Gaetano Polverelli (1886–1960) was an Italian journalist and politician who served as the minister of popular culture in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

being the last Fascist to hold the post.

Early life

Polverelli was born in

Visso Visso is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about southwest of Macerata. It houses the seat of Monti Sibillini National Park. Main sights * San Giacomo c ...

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza ...

, on 17 November 1886. He settled in Milan where he started his journalistic career and began to write for ''

Il Popolo d'Italia ''Il Popolo d'Italia'' ("The People of Italy") was an Italian newspaper published from 15 November 1914 until 24 July 1943. It was founded by Benito Mussolini as a pro-war newspaper during World War I, and it later became the main newspaper of ...

'' from 1914.

Career

After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Polverelli moved to Rome in 1919 and was one of the founders of the fascist organization there becoming its adviser in May 1919. The same year he was made the head of ''Il Popolo d'Italias editorial office. He took part in the

march on Rome The March on Rome ( it, Marcia su Roma) was an organized mass demonstration and a coup d'état in October 1922 which resulted in Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party (PNF) ascending to power in the Kingdom of Italy. In late October 1922, ...

in October 1922. He was elected to the Italian Parliament for the

National Fascist Party The National Fascist Party ( it, Partito Nazionale Fascista, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian Fascism and as a reorganization of the previous Italian Fasces of Combat. The ...

in 1924. Polverelli joined the supreme supervisory committee of the Italian Radio Auditions Authority (EIAR) in December 1927. He was re-elected as a deputy in March 1929. In December 1931 he was appointed head of the press office of the Mussolini government, replacing Lando Ferretti in the post. Polverelli was in office until August 1933 and was succeeded by

Galeazzo Ciano Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari ( , ; 18 March 1903 – 11 January 1944) was an Italian diplomat and politician who served as Foreign Minister in the government of his father-in-law, Benito Mussolini, from 1936 until 19 ...

as head of the press office. On 12 January 1941 Polverelli was named as the undersecretary at the ministry of popular culture and continued to head the press office. He held the post until 6 February 1943 when he was appointed minister of popular culture to the cabinet led by Benito Mussolini replacing

Alessandro Pavolini Alessandro Pavolini (27 September 1903 – 28 April 1945) was an Italian politician, journalist, and essayist, notable for his involvement in the Fascist government, during World War II, and also for his cruelty against the opponents of fascis ...

in the post. Polverelli was in the office until the end of the Fascist rule on 25 July 1943. Following the fall of the Fascist rule he was arrested on 21 June 1944 and imprisoned until 19 July 1946, when he was acquitted by the Rome Court of Appeal.

Personal life and death

Polverelli first married Aminta Fracchioni in

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

on 6 October 1910 and had a son from this marriage. He divorced his first wife and married Luisa Mazzetti in 1937 with whom he had two sons. Polverelli remained away from public life until his death in

Anzio Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a Port, fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine I ...

on 17 September 1960.

Awards

Polverelli was the recipient of the grand cordon of the

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

(June 1932); grand officer of the

Order of the Nile The Order of the Nile (''Kiladat El Nil'') was established in 1915 and was one of the Kingdom of Egypt's principal orders until the monarchy was abolished in 1953. It was then reconstituted as the Republic of Egypt's highest state honor. Sultana ...

(July 1933) and grand cordon of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...

(November 1933).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Polverelli, Gaeteno 20th-century Italian journalists 1886 births 1960 deaths Deputies of Legislature XXVI of the Kingdom of Italy Deputies of Legislature XXVII of the Kingdom of Italy Culture ministers of Italy Mussolini Cabinet National Fascist Party politicians Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Gregory the Great Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy) People from Macerata