Tosca Bucarelli Martini (; 4 October 1922 – 10 January 2000) was an Italian

Partisan 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 ** Ital ...

and politician from

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. During the

Italian Civil War The Italian Civil War (, ) was a civil war in the Kingdom of Italy fought during the Liberation of Italy, Italian campaign of World War II between Italian fascists and Italian resistance movement, Italian partisans (mostly politically organized ...

, she joined the Gruppi di Azione Patriottica (GAP), a

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

Partisan organization resisting

Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his overthrow in 194 ...

's Fascist

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic (, ; RSI; , ), known prior to December 1943 as the National Republican State of Italy (; SNRI), but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò (, ), was a List of World War II puppet states#Germany, German puppe ...

. She later served as City Councillor for Florence from 1975 to 1980.

Partisan activity

On 8 February 1944, Bucarelli and her GAP comrade Antonio Ignesti attempted to bomb the Bar Paskowski, frequented by

Fascist Party The National Fascist Party (, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian fascism and as a reorganisation of the previous Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, Italian Fasces of Combat. Th ...

members and Nazi soldiers. However, the fuse malfunctioned, and their cover was blown. Ingesti managed to escape, but Bucarelli was captured and subjected to torture by

Mario Carità Mario Carità (3 May 1904 – 19 May 1945) was an Italian Fascist soldier and policeman, leader of the Banda Carità, a group infamous for the atrocities committed during its anti-partisan activities in the Italian Social Republic. Biography Bor ...

's forces. She was later taken to the Villa Triste, and later to the Santa Verdiana monastery where other anti-fascists were being held. On 9 July 1944, she was rescued alongside 16 others from Santa Verdiana by a GAP team led by Bruno Fanciullacci and Elio Chianesi. During her captivity and as a result of Carità's infamous torture methods, she suffered

liver damage Liver disease, or hepatic disease, is any of many diseases of the liver. If long-lasting it is termed chronic liver disease. Although the diseases differ in detail, liver diseases often have features in common. Liver diseases File:Ground glas ...

which would impact her health for the rest of her life. In fact, both Fanciullacci and Chianesi would be captured and tortured by Carità at Villa Triste less than a week later, with Chianesi dying under torture and Fanciullacci dying during an escape attempt.

Post-war

On 16 October 1944, Bucarelli married fellow Partisan Roberto Martini. She would have two children by him: Mario in 1953 and Margherita in 1955. After the war, Roberto Martini became mayor of the small Tuscan town of

Scandicci Scandicci () is a ''comune'' (municipality) of c. 50,000 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence. Scandicci borders the following municipalities: Campi Bisenzio, Floren ...

from April 1947 until June 1951. She appeared in

Liliana Cavani Liliana Cavani (born 12 January 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. Cavani became internationally known after the success of her 1974 feature film ''Il portiere di notte'' ('' The Night Porter''). Her films have historical concerns ...

's 1965 film ''Women of the Resistance'' (). Bucarelli herself served as City Councillor of the city of Florence from 1975 to 1980 as a member of the

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party (, PCI) was a communist and democratic socialist political party in Italy. It was established in Livorno as the Communist Party of Italy (, PCd'I) on 21 January 1921, when it seceded from the Italian Socialist Part ...

. She donated her husband's papers to the city archive in 1995. Upon her death in 2000, the Council Hall of District 4 at was named in her honor.

References

{{reflist 1922 births 2000 deaths People from Florence Italian resistance movement members Italian female partisans Italian city councillors Italian Communist Party politicians Italian Marxists