He was described as "an exemplary servant of the Republic" by President Sergio Mattarella and as "an example and a guide" by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. However, many people remembered General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa yesterday, on the 42nd anniversary of the attack that claimed his life, as an indelible character in Italian history, a man who dedicated his life to the service of the state and the struggle against organized crime. Dalla Chiesa was born on September 27, 1920, in Saluzzo, Piedmont, and joined the Carabinieri in 1942, beginning a career that would see him become one of Italy's most influential emblems in the war against the mafia. Dalla Chiesa was and will always be remembered for his dedication to the fight against terrorism during the Italian 'anni di piombo', contributing greatly to the dismantling of the Red Brigades and the liberation of several key hostages. His fame and operational rigor led to his appointment as Prefect of Palermo by the Italian Government in 1982, with the responsibility to combat the Sicilian mafia, which had reached unparalleled levels of violence and power. When General Dalla Chiesa arrived in Sicily, he was confronted with an enormous challenge. Palermo was a battleground, dominated by the "dome" of Cosa Nostra. Dalla Chiesa quickly got to work, attempting to apply the strategies and discipline used in the fight against terrorism to combat the mafia. Due to a lack of resources and an effective legislative framework, his struggle against the mafia proved to be nearly impossible. Carlo Alberto dalla Chiesa, his wife Emanuela Setti Carraro, and escort agent Domenico Russo were murdered in a mafia ambush in Via Carini on September 3, 1982, just 100 days after arriving in Palermo. The Fiat 132 in which they were traveling was strewn with gunfire. This horrible murder rocked Italy to its core, igniting outrage and a surge of public protest against the mafia and the government's inability to protect it. A cowardly attack that, according to Mattarella, "failed to attenuate the commitment to those values of legality and justice proper to our democracy, for the affirmation of which General Dalla Chiesa fought in the various roles held in the Carabinieri and most recently as Prefect of Palermo. Years later, the legacy of those who, like him, rejected terrorism and mafia hubris continues to confront those in positions of public trust, civil society, future generations, and every citizen".