The Day Italy Tried to Stop Mussolini's Fascism.

The Unsung Story of a Small City's Resistance to Fascism. 

  The 'Facts of Sarzana' Begin With A Fascist / Socialist Confrontation. 

It Ends with Fourteen Fascists Killed by Carabinieri or Political Opponents. 

 

First victim of fascist violence, here fell Luigi
 Gastardelli, June 12, 1921. Sarzana, Liguria. 

On a back street in the peaceful Ligurian city of Sarzana, a little plaque marks an infamous event in Italian history. It is the spot where an innocent man, Luigi Gastardelli, became the area's first victim of fascist violence - shot by a squadrista firing carelessly as fascists rampaged in Sarzana's streets. Italian politics in 1921 were chaotic and political violence between rival groups was becoming common, but the symbolism of this death was clear: Mussolini's new political ideology had evolved and the fascist squadrons felt they could act with impunity.

The violence that erupted in Sarzana on June 12, 1921, was the opening of a series of conflicts over several weeks known as  'I Fatti di Sarzana' (The Facts of Sarzana).  It is historically important as one of the few armed resistance efforts against the rise of fascism in Italy. Reflecting the times, it involved armed fascists, the Royal Army, police, socialists, communists, anarchists, farmers, workers, and a paramilitary group known as the Arditi del Popolo (comprised of socialist-communist workers). The Sarzana conflict culminated on July 21 with the death of 14 fascists by carabinieri rifle fire or sectarian assault, and of one corporal of the Royal Army by fascist fire.  Ominously, although the events drew national attention, the example of the events at Sarzana did not serve as a spur for meaningful resistance to fascism by the King, the government, or other political parties.

Prologue. Prior to the Fatti di Sarzana, the political climate in the Lunigiana region was determined by local elections in the autumn of 1920. Most of the area's cities, including Carrara, voted for the fascist party and its allies. Only Sarzana and the neighboring towns of Santo Stefano and Ortonovo elected the PSI - socialist. This vote in the Tuscan / Ligurian area mirrored the polarity of much of post-WWI Northern Italy. During early 1921, there were clashes and occupations in the area - including in Sarzana and in the nearby larger city of La Spezia - involving opposing political factions.  The fascist movement was expanding and turning to the right politically, causing strong reactions from both fascist adherents and the opposition. In the weeks prior to the Fatti, a fascist paramilitary squadra was formed in Carrara, to the south, and both La Spezia and Pontremoli, to the north, had finally submitted to de facto fascist control, leaving the socialist Sarzana area a 'red island' surrounded by fascist paramilitary squadre - the infamous 'Blackshirts'.  'The Facts of Sarzana' Locations Map

Sarzana's peaceful streets today. In 1921 fascists rampaged here firing wildly.

First Conflict. On June 12, 1921, trucks carrying an armed squadron of Carrara Blackshirts lead by Renato Ricci stopped while passing through Sarzana. Ricci was a veteran and enthusiastic fascist who had formed the Carrara squadra and who would go on to hold several major positions in Mussolini's government. The police and Royal Army commanders, fearing a conflict with Sarzana's militant socialists, moved to neutralize the situation. While the negotiating ensued, a fascist was clubbed bloody nearby. Seeking revenge, the squadristi -lead by Ricci - began a rampage through Sarzana's streets, firing revolvers down side streets to intimidate opponents and prevent an ambush.  Luigi Gastardelli, a 65 year old father of twelve on his way home from work, was hit by that fire and died at the scene. Further conflict was avoided only when the Royal Army threatened the Blackshirts with rifles.

Carrara's Renato Ricci

Tensions Increase, Fateful Arrests are Made.
In the weeks following, national and local events increased tensions, and on July 15 violence broke out again when a fascist named Pietro Procuranti was murdered in Fosdinovo, a few miles from Sarzana.  On July 17, after Procuranti's funeral in nearby Monzone, Renato Ricci and the Carrara Blackshirts attacked a citizen's cooperative and killed two communists. Subsequently as they returned to Carrara, the squadriste came under fire at Santo Stefano, just up the road from Sarzana, and several were wounded. In response, the fascists attacked and killed three men and wounded several more.

