There are some people whose connection with Barga and its surrounding communities runs far deeper than the number of years they spend here. Professor Alfredo Osvaldo Moscardini was one of those people.
This June, family members gathered in Sommocolonia to complete the installation of a new marble headstone at Alfredo’s grave, creating a lasting memorial to a man who was respected both internationally in academic circles and locally among the many friends he made in Barga and Sommocolonia over the years.
The timing of the visit carried particular significance. Family members, including Alfredo’s wife, his sister Angela, his cousin Sonia and her husband John, together with Gilio, returned to Barga during the week that marked both Alfredo’s birthday on 25 June and the third anniversary of his passing (article here)
The newly completed memorial now stands in the cemetery of Sommocolonia, the village that Alfredo loved and where he chose to be laid to rest. Polished black marble carries his name, dates and photograph, while the simple inscription reflects the feelings of those who continue to remember him: “Forever in our hearts – Always in our thoughts.”
For those who knew him, Alfredo was far more than an accomplished academic. Throughout his career he earned the respect of colleagues and students alike, many of whom remained lifelong friends. In the years since his death, former colleagues, PhD students and friends have continued to share memories of a man remembered not only for his intellect and professional achievements but also for his kindness, generosity and enthusiasm for life.
Many of those memories are inseparable from Sommocolonia itself. Friends recall visits to the village, long conversations, shared meals and Alfredo’s deep affection for this corner of Tuscany. Although his professional life took him to many places, Sommocolonia remained a special part of his world and a place he was always proud to share with others.
In preparation for this year’s visit, Alfredo’s family contacted a number of friends, colleagues and former students, inviting them to record their memories of both Alfredo and Sommocolonia. Their contributions paint a picture of a man who inspired those around him, not only through his academic work but through his warmth, humour and friendship.
The family hope that by sharing these memories with the readers of barganews and the wider community, Alfredo’s legacy can continue to be celebrated by both his Italian friends and the many people around the world whose lives he touched.
Three years after his passing, the new headstone in Sommocolonia stands not only as a marker of a life lived, but as a reminder of the enduring connections that Alfredo Moscardini forged between people, places and generations.
For those who knew him, and for those who knew him only through the stories of others, Professor Alfredo Osvaldo Moscardini remains very much present in memory — a friend of Sommocolonia, a respected scholar, and a man who will not easily be forgotten.
Alfredo was ever determined to meet with his former student Brian, a PhD in Mathematics, and me – a “cousin” and lowly Physics/Computer Sciences BSc graduate! We chatted for hours about everything from the nature and meaning of Quantum Mechanics to the best cask ales. The ales we could sort out through empirical measurement (sometimes lots of measurement); quantum mechanics was a bit tougher. I greatly miss our twice-yearly chats, ale-sampling and the late-night curries. Brian and I tried to resurrect our beer-fuelled days out after we lost Alfredo but, unsurprisingly, it could not work.
I first visited Sommocolonia a quarter of a century ago and the history of the village and surrounding landscape were undeniably captivating. Over time I grew to know both the history and the surrounding area better. But familiarity did not breed contempt. When we lost Alfredo, I realised why.
The village was Alfredo’s kingdom and, for me, always will be. Without Alfredo it is, sadly, yet another dying mountaintop village without a soul. Because over the past twenty years or so I had not realised that my visits to Sommocolonia were not, in fact, visits to the village itself. I (we) naturally headed to the Great Man’s Italian home. And if he was not there, we knew where to find him!
We do not know where to find him anymore and Sommocolonia has lost its soul. Let us hope it can return one day. – John Baharie_Sunderland, UK
I am so shocked that it has been 3 years since Alfredo died – where has the time gone? It still seems like yesterday that I would sit opposite him at the kitchen table and we would dissect the economies of the world and plan where we were going to achieve growth on his portfolio.
I think my favourite memory of him was his fantastic brain and the conversations we used to have about world events, current affairs and life in general. It seems so unfair that the man who so loved being alive and found himself fascinated in the technology of the future, is no longer here. How could God have thought it was the right time for him to leave you and this crazy world? To me Alfredo was a light in the dark, he was way ahead of his time. He would have loved another 100 years just to see what happened in the world.
