Borgogni Vasco & Ada (Rosi)

Vasco & Ada Borgogni Mario Cabibbe was married to Sarina Paggi. Their daughter Aida was born in 1931. Cabibbe worked for the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Bank until he was fired in 1938 following the enactment of the anti-Jewish laws. One day, Cabibbe bumped into a former elementary school classmate, Vasco Borgogni, who offered him a job in his lumber business in Bologna. Borgogni and his wife Ada had three young children, Fabio, Anna Maria and Emilio. The Borgognis hosted the Cabibbe family in their home for a number of months, until it became apparent that it was becoming too dangerous to the Jewish family to stay in Bologna. At this point, Vasco Borgogni moved the Cabibbe family, along with his own, to their house in Teglio, a hilly town in northern Italy. The two families lived there together until late 1943, when the Cabibbes were forced to move once more, due to the influx of German soldiers in the area because of its proximity to the border with Switzerland. During the Cabibbes’ stay in Teglio, a well-informed friend forewarned Borgogni of planned police maneuvers, which allowed him to protect his "guests." One day, Mario and Vasco were riding their bicycles in Teglio when they came across a group of soldiers. Mario, in his fright, fell off his bicycle and was helped up by a German soldier; the riders then made a hasty retreat. When a young German soldier started visiting the house regularly, Borgogni decided that the situation was untenable and arranged for the Cabibbes to be smuggled across the border with Switzerland, despite it being the middle of winter. He planned and financed their rescue through the use of border smugglers who were well acquainted with the paths crisscrossing the mountains. The journey was difficult as Sarina was pregnant and Mario suffered frostbite. However, their crossing was successful and not long afterwards, their daughter Ambra was born in a Swiss hospital. On July 10, 2011, Yad Vashem recognized Vasco and AdaBorgogni as Righteous Among the Nations.