Alfredo Vestri

Alfredo Vestri (ANPI)

Alfredo, a local trader, was among the first to aid the PoWs who escaped from PG 82, Laterina, immediately after the Armistice of 8 September 1943, together with Carlo Vignini, a notary. He also supplied a local partisan band, of which he was the political commissar.

An article about Vestri and Tani published on “L’Informatore” of Arezzo, July, 7th 1945, one year after they disappeared..

The local parish priest wrote about his activities in the parish’s Liber Chronicus: «From 8 September, he toiled, with great effort, to help French and English prisoners who had escaped from concentration camps. During the winter, he provided for their every need and also helped as their guide. He was frequently in danger of being arrested by the Germans.»

The Fascist authorities and the Germans, who knew about the two men’s activities, tried several times to ambush them. On 14 June, thanks to a tip-off, they managed to capture Carlo Vignini. He was deported to Dachau and never came back.

Alfredo was captured a few weeks later, on 7 July, near Santa Maria a Pigli, with Ivo Tani, a young partisan (he was only 17), who often assisted him. He was found in possession of several scraps of paper, written by the PoWs he had aided. The two were brought to Castiglion Fibocchi and savagely tortured. They remained between life and death for about ten days and then, around 16 July, were shot. Their bodies were discovered only in December 1944.