Stumbling Stone Via Urbana 2

These memorial stones (Stolpersteine, pietre d'inciampo, or stumbling blocks) commemorate:
* Don Pietro Pappagallo, born 1888, arrested 29 January 1944, murdered at Fosse Ardeatine, 24 March 1944.

Don Pietro Pappagallo moved to Rome in 1925 and was an active member of the clergy there. During the German oocupation he was part of the resistance, assisting people wanted by the Reich, including partisans, soldiers, allies and Jews. Among other things, he produced false papers for people needing them. He was arrested and held for 2 months in prison, where he continued to offer spiritual comfort and food to fellow prisoners. Then, on the afternoon of 24 March, he and 4 others were taken by truck to the Fosse Ardeatine. He was the only priest among the 335 executed in retaliation for the death of 33 Germans killed in a partisan attack the previous day.

In 1998, the Italian President awarded Don Pietro Pappagallo posthumously the Medaglia d'oro al merito civile (Gold medal for civil merit). "As a priest of the Diocese of Rome, during the German occupation he worked zealously in the clandestine struggle and gave himself generously to aid Jews, deserters, anti-fascists and allies in flight, helping them hide and refresh themselves. Betrayed, he was handed over to the Germans, sacrificing his life with serenity of soul, a sign of the faith that had always lighted his way."

On this location is also a plaque for Don Pietro Pappagallo.

The small brass plaques, in the pavement in front of houses of which the (mostly Jewish) residents were murdered, mention the name, date of birth and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death.

In many other German cities the memorials also can be found. There are already many thousands of these plaques and their number is still counting. Almost all Stolpersteine are laid by the German artist himself, Gunter Demnig.

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Source

• Text: Fedor de Vries & Anne Palmer
• Photos: Monica Del Pin
• 30 Days magazine
• Pietro Pappagallo, Wikipedia