As they reached Sarzana's outskirts, the Blackshirts were stopped by the Royal Army and forced to leave their vehicles and walk on rural roads to avoid conflict in town. On route, the fascists provoked a firefight with the leftist group Arditi del Popolo and a fascist was killed. Upon learning of the violence, Royal Army Lieutenant Nicodemi ordered the arrest of Ricci and ten other fascists for political violence and they were imprisoned in the Fortress Firmafede at the edge of central Sarzana. To the outrage of the fascists, no member of the Arditi del Popolo were arrested for the killing of their comrade.

Escalation and Bloody Resolution

Fortezza Firmafede, Sarzana. In 1921, it was a prison. Fascist Blackshirts
trying to release 11 fascist prisoners were met by Royal Army Carabinieri.

The violence of July 17 caused a rapid escalation as a larger confrontation seemed inevitable. In Sarzana, a Committee of Public Safety was formed which included socialists, communists, anarchists, and republicans lead by Mayor Arnaldo Terzi. They proclaimed a general strike for July 18 which was joined by La Spezia workers and railroad employees. A surveillance and messaging system was established to warn of trouble.  On July 20, Royal Army reinforcements were sent from Genoa so that the forces of order were increased to 50 police, 150 Royal Guards, and 200 infantry soldiers. On July 19 and 20, fascist forces from Tuscany and Liguria assembled in preparation for a punitive attack on Sarzana which would target socialist and communist offices and liberate the eleven jailed fascists.

At dawn on July 21, a force of about 300 armed fascists, some carrying cans of gasoline, arrived at the Sarzana rail station. They were lead by Amerigo Dumini, later part of Mussolini's secret police, and the killer of the heroic politician Giacomo Matteotti in 1924.  The fascists were met by a small vanguard of Royal Carabinieri lead by Captain Guido Jurgens backed by other forces who sealed off the town. Amerigo Dumini came forward and presented the fascist demands: release the eleven prisoners, turn over Lieutenant Nicodemi, and allow the fascists to occupy Sarzana. Jurgens firmly rejected the demands.

Amerigo Dumini, fascist
& killer of Matteotti.

Upon a sign from Dumini, the Blackshirts began to advance. At this point, a rifle shot of disputed origin rang out from the direction the station, wounding a carabiniere in the arm. In response, the carabinieri opened fire as did the fascists. In the exchange, which lasted about a minute, four fascists were killed outright and many wounded, two of whom later died, and an infantryman, Corporal Paolo Diano, was killed.  In the aftermath, more than a hundred fascists sheltered in the train station, and many others scattered into the countryside - countryside that was controlled by the leftist Arditi del Popolo and a left-leaning peasantry. Five fascists were murdered trying to escape this way, some by farmers and some by Arditi, and several others were rescued by carabinieri. The remaining squadristi were taken by special train back to Carrara.

The Royal prosecutor released Ricci and the other ten squadristi from the Firmafede jail several hours later.

Afterward
The day after the shootings the fascist leader Count Dino Grandi made a prescient statement about fascism and the event. No one at the time could have imagined how it would echo in history: "The sacrifice of our brothers will not be in vain. Our daily struggle is a necessary protection of civil law. We are not a faction of the State, we feel instead that we are the State and the Nation."

The piazza outside Sarzana's train
station now honors Captain Jurgens.

At the national level Mussolini protested in parliament accusing the government of involvement in the shooting. However, the fascist protests came to nothing. The more lasting effect of the Sarzana deaths was to push Mussolini, the socialists and the national workers union into a Peace Agreement in August, 1921. But the peace agreement itself was not the lasting effect. Long term, the split in the fascist ranks caused by that signing allowed Mussolini to consolidate power with the formation of the Nationalist Fascist Party (NFP) in November 1921. By October of 1922, just 15 months after 'I Fatti di Sarzana', Mussolini was Prime Minister.

