Margherita Cagol
Encyclopedia
Margherita Cagol was a former leader of the Italian
left-wing militant organization, the Red Brigades
(Brigate Rosse). She was married to Renato Curcio
.
ceremony Renato Curcio, after which the couple moved to Milan
, where she intended to study for a further two years.
In Milan, the Curcios became full-fledged militants. The Red Brigades were formed with Alberto Franceschini
in the second half of 1970 as a result of the merger of Renato Curcio's Proletarian Left and a radical student and worker group. After getting arrested in February 1971 for occupying a vacant house, the Curcios and the most militant members of the Proletarian Left went completely underground and organized the Red Brigades and spent the next three years, from 1972 to 1975, engaging in a series of bombings and kidnappings of prominent figures. Renato Curcio was captured, but freed by Margherita in a raid on the prison five months later, on the 18 February 1975.
In April Cagol, Mario Moretti
and Renato Curcio met in a house near Piacenza
to discuss their strategy. The movement was growing and they needed further finance to continue the struggle. They decided to follow the example of the South American guerrillas and carry out a series of kidnappings, one of the victims being the industrialist Vallarino Gancia. He was chosen because he was very rich and lived in a region with which they were familiar. According to Renato Curcio, he had also financed a Fascist organization. He was kidnapped on 4 June while on his way to his villa in Canelli
, near Asti
, bundled into a transporter, and taken to the farmhouse (Cascina Spiotta) on the hills of Acqui Terme
. This farmhouse had been purchased some time before by Cagol, and had been used by members of the Red Brigades from Turin
. Renato Curcio did not take part in the operation; as a prison escapee, his picture had been published all over Italy, and it was considered too dangerous. Cagol, along with a companion, were left to guard Gancia. Later that evening Cagol phoned Renato to tell him that the operation had been a success. The following morning Carabinieri
starting investigating farmhouses in the neighbourhood. Cagol had been on watch during the night, and had gone to bed. Her companion, who took over the watch, fell asleep, and did not wake up until the Carabinieri started knocking at the door. Their escape route was blocked by the Carabinieris' car, so they decided to fight it out. In the ensuing gunfight, two police officers were killed, as was Cagol. Renato Curcio was again captured by the authorities in January 1976, tried, convicted and imprisoned.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
left-wing militant organization, the Red Brigades
Red Brigades
The Red Brigades was a Marxist-Leninist terrorist organisation, based in Italy, which was responsible for numerous violent incidents, assassinations, and robberies during the so-called "Years of Lead"...
(Brigate Rosse). She was married to Renato Curcio
Renato Curcio
Renato Curcio is the former leader of the Italian left-wing militant organization, the Red Brigades .-Background:...
.
Life
She was born to a middle-class family in Sardagna, Trentino, in the north of Italy. Her mother was a pharmacist and her father a prosperous merchant. In 1964 she enrolled in the facolty of Social Science at Trent University. She soon became involved with student movements, where she got to know Renato Curcio. Together with him she worked for the publication Lavoro Politico (Political Work). She graduated in 1969. She married in a CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
ceremony Renato Curcio, after which the couple moved to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, where she intended to study for a further two years.
In Milan, the Curcios became full-fledged militants. The Red Brigades were formed with Alberto Franceschini
Alberto Franceschini
Alberto Franceschini was a founder and leading member of the Italian left-wing militant organization, the Red Brigades , along with Renato Curcio, Margherita Cagol and Mario Moretti....
in the second half of 1970 as a result of the merger of Renato Curcio's Proletarian Left and a radical student and worker group. After getting arrested in February 1971 for occupying a vacant house, the Curcios and the most militant members of the Proletarian Left went completely underground and organized the Red Brigades and spent the next three years, from 1972 to 1975, engaging in a series of bombings and kidnappings of prominent figures. Renato Curcio was captured, but freed by Margherita in a raid on the prison five months later, on the 18 February 1975.
In April Cagol, Mario Moretti
Mario Moretti
Mario Moretti is an Italian former terrorist. A leading member of the Red Brigades in the late 1970s, he was one of the kidnappers of Aldo Moro, president of Italy's largest party, Democrazia Cristiana, and several times premier, in 1978; he later confessed to have been the one who killed the...
and Renato Curcio met in a house near Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
to discuss their strategy. The movement was growing and they needed further finance to continue the struggle. They decided to follow the example of the South American guerrillas and carry out a series of kidnappings, one of the victims being the industrialist Vallarino Gancia. He was chosen because he was very rich and lived in a region with which they were familiar. According to Renato Curcio, he had also financed a Fascist organization. He was kidnapped on 4 June while on his way to his villa in Canelli
Canelli
Canelli is a comune of 10,440 inhabitants in the Province of Asti in the Italian region of Piedmont....
, near Asti
Asti
Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...
, bundled into a transporter, and taken to the farmhouse (Cascina Spiotta) on the hills of Acqui Terme
Acqui Terme
Acqui Terme is a city and comune of Piedmont, northern Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is c. 35 km SSW of Alessandria...
. This farmhouse had been purchased some time before by Cagol, and had been used by members of the Red Brigades from Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. Renato Curcio did not take part in the operation; as a prison escapee, his picture had been published all over Italy, and it was considered too dangerous. Cagol, along with a companion, were left to guard Gancia. Later that evening Cagol phoned Renato to tell him that the operation had been a success. The following morning Carabinieri
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
starting investigating farmhouses in the neighbourhood. Cagol had been on watch during the night, and had gone to bed. Her companion, who took over the watch, fell asleep, and did not wake up until the Carabinieri started knocking at the door. Their escape route was blocked by the Carabinieris' car, so they decided to fight it out. In the ensuing gunfight, two police officers were killed, as was Cagol. Renato Curcio was again captured by the authorities in January 1976, tried, convicted and imprisoned.