Award For Civil Valour
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The awards for Civil Valor are the honors the
Italian Republic Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
grants in order to "reward acts of exceptional courage that clearly manifest civic virtue and to recognize the recipients as worthy of public honor". Individual citizens can receive the award (including posthumously), and it can also be bestowed collectively on all members of a military department or all residents of a municipality, city, or province when they have knowingly exposed their life to manifest danger.


Historical background

On 30 April 1851,
Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II (; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia (also informally known as Piedmont–Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 until 17 March ...
,
King of Sardinia Sardinia is traditionally known to have been initially ruled by the Nuragic civilization, which was followed by Greek colonization, conquest by the Carthagians, Carthaginians, and occupied by the Ancient Rome, Romans for around a thousand years, ...
, established the Medal for Civil Valor for the first time. When the
Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
was established in 1861 with him as its first king, the Medal for Civil Valor became an award of the new kingdom. The Carnegie Foundation, based in the
Palazzo del Viminale The Palazzo del Viminale is a historic palace in Rome (Italy), seat of the Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister and of the Ministry of Interior (Italy), Ministry of Interior since 1925; in 1961 the Prime Minister was transferred to Palazzo Chi ...
, home of the
Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...
, has been involved in awards for civil valor since the Scottish philanthropist
Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...
in a 17 June 1911 letter to the President of the Council of Ministers,
Prime Minister of Italy The prime minister of Italy, officially the president of the Council of Ministers (), is the head of government of the Italy, Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is established by articles 92–96 of the Co ...
Giovanni Giolitti Giovanni Giolitti (; 27 October 1842 – 17 July 1928) was an Italian statesman. He was the prime minister of Italy five times between 1892 and 1921. He is the longest-serving democratically elected prime minister in Italian history, and the sec ...
, granted to the government of the Kingdom of Italy a fund of
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
750,000 in shares of the
Carnegie Steel Company Carnegie Steel Company was a steel-producing company primarily created by Andrew Carnegie and several close associates to manage businesses at steel mills in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the late 19th century. The company was formed in ...
, annual annuities of which had to be used to pay premiums to people who were in economic difficulty but who nonetheless had worked in the face of danger to save the lives of others. Carnegie also suggested that instead of money, medals could be awarded to people who were not in economic difficulty. In the modern Italian Republic, the law of 2 January 1958, Number 13, governs the awarding of medals for civil valor.


Award criteria

The awards for civil valor can be made for specific acts, which include: *Saving people exposed to imminent and grave danger; *Preventing or diminishing the damage caused by a serious public or private disaster; *Re-establishing public order where it has been gravely disturbed and maintaining the rule of law; *Arresting or participating in the arrest of malefactors; *Performing acts aimed at the progress of science or in general for the good of humanity; *Keeping the name and prestige of the country high.


Types of awards

Depending on the circumstances of time and place in which the action was performed and on the effects achieved, four different types of award can be presented: * Gold Medal for Civil Valor * Silver Medal for Civil Valor * Bronze Medal for Civil Valor *Certificate of Public Merit for Civil Valor (award has no ribbon) The certificate is awarded by the
Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
, while the three medals are awarded by the
President of the Italian Republic The president of Italy, officially titled President of the Italian Republic (), is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The presid ...
on the recommendation of the Minister of the Interior.


Award procedure

The law provides (Article 7) that the granting of recognition normally will follow an examination of the courageous act by a committee composed of a
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, a
senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
, a deputy, two members representing the Presidency of the
Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...
, a
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
of the ''
Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign poli ...
'', a representative of the Carnegie Foundation, and a member of the civil administration of the Ministry of the Interior. However, if "the character of the courageous act and the resonance that it has aroused in public opinion" are sufficient to attest to the propriety of the honor, the President of the Italian Republic can proceed with the recognition without the evaluation of the commission (Article 8).


Notable recipients


Individuals


Silver Medal for Civil Valor

*
Felice Napoleone Canevaro Felice Napoleone Canevaro (7 July 1838 – 30 December 1926) was an Italian admiral and politician and a Senate of the Kingdom of Italy, senator of the Kingdom of Italy. He served as both Minister of the Navy (Italy), Minister of the Navy and Ita ...
(1838–1926), for humanitarian aid and contributions to public health while in command of the
battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
''
Italia Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
'' during a
cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...
epidemic in
La Spezia La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguria ...
in 1884.


Municipalities

Of particular significance are medals for civil valor the Italian Republic has awarded to cities, municipalities, and provinces in recognition of the acts of heroism credited to the entire community during war, natural disasters. or other tragedies at various times in Italy's national history.


Gold Medal for Civil Valor


=Municipalities decorated for acts of self-denial during Italy's participation the Second World War (1940–1945)

