Cominelli Foundation Preserves Garda Heritage and Local Culture
Raffaele Cominelli (1893-1981), a noble literary figure from Valtenesi, loved the poor, his Cisano, and the hidden legacy of the saints protecting the lake waters: love the Lord, the poor men of the gardens near the palaces, your shores, and the culture that allows us to know ourselves. Raffaele Cominelli, in popular tradition, was a sort of beggar, poorly dressed, suffering, aged as in a poem by our Lombards. Justice or Manzoni as you please, attracted to the homes of the poor, the farmers of the gardens of a Cisano still very much 1800s.
Yet he was from the Cominelli branch, noble guardians of Garda, originating from Salò, from where they moved in summer, docking at Porticcioli, below Cisano. They followed the woodland trail and virtually entered the Palazzo directly, their property encompassing three-quarters of the town. Raffaele Cominelli sang of Valtenesi, creation, and the Lord through innocent poems, just like his ancestor Leonardo, of whom he would request in his will to find substantial traces, paintings, and verses.
The legacy and the estate of Cominelli
At his death, the will was a surprise: he left nearly everything he owned, i.e., three-quarters of Cisano, to a Foundation bearing his name, which would revitalize the Palazzo and house its headquarters there. A testament that included the revitalization of Cisano, the culture of Valtenesi, and aid to the poor. When he died, his estate was estimated at 434 million lire, but the valuation of those properties, combined with prudence, greatly lowered that figure.
Some intermediaries value only the Palazzo at between 3 and 4 billion lire. According to the Statuto, the Fondazione Cominelli has as its president the mayor, currently Avv. Ambrogio Florioli, and a vice president, architect Vittorio Florioli, who manages the Foundation. “The aims of the Fondazione Cominelli,” explain San Felice’s mayor and the Foundation’s vice president, “are the preservation and recovery of Valtenesi’s beauty and culture, the collection and organization of Leonardo Cominelli’s paintings, poet and painter of the seventeenth century, and the recovery of the farmstead next to the Palazzo.
“The wishes of Prof. Raffaele Cominelli,” again explain Mayor Ambrogio Florioli and Vice President Vittorio Florioli, “have been maintained, and numerous initiatives are underway and planned.” The Palazzo was recovered through an integrated plan, with funding coming from the sale of houses and regional contributions. About 60% of the houses are on free market, with the remaining in subsidized housing, also to emphasize the philanthropic spirit of Raffaele Cominelli.
The memory of Cominelli
In the book San Felice del Benaco and its territory, finished printing in June 2000 and written by Pierluigi Mazzoldi, there is a passage that illuminates the figure of Prof. Raffaele Cominelli. The author writes: “…A man who remained alone by his own will demonstrated his great vocation: that of giving. I remember Cominelli on cold winter days, sitting near the hearth in a peasant’s kitchen: his eccentric way of living aroused in me the profound curiosity to get to know him.”
“He often carried a large black-covered notebook, where he would jot down historical, literary, and family events. Sometimes, despite his modest appearance, the professor would recall his illustrious origins…”
Maintaining identity and safeguarding traditions
Cisano was at risk of losing its last drop of blood. Twenty years ago, the population numbered thirty, and now, thanks also to the intervention of the Fondazione Cominelli, it has doubled to sixty, a sign that the Valtenesi of the Cominelli does not disperse and remains faithful to the poetic and environmental beauty that nurtured the humble and detached life of Prof. Raffaele.