Despite Sarzana's resistance, the fascists took over city government less than two years after the shootings.  After a politically motivated prefectural investigation of city government, Mayor Terzi and councilors resigned shortly before a large fascist rally on the first anniversary of the Fatti. A Royal decree established a commissioner for the city until elections were held in 1923. By election time, Mussolini was the Prime Minister and the fascists won the mayoralty and all the council seats.

The Sarzana Mayor Arnaldo Terzi came to symbolize the 'Facts of Sarzana' for the fascists. In 1944, they got their revenge. With the advent of the German puppet state, the 'Repubblica Sociale Italiana', Terzi was deported to the Nazi's Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria where he died of starvation in April, 1945, a few days before the camp was liberated.

Many authoritative historians believe as did Sandro Pertini, 7th President of the Italian Republic, when he said:
"If, in all the Italian cities, the fascist violence would have been stopped as in Sarzana, fascism would not have been established."

More Info

I Fatti di Sarzana.  The  story of these chaotic events has been simplified to make a succinct narrative, but we maintained all the essential events. There is little available in English, but these Italian sites provide fuller information:
Wikipedia Italia has a detailed narrative: Wikipedia Fatti di Sarzana.
Extensive illustrated blog Strage di Sarzana seemingly with some fascist sympathies.
ANPPIA News An Italian antifascist group with a vivid partial account.

I Fatti di Parma. Another significant resistance to fascism, known as 'The Facts of Parma', occurred in August, 1922. While only two people died, it is better known as more people were involved including Italo Balbo a famous Italian aviator and fascist.  Wikipedia Fatti di Parma.

Mussolini.

Mussolini and the Quadrumviri during the March on Rome in 1922

Before Hitler in Germany and Franco in Spain, Benito Mussolini created fascism. An opportunistic genius, he utilized violence by his supporters and shrewd maneuvering to gain dictatorial power in Italy. While he was too sly to be directly tied to violence, he used it against critics and opponents such as the murders of the politician Matteotti, the priest Don Minzoni and the journalist Amendola. The fascist reign of terror became total and overcame all opposition ...and no, he didn't make the trains run on time, he simply controlled newspaper stories about them.

Mussolini - Il Duce - is one of history's more fascinating figures and his contradictions make him impossible to understand. Evil and dynamic, vain and brutal, idealistic and incompetent, he destroyed his country but he still has admirers in modern Italy. His techniques still appear in the politics of many countries as he manipulated the array of human emotions that we all share.

Wikipedia The Mussolini article in English is extensive and balanced.

Biographies  There is an mini publishing industry built on Mussolini and fascist Italy. The English author Dennis Mack Smith spares not: Mussolini: A Biography  and a more recent work: Mussolini By R.J.B. Bosworth is also well-regarded.

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Fascism is the promotion of an authoritarian nationalist agenda that tolerates or promotes violence and inequality. Whatever your country or your politics, the lesson from Sarzana is the importance of stopping elements of fascism as they emerge: nationalism that is beyond healthy patriotism; those who promote racial, class, or religious intolerance or inequality; or those that tolerate or incite violence. Civilization depends on it. Ask any Italian.

Written by Mike

Sarzana Shopping / Suburban Edition

Shopping in Italy is fun - really!  Yes, in many stores the merchandise selection can be limited and often it's the same stuff which is available everywhere.  It's also true that the sales clerks can oscillate between non-existent and over-existent. Right - the prices are seldom pleasing and reductions are infrequent. However, the opposite of all those descriptions can be true if you search a bit. Wonderfully different products are here, often of excellent quality, and often at very fair prices. This article describes four stores in suburban Sarzana in Lunigiana that you might like to visit.

Biscottini Art Trading                                                                                     Sarzana, Liguria

Biscottini - Closed in 2016 
This is a wild and crazy store. You may have visited stores that sell some unusual imports, but this place is on steroids.  You may be greeted by a giant dolphin or a six foot rooster, but that's just for openers. There are a hundred mirrors, scores of tables, and statues of lions and tigers and bears. You'll find child-sized birdcages and Nubian maiden lamps, displayed as if everyone has one. There's no predicting the inventory because it's the retail outlet of an import-export wholesaler.

