Calabria mourns the passing of Aurelio Chizzoniti, a long-time criminal lawyer and thoroughbred politician, who died at the age of 78. With him goes a piece of history of the Reggio and regional institutions, a man who made the battle for transparency and civil passion the center of gravity of his entire existence.
A career between the court and institutions
Chizzoniti was not only an esteemed lawyer, known for his determination in the courtroom, but an absolute protagonist of local politics for over three decades. His path has touched the top of institutions:
President of the City Council of Reggio Calabria: A role covered with rigor, during complex years for the city.
Regional Councilor of Calabria: Elected from the centre-right ranks, he stood out for his tireless activity as an inspection union.
Rights Defender: Famous for his numerous complaints and complaints, he was never afraid of clashing with strong powers to defend what he believed to be the common good.
The profile: a man against the grain
Often nicknamed “the lion” for his indomitable character and his scathing oratory, Aurelio Chizzoniti was a figure capable of polarizing public opinion, but always respected for his coherence. His political action was constantly marked by a magnifying glass focused on the management of public affairs, bringing to light critical issues and requiring high ethical standards.
Even after leaving his elective roles, he never stopped making his voice heard through lucid and biting interventions in the press, remaining a point of reference for anyone seeking a critical and in-depth reading of Calabrian dynamics.
The political and civil legacy
Chizzoniti’s death leaves a void in the forensic and political landscape. He is remembered by colleagues and adversaries as a man of profound legal culture and a frankness that is now rare. His legacy lies in the constant warning he left to the new generations: politics is not just the management of power, but above all vigilance and courage.
The funeral home and funerals
Tomorrow Wednesday 7 January starting from 10.30 am the funeral chamber for the lawyer Aurelio will be set up Chizzonitiformer municipal councilor and president of the municipal council of Reggio Calabria, in the Pietro Battaglia Council Chamber of Palazzo San Giorgio. The funeral will take place at 4.00 pm in the Cathedral.
The condolences of politicians
The President of the Regional Council of Calabria, Salvatore Cirillo, expresses deep condolences for the passing of the lawyer Aurelio Chizzoniti, “a reference figure of Calabrian institutional and political life”. During his activity, the lawyer Chizzoniti has held important positions at regional and local level, including that of President of the Special Supervisory Commission of the Regional Council of Calabria, member of the Regional Committee for the control of the acts of the Local Health Authorities, the Provinces and the Consortia, as well as President of the Municipal Council of the City of Reggio Calabria. «He has always stood out for his competence, balance and profound respect for institutional roles». «His commitment represented a significant contribution to the functioning of the institutions and the civil growth of the Region». President Cirillo extends “his deepest personal condolences” and “the closeness of the entire Regional Council of Calabria” to his family, his wife, his children and to those who shared his human and professional journey.
“The passing of the lawyer Aurelio Chizzoniti leaves a deep void in the political, cultural and forensic panorama of our city and the whole of Calabria. With him we lose a passionate protagonist of public life, a man who dedicated his existence to the service of the institutions, authoritatively holding leading roles in both the City Council and the Regional Council”. This is what the mayor of Reggio Calabria Giuseppe Falcomatà states, offering the condolences of the city institutions for the passing of the lawyer Aurelio Chizzoniti. “Aurelio Chizzoniti was an intelligent and effective jurist, thanks to his extensive academic training and his long experience as a criminal lawyer in trials of national importance, but he was also a politician and a thorough administrator, always committed to the service of the Reggio and Calabrian communities. His commitment, always intellectually honest and independent, had as its primary reference the desire to serve his own community, to represent it by bringing popular demands within the institutions and fighting on the major issues that concerned the development of our territory. As a majority municipal councilor and group leader in the council, he was involved in supporting my father Italo in a season of rebirth for Reggio, a period during which he continued to hold the delicate role of President of the Airport Technical Committee, before then assuming, in the following council, the high position of President of the City Council, carrying out his role with great wisdom and with his proverbial intellectual honesty”.
“But his commitment never ended with the end of the institutional mandates. Aurelio continued to experience politics in the noblest sense of the term: as care of the polis. Even in recent years, as a free citizen, he never failed to make his voice known, with public interventions that were always timely and documented, exercising a function of control and stimulus with his usual verve and without discounts. He was a constant “goad” for the democratic institutions and also for my Administration: a critical voice, sometimes harsh, but always driven by an intellectual honesty and a civil passion that I have always respected and which will be missed in the public debate citizen”https://reggio.gazzettadelsud.it/articoli/politica/2026/01/06/addio-ad-aurelio-chizzoniti-il-leone-della-legalita-e-della-politica-calabrese-c979804e-735e-48ed-9403-30e92e5522b5/.”To the family, to colleagues and to those who shared with him battles and human and professional journeys – concludes the mayor – my feelings of deep condolences and closeness arrive on behalf of the entire City of Reggio Calabria”.
“A man of extraordinary political, institutional and, even before that, human depth. With the passing of the lawyer Aurelio Chizzoniti, the city of Reggio and all of Calabria lose a figure of reference for the territory: a competent politician, animated by an authentic sense of institutions, capable of translating ideas into concrete action and always open to discussion”. Thus the Calabrian MEP Giusi Princi, expressing deep condolences for the death of the lawyer Aurelio Chizzoniti. “I learned with profound sadness – continues the Hon. Princi – of the passing of the lawyer Chizzoniti. A person of great value, a high profile political figure, an esteemed professional and an authoritative man of the institutions, who interpreted public commitment as a service, with rigor, passion and constant attention to the common good. He was a point of reference deeply linked to the territory, which he loved and represented with dedication. Expression of a way of acting based on content, values, responsibility and respect – he highlights -, he was also able to dialogue with the new generations, understand their needs and accompany their journey. With Lawyer Chizzoniti – adds the Calabrian MEP – the discussion has always been pleasant, stimulating and enriching. His ideas, his openness to dialogue and his tireless commitment will always be an example for everyone”.
“I express my deepest closeness – concludes Giusi Princi – to the family and in particular to his son, my dear friend Rocco who, following in his father’s footsteps, is actively involved in social work and with whom I worked on the psychologist project in Calabrian schools”.