In the deeds drawn up by Notary Somma on 14 February and 2 March 1767, Don Francesco Russo accepts Giuseppe Corallo’s offer of 270 onze for the lease (“gabella”) of the feuds of Scalilla, Porrazzo, Treronche, and Capraria.
Another figure who contributed to the family’s further economic growth and prestige was the notary Don Gioacchino Russo in 1737, who proved highly capable in business as well as in his profession.
For over three hundred years, the family line included royal notaries, notaries, lawyers, and many prelates—but no entrepreneurs.
The turning point came in 1865 with His Excellency Gioacchino Russo, a distinguished scientist of international renown, who held the positions of Undersecretary of State, General of the Royal Navy, Senator of the Kingdom, Director of the Arsenal of Venice, and National President of the Order of Engineers.
He was also the author of the first Italian treatise on naval architecture, still in use today in military academies.
The cultural education of young Gioacchino was entrusted to the strict supervision of his uncle—also named Gioacchino Russo—Reverend Canon of the Cathedral of Catania, prosynodal examiner, Rector of the Archiepiscopal Seminary, and Professor of Civil and Canon Law at the University of Catania. He was also the author of De Jure Patronatus and La Legislazione Matrimoniale Canonica. He left his nephew numerous properties, as well as the family palace in Catania, still inhabited today by his descendants.
He personally oversaw his nephew’s education, who from an early age demonstrated remarkable genius.
His extraordinary intelligence led to the invention of the periscope for submarines, the world’s first color camera, the navipendulum, and the elastic-walled tank for scaled reproduction of wave motion. The latter made it possible to test how a ship would behave in rough seas without having to build it—something previously impossible. These patents brought him significant recognition in the chronicles of the time, along with prestige and financial success.
For his merits, he was awarded by the King the title of Knight Grand Cross, decorated with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of Italy, and appointed Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus.
The cities of Catania and Rome commemorate him with a street named in his honor, while Paternò honors him with a school institute and an officers’ club.
Gioacchino Russo
ph. archivio privato della famiglia Russo Morosoli
The Morosoli family, patricians of Lopagno and Cagiallo, was an ancient Swiss lineage originating from the Canton of Ticino. With strong industrial traditions, they traded in tobacco and owned a cigar and lighter factory, as well as a road safety manufacturing business. A charming book about the family bears the title: “For a hundred years we have been selling smoke, but we try to do it in the best possible way.”
In the mid-19th century, Don Francesco Morosoli moved to Milan and later to Sicily for the construction of the Palermo–Catania railway line. In the latter city, he commissioned the construction of a palace and a villa designed by the architect Carlo Sada, a close family friend.
The family’s roots in Catania became firmly established when his son, Carlo Enrico, married Duchess Maria Imbert, daughter of Don Francesco Imbert Paternò Gioeni—three-time mayor—Duke of Furnari and Baron of Ficarazzi, and of Donna Anna Rapisardi of the Barons of Sant’Antonio, nobles of the city of Etna.
It was the Morosoli family who recognized and enhanced the value of Gioacchino Russo’s patented inventions, generating significant profits through a dedicated management company.
Villa Morosoli, oggi distrutta, si trovava ad angolo tra l’odierna via Tomaselli e via Morosoli
The sons of Don Carlo Enrico and Donna Maria, Ernesto and Augusto, became prominent figures in the automobile trade and insurance business. Their nephew, Gioacchino Russo Morosoli, was always deeply fascinated by his uncles and by luxury cars.
Undecided whether to work alongside his father Francesco, who was active in the textile sector, he ultimately chose to join his uncles—identical twins—who were said to have inspired Vitaliano Brancati’s “leoni di cancellata” (lions behind the gate) for certain characters in his novels.
Lovers of the good life, they divided their time between work, high society, and spirited conviviality.
Their stories have been passed down through anecdotes that, from real individuals, turned them into true characters.
Gioacchino Russo Morosoli, born in 1941, first earned a degree in Economics and Business Administration and later in Tourism Sciences.
He learned the art of automobile sales from his uncle Augusto and was among the first to foresee that, with the economic boom of the 1960s, a market until then dominated by Fiat would gradually open to foreign brands.
At just 19 years old, he became a Peugeot dealer for the entire eastern Sicily region. From there, he embarked on steady growth, representing over time brands such as Renault, Hyundai, Rover, Honda Motorcycles, Mercedes, Smart, Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge, eventually becoming one of the most important dealers in Italy.
