Adriano Tardelli (1896 - 1 February 1945) was an Italian resistance activist during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Tardelli was born in

Capanne di Careggine Careggine is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany (Italy). It is the birthplace of Italian football player Marco Tardelli and of Adriano Tardelli, one of the heroes of the Italian resistance movement. References

...

. During the Second World War he led dozens of people to safety (

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, homosexuals,

deserters Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...

partisans Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Itali ...

, members of resistance groups) crossing with a small group at a time over the

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...

. While roped together in the darkness, they crossed the well-known

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, where he had been born and later lived with his wife and their nine children. On 1 February 1945, Tardelli was executed in reprisal by the

Fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

Army in Cogna,

Piazza al Serchio Piazza al Serchio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about northwest of Lucca. Piazza al Serchio borders the following municipalities: Camporgiano, Min ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

. He was being held in the jail of

Camporgiano Camporgiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about northwest of Lucca. Camporgiano borders the following municipalities: Careggine, Castelnuovo di Ga ...

when he was singled out for

retaliation Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more form ...

with five other people, also held for political reasons, under the order of General Mario Carloni of the

4th Italian "Monte Rosa" Alpine Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

. Before being executed, Tardelli took his shoes off and asked them to be given to the poor.

Sources

* Gabrielli Rosi Carlo, Mariani Sergio (a cura di), ''Cuore 1944. 100 episodi della resistenza europea'', Edizioni Il Centro di Educazione Democratica, Lucca 1975, 422 pp. * ''La Resistenza in Lucchesia: racconti e cronache della lotta antifascista e partigiana'', La Nuova Italia, Firenze 1965, 225 pp. * Bertolini Renzo, ''La Resistenza in Garfagnana'', Eurograf, Lucca 1975, 135 pp. * Zerbini Bruno, ''Un partigiano isolato'', Lalli, Poggibonsi 1984, 187 pp. * Pinagli Palmiro, ''La guerra in Garfagnana. Diario: 30 aprile 1944-22 aprile 1945'', Edizioni della Rocca, Castelnuovo Garfagnana 1987, 118 pp. * Guidi Oscar, (a cura di) ''Con la guerra negli occhi. Donne e uomini di Garfagnana raccontano 1943-45'', Pacini Fazzi Editore, Lucca 2005, 191 pp. * Guidi Oscar, ''Documenti di guerra. Garfagnana 1943-1945'', Pacini Fazzi Editore, Lucca 1995, 198 pp. * Federigi Fabrizio, ''Soldato Hans! A Sant'Anna! Dramma in due tempi e quattro quadri''. n. 2, Mauro Baroni editore, Lucca 2000, pp. n.n. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tardelli, Adriano 1896 births 1945 deaths People from the Province of Lucca Italian activists Italian resistance movement members