Award for Civil Valor explained

The awards for Civil Valor are the honors the Italian Republic grants in order to "reward acts of exceptional courage that clearly manifest civic virtue and to recognize the recipients as worthy of public honor". Individual citizens can receive the award (including posthumously), and it can also be bestowed collectively on all members of a military department or all residents of a municipality, city, or province when they have knowingly exposed their life to manifest danger.

Historical background

On 30 April 1851, Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia, established the Medal for Civil Valor for the first time. When the Kingdom of Italy was established in 1861 with him as its first king, the Medal for Civil Valor became an award of the new kingdom.

The Carnegie Foundation, based in the Palazzo del Viminale, home of the Ministry of the Interior, has been involved in awards for civil valor since the Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in a 17 June 1911 letter to the President of the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister of Italy Giovanni Giolitti, granted to the government of the Kingdom of Italy a fund of US$750,000 in shares of the Carnegie Steel Company, annual annuities of which had to be used to pay premiums to people who were in economic difficulty but who nonetheless had worked in the face of danger to save the lives of others. Carnegie also suggested that instead of money, medals could be awarded to people who were not in economic difficulty.

In the modern Italian Republic, the law of 2 January 1958, Number 13, governs the awarding of medals for civil valor.^[1]

Award criteria

The awards for civil valor can be made for specific acts, which include:

Saving people exposed to imminent and grave danger;
Preventing or diminishing the damage caused by a serious public or private disaster;
Re-establishing public order where it has been gravely disturbed and maintaining the rule of law;
Arresting or participating in the arrest of malefactors;
Performing acts aimed at the progress of science or in general for the good of humanity;
Keeping the name and prestige of the country high.

Types of awards

Depending on the circumstances of time and place in which the action was performed and on the effects achieved, four different types of award can be presented:

Gold Medal for Civil Valor
Silver Medal for Civil Valor
Bronze Medal for Civil Valor
Certificate of Public Merit for Civil Valor (award has no ribbon)

The certificate is awarded by the Minister of the Interior, while the three medals are awarded by the President of the Italian Republic on the recommendation of the Minister of the Interior.

Award procedure

The law provides (Article 7) that the granting of recognition normally will follow an examination of the courageous act by a committee composed of a prefect, a senator, a deputy, two members representing the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, a general of the Carabinieri, a representative of the Carnegie Foundation, and a member of the civil administration of the Ministry of the Interior. However, if "the character of the courageous act and the resonance that it has aroused in public opinion" are sufficient to attest to the propriety of the honor, the President of the Italian Republic can proceed with the recognition without the evaluation of the commission (Article 8).

Notable recipients

Individuals

Silver Medal for Civil Valor

Felice Napoleone Canevaro (1838–1926), for humanitarian aid and contributions to public health while in command of the battleship Italia during a cholera epidemic in La Spezia in 1884.^[2]

Municipalities

Of particular significance are medals for civil valor the Italian Republic has awarded to cities, municipalities, and provinces in recognition of the acts of heroism credited to the entire community during war, natural disasters. or other tragedies at various times in Italy's national history.

Gold Medal for Civil Valor

Municipalities decorated for acts of self-denial during Italy's participation the Second World War (1940–1945)

Acerra (awarded for collective heroism following a Nazi German massacre on 2 October 1943; 67 men and boys and 15 women and girls were killed, including 14 children, 48 elderly people, and 20 other adults)
Ancona (awarded in 1960)^[3]
Argenta (awarded in 1973)^[4]
Avellino
Benevento (awarded in 1961)^[5]
Boves (awarded in 1963)^[6]
Bucine (awarded in 1963)^[7]
Castelforte (awarded in 2002)^[8]
Civitella in Val di Chiana^[9]
Foggia (awarded in 2007)^[10]
Francavilla al Mare (awarded in 1959)^[11]
Isernia (awarded in 1960)^[12]
Marsala^[13]
Matera (awarded in 2016)^[14]
Messina (awarded in 1959)^[15]
Ortona (awarded in 1959)^[16]
Paternò (awarded in 1972)^[17]
Rimini (awarded in 1961 in recognition of the 1944 Battle of Rimini)^[18] ^[19]
Santi Cosma e Damiano (awarded in 2002)^[20]
Trapani (awarded in 1961)^[21]

Municipalities decorated for natural disasters

Florence (awarded in 1968 following a 1966 flood)^[22]
Legnago (awarded in 1883 following an 1882 flood)^[23]
Verona (awarded in 1883 following an 1882 flood)^[24]

