Monsignore Valerio Anzino Photos

The following photos are the ones we have been successful in finding so far. They are a combination of the photo that Ellen (Toman) Marchisa had, (likely from her mother-in-law Lena Marchisa), photos found on the internet, and photos, (and photos of oil paintings), in the collection of Laura Santoro Ragaini. I met Laura while in Fubine Italy this year. Laura’s great great great grandmother, Caterina Sala, was the niece of Monsignore Valerio Anzino’s grandmother, Teresa Sala. Some of the photos are likely composites.
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	This photo was found in a box of photos collected by Ellen (Toman) Marchisa. She likely got it from her mother-in-law Lena Marchisa. Lena’s mother-in-law, Ippolita (Gotta) Marchisa, turned out to be Monsignore Valerio Anzino’s first cousin. This is the photo that started the research effort on the Monsignore. Tom Marchisa and his cousin Lorraine Lombardi, sitting at a dinner table with great Italian food and wine and 2 computers, jointly discovered the identity of the person in the photo. It was an electric moment! The back of the photo, not scanned, contained 2 things. The first, “confessor to a king?” and the second that looked like “Dom Amino”. It was the reference to a king that captured Lorraine’s interest and she started researching Italian kings in the 1800’s. One of the articles that she found on the internet was about Umberto I, the second king of a unified Italy. That photo, included on this page, identified a cleric, Monsignore Valerio Anzino, who was clearly the same person. At that point we knew who the photo was. From that point on we uncovered dozens of articles on the internet about the Monsignore.
	This photo comes from the Laura Santoro Ragaini collection. This is one of a few Monsignore Anzino photos that appear to be composites. Composites were an 1800’s and early 1900’s way of combining multiple photos into one, sort of like low-tech PhotoShop. The young cleric sitting in front is definitely Monsignore Valerio Anzino. My best guess, (as of 7/3/2016), is that the man to his left is his father Giovanni Domenico Anzino. Knowing their birth years, Giovanni — 1807, and Valerio — 1832, means that there is a 25 year age difference between them. The medaled officer with the long beard in the back could be Enrico Cialdini, a general in the Piedmontese Army, although given Valerio’s age and the fact that Enrico was born in 1811 means that Enrico looks too young in the photo. The first time that Monsignore Anzino would have a good reason to pose with the military is when he accompanied Vittorio Emanuele II to battle against the Austrians in 1866. That date would place Monsignore Anzino’s age in the photo at 34. I believe that the Monsignore is younger than 34 in this photo.
	This photo was discovered on the Internet. It purportedly shows Monsignore Anzino in a group photo of the Princes of the House of Savoy and their tutors. The photo was taken in 1862. The cleric in the rear is clearly not Monsignore Valerio Anzino, but might be his uncle, Monsignore Giuseppe Anzino, who also tutored the Princes.
	This photo comes from the Laura Santoro Ragaini collection. It is clearly a composite. While the Monsignore is standing behind the others, his face is disproportionally large. In the front row left to right is Giovanni or Giorgio Sala, and then Alessandro Sala. Back row left to right is Carlo Alberto Anzino, (Valerio’s brother), Monsignore Valerio Anzino, and lastly Gerolamo Mo . Family stories related by Laura Santoro Ragaini, (and confirmed by Tom’s research), identify the Sala’s, Anzino’s, and Mo’s as cousins. Gerolamo Mo was the uncle of Laura’s grandmother, Domenica Mo.
	This photo comes from the Laura Santoro Ragaini collection. My best guess as to the Monsignore’s age in this photo is 50, meaning that the photo was taken around 1882.
	This photo was discovered on the Internet. It shows Monsignore Anzino at a formal state celebration with his King Umberto I and Queen Consort Margherita. Since the photo was taken on October 24, 1896, the likely event was a celebration of Abyssinia & Italy signing a peace treaty two days later on October 26, 1896.
	This photo was provided by Laura Santoro Ragaini. It shows a young Monsignore Valerio Anzino likely in his mid to late 30’s. That would mean that the photo was taken around 1870.
	This photo was taken by Laura Santoro Ragaini. It’s a photo of an oil painting done of the Monsignore in the 1860’s. The painting is owned by Marida Recchi of Torino. Marida’s grandmother, Clementina Anzino, was a niece of the Monsignore. It shows a young Monsignore Valerio Anzino likely in his mid to late 30’s. This oil painting is a more realistic representation of the Monsignore than the painting following this one.
	This photo was also taken by Laura Santoro Ragaini. It’s also a photo of an oil painting done of the Monsignore. This painting, like the one above, is owned by Marida Recchi of Torino. Marida’s grandmother, Clementina Anzino, was a niece of the Monsignore. This painting shows an older Monsignore Valerio Anzino likely in his late 60’s. This oil painting is not as realistic of a representation of the Monsignore as the painting above.