Telling the story of the life of which Geo Mantegazza was the undisputed protagonist would be too long and probably many episodes would end up being excluded. And so it is much more significant to return to the long moment during which hundreds and hundreds of citizens of Lugano and the entire Ticino wanted to pay him a loving farewell: a moving, interminable silence that expressed disbelief for a loss that was burdensome to accept but that at the same time underlined all the weight, continuity and value of a shared and beloved presence.
The fans will always remember him, but it would be more correct to call them the faithful enthusiasts of the Hockey Club Lugano who over the course of more than four decades have recognized a popularity absolutely unthinkable in a territory of limited dimensions such as Ticino. The love for this sport had long been in the hearts of the Mantegazza family, some of its members played in the various youth teams, after some initial hesitation, to take over the leadership of the Lugano sports club in 1978. Under his presidency, operational until 1991, the HCL achieved a previously unknown prestige, obtaining five consecutive playoff finals and four national titles won between 1986 and 1990 and will be remembered forever as the Great Lugano. The hiring of US Olympic champions and the promotion to the LNA in 1982 were the springboard to plan a club and forge a team capable of challenging and then beating the powers of Swiss hockey. With his ambition and innovative vision, the Presidentissimo revolutionized the entire Swiss hockey in the XNUMXs, contributing to the introduction of professionalism, and with his determination to compete he pushed the entire Swiss movement towards definitive and lasting growth.
The great results achieved in the sports field but also the many projects completed during his professional life would never have been achieved without a strong and determined character, an uncommon ability to seize the opportunities that destiny offered him and a great lucidity in clearly identifying the objectives he intended to pursue, which were then followed by willpower, tenacity and a lot, a lot of work to successfully complete the works started.
A citizen of the world, accustomed to traveling and staying abroad for professional commitments, to spend vacations or for personal pleasure, Geo Mantegazza had always remained deeply tied to his Ticino roots. But his Ticino was above all made up of traditions, values, memories and atmospheres, without ever fully recognizing himself in the contemporaneity of a development – or perhaps it would be better to say of a non-development – towards which he maintained a tacitly critical attitude.
Born in Lugano on November 12, 1928, after attending the Istituto Elvetico and the Liceo Cantonale in his city, where he was awarded the Maraini Prize, he enrolled in 1948 at the Federal Polytechnic in Zurich where he obtained a degree in Civil Engineering in 1952. His first work experiences were in the family business, managing the fleet of buses that took tourists from Ticino around Europe. But already in 1954 he had felt the strong need to start his own business, founding his own engineering firm, Mantegazza & Cattaneo, which in the space of a few years managed to take on important assignments in both public and private construction. Among the most demanding works, the planning, management and construction of the major works, which lasted about twenty years, for the excavation of canals and the laying of pipes and purification plants stands out, allowing the city of Lugano to have an adequate sewerage network, while at the same time making the waters of its lake cleaner.
Over the following decades, while participating with his brother Sergio in the creation and development of important family businesses in the travel, tourism and air transport sectors (Globus, Cosmos, Monarch and various other companies), Geo concentrated his efforts above all on his activity as an engineer and in the construction field, dealing with the construction of numerous real estate complexes and prestigious buildings that can be said to have changed the face of the city, making it more modern, attractive and cosmopolitan. Buildings such as the Palazzo Mantegazza in Paradiso or the renovation of the Grand Palace in the heart of Lugano, to name just a few of the most recent achievements, have become part of the city's iconography and represent significant pages in the history of Ticino architecture.
If the public image of Geo Mantegazza is therefore inevitably associated with grandiose works and sporting successes of great popular impact, his human dimension remains jealously guarded in the respect of family affections and in the memory of his children. Certainly his strong personality and a clear vision of the objectives to be achieved were the driving force of a long life always lived intensely. But the man has always expressed an equally extraordinary ability to maintain a strong bond with profound values such as civil commitment and solidarity towards the community to which he belonged, with the memory of Ticino traditions, not least his dialect, with the recognition of the importance of family, with the taste for beautiful things even if small and simple.
The words of his children
Claudio
My father was a great soccer player, and I remember once, when I was about 6 years old, playing in our backyard, he threw a ball high up, so high that it seemed like it would never come down again. He was always a very strong man and a great athlete.
Mario Mantegazza
I often spoke with my father in dialect, a language that in itself brings people together very much.
But what brought us closer was raising our children together. My sister Anna is exactly in the middle of my 4 children in terms of age.
This closeness has allowed us to share many holidays, many Sunday lunches, occasions where we truly have the opportunity to be together and enjoy the family that he always wanted together.
I think I am a good father and, more importantly, my children tell me that I am an ever-present father. Well, perhaps this is the most beautiful gift that dad left me: being a good father and caring about the lives of his children, loving each one in his own uniqueness.
I will miss him forever, but he will be with me every breath I take.
Vicky
I had the immense fortune of spending a lot of time with my dad, especially as an adult. In fact, we worked together in the family real estate company that he founded. Alongside him, I participated, among other things, with great interest and passion in the design, construction and bringing to life of the prestigious Palazzo Mantegazza.
I also followed him as a girl when he was the President of the Hockey Club Lugano. We would go around Switzerland (and not only) looking for players and watching games. In doing so, he passed on to me our immense passion for the white and yellow colors. Never ever would I have thought that one day he would become my biggest fan.
But first of all, my dad was a great father and a great man. Humble and generous. I will never stop thanking him for being able to transmit to me his deepest values that I will carry forward over time. Thank you dad.
Anna Mantegazza
My dad had a great sense of humor, and he always had a joke ready for every occasion. In this way he transmitted to me a healthy lightness and joy!
Her smile brightened my days and, in that smile, beautiful, spontaneous, sincere and pure, my happiness resided and I found peace.
My dad was and always will be my home!
