Costanzo Picco

Costanzo Picco (1917 – 9 December 2009) was an Italian military officer and skier.

Biography

Picco, born in Borgo San Dalmazzo, served in the Italian 4th army in the rank of a Tenente during World War II. Amongst other missions, they fought in cooperation with the Giustizia e Libertà in the Valle Maira. He was taken prisoner during the war twice, once by the French and once by the Germans, but was able to flee both times. During the Italian resistance time, he served as liaison officer between the partisans of justice and freedom in Piedmont and the allied troups. For his commitment he was decorated with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Further received decorations were the Bronze Medal of Military Valor (medaglia di Bronzo al Valor Militare) and the War Merit Cross (Croce al Merito di Guerra).

After the war he led the national team in the demonstration event, military patrol (precursor to biathlon), in the 1948 Winter Olympics, which placed forth. Advanced to the rank of a Capitano shortly afterwards the Olympic games, he was transferred to the Italian mountain warfare school (Scuola Militare Alpina) in Aosta. 1951, he received his second Bronze Medal of Military Valor. In 1952 he became company commander of the 43rd/Battaglione Alpini Sciatori „Monte Cervino“, a ski warfare company, in Aosta. In order of the Scuola Militare Alpina he had the command over the 37th Alpini Company, when the company carried and placed the monumental statue of Christ (by Alfredo Bai) on the top of the Balmenhorn in 1955. From 1960 to 1965 he was commander of the Scuola Militare Alpina in the rank of a Tenente Colonnello.

Picco was the first president of the Associazione Sport Invernali Valle d'Aosta (ASIVA) and was advanced to General later. He was still active as a mountain guide of the Trenker-Trek before he died. He was married to Pia Greppi.