Journalist, author and historian. He has been widely considered the greatest italian journalist of the XX century. Montanelli's career began with a Law degree from the University of Florence in the early 1920s, where he wrote a thesis of on the electoral reform of Mussolini's fascism. He began his journalistic career by writing for the fascist newspaper "Il Selvaggio" (The Savage), and in 1932 for the "Universale", a magazine published only once fortnightly and which offered no pay. Montanelli admitted that in those days he saw in fascism the hope of a movement that could potentially create an Italian national coscience that would have resolved the economic and socioeconomic differences between the north and the south. This enthisiasm for the fascism movement began to wane when in 1935 Mussolini forced the abolition of the "Universale" along with other magazines and newspapers that expressed opinions on the nature of fascism. But it was in 1934, in Paris that Montanelli began to write for the crime pages of the daily newspaper "Paris Soir" then has a foreign correspondent in Norway and later in Canada. From there he began a collaboration with Webb Miller of the United Press of New York. While working for the United Press he learned to write for the lay public in an uncomplicated style that would distinguish him within the realm of Italian journalism. During his career, he worked as foreign correspondent in Spain for the daily newspaper "Il Messaggero" where he experienced the Spanish Civil War on the Francisco Franco's troops. In August 1939 Germany declared war on Poland and invaded it. Montanelli was sent to report from the front in a Mercedes accompanied by German state functionares. During the World War II, after the disastrous Italian invasion of Greece, Montanelli decided to join the partisan movement against the fascism regime, by joining the Partito d'Azione. Here he met with socialist Sandro Pertini (who would be President of Italy from 1978). Also, he founded and directed the newspaper "Il Giornale", after being sacked from the very prestigious "Corriere della Sera", in October 1973. It was during this experience, in 1977, that the Red Brigades terrorists shot him four times in the legs, in the streets of Milano. Montanelli died at the La Madonnina clinic in Milano at the age of 92. He was cremated and his ashes are in the family's chapel with his mother Maddalena.


**** A SPECIAL THANKS TO LAURA FERRETTI FROM ITALY, FOR SPONSORING THIS MEMORIAL. THANKS LAURA, AND GOD BLESS YOU. ****