With Serinithe cultural circle Anassilaos awarded another scout of great value, Mario Rizzoli (91 years old) among the founders of Catholic scouting in Reggio, of that ASCI – Italian Catholic Scout Association – which between 1946 and 1948 was housed in the rooms of the Bell Tower of the Reggio Cathedral, later home to the glorious “Aspromonte” division; and subsequently with the collaboration of the ecclesial assistant the late Msgr Vincenzo Lemboin the summer of 1978, in Gambarie, he founded the “Brutia” Scout Community, and then established the first community of Adult Scouts of Masci.
From Oreste Seriniformer teacher of physical education, in particular, the quality of an out-of-the-ordinary witness of the clandestine scouting also active in the city of Reggio Calabria in the years of the fascist dictatorial regime, the so-called period of “Silent jungle” in force from 1928 to 1943.
First scout headquarters to be founded in Calabria, May 1915, some leaders of the Cngei of Reggio made the decision in October ’28 to continue practicing scouting because it was considered an important educational method for training an independent and prepared young person from childhood. From this perspective, Nicola Serini enrolled the very young Oreste in the Gei scouts, as early as 1934, and every year in the summer, under the banner of the Department “Wolves of Aspromonte”, took part in the scout camps organized in secret in the woods of the Aspromonte massif until the end of the Second World War.
At the rebirth in Italy of the Cngei Nicola and Oreste are next to the late Raimondo Zagamiin relaunching secular scouting activities in Reggio and Calabria.
The satisfaction of Oreste Serini’s daughters is also expressed by the fact that their parent, on April 23rd, received from the scout leaders and managers of eight city scout associations – Agesci, Aic castorini, Cngei, Fse Scout d’Europa, Asci Explorers and Guides, Agiduemila, Masci, Scout Brutia – the appreciated task of representing the “Reggino Scout Movement”, made up of several thousand boys, on the occasion of the withdrawal from the hands of the Mayor Giuseppe Falcomatà, of the prestigious city merit of “San Giorgio Golden” 2024.
Among the qualities that distinguish Oreste Serini is the fact that he is still active today with his own profile on the social web – Facebook – in which he continues to publish many old photographs in memory of the numerous activities carried out within the CNGEI (National Corps of Young Explorers and Italian Explorers) of Reggio Calabria, in particular, of having been head of the Italian scout contingents participating in three Jamborees held between the 1950s and 1960s in different parts of the world.
Also for the “Anassilaos San Giorgio” prize awarded to Mario Rizzoli, great satisfaction is expressed by the various friends he has in the Reggio community, among whom are the engineer Cesare Cosentino, one of the main collaborators of the senior scout, and the ecclesial assistant scout and parish priest of Santa Caterina in Reggio Calabria, Don Ernesto Malvi.
The lawyer Mario Rizzoli with his wife Stefania reside in Legnano (Milan). Both active members of MASCI Lombardo, they founded the “G. Cova” where historical documents of Catholic Scouting are collected, the one rooted in Lombardy and in particular that of Reggino (Historical archive of the Scout Brutia). In his youth, with the rovers of the Montalto clan, based in the Cathedral of Reggio, having obtained land in Aspromonte from the Municipality, Rizzoli and the scout leader Ernesto Malvi, reclaimed a large area of woodland called Forge which became a well-known “scout camp” which in the summer it welcomes scout units from many Calabrian and Italian locations.
Mario Rizzoli and Msgr. Vincenzo Lembo, in the summer of 1978 they gave life to the “Brutia Community” with the aim of still maintaining the bonds and ideals of religiosity, fraternity and service of others, typical of Scouting, thus creating a stable connection between all adults coming from the Reggine Scout Organizations, and having as inspiring principles of its action the Catholic religious choice and the fundamental commitments established by the Law and assumed at the moment by the Promise Scouts. Obtained
In recent years, Mario Rizzoli was the inspirer of the project called “The Way of St. Paul: an urban trek in Reggio Calabria to discover the Apostle of the Gentiles” conceived and carried out by the city Scout Associations AGI2000, MASCI and SCOUT BRUTIA, and to which the Municipality of Reggio Calabria joined as a Partner with its Council resolution no. 131 of 8/7/2019, and subsequent adhesion of the Culture and Tourism Department to the Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the project.
Finally, realizing one of his dreams cultivated for decades, last March, he created a Foundation, with the aim of leaving a tangible sign of his gratitude to scouting, both from the South and the North, which participated, with his family , school and life experiences, to her education and growth, first as a youth and then as an adult.
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