He would encourage me to read different books and ask my opinion afterwards. I was always deeply honoured and humbled to have this great man as not just a client but a friend as well. He had the ability to make people feel very comfortable in his presence. With such a great mind, one may have expected him to be aloof, but he was the opposite. He was warm and attentive, always keen to hear my opinion. He didn’t know it but this made me feel very honoured and humble.
So Alfredo, to the man who was calm and reasoned, kind and visionary, genius yet humble, to the man who could connect with a King or a pauper and make them both feel the same, we miss you very much and thank you for your brilliant life and the chance we got to share the path with you for part of that amazing journey. – John Hinson (United Kingdom, Newcastle)
If I had to name the great blessings of my life, meeting Professor Moscardini would be at the very top. Never before or since have I met someone so deeply knowledgeable, so endlessly curious about the world, and yet so warm, approachable, and kind. He carried his immense intellect lightly, with a generosity of spirit that made everyone around him feel welcome. Anyone fortunate enough to know Alfredo will remember that rare combination of brilliance and grace.
It is still difficult to accept that he is no longer here. But in a way, it isn’t quite true, because even without him being with us in person, he lives on, and always will, through the lives he touched. He brought colour and depth to the worlds of so many people, and he taught us more than he may ever have realized.
True greatness, beautifully simplified. — Olga & Roman Sydorchuk Canada, Calgary
Remembering the King of Sommocolonia
My dear friend, another summer is rolling in and the hills of Sommocolonia are looking for their favorite madman. This was the time of year you’d make your pilgrimage back to Sommocolonia—your true ‘place of power.’ It was the only spot on earth that could actually keep up with you, Alfredo.
Alfredo Moscardini was a walking contradiction in the best possible way: Italian sophistication mixed with a streak of bravado that bordered on total madness. You were the only person I knew who could blend high-brow philosophy with absolute chaos and make it look like an art form. Between the Puccini arias and the flowing wine, the deep philosophy and the constant laughter, you didn’t just live in the village—you animated it.
You were our self-appointed King, and your ‘reign’ was definitely the most entertaining chapter in this town’s history…
We’ve kept up the habit of dropping by, just like always. It’s a bit quieter without your voice booming across the hills, but you’re still the guest of honor in our hearts.
Cheers to the King. We miss you, you old rogue. Andrey Sergeyev – (Germany, Dusseldorf)
Three Years Without Alfredo — Living With His Legacy
Three years have now passed since the death of Professor Alfredo O. Moscardini, and for both Tanya and me the passage of time remains difficult to measure. In one sense it feels impossible that three years have gone by. In another, Alfredo’s intellectual presence remains so vivid that his absence is still regularly interrupted by memory, conversation and work that continues to bear his influence.
Many people in Barga knew Alfredo as a warm, cultured and deeply thoughtful man whose affection for the town was profound. He valued its history, its rhythms and its people. He possessed that rare ability to move effortlessly between academic life and everyday human warmth. Conversations with Alfredo could range from economics and mathematics to literature, opera, politics, food and the future of Europe—all often within the same afternoon.
For me, Alfredo was not only a friend but a remarkable academic collaborator. Our joint work over many years explored questions at the boundaries of economics, mathematics, macroeconomic instability and increasingly the limitations of conventional economic forecasting. We were united by a shared concern that modern economics had become too mechanically confident in equilibrium models and too detached from the realities of uncertainty, structural change and human behaviour.
In later years our work increasingly focused on financial instability, reflexivity and the fragility of economic forecasting systems. Many of the ideas we developed together continue to shape current research that Tanya and I are now bringing to completion. Alfredo played an important role in the intellectual foundations of this work.
One of our current major projects examines how economic systems change faster than economists and policymakers are often able to understand them. It explores why forecasting repeatedly fails during periods of financial crisis, inflation shocks and rapid technological change. A related paper—built partly on intellectual foundations developed through earlier collaboration with Alfredo—is currently being prepared for submission to the Cambridge Journal of Economics.
It is impossible not to wonder what Alfredo would have thought about these developments. One suspects he would have responded as he often did—with curiosity, rigorous criticism, humour and perhaps a raised eyebrow when arguments became too fashionable or too certain.
