A journalist, a friendly and polite man of culture and wit, a pioneer of the Focolare, an attentive and caring husband and father, and tireless builder of relationships of unity.
Some remember him as “the man of relationships”, because he always built bridges in view of a reciprocity that would unite the people. He was a man of our times, who left his mark on people and places with whom he came in contact.
Born in 1924 in Cortona (Italy), Spartacus was above all a man of prayer. As a boy he showed a strong propensity for “the things of God”, despite the opposition of his father. And faith leads him, gradually, to love every neighbour as a brother. From here, comes the acute social sensitivity that characterize all his life. Immediately after the war , we find him , with a degree in economics, engaged in Catholic Florentine and tertiary sectors of the ” Servants of Mary.” And it is a father who served him into contact with the first Focolare, recently arrived in Florence. An event, as discussed below ” unexpected and decisive ” change his life : the encounter with Silvana Veronesi , one of the first companions of Chiara , who informed him the ideal of unity . That ” that all may be one” of Jesus, fascinates him . He decides to commit its forces to help make it happen.
Nato nel 1924 a Cortona (Italia), Spartaco è stato innanzitutto un uomo di preghiera. Fin da ragazzo manifesta una forte propensione per “le cose di Dio”, nonostante l’opposizione del padre. E la fede lo porta, via via, ad amare ogni prossimo come un fratello. Da qui, nasce l’acuta sensibilità sociale che caratterizzerà tutta la sua vita. Subito dopo la guerra, lo troviamo, laureato in scienze economiche, impegnato nell’Azione Cattolica fiorentina e terziario dei “Servi di Maria”. Ed è proprio un padre servita che lo mette in contatto con i primi focolarini, da poco arrivati a Firenze. Un avvenimento, come dirà in seguito “imprevisto e determinante” cambierà la sua vita: l’incontro con Silvana Veronesi, una delle prime compagne di Chiara, che gli comunica l’ideale dell’unità. Quel “che tutti siano uno” di Gesù, lo affascina. Decide di impegnare le sue forze per contribuire a realizzarlo.