Palermo ceremony, attended by interior minister Piantedosi, honours prefect murdered by Cosa Nostra alongside his wife and police escort in 1982.Italy on Thursday marks 44 years since the mafia assassination of General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, with a ceremony held in Palermo's Via Isidoro Carini, the street where he was gunned down alongside his wife Emanuela Setti Carraro and police escort Domenico Russo on 3 September 1982.  Wreaths were laid at the plaque commemorating the victims, with political representatives, law enforcement officials and members of the public gathered to honour the general, who had turned to fighting the mafia in Sicily after leading Italy's campaign against Red Brigades terrorism. Cosa Nostra's response to his appointment as prefect of Palermo was extreme violence, culminating in the ambush in Via Carini.   Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi attended the commemoration on Thursday, along with Sicily's regional president Renato Schifani, and other senior judicial, civil and military figures.   Italian president Sergio Mattarella paid tribute to Dalla Chiesa, saying he had dedicated his career, with clarity and tenacity, to defending the principles of justice and legality and to protecting citizens, working tirelessly against the violent assault on Italy's democratic institutions. Il 3 settembre 1982 la mafia assassinava a Palermo il Generale Carlo Alberto dalla Chiesa, insieme a sua moglie Emanuela Setti Carraro e all’agente Domenico Russo. Un uomo che aveva dedicato la propria vita allo Stato, combattendo prima il terrorismo e poi la criminalità… pic.twitter.com/1h9SulKFxI — Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) September 3, 2026 Prime minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on social media that, 44 years later, Dalla Chiesa's example continued to speak to Italians "with extraordinary force". She said the courage, sense of duty and love of country that he embodied, without ever backing down even when he knew he was a target, meant that remembering him was a matter of honouring a hero of the state, and of renewing a commitment never to leave alone those who fight the mafia, defend legality and serve the nation every day.Palermo mayor Roberto Lagalla described Dalla Chiesa as remaining an archetype of civic duty, saying his attachment to Italy's institutions was so profound that he exposed himself to the greatest risks without ever retreating, first in the fight against terrorism and then against the mafia, a commitment he carried through to the end after his appointment as prefect of Palermo.Dalla Chiesa, a Carabinieri general, had been sent to Palermo in 1982 to combat the escalating violence of the Second Mafia War, a brutal conflict and power struggle within the Sicilian mafia from 1981 to 1983.   He was murdered on the orders of mafia boss Salvatore Riina less than four months into the post.

Prime minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on social media that, 44 years later, Dalla Chiesa's example continued to speak to Italians "with extraordinary force".