Yesterday morning, dozens of phone calls arrived at the Defense Cabinet, from Lebanon and Israel, because down there in Naqoura where General Claudio Graziano, as head of Unifil between 2007 and 2010, had his headquarters, still today many, military and civilian, have not forgotten it. When he left his post, Israel’s most famous journalist, Nahum Barnea, he wrote that “he left Lebanon on”Firefighter“, Graziano the Fireman”, because in three years there had been so many fires, fires, that the Italian generalwith his great skills as a soldier and diplomat at the same time, had been able to switch between Israelis and Hezbollah in that land still without peace today.
The funeral in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli
AND the pain is great now among the Italian soldierssimple and graduated, who worked with him in 50 years of career and who, in an ideal gigantic picket of honour, will go to greet him at the funeral, which should be celebrated on Friday in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, in Rome, the church of solemn farewells to the fallen of Nasiriyah and Afghanistan.
The Graziano boys
Everyone will probably be there (on Thursday at the funeral home at the Celio hospital). the «Graziano boys»as they call them in the environment, that is the generals and admirals who grew up under his wingwho reached the top by following in his footsteps and learning a lot from him: Giuseppe Cavo Dragone (Smd), Francesco Paolo Son (Covi), Carmine Masiello (Sme) and then Gerardo Restaino, now retired, who was the commander of the Italian contingent in Lebanon or Michele Risi, next commander of the Alpine Troops, the corps – it must be said – from which Graziano proudly came: Susa Battalion and then Taurinense Brigade, years 1976 and 1977. A lifetime ago now. This is a multi-voiced story, listening to the memories of General Antonio Bettelli who worked in Lebanon with him; of Lieutenant Colonel Gianfranco Paglia, gold medal for military valor; of Lieutenant Colonel Igor Piani, formerly in the Alpine troops and today at the Sme.
The arrival at Fincantieri
Graziano had left the Armed Forces two years ago, he was the president of Fincantieri and those who loved him say that «he continued to work at 70 years old day and night as he had done as a soldier, even if now he had an additional reason”, that of trying to fight the enormous nostalgia that assailed him at every moment when he thought back to Marisa, his wife, died of cancer in April 2023 and buried at Verano, where General Graziano was sure to always be close to her he had already bought a niche for himself too. Until yesterday, perhaps tired of so much struggle, he decided to give up.
«A symbiotic couple, a love story worthy of a film», lifelong friends tell it. «The crazy races to the McDonald’s in Piazza di Spagna like two teenagers to eat a sandwich together after work».
The long love story with his wife Marisa
She, Marisa Lanucara, who she always followed him everywhere and he also took care of his diet; he who called her from every corner of the world, whether it was the dangerous heights of Gulistan or his comfortable office in Brussels as head of the EU military committee (the last position before Fincantieri). «They had no children but for many Italian soldiers in Lebanon they acted as parents», friends say with tears in their eyes. And then love for cats and dogshis passion for the mountains, history books and the Dylan Dog comic.
Graziano was son of a railway managerhe could have done something else and instead as a boy he chose military life. «A visionary, someone who already talked about a European army many years agoOf cyber danger, someone who when the war broke out in Ukraine immediately said that it would last a long time”, recalls Lieutenant Colonel Paglia. «A tough guy but with an uncommon sensitivity – says General Bettelli – And with great charisma: he made his soldiers feel safe. And as only true leaders do, he was able to valorize the good ones, he recognized their talent.”
Igor Piani has one last memory: a rally of the Alpine troops in Asti in 2016 in front of the Minister of Defense, Roberta Pinotti, very fond of the general. That day Graziano paraded with her “her men” and decided at the last moment, passing in front of her, to salute her not with the visor but with a sign of taking off her hat. Greetings from a true Piedmontese gentleman, such as you were.