Furniture at Biscottini, Sarzana.

Perhaps you're interested in a giant conical basket useful for umbrellas and your grape harvest; or a suit of armor suited for the guest bathroom. For Madame, a Mussolini portrait perhaps, or an antiqued bar sign ("If you are drinking to forget, please pay in advance."). Choose between faux-Georgian, faux-Ming, faux-Colonial, or faux-Renaissance.  Not everything is fantastical - there are ordinary hat racks, and knobs and lamps, but you won't remember them.

Bring a friend for a reality check, otherwise God knows what you might buy.
Closed in 2016.  All Good Things Must Pass.




Maisons Du Monde

Patio furniture display with unwitting model.        Maisons du Monde, Sarzana

This new store is part of a large French chain which has more than 220 stores in Europe. They offer a large variety of tasteful furniture and accessories of generally decent quality. Much of the furniture is in stock or available quickly, and they offer a nice catalog for easier decision-making.

Couch, Divan, Sofa, Ottoman, Davenport, Chesterfield display.

If you are interested in home furnishings, you want to visit. It's kind of an upscale Ikea, mixing furniture of different sizes along with accessories such as glassware and curtains and wastebaskets. The store is part of a four store building called Parco Commerciale Porta Di Luni. Lots of parking is available behind and under the stores. Two more of the stores are described below.


Maisons Du Monde 
Maisons du Monde Italian Website
via Variante Aurelia, 4B       Sarzana (SP)
Tel. : 0187 625977   Open 10AM to 9PM Daily


Casa / Maxi Toys

Christmas planning in May.                                                   Maxi Toys Sarzana.

Next door to Maisons du Monde is a store with a dual identity. There's Casa Shops and there's Maxi Toys in the same unit. We will not equivocate: Casa sells house goods, and small furniture. There is a big selection of interesting stuff, some new inventions , some with clever designs, some necessities, some useless geegaws. They seemed to have a lower price point than Maisons du Monde.  We determined that Maxi Toys sells toys and we identified lots of pink boxes, and other colorful kiddy items, but we lack qualifications in this subject area. We suggest you find a toy expert to accompany you.
Maxi Toys Italy   Casa Shops

Casa Shops / Maxi Toys Via Variante, 4F   Sarzana (SP)  Tel: 0187 622101   Open 9AM-9PM Daily

Risparmio Casa

After you buy that suit of armor at Biscottini, you'll need armor polish, and that's a job for Risparmio Casa. They offer a huge selection of detergents and sponges and plastic basins and cleaners and air fresheners. We can list more stuff, but you know this kind of store. We mention this store for the huge inventory which can make things easier for large household projects.   Risparmio Casa Website
Risparmio Casa  Via Variante  Sarzana (SP)    Tel: 0187 610583    Open Daily 8AM-8PM.


Here's a Google Map to help you find these stores, which can be easily reached from Sarzana exit on the A12 Autostrada (Genoa-Livorno).

Millennial Sprawl.  Like nearly every other city in the world, the small Ligurian city of Sarzana has suffered or permitted or encouraged sprawling commercial development in its periphery. However, the sprawl road  here has its origins 2,000 years ago since it's a traffic improvement to the Via Aurelia. The Aurelia was constructed by the Romans for consular travel between Rome and France, but - for better and worse - it passed directly through the center of Sarzana. As a result it didn't require much motorized traffic to create havoc. The solution was the Variante Aurelia - the Aurelia Bypass - a/k/a the SS1 (Strada Statale 1)  which in theory, and sometimes in reality, improves traffic flow through the Sarzana area. Unfortunately, the resulting suburban growth now clogs this road as well.  Plus ça change...

Written by Martha

A Charming Lunch in Charming Sarzana

Osteria Panzallegra in Sarzana, Liguria.

