2010
Monday
September
06

Angelo Vassallo killed, Mayor of Pollica and Vice President of Cittaslow

An example for the Cilento region and for Italy in the protection of the territory and the development of local agriculture

About 2 am this morning Angelo Vassallo, Mayor of Pollica (province of Salerno) was killed in his car by pistol shots. Vassallo, as first citizen of the Cilento region, was active in Slow Food projects as well as being Vice President of Cittaslow, the network of towns that are committed to improving the quality of life of their inhabitants and visitors and to transferring to the civic governance of the towns those experiences matured in the gastronomic world through the Slow Food network.

"This tragedy has wounded us deeply. The commitment of Angelo Vassallo to the Slow Food philosophy and his position in the Cittaslow network represented his clear choice of the alternative to the ever-increasing spread of concrete and to building speculation", Slow Food President Carlo Petrini stated. "His actions as Mayor of Pollica were an example for the Cilento region in the protection of the territory and the development of local agriculture. And perhaps the very diligence of his work was one of the causes of the attack on him, as Deputy Public Prosecutor (of the Vallo della Lucania area) Greco has suggested, stating that they have killed a beacon of hope for the Cilento region and a symbol of the rule of law. I remember Angelo as a person who knew his territory so well, I recall his past life as a fisherman and his passion for setting up projects for food education in the schools and for promoting local markets and initiatives on behalf of the farmers in his area. I remember the matchless sensibility of a man who loved the Comune that he governed and had a deep respect for its people and institutions", President Petrini concluded.

Gianluca Marconi, Cittaslow President and Mayor of Castelnovo ne' Monti (province of Reggio Emilia) said: «I am devastated by this tragedy that has struck an old and dear friend. We experienced together the expansion of the Cittaslow network across the world. His last international experience was the mission to China as representative of our association. He believed strongly in the ideals of Slow Food, as was evident in the speech he gave to the National Congress of the Snail (Slow Food) at Abano Terme in May which was greeted with one round of applause after another. He knew how to appeal to the hearts of his audience. I recall his important activities as Mayor and the words of President Petrini and Prosecutor Greco say it all. A dear friend has left us but his life, his choices and his resistance to the spread of concrete out of respect for the environment - we will not forget these things".

Remember Angelo Vassallo by watching his speech to the Congress of Slow Food at Abano Terme (14 to 16 May): "http://www.youtube.com/SlowFoodItalia

SLOW FOOD E CITTASLOW
Press release 6/09/10