That remains one of his enduring lessons.
He believed scholarship should remain open-minded, intellectually serious and humble before complex realities.
Three years on, grief evolves but does not disappear. It changes form.
For Tanya and me, Alfredo’s legacy lives on not only in memory, but in friendship, in scholarship and in work still unfolding.
And perhaps that is one of the finest forms of remembrance: continuing the conversation he helped begin. – Prof Kevin Lawler (United Kigdom, Durham).
Una Lapide per Alfredo Moscardini a Sommocolonia
Ci sono persone il cui legame con Barga e con le comunità che la circondano va ben oltre il numero di anni trascorsi qui. Il Professor Alfredo Osvaldo Moscardini era una di queste.
Nel mese di giugno, i suoi familiari si sono riuniti a Sommocolonia per completare la realizzazione di una nuova lapide in marmo sulla sua tomba, creando un ricordo duraturo di un uomo stimato sia a livello internazionale nel mondo accademico sia a livello locale tra i molti amici che aveva saputo conquistare a Barga e a Sommocolonia nel corso degli anni.
La visita ha avuto un significato particolare. La moglie di Alfredo, sua sorella Angela, la cugina Sonia con il marito John e Gilio sono tornati a Barga durante la settimana che coincideva sia con il compleanno di Alfredo, il 25 giugno, sia con il terzo anniversario della sua scomparsa.
Il nuovo monumento funebre si trova ora nel cimitero di Sommocolonia, il paese che Alfredo amava profondamente e dove aveva scelto di riposare per sempre. Il marmo nero lucido reca il suo nome, le date della nascita e della morte e una sua fotografia, mentre la semplice iscrizione riflette i sentimenti di chi continua a ricordarlo: “Forever in our hearts – Always in our thoughts” (“Per sempre nei nostri cuori – Sempre nei nostri pensieri”).
Per chi lo ha conosciuto, Alfredo era molto più di un accademico di fama. Nel corso della sua carriera si era guadagnato il rispetto di colleghi e studenti, molti dei quali sono rimasti amici per tutta la vita. Negli anni successivi alla sua scomparsa, ex colleghi, dottorandi e amici hanno continuato a condividere ricordi di un uomo ricordato non solo per la sua intelligenza e i suoi successi professionali, ma anche per la sua gentilezza, la sua generosità e il suo entusiasmo per la vita.
Molti di questi ricordi sono indissolubilmente legati a Sommocolonia. Gli amici ricordano le visite al paese, le lunghe conversazioni, i pasti condivisi e il profondo affetto che Alfredo nutriva per questo angolo di Toscana. Sebbene la sua attività professionale lo avesse portato in molti luoghi del mondo, Sommocolonia rimase sempre una parte speciale della sua vita, un luogo che amava condividere con chi gli stava vicino.
In occasione di questa visita, la famiglia ha contattato numerosi amici, colleghi ed ex studenti invitandoli a raccontare i propri ricordi di Alfredo e di Sommocolonia. Le loro testimonianze restituiscono il ritratto di una persona che ha saputo ispirare chi lo circondava non solo attraverso il proprio lavoro accademico, ma anche grazie alla sua umanità, al suo umorismo e alla sua amicizia.
La famiglia spera che, condividendo questi ricordi con i lettori di barganews e con la comunità locale, l’eredità di Alfredo possa continuare a vivere sia tra i suoi amici italiani sia tra le tante persone, in diverse parti del mondo, che hanno avuto la fortuna di conoscerlo.
A tre anni dalla sua scomparsa, la nuova lapide nel cimitero di Sommocolonia rappresenta non solo il segno tangibile di una vita pienamente vissuta, ma anche il simbolo dei legami duraturi che Alfredo Moscardini è riuscito a creare tra persone, luoghi e generazioni.
Per chi lo ha conosciuto, e anche per chi oggi lo incontra attraverso i racconti di altri, il Professor Alfredo Osvaldo Moscardini rimane una presenza viva nella memoria collettiva: un amico di Sommocolonia, uno studioso stimato e una persona che non sarà facilmente dimenticata.
