Francesco Casaretto

“A great love for Ligury ”

It was Francesco Casaretto together with another friend of mine - Giovanni Carosini, who also left us- to promote the association “La Corallina for ligurian traditions” of which I, Alfredo Bertollo am the governor.
There is almost no need to remember Casaretto in Genoa and in the east side of Ligury, because everybody, who got to know him fixed him in his memory – either as a certain personality or like a person of culture.
He was an engineer – but he almost begged our pardon as if this technical preparation could have provoked a “diminutio capitis” as a historian.
He was a passionated scholar and his numerous works about the most different subjects of ligurian history remain an excellent heritage.

Casaretto was a brillant speaker and every argument he was talking about fascinated his auditors in Genoa as well in Camogli and in Chiavari and very often in Santa Margherita Ligure

Casaretto was a brillant speaker and every argument he was talking about fascinated his auditors in Genoa as well in Camogli and in Chiavari and very often in Santa Margherita Ligure We were very good friends because of the same interests and together we wrote a couple of books. The love for Genoa and for Ligury made us collect some stories which Casaretto called “Fregugge” in genoese dialect; but then we called it “Ligury in the past and to-day”. It tells about interesting geografical and historian notices. We also wrote the book “The Accame, a thousend years old family”. His merits were all in searching in the archives while I tried to make the stories more interesting and light, looking for anedoctical events and including original sketches. His activities were very different and eterogeneous: manager who has moved all over the world, member of the historical “Società Economica” of Chiavari and vice-president of the cultural association “Il Castello” of Chiavari and member of the jury for the annual price of the genoese comedy. He himself promoted the edition of a series of books called “Microstorie” being one of the founders of the “Academy of historians”.

Casaretto was a brillant speaker and every argument he was talking about fascinated his auditors in Genoa as well in Camogli and in Chiavari and very often in Santa Margherita Ligure
We were very good friends because of the same interests and together we wrote a couple of books.
The love for Genoa and for Ligury made us collect some stories which Casaretto called “Fregugge” in genoese dialect; but then we called it “Ligury in the past and to-day”. It tells about interesting geografical and historian notices.
We also wrote the book “The Accame, a thousend years old family”. His merits were all in searching in the archives while I tried to make the stories more interesting and light, looking for anedoctical events and including original sketches.
His activities were very different and eterogeneous: manager who has moved all over the world, member of the historical “Società Economica” of Chiavari and vice-president of the cultural association “Il Castello” of Chiavari and member of the jury for the annual price of the genoese comedy. He himself promoted the edition of a series of books called “Microstorie” being one of the founders of the “Academy of historians”.

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	We have been working very often together: conferences, conventions in Chiavari, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure. I still remember the one in 1999 at the “Teatrino (small theater) of Portofino called “Church and revolution in Ligury from 1797 up to 1815” in which we presented the book with the same title written by me and don Gianni Cogorno, who allowed me to look at the archiv of the church. Beside us there was don Tiscornia of Chiavari, the writer Elena Bono and other local historians. During the convention Casaretto organized even an exhibition. I always admired his passion, his will to go on with his initiatives also concerning beneficence. In fact celebrating his golden anniversary he asked all of the guests to offer money instead of gifts, and the amount he himself brought to a very poor village in Kenia. (Alfredo Bertollo –Governor of “A Coalinn-a”, cultural Association in Santa Margherita Ligure)

We have been working very often together: conferences, conventions in Chiavari, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure. I still remember the one in 1999 at the “Teatrino (small theater) of Portofino called “Church and revolution in Ligury from 1797 up to 1815” in which we presented the book with the same title written by me and don Gianni Cogorno, who allowed me to look at the archiv of the church.
Beside us there was don Tiscornia of Chiavari, the writer Elena Bono and other local historians. During the convention Casaretto organized even an exhibition.
I always admired his passion, his will to go on with his initiatives also concerning beneficence. In fact celebrating his golden anniversary he asked all of the guests to offer money instead of gifts, and the amount he himself brought to a very poor village in Kenia.

(Alfredo Bertollo –Governor of “A Coalinn-a”, cultural Association in Santa Margherita Ligure)