The seven Cervi brothers

The story of the Cervi family is one of the most poignant chapters in the history of the Italian Resistance and today stands as a universal symbol of freedom, courage and civic engagement.
The Cervis were a large family of sharecroppers in the Bassa Reggiana region, including Alcide and Genoveffa Cocconi and their nine children: seven sons (Gelindo, Antenore, Aldo, Agostino, Ferdinando, Ovidio and Ettore) and two daughters (Diomira and Rina).

Their lives revolved around farm work, study and a deep desire for cultural emancipation.
In the 1930s, the family distinguished itself through an innovative and courageous choice: to transform work in the fields into a model of modern agriculture, based on knowledge, experimentation and progress.
On the Campirossi estate, between Campegine and Gattatico, the Cervis built a large, close-knit and productive community, which came to number over twenty people, including children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.After the armistice of September 8, 1943, the seven brothers resolutely chose the path of the Resistance.
Their home became a refuge for fugitives and partisans, a true centre of solidarity and opposition to the fascist regime. This activity exposed them to severe repression. November 25, 1943, the farmhouse was surrounded and stormed by forces of the Italian Social Republic.
Following a violent clash, the family was arrested along with other fellow resistance fighters.
A few days later, the Cervi brothers were transferred to San Tommaso prison in Reggio Emilia.

Their fate was sealed on December 28, 1943, when the seven brothers were shot at the Reggio Emilia firing range alongside Quarto Camurri.
It was one of the first and harshest reprisals against the Reggio Emilia Resistance and left a deep mark on the region’s collective memory.

Their legacy now lives on in the Alcide Cervi Institute and the Cervi Museum in Gattatico, which tell their story as an example of freedom, the dignity of work and civic commitment.
Visiting these places means stepping into one of the most significant episodes in the 20th-century Italian history.

Find out more at:
Istituto Alcide Cervi e Museo Cervi