Alcide Cervi

Alcide Cervi (6 May 1875 – 27 May 1970) is the patriarch of an Italian family noted for partisan activities that resisted the Italian fascist regime. He is the father of the Cervi Brothers, who were executed during the struggle against Fascism.

Biography Cervi was born in Campegine, Province of Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was one of the three sons of Agostino and Virginia Cervi, a family of Emilian mezzadri.

Cervi first joined the Partito Popolare Italiano (PPI), a political group founded by the Sicilian priest Luigi Sturzo. This party, the predecessor of the Cristian Democracy, favored social legislation and agrarian reforms. During this time, members of Cervi's family were arrested but none were incarcerated. He was also credited for organizing the escape of allied prisoners from the Fossoli camp and he hid the escapees in his farm. Previously, Cervi was also the recipient of several awards given by Einaudi's predecessor, Enrico De Nicola. The stories were published in Patria independente and L'Unità in 1953. Aside from their struggles as partisans, Calvino also highlighted Cervi and his family's contributions to Italian agriculture. This aspect was also highlighted in the study conducted by Ilaria Marcyan entitled, The Cervi Family: A Peasant Story. In 1955, Salvatore Quasimodo visited the family and told their story in a short poem, Ai fratelli Cervi.

In the winter of 1954, Cervi was interviewed by journalist Roberto Nicolai (1924 – 1983), and told him the story of his sons and his family. Based on the interviews and Cervi's memories — which had been delivered in the local dialect, since Cervi (who had left school at the age of seven, more than six decades before) practically did not spoke Italian —, Nicolai wrote a biographical book, I miei sette figli, which was a commercial and critical success, selling half a million copies by October 1955 (also thanks to the copies bought and distributed by the Italian Communist Party), and being translated into a dozen languages — including Russian, French, Japanese, and Chinese. The book was also praised for its straightforward language, which mixed spoken, informal Italian and actual dialect, and was nominated for the Viareggio Prize.

Cervi died on May 27, 1970, at Reggio Emilia.

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