The Caprotti marriages: Claudio and Paola Albera
A decade after the two older brothers, Claudio also got married, marrying Paola Albera in Florence in 1968. A 1970s-style ceremony, the bride in a short yellow dress, the groom in a simple light-coloured suit, the church full of daisies, but this third marriage too, after the birth of Andrea and Fabrizio, would end in divorce, leaving Paola with her beloved Villa Nadina in Forte dei Marmi.
The Caprotti marriages: Guido and Maria Luisa Austoni
A few months after the marriage of his elder brother Bernardo to Giorgina Venosta, the second brother, Guido in 1959, married Maria Luisa (known as Lu) Austoni, daughter of Benedetto, a surgeon and medical luminary, in the Milanese church, something that also merited the couple a small article in a newspaper. Friends and relatives surround the couple, who seem serene, and will remain so for a few years; but this marriage too, after a few years and two daughters, Bendetta and Elisabetta, will end.
The Caprotti marriages: Bernardo Caprotti and Giorgina Venosta
Bernardo and Giorgina met in Forte dei Marmi, and were married in Milan in November 1958, in the church of San Fedele packed with guests and, outside the gates, a crowd of onlookers. She was 17, he twice that age. The photo album shows smiles and joy around the newlyweds; the premises are all there, but they will not be fulfilled. The couple will separate despite the birth of two children, Giuseppe and Violetta.
“Le Ossa dei Caprotti”: the difference between journalistic reporting and history
In my view, the difference between journalism, political non-fiction and history lies in the research, which, in the case of history, is much more in-depth and is based, first and foremost, on the study of documents and archives. But the added value of this book also lies in the contributions from people who worked for or were close to Esselunga, a company with a much broader entrepreneurial spirit than one might think
The Caprotti family: Anna Zanchi Morpurgo, 1949
On the day of the car accident that killed him, grandfather Peppino was not alone. At his side sat a woman he had been seeing for a couple of years, and he suffered very serious injuries. I only discovered much later that her name was Anna Z., and we knew her well. A series of photographic portraits immortalising her beauty are preserved in the archives of the Braidense Library in Milan.
Giuseppe Caprotti tells his story at the event organised by the Soroptimist Club Monza
The interview retraced Caprotti’s life at Esselunga, citing his pioneering projects in Italian retail, from the introduction of organic products to loyalty programmes and the first corporate responsibility initiatives
Le Ossa dei Caprotti’ presentation – Soroptimist, 29 October 2025
I really stopped. During that long difficult period we talked about earlier, I stopped completely. It was a time of silence, of isolation. But then, with the end of the court case and Covid, I chose to look forward. I decided to see the Covid crisis as an opportunity to help. From there my personal rebirth and my work in the Guido Venosta Foundation was born
Pierre Maire, brother of my grandmother Marianne Maire
Elder brother of my grandmother Marianne Maire Caprotti, he was a talented and renowned pianist and composer, director of the prestigious École normale de musique de Paris Alfred Cortot. A professor of piano, he gave numerous radio concerts with well-known artists, the composer Arthur Honegger, the musician and composer Arthur Hoérée and his wife, the soprano Régine de Lormoy.
Marianne’s early years
My grandmother Marianne Maire, daughter of Georges Maire, who went from being a clerk to an executive in a textile industry, and Fernande Kampmann, heir to a family tradition in the fine craft of straw hats, met Peppino Caprotti in 1922 as a young student in her hometown. Two years later she married him and together they began their life in Italy.
The family’s French origins: Georges Maire and Fernande Kampmann, parents of Marianne Maire Caprotti
Georges Maire (1870-1931), a director in a textile industry, and Fernande Kampmann (1877-1970), were the affectionate maternal grandparents of Marianne Maire Caprotti, a Frenchwoman from Alsace who married Peppino Caprotti in 1924.
