi until 1933, when he obtained the diploma. After an army experience, he joined the E.I.A.R. Symphony Orchestra of Turin.
He won the international contest for young conductors (St. Cecilia Academy) on 20 May 1946, then he moved to Rome, where his intense activity in the field of the Opera led him to collaborate with record companies, important theaters and famous singers like Maria Callas, Tebaldi, Di Stefano, Corelli and Del Monaco.
He died at 54 years old in a tragic car accident next to Vercelli: his bright career ended in this way just before he would become director of the La Scala of Milano. He left a valuable heritage in the history of the Italian Opera anyway.
Canicattini named its music school Arturo Basile to remind him.

Giovanni Boncoraggio was born on 27 June 1831. His father, Francesco, was from Ragusa and he moved to Canicattini at the beginning of 800 to work in the Feud Cardinali; instead his mother, Anna Maria Mangiafico, was from Siracusa; he had two brothers.
Giovanni was the most important exponent of the brigandage in the area of Siracusa, right after the Unification of Italy. When the ownership of the feud passed from the Baron Carchici (from Catania) to the Baron D. Concetto Musso (from Palazzolo), Giovannis family started to become poor: for this reason he felt rage towards Musso, and as he was a man with a huge physical strength, Musso engaged him as his lackey. Then, with the help of false witnesses, Musso had him arrested for theft for seven years. In 1860, thanks to the Act of Oblivion ordered by Garibaldi he was released but in 1864 he was arrested again and sentenced to 10 years of hard labour.
Some years later he escaped from the prison of Palmeria; he came back to the town where he took the charge of a small brigand gang, which, under his leadership, extended its range of action throughout the whole district of Siracusa; there were a lot of robberies, kidnappings, sometimes murderers until the day Giovanni and his men were captured by Carabinieri in the Cisternazza cave (Cavadonna) where they were hiding.
Thirty-three years later he came back to Canicattini where he died on 1 April 1910. He is buried in his familys crypt.
Professor Vincenzo Ficara wrote a book about him, naming it Giovanni Boncoraggio and the syracusan brigandage, telling us the life of this charming man, so far ignored by essayists and historians.

Teresa Carpinteri was born on 4 September 1907, daughter of Francesco Consiglio and Clelia Alfieri. Teresa spent her first years in Canicattini, studying classical subjects at T. Gargallo High School of Siracusa and then at the University of Catania where she obtained the Literature Bachelors Degree; afterwards she moved to Pisa, where she studied Archeology and Philology; then she transferred to Rome, having to teach in some high schools.
She collaborated with important magazines like The New Antology , The literary fair, Video ; she also published several novels like Lady from Belfronte, Dionea, LEringio and The stars of Dipper, getting the reviewers attentions and the readers assents tank to her artistic sensibility and complete mastery of the writing technique.
She died on 30 October 1990 in Anzio; she was buried in her familys vault in Siracusa beside her beloved mother.

Laura di Falco Carpinteri was born on 3 September 1910. She spent her childhood in Canicattini, where she began to study, then she attended at the T. Gargallo High School of Siracusa; in 1932 she got the Philosophy Bachelors Degree at the University Normale of Pisa, obtaining the highest rating. Subsequently she moved to Rome, where she taught in formation schools, because the fascism did not allow women to teach in high schools; there she met the most important cultural environments.
Her first work was the short story The half-April promenade, published by the daily newspaper La Nazione of Firenze in 1948. She became famous when she started to collaborate with the weekly magazine Il Mondo, one of the most eminent journal of the postwar period.
She wrote nine novels and more than forty short stories: notable reviewers like Eugenio Montale, Aldo Bocelli, Carlo Muscetta, Walter Mauro and Mario Sipala have always given her their approvals; her favourite topics were always current despite of the time changes: youth issues, womens living conditions, environmental degradation and the modern societys crisis. She also won some prestigious awards like the Savarese, the Sybaris Magna Grecia and the Vittorini.
She was a painter too: her artworks represent still lifes.
She died in Rome on 6 February 2002.

Pasquale Carpinteri, born in 1902, also known as Cavaliere Pasqualino; he was a member of one of the richest families at that time. He spent his childhood in town and, when his father died, he moved to Siracusa and then to Catania, where he opened a prosperous business activity.
At the age of 70, when he retired from business, his love for painting began to grow up, maybe to escape from reality, perhaps to become almost like a form of spiritual compensation; his constant source of inspiration was Canicattini, the beloved hometown, which was revisited and rediscovered every time in a different way and with different images, models and perspectives, some of which elaborated using eccentric and fantastic shapes.
He died on 5 November 1996.

