Aurelio Padovani

[3] A charismatic figure,[3] signups increased under his administration, and candidates sponsored by the Fascists fared disproportionately well in Naples in the 1921 election.

[1] He participated in Mussolini's October 1922 March on Rome and quickly became a prominent figure in the South thereafter, exercising supreme authority as the Ras of the Campania region.

[8][11][12] Foul play has long been suspected, as Padovani's lingering popularity and influence were a probable source of unease on Mussolini's part.

[1] In 1934, Piazza Santa Maria degli Angeli in Naples was renamed Aurelio Padovani Square and a huge monument was erected bearing his name.

After World War II, the square's name was reverted and the monument was dismantled, its fate forgotten until 2010 when its remains were found in the Bourbon Tunnel.