Assunta Cabiddu discovered karate only when she arrived in Milan. She was 14 when she left Triei after losing both her parents. She never turned the sport into a profession, but it became a way of life. She also holds a world title in demonstration kata without opponents.
Until the very end, she was appreciated by the students she had trained consistently for years. She passed away today at the age of 71, defeated by an insidious illness that overcame her tenacity. The fourth of six children, Assunta had emigrated in search of a better life. She put down roots in Lainate, just outside Milan, where she worked as a domestic worker for a family of professionals.
It was her employer who introduced her to karate, where she met Ivano Corti, who later became her husband. He, too, was a former karateka, and they shared a passion for a sport for which she had also championed in her native Triei. On several occasions during her summer vacation, she demonstrated her athletic abilities in the town squares, garnering praise from young and old alike. The municipal administration also expressed its condolences for her passing. The funeral will be held Thursday afternoon in the church of Lainate.