Salvatore Lombardo Carpinteri was born in 1812 and, since he was just a kid, he showed his talent for drawing. In 1837 he got reached the Architecture Degree at the University of Catania, right before moving back to his hometown, because he did not have enough money to stay there.
He worked in Canicattini, paying attention to its social and economic problems, from the expansion of its area to the restoration of the Mother Church, which had been destroyed by the earthquake in 1848. His most important merit was to understand the great benefits that would be derived from the surrounding countrysides and from the utilization of the water carried by the River Cardinali, which was illegally used by the Baron Musso to irrigate his lands.
He died in 1879.
A stone on the front of his native home in Via XX Settembre and the Town Council Room dedicated to him prove the gratitude of the population towards an eminent citizien who put his professionality available to the community.

Salvatore Carpinteri was born on 8 April 1927. He was young when he moved to Rome to study classic subjects, completing his course in 1955, when he graduated at the University of Catania with a thesis about the Christian Archeology; in 1956 he came back to Rome to attend a master about the same subject.
In 1960 he attended the Ancient Theater advanced course at the Ancient Drama Institute of Siracusa. Then he taught at the secondary school and at the high school here in Canicattini. He was also interested in painting and in poetry getting gratifying results since he published collections like The temples on the beach, Poetry, A trip down memory lane, A short fable, The Immaculate Virgin Mother of Gods rose garden, The wood of the Sacred Love, Wind of May.
He also left a large painting production, exhibiting it in Milan, Varese, Brescia and Siracusa.
He died on 2 March 1992, in Siracusa.

Antonio Cianci was born in 1891, leaving the town very soon to become a member of the Franciscan Order of the friars Minori Conventuali; many people from Canicattini know him thanks to his Scuola di Atene (by Raffaello) and the Assunta (by Tiziano) replicas, painted fulfilling the desire of the emigrans, placed respectively in the mayors room in the city hall and in the apse of the Mother Church.
He performed his artistic activity in Messina (church of St. Orsola), Palermo (churches of St. Francesco and Sacro Cuore della noce) and in Louiseville, Canada (church of St. Antonio).
In addition to sacred works made with the encaustic technique, his production also includes classics replicas, still lifes, landscapes and, mostly, portraits.
He died in 1976.

Salvatore Cianci was born in 1921. Like his father had done before, he graduated in Medicine with a master in Obstetrics and Gynecology; he began to teach in Universities, becoming soon professor and director of the II Hospital Department of the University of Catania.
As a member of several national and international medical societies, he was a careful studious and a scrupulous researcher, particularly about the female genitals cancer, leaving a large number of high scientific level publications concerning this topic.
In addition to being a serious and conscientious worker, Prof. Cianci was a very generous and helpful man, as many people from Canicattini know, having been his friends as well as his patients.

Salvatore Cultrera was born on 20 September 1924, son of Giuseppe, master mason, and teresa Cianci, also known as a Masciuvarina (this nickname means daughter of master Avarino), who managed a little gift shop. His parents decided to retire Salvatore from studies right after he had finished the primary school, because they wanted him to become a master mason and a stonecutter; so, he started his apprenticeship with the help of his elder brother Antonino, who was already famous in this job sector.
Salvatore has been the last of the great sculptors from Canicattini, which developped their art especially during the period between the two World Wars; he worked in a very professional way, using several materials (wood, marble, freestone) thanks to his skills and talents, as well as his studies and researches about famous artists. He also obtained good results as a painter.
Nowadays there are a lot of his works both in Canicattini and in many town around Sicily: front ornaments, chapels, tombs and churches; he also painted the apse of the Master Church and numerous vaulted roofs of private houses in town.

