‘Great-grandfather Umberto Quintavalle was a great manager and, unfortunately, an early fascist. During the First World War, his brother Bruno Antonio had been wounded in the head and (…) had met Paola Marelli in the hospital, the daughter of Ercole, founder of Magneti Marelli, who (…) worked as a nurse.
Bruno Antonio had already worked in his future father-in-law’s factory before the war and, after his marriage to Paola (…), had quickly risen to the position of managing director of what was to become one of Milan’s leading industries (…).
In the factory Bruno Antonio was (…) assisted by his brother Umberto (…) an engineer (…). Bruno Antonio also joined fascism, in 1924, and his connection with the regime earned the company several orders. (…) The two brothers (…), however, proved to be capable entrepreneurs and, having escaped the purges, were brought back to lead Magneti Marelli after the Liberation. Bruno Antonio remained the company’s head for a long time and then honorary president until his death in 1974, as did my great-grandfather Umberto, also vice-president until the end of his days in 1959′. (…). (p. 82).
My great-grandfather was not only a skier, but also an accomplished mountaineer. He died on 25 November 1959, at the age of 72, in Valsesia, falling from a ridge with skis on his feet, under the eyes of his great-grandmother Adele.
In 1964, Raffaele Cozzi and Bruno, Catullo and Claudio Detassis opened a via ferrata on the south-west face of Cima Molveno, in the Brenta Dolomites, which they dedicated to their grandfather Umberto and which has since been called Via Quintavalle. A route was also dedicated to Umberto Quintavalle in Rome, in the Tiburtino district.
In the photo above, his great-grandfather is with his beloved dogs in the park of his villa in Somma Lombardo, in 1946; in the photo below, he accompanies Maria Josè, Crown Princess of Piedmont, on a visit to Magneti Marelli in May 1942. Below is also a copy of one of the newspaper articles announcing Umberto’s tragic death.
Bibliographic references:
P.R. WILSON, La fabbrica orologio. Women and work at Magneti Marelli in fascist Italy, Milan, 2003
