The Swiss parliament has taken steps to rehabilitate those convicted by Swiss courts for supporting the French and Italian Resistance during the Second World War. A recent publication sheds light on a little-known chapter of history: the partisan struggle in the Ossola Valley of northern Italy and the support provided by the population of the neighbouring Swiss canton of Ticino. By day, Silvio Baccalà worked as a gardener at the Hotel Brenscino in Brissago, a Swiss resort town on Lake Maggiore. By night, he helped Italian partisans cross the border, guiding them along the smugglers’ trails. Meanwhile, Gabriella Antognini from nearby Locarno sheltered partisans who had escaped from Swiss internment camps and accompanied them into Italy, so they could continue the fight against the occupying forces. Together with her sister Maria, she also acted as a courier, passing messages between fighters in Italy and those interned in Switzerland. Their actions in support of the Italian ...