Even in the nicest spring weather, it rains sometimes. When it does, that's the perfect excuse (or the latest excuse) to go out to lunch. The small city of Sarzana is interesting in  many ways – historically, artistically, socially, and, more usefully, gastronomically. It serves as the informal capital of lower Lunigiana, that is the lower Magra Valley, and we are there twice a week for sure. There are more than a dozen decent restaurants in this town of about 20,000, and on a Sunday in April we finally got to try one of the places that’s been on our list for years – Panzallegra.

This last Sunday in April was the last day of Atri Fioriti, an annual Sarzana event in which the atriums of about a dozen historical palazzi are open to the public, with floral displays to enhance them.  It’s a simple kind of civic event and each site has informative signage and a few volunteer teens of differing levels of commitment.  One of the palazzi was the childhood home of the 14th century Pope Nicolo V, one of a famous local sculptor, Carlo Fontana, and it’s always fun.  We visited four or five atriums, and then started to look for lunch.  When we saw that Panzallegra was open for its last Sunday lunch of the season, we were in heaven - the handwritten menu outside was a Ligurian dream.

Ravioloni di Mare at Osteria Panzallegra in Sarzana.

Typically an Italian meal has four parts: Antipasto, Primo, Secondo, Dolce. Thirty years ago, one would have them all. Today, the diner has what they feel like, even to the extent of sharing portions. We would have loved to have the antipasto – there were 8 or 9 tiny exquisite ‘tastes’ on the plate, including marinated sardines, timbal of cauliflower, flan of onions, and so on…but our capacity is limited, so we started with primi piatti: lasagna al forno with pecorino and artichoke, and ravioli di mare, with cernia* and gamberi.  What can a speechless writer say? They were perfect. The lasagna had three layers of pasta, the pecorino was slightly aged but not tart, the artichokes smooth but with their characteristic bitiness.  No cheating here, everything freshly cooked, perfectly balanced.  The ravioli were even better, if that’s possible.  Four large ravioloni, so-called, filled with a finely chopped and delicately seasoned spoonful of fish, topped with a fresh tomato sauce with all the tastes of the sea in it.

Our second dishes lived up to the first. On one side, a plate of lightly breaded fried local lamb chops, served with lemon and a bitter palate-cleansing little pile of radicchio and lettuce. On the other side, a lovely fan of tiny fresh zucchini halves, stuffed with baccala mantecato and accompanied with a little berm of bechamel, flavored with a touch of fresh garlic and a little garnish of reduced balsamic vinegar.  Both dishes were terrific.

Baccala Mantecato at Osteria Panzallegra in Sarzana.

The service was attentive and friendly, and the owner explained each dish in understandable Italian. When I went to pay, I asked for a business card, and Maurizio introduced himself and beckoned Paola out of the kitchen.  I asked if these were her own recipes, and she said yes, all hers.  When I complimented them – particularly the puree of baccala, which was unforgettable – she said that their policy was freshness, purity, and simplicity.  They are one of the few restaurants in Lunigiana who qualify for the Slow Foods emblem of quality, well earned.


By the way, the price for this unique experience was modest and competitive in this area.  Two primi, two secondi, house wine and water came to 58 Euro.

Osteria Panzallegra  Via Mascardi, 21  Sarzana. Reservations advised. Telephone 338 2595915. See the website or call for opening times. They are open mostly in the evening from Wednesday through Sunday, and for lunch on Sunday from October through April.

Bed and Breakfast  Luci sul Golfo  Via delle Ville, 48A   Arcola (La Spezia) 338.2595915.
Maurizio gave me both the card to the restaurant and the card to the bed and breakfast that they run in Arcola.  At the level of welcome, cleanliness, and attention to detail that they show at the restaurant, I would stay there gladly. It is located on the outskirts of La Spezia in a quiet, hilly suburban neighborhood.

Baccala Mantecato Here's a nice recipe from an independent travel blogger, living VENICE

*Cernia is a fish called Dusky Grouper in English. We tediously debate the degree to which we ought to translate the terms. Our current arbitrary test: translate if the term would be unknown to a smarty pants on their third trip to Italy. Feel free to add your opinion.

Written by Martha