Italy marks WWII partisan massacres at Malga Zonta and Refrontolo

On the night of 12 August 1944, German‑aligned forces executed eighteen partisans at Malga Zonta in the Veneto region, including Marcello Barbieri, Antonio Cocco and others, together with three civilian victims. The ceremony highlighted the historical memory of anti‑fascist resistance and drew parallels to contemporary conflicts, urging solidarity with Ukraine and warning against renewed nationalism.

On 14 October 1944, a punitive raid by republican and fascist troops in Refrontolo resulted in the killing of four members of the Brigata Piave—Giuseppe and Gino Agosti, Claudio Dal Bo and Gianni De Polodi—after a spy revealed their hideout. The burned house, now known as the “Casa dei Patrioti,” bears a 1971 memorial plaque. Recent commemorations honored the fallen and recalled the local community’s wartime experiences.