Dalla Chiesa, Carlo Alberto

(1920–1982)

   A general in the Carabinieri, Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa served the Italian state with great bravery against two deadly internal enemies: the terrorists of the Brigate Rosse/Red Brigades (BR), and the Sicilian mafia. Born in the province of Cuneo (Piedmont), Dalla Chiesa joined the Carabinieri in 1942. Most of his career was spent combating illegality in Campania and Sicily, although in 1968 he was placed in charge of relief efforts after the tragic earthquake in Palermo. In the early 1970s, he returned to Piedmont at a time of great political activism and violence in the factories of Turin. His success in combating terrorism in Piedmont led to his appointment as the national coordinator of antiterrorist activity following the tragic kidnapping and death of Aldo Moro. Much of the Italian state’s success in tracking down and defeating the menace of the BR can be attributed to Dalla Chiesa’s persistence and skill.

   In December 1981, Dalla Chiesa became vice-commander of the Carabinieri; a few months later, following the murder by the mafia of Pio La Torre, a deputy of the Partito Comunista Italiano/Italian Communist Party (PCI), he was sent to Palermo to direct the Italian state’s efforts to restore legality and order in Sicily. His tenure of the job was short-lived; in September 1982, Dalla Chiesa and his young second wife were ambushed and killed. Dalla Chiesa’s death caused a heated debate in Italy. In two passionate and detailed books, Dalla Chiesa’s university professor son, Nando, has argued the thesis that his father was assassinated by the crime bosses with the knowledge of senior politicians within the Democrazia Cristiana/Christian Democracy Party (DC).

   See also Police.