Calisto Tanzi, an entrepreneur whose parable began with the growth of Parmalat and ended with the crash of 2003 and the processes that followed, died at the age of 83.
Born on November 17, 1938 in Collecchio, the small town a stone's throw from Parma, where he later built his empire.
Graduated in accounting, he interrupted his studies on the death of his father to replace him in the direction of a small family business of cured meats and preserves.
Cavaliere del Lavoro in 1984 (later 'downgraded' by Napolitano), he invested considerable resources in his city for sponsorships and restorations.
He was just 22 years old when he founded his dairy business in 1961 by taking his grandfather's old family-run business and transforming it into a multinational company with over 130 factories around the world.
Tanzi had in fact invented long-life milk but his ambition led him to expand from the food sector (not only milk but also preserves, snacks, yogurt) to tourism, TV, and even football.
In the nineties the stock market, then the acquisitions, the recourse to the securities market and finally the crash.
According to the investigators' definition, Parmalat has thus become "the largest debt factory in the history of European capitalism".
It all began in the years of the economic boom from a small company on the outskirts of Parma.
From Australia to South Africa, from Portugal to Colombia, from Canada to Romania, Tanzi's empire grows dramatically.
In 1973 the turnover was equal to 20 billion lire, which had risen to 550 in 1983. There are also two-way links with the world of politics and finance, especially in the Catholic environment.
In the nineties came the listing on the stock exchange which in fact hid the first industrial and financial difficulties.
But from here the reckless acquisitions continued with a massive recourse to credit and bond placements that involved, and in many cases reduced to the pavement, thousands of small savers.
In the galaxy of Calisto Tanzi there are a number of companies, such as Parmatour, Parma Calcio, Odeon TV, and when there is no money, it is Parmalat's cash desk that shells out cash.
The greatest difficulties for Tanzi began in 1999 when he acquired Eurolat from Sergio Cragnotti's Cirio group for an exorbitant price, over 700 billion lire, to allow Cragnotti to repay debts with Cesare Geronzi's Banca di Roma.
A pattern that, according to the investigators, is also repeated when in 2002 Tanzi decides to buy mineral waters from Giuseppe Ciarrapico, who is also indebted to Banca di Roma.
Debts are paid by contracting other debts and in 2003 Tanzi calls Enrico Bondi to Parmalat's bedside with the aim of rehabilitating the group but the super-consultant immediately realizes that Parmalat will not be able to meet the bond of 150 million euros expiring there little by little.
On December 27 of the same year Tanzi was arrested and thus the judicial matter began, after the economic adventure.
In December 2010, Tanzi was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment for a 14 billion euro crash.
