Stumbling Stones Via dell’Acqua Bullicante 21

These small brass memorial plaques (stolpersteine, pietre di inciampo, or stumbling stones) commemorate 5 men who worked here:

* Renato Cantalamessa, born 1903, arrested 14.3.1944, murdered 24.3.1944, Fosse Ardeatine.
* Egidio Checchi, born 1892, arrested 14.3.1944, murdered 24.3.1944, Fosse Ardeatine.
* Orazio Corsi, born 1891, arrested 14.3.1944, murdered 24.3.1944, Fosse Ardeatine.
* Mario Passarella, born 1905, arrested 14.3.1944, murdered 24.3.1944, Fosse Ardeatine.
* Alessandro Portieri, born 1924, arrested 14.3.1944, murdered 24.3.1944, Fosse Ardeatine.

Background
"Here" is the site of the furniture factory owned by Pilade Forcella. There are different accounts of the raid on this factory. (Gestapo records say the raid occurred on 13 March and records from the Fosse Ardeatine say the arrests occurred on 12 March.) EcoMuseo Casilino uses the narrative told by Luigi Forcella, the son of the factory owner and a manager (military or political) of Rome’s 8th zone.

It was on March 14 that the SS raided Pilade Forcella’s factory at Via Acqua Bullicante 21-23. The denunciation that led them there also included Luigi Forcella’s shop at Via Capua 6. When the SS trucks arrived at the Via Acqua Bullicante factory, a small boy working there ran to warn the people at Via Capua 6. The SS did not find Pilade Forcella or any weapons. Instead, they arrested 6 workers who were there and took them to the Via Tasso prison for interrogation. Ten days later, five workers were shot and killed in the Fosse Ardeatine [Ardeatine Caves] on 24 March 1944 and are remembered with the stumbling stones here. The 6th worker was Mario Corsi, the 17-year-old son of Mario Corsi. Nothing was found about his fate.

Brief information revealed a little more about each of the 5 men who were murdered.
-Renato Cantalamessa, born in 1903, had served in the Royal Air Force. He and Giustina Molini married and had a daughter, Maria, born in 1926.
-Egodio Checchi, born in 1892, was a decorated soldier in the war to conquer Libya. He also served in WWI. He and Angela Peruzzotti married and had 2 sons. He worked as a mechanic.
-Orazio Corsi was born in 1891. He was a soldier in WWI. He was arrested along with his son Mario Corsi on March 14. Orazio was tortured in Via Tasso for 4 days, then taken to Regina Coeli.
- Mario Passarella, born in 1905, married Caterina Mattarello; they had 2 children. He worked as carpenter and engraver at the furniture factory. A brother, Giulio, was also at the factory; his fate is unknown.
-Alessando Portieri, born in 1924. was a mechanic at the factory. He was not married and lived with his parents. He was the oldest of five sons. A younger brother, Renato (born 1927) was also arrested and taken to Via Tasso to Alessandro’s interrogation: the SS hoped his presence would lead to a confession.

"Stolpersteine" is an art project for Europe by Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of National Socialism (Nazism). Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small, 10x10cm brass plaques placed in the pavement in front of the last voluntary residence of (mostly Jewish) victims who were murdered by the Nazis. Each plaque is engraved victim’s with the name, year of birth, and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death. By doing this, Gunter Demnig gives an individual memorial to each victim. One stone, one name, one person. He cites the Talmud: "A human being is forgotten only when his or her name is forgotten."