The General Giuseppe Castellano had a determinant role in the negotiations that were carried out, towards the signing of the armistice with the Allies, on the 8th of September 1943. He was born in Prato on the 12th of September 1893, in the Castle of the Emperor, where his father commanded the company of the discipline. His career in the Army had been rapid and brilliant. In the First World War he was Captain of Artillery; for his merits in the war he was promoted to General during the war in Yugoslavia in 1941, and was at that time, the youngest general in Italy. In 1942 he was called to the General Staff and the following year, to the High Command. He collaborated with General Ambrosio, and had a prominent role in the events that led up to the fall of the fascist regimen and to the armistice. He organised the arrest of Mussolini to Villa Savoia and signed the armistice of the 8th September (the document shows the signature of General W. Smith and of General G. Castellano). After the armistice, he subsequently became head of the Italian military mission beside the allied order of the Mediterraneo in Africa, where he received official recognition and a demonstration of admiration, partly from General Eisenhower. After his experiences in the World War he wrote a number of books that helped to understand the events: "Come firmai l'armistizio di Cassabile" (How I signed the armistice in Cassabile), published by Mondadori in 1945; "La guerra continua" (The continuous war); and "Roma Kaputt". In 1947, he retired from the Army. He was the director of a chain of hotels and thermal baths for some years, after which, he retired to private life and was mostly kept busy writing his war memoirs. The General loved his city, and his relatives still live in Prato. He had been one of the first (together with Curzio Malaparte) people to support the institution of the Province in the city of Prato. He died in Porretta Terme on the 31st of July 1977.