The Day They Killed Mario Ponzoni
...in my Italian home town
It was a chilly winter day when the German police stopped Andreina, me, and two others while we walked in the direction of Mario’s office.
We were stopped because the fascists had issued a lockdown - no one was allowed out of their house. Heck, there were signs posted that we could be shot on sight if we walked with our hands in our pockets.
The soldiers marched all four of us down the street in the direction of Mario. The gun barrels in our backs left no doubt as to the pace of our march. At one point, I was shoved for walking too slowly and fell onto the hard pavement. Up ahead, we could see the young Mario Ponzoni’s office.
The Germans had thrown his typewriter on the ground, and were searching for names. Mario had been providing us members of the resistance with false documents, and the fascists had caught up with him. Our hearts sank as this eighteen-year-old was arrested. They were not going to treat him lightly.
He was brought to trial on the street without any representation. They beat him, but still he would not divulge any information. He stood firm as they demanded the names of the resistance fighters. His refusal infuriated the soldiers.
Frustrated at Mario’s lack of cooperation, the soldiers marched all of us to the edge of town, where we feared the worst. Sure enough, after stopping at Piazza Carenzi, Mario was forced at gunpoint to walk to a distant field. We heard three gunshots, then silence.
When the soldiers returned from the field, we could hear them congratulating each other for the murder of Mario Ponzoni.
We were set free, if only to warn others of the penalties imposed for crossing the fascists. Andreina and I cried as we left the piazza and returned to our homes.
Yes, it was only a reenactment. But the event on January 11, 1945 happened in our town, and hearing the soldiers shouting commands in German with rifles poking us in the back made it all too real. Our tears were real as well. They flowed easily when we heard the gunshots after recalling the stories told by Mario’s relatives and by others who had lost loved ones in our small town during the war.
As a foreigner living here in Pieve di Teco, Italy, I felt strong emotions while acting out the part of a prisoner during the July 14, 2024 re-enactment. Being able to help recreate the scene was a humbling experience. It was a great honor to be allowed to participate, and to help the younger generation see what can happen when freedom is lost.
Now I truly understand why the main street in our town has been renamed “Corso Mario Ponzoni”. May we never forget.
Beautiful Barry. Thanks for bringing this to life, in the reenactment and the writing.