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Recent Posts
- Overnight on the Via dei Monti Lariani December 1, 2022
- The Queen of England’s Como Court October 6, 2022
- Maslianico’s Smuggler Paths August 9, 2022
- The Road to Rome (via Como) July 13, 2022
- Water Taxis and Lake Como’s Vaporina June 22, 2022
Categories
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Recent Posts
- Overnight on the Via dei Monti Lariani December 1, 2022
- The Queen of England’s Como Court October 6, 2022
- Maslianico’s Smuggler Paths August 9, 2022
- The Road to Rome (via Como) July 13, 2022
- Water Taxis and Lake Como’s Vaporina June 22, 2022
Categories
Tag Archives: partisans
‘James Bond’ drops into Lake Como
A real ‘James Bond’ secret agent drops into Lake Como, is immediately arrested but eventually acts as the facilitator of the Italian Armistice in September 1943 – a story truly stranger than fiction Continue reading
Posted in Events, History, Lake, People, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged Badoglio, Dick Mallaby, Eisenhower, Faggeto Lario, Lake Como, partisans, Pognana, San Donnino, secret agents, SOE, spies, Wolff
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Como’s Star-Crossed Lovers: 2 – ‘Gianna’ and ‘Neri’
Como’s Star-Crossed Lovers: 2 – ‘Gianna’ and ‘Neri’ On 6th January 1945 two lovers were arrested by fascists. 3 months later, they were murdered by their own colleagues on the orders of Communist leaders in Milan. An awful tragedy. Continue reading
Lake Como’s Star Crossed Lovers: 1) Osvaldo and Louisa
Lake Como’s Star Crossed Lovers: 1) Osvaldo and Louisa – the story of two film stars from the fascist era. He was ‘addicted to morphine and she was addicted to him’ and this led to their tragic end on April 30th 1945. Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Events, History, People, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged Banda Koch, Cinecitta, cinema, cinevillaggio, Decima MAS, fascists, History, Junio Valerio Borghese, Lano D'Intelvi, Louisa Ferida, Marozin, Osvaldo Valenti, partisans, Pietro Koch, RSI, Smuggling, telefoni bianchi, Vega, Villa Fossati, Villa Triste
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Como’s Lake Montorfano: Commandos, Contraband and the CIA
Como’s Lake Montorfano: Commandos, Contraband and the CIA. How a commando group trained on Lake Montorfano became the model after April 25th 1945 for post war covert anti-communist action across Western Europe. Continue reading
Posted in crime, History, People, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged Allen Dulles, Angleton, CIA, Decima MAS, Gladio, Liberation Day, Mario Rossi, Montorfano, nazifascism, OSS, P2, partisans, Piazza Fontana, Politics, Porlezza, Prince Julio Valerio Borghese, RSI, spallone, spies, Ugo Ricci, Vega
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Clouds Over Como: Lest We Forget
Clouds over Como: In remembrance of the cruelties, deprivations and deaths suffered by all sides during the Nazi occupation and subsequent insurrection at the end of the 2nd World War – when Como was at the centre of the maelstrom. Continue reading
Posted in History, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged 52nd Garibaldini, Albergo Firenze, Capitano Neri, Claretta Petacci, Dante Gorreri, Gianna, Hotel Posta, Mussolini, Paolo Porta, partisans, Pietro, San Donnino
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‘Como Antifascista’ – Then and Now
‘Como Antifascista’ – Then and Now. How Como’s workers helped defeat nazifascism in Italy, in celebration of April 25th 1945 – Liberation Day 2018. Continue reading
Posted in Events, History, People, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged ANPI, antifascism, CLN, Gianna, Liberation Day, Mussolini, Neri, partisans, PCI, Schuster, strikes, war
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From Liberation Day to May Day
April 25th was Liberation Day in Italy – a public holiday to honour the signing of the Armistice in Rome 72 years ago. This brought an end to the Nazifascist regime in Northern Italy. It is a day of commemoration … Continue reading
Posted in Events, History, People, Places of interest, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged antifascists, Aramis, Como, fascists, garibaldini, Liberation Day, Metropole Suisse, Moltrasio, Mussolini, partisans, Pedro, Schiefer, war
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Como’s ‘Viaggi della Salvezza’ – In Memory of the Holocaust
Last 27th January was Holocaust Memorial Day in both UK and Italy – and even though Como Companion is behind schedule on this, I would like to mark the event by looking at the heroic activities of one particular group … Continue reading
Posted in Events, History, Itineraries, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized
Tagged Bisbino, Borders, bugone, cernobbio, corrias, customs, DELASEM, don marmori, gdf, guardia di finanza, holocaust, jews, medaglio d'oro, partisans, second world war, viaggi della salvezza, war
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Tribute to Marco Pannella
Yesterday (19th May 2016) an extraordinary politician died of cancer in a Rome hospital. He was Marco Pannella. Italian politics does not and will not feature heavily on this site but Pannella was special, even inspirational – and he was … Continue reading
25th April Liberation Day – Como’s Role in the Insurrection
Some of you may not be aware that the last hours of Mussolini’s fascist regime were played out on the banks of Lake Como – and that those few eventful days following the general insurrection on April 25th 1945 would … Continue reading
The Como Companion 