The Massacre of Pontelandolfo, August the 14th, 1861
The massacre of Pontelandolfo and Casalduni (two small towns in Campania, Southern Italy) was a carried out by the Italian Royal Army against the civilian population of the two towns on August 14, 1861.
The decision to carry out the retaliation was taken following the previous killing of 45 Italian soldiers, captured a few days before by brigands and peasants with the intention of avenging violence and abuses previously committed by the soldiers. The two small towns were burned to the ground, leaving around 3,000 homeless people. The number of victims is still controversial, estimated between one hundred and one thousand.
«Di Pontelandolfo e Casalduni non rimanga pietra su pietra.» No stone on stone shall remain of Pontelandolfo and Casalduni. General Cialdini to Colonel Negri.
General Cialdini, for the implementation of the plan, commissioned Colonel Pier Eleonoro Negri and Major Melegari, who commanded two departments of General Maurizio Gerbaix de Sonnaz’ division. The two departments headed to Pontelandolfo and Casalduni respectively. At dawn on August 14, the soldiers reached the two towns. While Casalduni was found almost empty (most of the inhabitants managed to escape after learning of the arrival of the troops), in Pontelandolfo the citizens were surprised in their sleep. The churches were attacked, the houses were first looted and then burned with the people who still slept inside. In some cases, the Bersaglieri waited for the civilians to leave their burning houses in order to shoot them as soon as they were out in the open. The men were shot while the women (despite orders to spare them) were subjected to torture or even raped, many of them dying as a consequence. Carlo Margolfo, one of the soldiers who participated in the punitive expedition, wrote in his memoirs:
"In the morning of the 14th (August) we receive the higher order to enter Pontelandolfo, shoot the inhabitants, exception made for women and the sick (n.b. many women perished, as said before) and set fire to it. We entered the town, immediately we started shooting the priests and men, how many times it happened; then the soldier sacked, and finally we set the village on fire. One could not stand around because of the great heat, and the noise of those poor devils whose fate was to die roasted or under the ruins of houses. Instead we had everything during the fire: chickens, bread, wine and capons, nothing was missing ... Casalduni was the goal of Major Melegari. The few who remained remained locked in the house, and the Bersaglieri ran through the streets and alleys, smashed the doors. Whoever left the house was hit with bayonets, those who escaped were shot. It was three hours of fire, the best things were taken out of the houses, the Bersaglieri filled their rucksacks, the fire crackled. "
A century and a half after the events, on August 14th 2011, Giuliano Amato, president of the committee for the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, commemorated the massacre of Pontelandolfo, offering all the inhabitants of what was called the "martyr city", the apology of Italy.
