Personale docente

Born in Como (1950), G. Vecchio reached the upper secondary school leaving certificate (Scientific ‘Liceo’, Legnano, 1969) and the degree certificate in Political Sciences (Catholic University, Milan, 1973). After the military service (1973-1974), he obtained a scholarship for scientific and didactic training (Catholic University, Milan; 1974-1981). He began his collaboration with the ‘Archives for the History of social catholic movement in Italy (1974) and became a compiler of their scientific review (the «Bollettino dell’Archivio per la storia del movimento sociale cattolico in Italia»), in which he published many articles. In 1981, he became Research assistant in Contemporary History (Catholic University, Milan).

In 1992 he won a chair of second level associate professor of History of Italian Risorgimento and (from 1994) of Contemporary History (University of Parma). From 1995 to 1998 he was Contract professor of Contemporary History at IULM University (Milan) and from 1995 to 2001 Contract professor of Contemporary History at the Catholic University (Milan). In 2001, he obtained the chair of First level professor of Contemporary History and in 2004 became First level tenured professor of Contemporary History (University of Parma).

From 2010 to 2012, he was director of the Department of History.

He is also chairman of the scientific committee of the Fondazione Don Primo Mazzolari (Bozzolo, Mantua) and of the scientific committee of the Istituto Alcide Cervi (Gattatico-Reggio Emilia).

He is member of the scientific committees of the Istituto Ferruccio Parri (Milan), Istituto Paolo VI per la storia dell’Azione Cattolica (Roma), Fondazione Pio XI (Desio).

Vecchio’s early researches have concerned the history of the catholic movement and particularly the history of the Italian Popular Party. This led to a number of articles on the PPI and particularly to the book I cattolici milanesi e la politica. L’esperienza del Partito Popolare, 1919-1926, 1982), which followed the other book regarding the history of La democrazia cristiana in Europa (1891-1963), published in 1979. He focused on analysis of the political behaviour of the Italian Catholics at the beginning of the 20th century and published many articles (later collected in the book Alla ricerca del partito. Cultura politica ed esperienze dei cattolici italiani nel primo Novecento, 1987).

Vecchio has written many articles regarding the history of the Azione Cattolica. He considered this association in an important diocesan situation (L'Azione Cattolica nella Milano del Novecento, with G. Formigoni, 1989) and in its transformations before and after the II Vatican Council (Last: L'Azione cattolica del Vaticano II. Laicità e scelta religiosa nell'Italia degli anni Sessanta e Settanta, 2014).

In the meanwhile he published a book on the peace movements and the conscientious objection in the Italian post-war period (Pacifisti e obiettori nell'Italia di De Gasperi, 1992). This interest for peace history has also led to a study on the Italian peace movements in the first half of the 20th century and to another one on the Italian peacekeeping mission in Upper Silesia (1920-1922), that appeared in the book Le sfide della pace. Istituzioni e movimenti intellettuali e politici tra Otto e Novecento, edited in 2008 by Vecchio, A. Canavero and G. Formigoni.

In 1996 Vecchio was nominated member of a regional committee of Emilia-Romagna, for the celebration of the second centenary of the Italian Flag. He coordinated with F. Tarozzi an important national conference and edited the book Gli italiani e il tricolore (1999).

In 1999, he edited a Storia dell'Italia contemporanea, which reappeared in 2014 in a new edition with the title Storia dell’Italia repubblicana (1946-2014).

In the last years one of Vecchio’s research interests has been the history of the Italian society and Catholic Church during the II World War (Lombardia 1940-1945. Vescovi, preti e società alla prova della guerra, 2005). He studied also the Jewish persecution (La Shoah, l'Italia, la Chiesa. Un'introduzione storica, 1998; La Shoah italiana: ritorni, incomprensioni, prime rimozioni, 2017).

He devote himself to Alcide De Gasperi’s biography. In 2007, he has published a wide introduction to De Gasperi’s Scritti politici (1918-1943) and a biography of the Italian statesman during the Fascist era (in 2009). He published papers on some leaders of the Democrazia Cristiana, such as Giuseppe Micheli, Giovanni Marcora, Andrea Borri, Giovanni Leone.

He is editor of the important diaries of the communist intellectual Emilio Sereni (Diario 1946-1952, 2015) and of the parish priest Primo Mazzolari (Diario. 5. 25 aprile 1945-31 dicembre 1950, 2015).

Vecchio is interested in the women’s history too. After the biography of the Milanese noblewoman Barbara Melzi. Una Canossiana nella Legnano dell'Ottocento (2000, with G. Borsa), he edited the book Mazzolari, la Chiesa del Novecento e l'universo femminile (2006) and published an article on the rape of women during wartime in Italy (2007). In 2010 he has edited two new books on the role that women and nuns have played in the Italian Resistance (La Resistenza delle donne; Le suore e la Resistenza). In both volumes, Vecchio offers a historical view and methodological suggestions.