1909–1965 · The man
Before the mayor, the man: a life born in the Modenese Apennines, shaped by work and family, and lived as responsibility towards others.
Giuseppe Castagnetti was born on 15 March 1909 in the hamlet of Ringola, near Montebaranzone di Prignano sulla Secchia, to Antonio Castagnetti and Marianna Codeluppi. He was the eighth of nine children and grew up in a large family of cheesemakers.
At sixteen or seventeen he was sent to work on his own at the Portile dairy near Modena. He acquired recognised expertise in milk processing, maturing and Parmigiano Reggiano production.
On 11 February 1939 he married Giovannina Seghedoni. They had twelve children, two of whom died in very early childhood. The children’s testimonies remember an affectionate, educational and deeply involved father.
Family prayer, Bible stories, flowers grown for the church, celebrations prepared for the children and produce shared from the garden describe a home open to others.
Family responsibility and daily work were never separate from public service. Witnesses describe one consistent way of acting: listening, accepting responsibility, helping without display and seeking practical solutions.
As a young man he desired missionary life. He later lived his vocation by forming a family and joining the Franciscan Third Order. The sandals remembered by many witnesses visibly expressed simplicity and poverty.
Giuseppe Castagnetti died at Montebaranzone on 22 June 1965, aged fifty-six. His memory continued in his family, the local community and the testimonies collected in later years.