Municipalities decorated for other events

Bologna (awarded in 1981 following the 1980 station massacre)^[25]

Silver Medal for Civil Valor

Casteldelci (awarded in 2003 in recognition of the 1944 Fragheto massacre)^[26] ^[27]
Ceccano^[28]
Cisterna di Latina^[29]
Foligno^[30]
Leonessa
Stia^[31]
Terni^[32]
Tolentino
Velletri
Viterbo^[33]

Bronze Medal for Civil Valor

References

Bibliography

Carlo Borda, Medaglie, in Manuale dizionario di amministrazione municipale, provinciale, e delle opere pie, II, Sebastiano Franco e figli, 1863, pp. 294 – 297. (Italian)

Notes and References

http://www.quirinale.it/onorificenze/fontinormative/valor_civile.htm Fonti normative sul sito istituzionale del Quirinale
http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/felice-napoleone-canevaro_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ treccani.it Gabriele, Mariano, "CANEVARO, Felice Napoleone," Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Volume 18, 1975.
http://presidenti.quirinale.it/Ciampi/dinamico/ContinuaCiampi.aspx?tipo=visita&key=12436 VISITA DEL PRESIDENTE CARLO AZEGLIO CIAMPI: 19-06-2000 Visita alla regione Marche. 19 – 21 giugno 2000
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=3797 Argenta – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=3889 Benevento – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=18367 Boves – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=4066 Bucine – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=48775 Castelforte – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.civichiana.it/default.asp?cnt_id=821&cnt_idpadre=0&tipodoc=1 Comune di Civitella in Val di Chiana – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=3590 Foggia – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=3874 Francavilla al Mare – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=45720 Isernia – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.comune.marsala.tp.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/21 Statuto Comunale Città di Marsala
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=339712 Matera – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=18388 Messina – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=3669 Ortona – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=3879 Paternò – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=4186 Rimini – Sito del Quirinale
Web site: Gambetti . Nicola . 20 June 2023 . Monumenti sopravvissuti: l'Arco d'Augusto . Surviving monuments: The Arch of Augustus . 16 January 2024 . Rimini Sparita . it-IT.
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=48776 Santi Cosma e Damiano – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=3670 Trapani – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=3636 Firenze – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=4093 Legnago – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=3620 Verona – Sito del Quirinale
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=4029 Bologna – Sito del Quirinale
Web site: 6 April 2024 . 7 aprile 1944 – 80 anni fa la strage di Fragheto . 7 April 1944 – 80 years ago, the Fragheto massacre . 7 April 2024 . Chiamami Città . it-IT.
Web site: 26 March 2024 . Conferimento di onorificenze al merito civile (GU Serie Generale n.72 del 26-03-2004) . Awarding of honours for civil valour (GU General Series n.72 of 03-26-2004) . 7 April 2024 . . it.
http://www.comune.ceccano.fr.it/ Amministrazione Comunale di Ceccano
[comune:Foligno/Lapide_medaglia_d'argento_al_valor_civile_alla_Città_di_Foligno|''Lapide medaglia d'argento al valor civile alla Città di Foligno – Guida Foligno Wiki'']
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=318010 Lapide medaglia d'argento al valor civile alla Città di Foligno – Guida Foligno Wiki
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=318010 Lapide Sito del Quirinale – Assegnazione onorificenza a Stia
Volume realizzato dalla Presidenza del Consiglio Comunale di Terni per i 60 anni di Consiglio Comunale (1946–2006) pp. 42–43. (Italian)
http://www.comune.viterbo.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/563 Statuto della Città di Viterbo
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=311646 Sito del Quirinale – Assegnazione onorificenza a Capracotta
http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=309233 Sito del Quirinale – Assegnazione onorificenza a Civitella del Tronto
http://www.borgosandonnino.it/la_storia_di_fidenza.htm borgosandonnino la storia di fidenza
http://www.comunemonteargentario.gov.it/ Comune di Monte Argentario – Organi istituzionali
http://iltirreno.gelocal.it/grosseto/cronaca/2012/05/29/news/un-oscar-romano-al-popolo-del-giglio-1.5177388 Un Oscar romano al popolo del Giglio – Cronaca – il Tirreno
http://www.comune.poggibonsi.si.it/La+Storia/men-cy41-it-EUR-POGGIBONSI_PER_VOI-.htm Comune di Poggibonsi Archiviato il