Thrills and a great public turnout accompanied the sell-out this afternoon in the magnificent Estense Hall at Varese Town Hall for the launch of the book, ‘The Ossola Brothers – Franco, Luigi, Aldo’, written by Franco Giannantoni, Franco Ossola Jr and Flavio Vanetti and published by Macchione. Many stars of football and Varese basketball flocked to relive the stories, and look at the photographs and documents of three brothers who have graced the sport and the city of Varese.
After the welcome greeting by Mayor Davide Galimberti, journalist Flavio Vanetti led the meeting by presenting the book and introducing those who knew and met the three Ossola brothers – player Luigi, nicknamed ‘Cicci’, absent due to illness, basketball player Aldo and Franco Junior, all three inextricably linked to Grande Torino where Franco played and perished in the Superga tragedy.
Journalist Tony Damascelli, who wrote the preface, recounted the legend of the ruby-red team while historian Franco Giannantoni, one of three authors of the book and, at the time, Cicci Ossola’s schoolmate, pointed out his shy and retiring nature, the talented player and his career in Italy in Varese, Rome and Mantua, recalling how basketball was his first love.
Franco Ossola Jr, however, spoke of the father he never knew because he was born after the Superga tragedy, but was able to discover and appreciate once he became an adult because of the stories of those who had met him on and off pitch, and the extraordinary parent who became a football legend in the ruby team.
Finally, an emotional Aldo Ossola spoke about himself and his special sporting family, a legend and an icon in football, in basketball in Varese, and beyond. He was also assisted by Vanetti who asked Antonio Bulgheroni questions, and by Dino Meneghin, Dodo Rusconi, Massimo Lucarelli, Paolo Vittori, Guido Borghi, Coach Sandro Gamba and former Red & White footballer, Carlo Soldo. In such a way, the large audience was able to relive the epic and unforgettable moments of basketball and football in Varese.

Representing Varese Basketball was the general manager, Claudio Coldebella, counsellor Antonio Bulgheroni, team manager Massimo Ferraiuolo, the clerk to the referees and the memorable club physiotherapist Sandro Galleani, and Alberto Castelli President of the ‘Varese in the Heart’ Consortium.