Rossi, Teofilo
Name
Rossi, Teofilo
Variant name
Conte di Montelera
Gender
Male
Birth
October 27, 1865 Chieri
Death
December 29, 1927 Turin
Descriptive Note
Count Teofilo Rossi di Montelera served as Vice-President of the Executive Committee for the Turin 1911 Exposition. After earning a degree in Jurisprudence from the University of Turin in 1886, Teofilo Rossi divided his interests between business and politics. His father, Luigi, had started a successful liqueur and aromatized wine industry with partners Alessandro Martini and Teofilo Sola: today the brand is known as Martini & Rossi. The international success of the brand was quick due to a number of strategic choices, including using the competitive stage of the International Expositions such as Paris 1878; Milan 1881; Bordeaux 1882; Antwerp 1885, etc., and opening satellite production and commercialization sites in Barcelona, Geneva, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Yokohama, and Kobe. Teofilo Rossi was a cultured man, with life-long interests in history and literature (especially Dante). He was one of the founders of the Società Storica Subalpina (1895) and of the Biblioteca della Società Storica Subalpina, a series of publications devoted to the study of the Piedmontese Middle Ages. With Ferdinando Gabotto, Rossi also co-authored the massive, yet unfinished, Storia di Torino, and a vast number of articles on the Italian Risorgimento, which articulated a narrative of national unity for 19th century Italy.
He served as the President of the Museo nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano (See: Pierangelo Gentile, "Lo Studioso di storia subalpina" and Silvia Cavicchioli, "La presidenza del Museo nazionale del Risorgilento Italiano" in Teofilo Rossi: Il sindaco di Torino della grande esposizione. Ed. Tomaso Ricardi di Netro. Torino: Centro di studi piemontesi, 2016. 117-27; 129-43). His wealth allowed him to devote himself to politics and public engagement. He was the Mayor of Turin from 1909 to 1917. He was part of the Consiglio Comunale for the city of Turin (1896-1923) and of the Chamber of Commerce, where he served as President from 1902 to 1909 and again from 1921 to 1924.
He was named Senator of the Kingdom of Italy in 1909. On the 50th anniversary of the Unification of Italy and on the occasion of the inauguration of the Exposition of Turin 1911, King Victor Emmanuel III bestowed upon him the title of Count of Montelera. His political alliances were always in the Giolitti's camp and he favored non-interventionist (neutrality) positions, though when Italy entered World War I on the side of France and England in 1915, he found himself forced to support the war effort, ultimately resigning from his mayoral post in 1917 (See: Rosanna Roccia, "Consigliere comunale e sindaco di Torino" and Pier Luigi Bassignana "Il Sindaco Rossi e l'Esposizione Internazionale di Torino del 1911" in Teofilo Rossi: Il sindaco di Torino della grande esposizione. Ed. Tomaso Ricardi di Netro. Torino: Centro di studi piemontesi, 2016. 21-70; 71-98). The golden age of Teofilo Rossi's political career (1909-1914) saw his participation in the diplomatic maneuvers that resulted in the alliance with France, England and Russia (Entente Cordiale), and the separation from Austria and Germany (Triple Alliance) --maneuvers that Rossi contributed to in his leadership role for the 1911 Exposition.
The 1911 Exposition was an effort to re-position the city of Turin in the changing European landscape. Rossi also oversaw impressive infrastructure and urban renovation projects to propel Turin into modernity. As one of the main leaders of the bourgeoise ideals, Rossi garnered protracted criticism from Antonio Gramsci in the pages of L'Avanti. After Mussolini's March on Rome, he served as Minister of Industry and Trade from 1922 to 1923, at which point he resigned as his liberal foundations did not align with the regime. He was granted the purely honorific title of Ministro di Stato (See: Aldo Alessandro Mola, "Il Giolittiano al Governo da Facta a Mussolini" in Teofilo Rossi: Il sindaco di Torino della grande esposizione. Ed. Tomaso Ricardi di Netro. Torino: Centro di studi piemontesi, 2016. 99-116).
Roles
Public Figures, Kingdom of Italy, Mayors;
Public Figures, Kingdom of Italy, Senators;
Committees, Exposition's Executive Committee, Vice-Presidents
Selected References
Teofilo Rossi: Il sindaco di Torino della grande esposizione. Ed. Tomaso Ricardi di Netro. Torino: Centro di studi piemontesi, 2016Treccani. Rossi di Montelera, Carlo Teofilo. Available online: https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/rossi-di-montelera-carlo-teofilo_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/ (July 22, 2022)
Related Secondary Sources
Related Locations
Related Archival Material