Don Vincenzo Miano was born on 28 June 1910 as the eldest son of four brothers.His father Salvatore (Don Turiddu u pipiddu) was a shoemaker and his dream was Vincenzo to become an engineer. His mother, Maria Ciarci, had a priest as her brother, who, however, did not have any influence on Vincenzos future religious choices; when Vincenzo was only 10 years old, helped by his parents, he began to attend at the Salesian School of Catania, so that he could receive a solid moral and intellectual education, although Salvatore had not renounced to his dream, having the secret intention about to change Vincenzos mind at the right time. But Vincenzo, although he was sincerely saddened of being unable to satisfy his fathers desire, listened only to the strong voice of his soul, continuing his studies until 1930 when he graduated first in Philosophy and five years later in Theology at the Gregorian University of Rome.
On 5 August 1934, he got the priestly ordination from the Archbishop Maranzin in the Mother Church of Canicattini; afterwards he taught at the Salesian Pontificals of Turin and Rome, where he stayed until his death (28 June 1980).
He left important writings like A conversation with the atheists and Study on atheism and dialogue formation ; among his numerous philosophical and theological publications, Metaphysical and Epistemological problems, Problematicism and Education, The faiths problem deserve to be nominated.

Michele Morale was born in 1874 with an eclectic soul, dealing with painting, sculpture and music; but his true passion was the math, discipline to which he had a very big talent, becoming, after his degree, a researcher who published several math books.
He was also a teacher, at the T. Gargallo high school of Siracusa, and subsequently he became its headmaster.
He died in 1937.

Mario Daniele Partexano was born in 1637, son of the VII Baron of Canicattini, Niccolò Daniele (Baron from 7 July 1636) and Eleonora Partexano; he became the VIII Baron of Canicattini on 10 January 1669; then he refounded the heart of the town on this large area, adding to its name the word Bagni (it was derived from the homonym feud, which had existed since the XVI century)and, for this reason, King Carlo II gave to him the noble title of I Marquis of Bagni on 20 Dicember 1680; in 1673 he also got the mero e misto impero, that was the actual freedom to manage the justice inside his feud.
He married Anna Pallavicino and Cordova, having nine sons from her.
He died in Canicattini on 21 March 1719, as it is written in the Mother Churchs death register of that year.
On 21 August 2015 Canicattini Bagni has commemorated its foundation (21 July 1682), titling to the founder a street placed in the heart of the old town, the same place where had risen the first core of the village, between via Regina Elena and via Principessa Jolanda, in front of the Church of the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Pietro Pernice was born on 13 March 1904 in Scordia (district of Catania). He obtained very soon a clarinet diploma, thanks to his excellent talent added to his studies. When he was 22 he won the EIAR (now it is known as RAI) recruitment competition to become a member of its Symphony Orchestra, so he began an intense work based on concerts; during a tour in Argentina he was engaged by the Rio De Janeiro Symphony Orchestra as first clarinet.
He came back to Italy in 1933, moving to Siracusa where he became the deputy director as well as the solo clarinet of the local band; after the World War II he moved to Canicattini Bagni, becoming director both of the the Town Band and the School of Music, until his death on 6 February 1983.
Master Pernice was a skillfull arranger and composer, as witnessed both by his rich production and by the many awards won thanks to his compositions for the band; among his copious and varied musical production, largely preserved at the public library, we could mention the famous Song Books and, above all, the numerous marches like Alba radiosa and Rose rosse, awarded with the gold medal in national contests.

Father Rosario Pitruzzello was born in Melilli on 3 November 1923. He began to attend at the seminary at the age of 13 and, at the end of his studies, he was ordered priest by the archbishop Ettore Baranzini, on 29 June 1951; His first duty was as deputy priest at the Mother Church of Vittoria, where he remained until 1956, when the bishopric of Ragusa become autonomous, so he had to come back under the orders of the bishop of Siracusa.
Then he was first in Floridia and then in Cassaro where he had his own church, staying there until October 1963, when he was transferred to Canicattini Bagni to become the minister at the church of Maria SS Ausiliatrice, in place of Father Gallo, which had been relocated to the Sacred Heart of Siracusa.
In September 1966 he became priest at the Mother Church where he exerted his mandate until his death on 30 July 2013.
Father Pitruzzello has been a religious with an uncommon kindness and sensitivity; on 29 August 2013, 30 days after his death, the Municipal Administration changed the name of the street Ronco Matrice with Ronco Don Rosario Pitruzzello to pay an homage to him.

