The gold medal for civil merit that in 2007 the then President of the Republic Napolitano awarded to the city of Novara for the “battle of Lumellogno” in July 1922 and which has since then been pinned on the municipality’s banner has been stolen.
Novara: a gold medal of merit stolen
The theft, as reported by the Corriere di Novara, occurred on May 16th, but the news only leaked out a few days ago. To a careful eye like that of Carlo MigliavaccaIn fact, the absence of the medal on the banner during the ceremony on June 2nd was not overlooked.
Also because that is a bit like “his” medal, obtained precisely thanks to his interest and commitment in reconstructing the events that occurred on 15-16 July 1922 in Lumellogno, when the inhabitants of the hamlet managed to resist the assault of a fascist squad.
«When I realized that it wasn’t there – he says – I initially thought it was a mix-up, or an oversight. But then I learned that it had been stolen. And it is truly a disappointment, not so much for the economic value, but for the symbolic one. The medal is a source of pride for the entire population of Lumellogno and for the entire city.”
Theft in the shopping center car park
The theft, as mentioned, occurred on May 16: the medal – which is usually kept in the Town Hall, locked in a safe – was found together with the banner on a Municipality service car, parked in front of the San Martino shopping centre. She should have gone to the Broletto, for the farewell ceremony for the municipal pensioners: the stop at the shopping center was used precisely to purchase the last things needed for the event, as indicated by the Administration. Unfortunately, when the municipal employees left the supermarket, they realized that the car had been broken into and the medal, along with other personal items, stolen.
The theft was immediately reported to the Police Headquarters and investigations are ongoing. In the meantime, the municipal administration has already ordered a copy and forwarded the request for a new medal to Rome.
