Memorial Dalla Chiesa to take place in Bologna
The 25th edition of the Italian Memorial Dalla Chiesa Masters is upon us once more. There will be four days of events of the highest level, from December 8 to 11, in memory of General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa and his wife Emanuela Setti Carraro, who were murdered by the mafia along with the agent Domenico Russo, on September 3, 1982 in Palermo.
It has been five decades of this manifestation that in early December brings together the stars of the show jumping at the facilities of the Gese of San Lazzaro riding club, near Bologna. The Gese has been the ‘home’ of the Memorial since its first edition in 1992, commissioned by the Setti Carraro Dalla Chiesa Foundation and realized through the efforts of Alessandro Zanini Mariani, Andrea Monti Riffeser, Lucio Guastaroba and Mauro Checcoli.
San Lazzaro has been the stage of national and international show jumping, full, dressage, but also American and Paralympic riding for three decades. Especially in this last sector, thanks to the Aiasport Onlus team, the Gese is able to accommodate 140 riders with disabilities with their families every year. If the walls of the stables could talk they would tell countless stories of men and horses. However, the Memorial is a bit special. There are the elements that contain to make it so: the heroic figure of the general dalla Chiesa, the great love for his young wife, broken by the death that befalls them tragically less than two months after the wedding, the solidarity, the Foundation for the treatment of chronic diseases in infants.
And then of course there is the sporting challenge at the highest level. The quality is guaranteed by the prestige of the riders such as Roberto Arioldi, Filippo Moyersoen, Arnaldo Bologni and son Filippo along with Massimo Grossato, Roberto Previtali and Stefano Brecciaroli. Back once again will be Juan Carlos Garcia, Natale Chiaudani, Luca Calabro and son Andrea, Federico Ciriesi for the State Police, Stefano Nogara and Luca Marziani for the Airforce, Andrea Messersì, Elisa Baldazzi, Andrea Riffeser Monti, the only non-professional rider to have written his name in the gold competition.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the event and for the first time in its history, competitors will get access to the Grand Prix without prior qualification. A choice dictated by the desire to allow all riders with th II license to take part in this symbolic and important event. The first round of the Grand Prix will take place on Sunday morning and decide the best twenty pairs through to the second round, with the final, which will be held in the afternoon. The prize pool (€50,000.00) will be divided between the top ten, the organizing committee will recognize a symbolic reimbursement for classed 11 to 20th place.
While waiting to find out who will be the winner of the Grand Prix on Sunday and thus the XXV edition of the Master of Italy, the first day of competitions will start Thursday, December 8 around lunchtime with the opener, a category 135 timed (Monrif Net prize, prize money € 2000,00), followed by a 140 in consecutive phases (IGP Decaux prize, prize money €4000.00).
“THE LEGAL JOURNEY“
The Masters more and more attempts to go beyond the strictly sporting context to convey the basic values of decency. Emerging from this intention there is the collaboration between the Committee organizer of the competition, in the figure of Lucio Guastaroba, and Caraco Association director and writer Alessandro Gallo. This year in particular, the Memorial Church crosses From “The Legal Journey“, the long tour along the Via Emilia della Citroen Mehari in honour of Neapolitan journalist Giancarlo Siani – murdered by the mafia in 1985 aboard his own Mehari; He had just turned 26. Every week the car is parked in a different area, where – in the presence of journalists and representatives of the world of legality and the fight against the mafia – are organized initiatives and events in memory of Giancarlo Siani, and to reflect on Mafia infiltration in the political fabric, economic social life in Emilia Romagna. The Bolognese areas of the tour were in Reno, the ITC Theatre in San Lazzaro and the drafting of QN – Il Resto del Carlino, media partner. The project, started on November 17 from Piacenza and will end in March in Ravenna and was possible thanks to the initiative and commitment of Caraco, Cna-Fita, Filt-Cgil, CGIL Emilia Romagna, I Lotto and Free. The Polis Foundation of Paolo Siani, Giancarlo’s brother, granted the use of the Mehari.
press office and pictures Antonella Montalti:
Photo exhibition of the Fanfare of Brigadier Marshals School of Florence, which traditionally concludes the Memorial