Paolo Rio was born on 2 March 1892. He wrote his first verses at the age of 17, while he was studying at the Seminary of Moncalieri, preferring as his favourite models God, the religion and the beauty; in 1910 he published Scrawls and Scribbles and some humorous stories, like How it was that I got married. He usually dedicated his poems to several women, to other poets and writers like Giosu Carducci, and to some personalities from Siracusa too.
In 1917 he graduated in Law in Catania and in 1921 he also obtained the Bachelors Literature Degree in Palermo. He taught Italian language and Latin at the Classic High School of Siracusa; in 1940 he became headmaster at the Scientific High School Corbino of Siracusa; he was an exemplary teacher , full of initiatives and proposals; he also published articles, participating actively in every manifestation of the school.
His ideals were the Family, the School and the Motherland; for these reasons he joined the Fascism playing a very important role, as he was a press officer of the party. In 1943, when the British Army came to Sicily he was arrested and enclosed at the concentration camp of Padula; he was released in September 1945 after a legal trial which discharged him from every indictment, and then he was reinstated as headmaster of the high school.
He died in Ragusa on 28 may 1956 while he was the president of the Commission for the Teacher Training School Competition.

Giuseppe Sudano was born 1906. He was a skillful craftsman, expert in wrought iron processing. He started to work in his fathers workshop, which was active in the production, the installation and repair of items belonging to several areas: horseshoes, agricultural tools, precision objects (scales, guns), waterworks, railings, gates, doors, chandeliers etc; especially about these last kind of works, Sudano had his best talent, added to an excellent technique, thanks to which he could make fine works, which were always in harmony with the architecture of the building that had to receive them.
His wrought iron works are integrated in the most important buildings of the city: the town hall, the Sacred Heart Institute, the saving bank, the Ruscicas palace (Via Vittorio Emanuele), including several gates for the chapels of the historic cemetery and for some nearby towns churchyards (Floridia, Solarino).
He died in 1967.

Antonino Uccello was born on 13 September 1922. His childhood was sad and hard due to the death of his father; his maternal grandfather took care of him, (Antonino reminded him in his works) influencing his personality. He began to study classics (he spent some years in a seminary) and his teachers appreciated him for his cleverness added to his significant poets reading, like Montale and Quasimodo.
In 1944 he married Anna Caligiore, then, forced by the dark times, he had to move to Lombardy. The postwar period is the key moment of his education, being characterized by a strong cultural awakening; from this time he began strenuous activities, paid by himself, to save an ethnographic heritage which was about to become exint if he had not given birth to this great work of recovery and placing in his house-museum. The exciting events happened during this extraordinary adventure are related in the posthumous book Icaros house, in which there are more detailed informations.
Uccello died on 29 October 1979. He is buried in Canicattini Bagni.
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[1] Bartolo Mozzicato, Canicattini Bagni Tra storia e ricordi, 2001.
[2] Ibidem.
[3] La voce di Canicattini, Gennaio 1992, Pag 5.
[4] www.siracusanews.it, sito janiattini.it.
[5] Giuseppe Aloisio, Gazzetta di Siracusa, 29 Gennaio 1986,Pag 13.
[6] Paola Capp, Il Fondo Librario Laura e Teresa Carpinteri, Ottobre 2008.
[7] Vincenzo Ficara, La Voce di Canicattini, Marzo 2002, Pag 3.
[8] Vincenzo Ficara.
[9] Bartolo Mozzicato, Canicattini Bagni Tra storia e ricordi, 2001
[10] Michele Mozzicato, La Voce di Canicattini, Dicembre 2002, Pag 3.
[11] Bartolo Mozzicato, Canicattini Bagni Tra storia e ricordi, 2001.
[12] Ibidem.
[13] La Voce di Canicattini,Settembre 2010,Pag3.
[14] Salvatore Reale,La Voce di Canicattini, Settembre 2004, Pag 3.
[15] Bartolo Mozzicato, Canicattini Bagni Tra storia e ricordi, 2001
[16] Vincenzo Ficara, La Voce di Canicattini, Giugno 1994.
[17] Bartolo Mozzicato, La Voce di Canicattini, Marzo 2002,Pag 3.
[18] Salvatore Mozzicato, La Voce di Canicattini, Settembre 2013,Pag 4.
[19] Vincenzo Ficara, La Voce di Canicattini, Settembre 2001, Pag 3.
[20] Bartolo Mozzicato, Canicattini Bagni Tra storia e ricordi, 2001.
[21] Vincenzo Ficara, Provincia di Siracusa, Gennaio-Febbraio 1982.