Giovanni Ravalli (21 September 1909 – 30 April 1998) was an Italian military officer who was imprisoned for war crimes he committed during the Axis occupation of Greece during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Following a pardon, he served as police prefect of Palermo; during his tenure, he investigated the theft of

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

's ''

Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence ''Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence'' is a painting of the nativity of Jesus from 1609 by Italian painter Caravaggio. It has been missing since 1969 when it was stolen from the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo. Investigators believe ...

''.

Army service

Giovanni Ravalli was born on 21 September 1909 in

Monterosso Almo Monterosso Almo ( scn, Muntirrussu) is a ''comune'' in the province of Ragusa, Sicilia, southern Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the ...

. During the course of

, Ravalli served in the 24th Infantry Division Pinerolo, 13th Infantry Regiment, in the rank of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. In this capacity he became the head of intelligence of the Italian garrison in the city of

Kastoria Kastoria ( el, Καστοριά, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria (regional unit), Kastoria regional unit, in the Geographic regions of Gree ...

, Greece. Despite the heavy presence of the Italians in Kastoria, its outskirts remained in the control of

EAM-ELAS The Greek People's Liberation Army ( el, Ελληνικός Λαϊκός Απελευθερωτικός Στρατός (ΕΛΑΣ), ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós'' (ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberat ...

guerrillas which in turn received wide support from local Greeks, Slavic speakers,

Vlachs "Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Easter ...

and elements of the collaborationist

Hellenic Gendarmerie The Hellenic Gendarmerie (, ''Elliniki Chorofylaki'') was the national gendarmerie and military police (until 1951) force of Greece. History 19th century The Greek Gendarmerie was established after the enthronement of Otto of Greece, King Otto ...

. Ravalli went on to establish links with

Andon Kalchev Andon Kalchev ( bg, Андон Калчев) (1910 – 27 August 1948) was a Bulgarian army officer, one of the leaders of the Bulgarian-backed Ohrana, a paramilitary formation of Bulgarians in Greek Macedonia during World War II Axis occupation. ...

Ohrana Ohrana ( bg, Охрана, "Protection"; ) were armed collaborationist detachments organized by the former Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) structures, composed of Bulgarians in Nazi-occupied Greek Macedonia during World War I ...

(a pro-Bulgarian Slavic-speaking militia) and German troops stationed at

Florina Florina ( el, Φλώρινα, ''Flórina''; known also by some alternative names) is a town and municipality in the mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. The town of Florina is the capital of the F ...

, disarming the Gendarmerie to cut short ELAS' weapon supply. In July 1943, ELAS stepped up its attacks around Kastoria, exploiting a period of Italian passivity. News of the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It bega ...

caused a drop in morale among Ohrana's ranks, leading to desertions. In August, the Pinerolo Division began to gradually withdraw from Kastoria as Italy was on the edge of signing an

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

with the Allies. Ravalli surrendered to ELAS along with 15 Ohrana members.

Trial and imprisonment

Following the end of World War II, in 1948 Greece and Italy signed a secret treaty according to which Greece would abstain from prosecuting most Italian war criminals, leaving Ravalli as the only Italian prosecuted by the Special War Criminals Court in Athens. Several trials against Italians were conducted at the local courts for collaborators. Trials against Italian war criminals responsible for atrocities committed on the Ionian Islands were initiated only in 1967 and were halted prematurely due to the passage of the

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In m ...

for enforcement of the penalty. Ravalli was tried by the Special War Criminals Court of Athens, with proceedings beginning on 18 February 1946. Ravalli was convicted of: * Taking part in a meeting with

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 polic ...

commander Emilio Jona and colonel Venieri during which the decision was taken to kill 50 Greek citizens as a punitive measure * Failing to inform his superiors about a series of murders committed by the Ohrana as well as the routine use of torture by the Italian army in the Kastoria prison as well as during counter-insurgency operations * Imprisoning civilians in inhumane conditions without a probable cause * Failing to inform his superiors of looting committed by the Italian army and the Ohrana * Terrorizing the local population through wanton arrests and house searches * Taking part in executions The prosecutors focused strongly on Ravalli's arming of the Slavic population of Kastoria, an issue that sparked heated debates within the Greek public. Accusations were leveled by the press also against the EAM/ELAS, accused of fostering Macedonian independentism at Tito's orders. On 10 June 1946, Ravalli was sentenced to a total of three life sentences, his possessions were confiscated by the state and he was ordered to pay the costs arising from the trial. Ravalli served his sentence in prisons located in

Kozani Kozani ( el, Κοζάνη, ) is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani (regional unit), Kozani regional unit and of Western Macedonia. It is located in the western part of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmona ...

and

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

. In 1959, he was pardoned by the Greek government after Italy threatened to halt the payment of war reparations. News of his release led to public outrage in Kastoria, whose citizens sent a protest telegram to King

Paul of Greece Paul ( el, Παύλος, ''Pávlos''; 14 December 1901 – 6 March 1964) was King of Greece from 1 April 1947 until his death in 1964. He was succeeded by his son, Constantine II. Paul was first cousin to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and ...

Postwar career

Following his return to Italy, Ravalli was appointed police prefect of

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

. In October 1969, two thieves entered the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo and stole

's ''

'' from its frame. Experts estimated its value at $20 million. Ravalli played a prominent role in its unsuccessful investigation and gained a reputation for combating the

Sicilian mafia The Sicilian Mafia, also simply known as the Mafia and frequently referred to as Cosa nostra (, ; "our thing") by its members, is an Italian Mafia-terrorist-type organized crime syndicate and criminal society originating in the region of Sicily a ...

, while also serving as an advisor to the Italian prime minister. He died on 30 April 1998, having retired to his home at 179 Via Cristoforo Colombo, south

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ravalli, Giovanni 1909 births 1998 deaths Italian police officers Italian military personnel of World War II Italian people convicted of war crimes Italian people imprisoned abroad Italian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Italian occupation of Greece during World War II Greek Macedonia in World War II Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Greece Recipients of Greek pardons Kastoria