= *
Acerra Acerra () is a town and ''comune'' of Campania, southern Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, about northeast of the capital in Naples. It is part of the Agro Acerrano plain. History Acerra is one of the most ancient cities of the regi ...
(awarded for collective heroism following a
Nazi German Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
massacre on 2 October 1943; 67 men and boys and 15 women and girls were killed, including 14 children, 48 elderly people, and 20 other adults) *
Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...
(awarded in 1960) * Argenta (awarded in 1973) *
Avellino Avellino () is a city and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...
*
Benevento Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the Sabato (r ...
(awarded in 1961) * Boves (awarded in 1963) *
Bucine Bucine is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populate ...
(awarded in 1963) * Castelforte (awarded in 2002) *
Civitella in Val di Chiana Civitella in Val di Chiana (official name), often also Civitella di Val di Chiana, is a ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, south of Arezzo in Tuscany, Italy. It is one of the best-preserved of the network of Lombard fortresses of the 6th and th ...
*
Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...
(awarded in 2007) *
Francavilla al Mare Francavilla al Mare () is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Chieti, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The municipality, included in the urban area of Pescara, borders with Chieti, Miglianico, Ortona, Pescara, Ripa Teatina, San Giovanni T ...
(awarded in 1959) *
Isernia Isernia () is a town and ''comune'' in the southern Italian region of Molise, and the capital of the province of Isernia. Geography Situated on a rocky crest rising from between the Carpino and the Sordo rivers, the plan of Isernia still refl ...
(awarded in 1960) *
Marsala Marsala (, ; ) is an Italian comune located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth largest in Sicily.The town is famous for the docking of Giuseppe Garibal ...
*
Matera Matera (, ; Neapolitan language, Materano: ) is a city and the capital of the Province of Matera in the regions of Italy, region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic (10th mi ...
(awarded in 2016) *
Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...
(awarded in 1959) *
Ortona Ortona ( Abruzzese: '; ) is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants. In 1943 Ortona was the site of the bloody Battle of Ortona, known as "Western Stalingrad". ...
(awarded in 1959) *
Paternò Paternò () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania, in the Italy, Italian region of Sicily. With a population (2016) of 48,009, it is the third municipality of the province after Catania and Acireale. Geography Pa ...
(awarded in 1972) *
Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...
(awarded in 1961 in recognition of the 1944 Battle of Rimini) * Santi Cosma e Damiano (awarded in 2002) *
Trapani Trapani ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') with 54,887 inhabitants, on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the mai ...
(awarded in 1961)


=Municipalities decorated for natural disasters

= *
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
(awarded in 1968 following a 1966 flood) *
Legnago Legnago (; Venetian: ''Lenjago'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Verona, Veneto, northern Italy, with population (2012) of 25,439. It is located on the Adige river, about from Verona. Its fertile land produces crops of rice, other c ...
(awarded in 1883 following an 1882 flood) *
Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
(awarded in 1883 following an 1882 flood)


=Municipalities decorated for other events

= *
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
(awarded in 1981 following the 1980 station massacre)


Silver Medal for Civil Valor

*
Casteldelci Casteldelci () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Rimini, in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Rimini. History On 7 April 1944, the hamlet of Fragheto was the sit ...
(awarded in 2003 in recognition of the 1944
Fragheto massacre The Fragheto massacre ( or ) was the massacre of 30 Italian civilians and 15 Italian resistance movement, partisans in Fragheto, a of Casteldelci in central-northern Italy, on 7 April 1944, during World War II, by soldiers of the German 356th ...
) *
Ceccano Ceccano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, central Italy, in the Latin Valley. History The town had its origins as an ancient Volscian citadel that surrendered to the Romans in 330 BC (424 Ab Urbe Condita).''The History ...
*
Cisterna di Latina Cisterna di Latina is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Latina in Lazio, of central Italy. It was the scene of the Battle of Cisterna in January 1944. The Garden of Ninfa is located in the commune's territory. The town, then known as ''T ...
*
Foligno Foligno (; Central Italian, Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennine Mountains, Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clit ...
*
Leonessa :''Leonessa is also the name of a ''frazione'' of Bassano Romano.'' Leonessa is a town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Province of Rieti in the Lazio region of central Italy. Its population in 2008 was around 2,700. Situated in ...
*
Stia Piazza Tanucci at Stia. Stia is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Pratovecchio Stia in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about east of Florence and about northwest of Arezzo. It was an independent commune until it ...
*
Terni Terni ( ; ; ) is a city in the southern portion of the region of Umbria, in Central Italy. It is near the border with Lazio. The city is the capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera (Tiber), River Nera. It is northeast ...
*
Tolentino Tolentino ( Maceratese: ''Tulindì'') is a town and ''comune'' of about 19,000 inhabitants, in the province of Macerata in the Marche region of central Italy. It is located in the middle of the valley of the Chienti. History Signs of the firs ...
*
Velletri Velletri (; ; ) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring communes are Rocca di Papa, Lar ...
*
Viterbo Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...


Bronze Medal for Civil Valor

*
Capracotta Capracotta is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region of Molise, located about northwest of Campobasso and about north of Isernia. It is the second highest municipality near the center of Italy at above se ...
*
Civitella del Tronto Civitella del Tronto () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Teramo, within the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful village ...
*
Fidenza Fidenza (, locally ) is a town and (municipality) in the province of Parma, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It has around 27,000 inhabitants. The town was renamed Fidenza in 1927, recalling its ancient Rome, Roman name of ; before, it was ...
*
Monte Argentario Monte Argentario is a ''comune'' (municipality) and a peninsula belonging to the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about south of Grosseto. The peninsula is connected with the mainland by thr ...
*
Poggibonsi Poggibonsi is a town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, Central Italy. It is located on the River Elsa (river), Elsa and is the main centre of the Valdelsa, Valdelsa Valley. History The area around Poggibonsi was already settled in the Neolithic ...
''Comune di Poggibonsi Archiviato il''
Italian) *
Pignataro Interamna Pignataro Interamna is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, Italy. It takes its name from the ancient Latin colony of Interamna Lirenas, founded by the Romans after the conquest of Casinum, an ancient Oscan city. The town is ...


References


Notes


Bibliography


Carlo Borda, ''Medaglie, in Manuale dizionario di amministrazione municipale, provinciale, e delle opere pie, II, Sebastiano Franco e figli,'' 1863, pp. 294 – 297.
(Italian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Civil Valor Civil awards and decorations of Italy