He was also active in the insurance sector as owner of Lloyd Internazionale, later Milano Assicurazioni as General Agency for Catania, and in the industrial machinery sector, representing Goglio of Milan—a global leader—for all of Southern and Central Italy.
Skilled in real estate as well, he built over time a significant property portfolio.
Gioacchino Russo Morosoli
One of the inspectors working for Gioacchino’s car dealerships was the son-in-law of the Turin engineer Dino Lora Totino, Count of Cervinia—an expert in cableways and a prominent entrepreneur. He played a key role in making the Mont Blanc Tunnel possible, built the Cervinia cable car, designed Caselle Airport, and served as President of Torino Calcio within the regency committee from 1953 to 1955.
It was the Count who conceived the idea of building a cable car on Mount Etna. Toward the end of the 1960s, when it became necessary to identify a local entrepreneur to manage the project, he turned to his son-in-law for advice.
Thus, the inspector—who knew the young Gioacchino well through his role within the dealerships—recommended him to the Count as the ideal candidate.
However, the company was going through a difficult period and twice risked bankruptcy. The Count therefore decided to entrust its management to Gioacchino Russo Morosoli.
Gioacchino immediately introduced new economic and commercial strategies, which at first did not meet with the approval of the Count’s daughters, who expressed their concerns to their father, who had remained in Turin.
The Count, however, reaffirmed his confidence in the young manager and the need to let him carry out his work. It proved to be the right decision, as the following fiscal year recorded profits.
At the same time, Giogiò—as he was known among friends—acquired “Star,” the company managing excursions on the Etna slope of Piano Provenzana, which today operates the ski resort.
Those were not always easy years. In fact, during his honeymoon in 1971, a violent eruption destroyed the cable car system. The same happened five more times over the years.
After the Count’s passing, and following the severe damage caused by the 1985 lava flow—which cast doubt on the feasibility of rebuilding—combined with the respect and trust he had earned among employees, who saw in him the company’s future, Giogiò succeeded in convincing the Count’s daughters to sell him 100% of the company.
Deeply attached to the volcano, Giogiò always rebuilt using his own capital, in the absence of insurance companies willing to cover such risk. In 2001, after yet another destruction, he immediately moved forward with reconstruction, securing a significant bank loan. The works progressed at remarkable speed, and by 2002 the new cable car was ready. However, just one week before the inauguration, a new lava flow destroyed it once again.
Giogiò did not lose heart: he returned to the bank, obtained a new loan, and rebuilt yet again—ultimately carrying two mortgages
It is estimated that today the company generates significant economic impact through collaborations with guides, agencies, tour operators, restaurants, hotels, B&Bs, souvenir shops, and ski equipment rental businesses, providing direct and indirect employment to more than 500 families.
A remarkable achievement, considering that Giogiò was initially considered reckless for betting on this sector. Before the construction of the cable car, tourists were very few; people reached the volcano on muleback, and the guides were local shepherds. Mount Etna was not yet a tourist destination. He was even mocked for investing substantial capital “under the lava,” with all the risks that implied.
Today, thanks to Giogiò’s perseverance and a lifetime of sacrifice, visitors can reach the summit areas of the volcano, enjoying the cable car service in complete safety and comfort.
The global automotive crisis of 2012 also severely impacted the interests of Gioacchino Russo Morosoli, placing significant pressure on a substantial portion of the group.
The following year, in 2013, his sudden passing due to a road accident further worsened an already complex situation. The responsibility passed to his children, Francesco and Fausta, who found themselves managing a deeply compromised organization.
The car dealerships entered into preventive composition with creditors, and the repercussions threatened to overwhelm the entire group.
Francesco, then just thirty-four years old, assumed sole leadership at a time when the company was on the brink of bankruptcy.
The Etna Cable Car, long under media scrutiny, is a business that has inevitably attracted envy and conflict over time. During its most vulnerable moments, there was no shortage of attacks and pressure—from political circles to certain local entrepreneurs, from banking system dynamics to internal group matters, including the actions of one of the directors, a close collaborator of Francesco, who attempted to appropriate strategic assets of the Cable Car.
Despite all this, Francesco—who had already begun following in his father’s footsteps after completing his degree—managed to safeguard the company, consolidate its historic activities, and relaunch the group with new entrepreneurial initiatives, while maintaining employment levels.
Today, the group led by Francesco Russo Morosoli, with new acquisitions at the Alcantara Gorges and significant investments in the hospitality sector, stands as one of the most prominent entrepreneurial realities in Sicily.
Francesco Russo Morosoli