Commemoration of the La Storta Massacre

A memory that belongs to Rome

The Commemoration of the La Storta Massacre is one of the most deeply felt civic ceremonies in the northern part of the capital. It is held every year on June 4th, a date of dual significance for the city: it is the day of the Liberation of Rome in 1944, and also the day when, just hours before the arrival of the Allies, fourteen political prisoners were murdered along the Via Cassia by German units fleeing north. The event is promoted by the Municipality XV of Rome, within the territory of the City of Rome, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region.

What happened on June 4, 1944

At dawn on June 4, 1944, a German convoy from the Via Tasso prison stopped at the fourteenth kilometer of the Via Cassia, in the hamlet of La Storta. Fourteen prisoners were taken out and led to a shed on the Grazioli estate, where they were killed. Among them was the trade unionist Bruno Buozzi, a leading figure in the Italian labor movement, along with Navy officer Alfeo Brandimarte and Allied agent Gabor Adler. Their names are engraved on the memorial and also remembered by a second plaque placed at the intersection of Via Cassia and Via Giulio Galli.

How the ceremony unfolds

The commemoration is sober and institutional in nature. In the morning, the procession gathers in front of the memorial stele on Via Antonio Labranca, in La Giustiniana, for the laying of the laurel wreath; this is followed by speeches from municipal and city authorities and the reading of the victims' names. The ceremony then continues with the laying of flowers at the second memorial stone at the intersection with Via Giulio Galli, along the Via Cassia.

Who participates

• The President and the Council of Municipality XV, with representatives from the City of Rome and the Lazio Region
• The families of the victims, a constant presence at every edition
• The ANPI "Martiri de La Storta e Isola Farnese" section and veterans' associations
• Students from the "Bruno Buozzi" secondary school in La Storta, named after one of the victims

A ceremony involving schools

The most distinctive feature of this anniversary is the participation of local youth: readings, passages, and reflections prepared in class accompany the wreath-laying moment. It is not merely a formal celebration, but an educational journey that links the history of the local area to the national story of the Resistance and the Liberation every year.

The territory of Municipality XV

La Giustiniana and La Storta are located along the Via Cassia, at the gates of the Veio Park, in an area where the Roman countryside still retains agricultural features and where the memory of the Nazi occupation is deeply rooted. The memorial is now a reference point for the entire northern Rome quadrant and is visited throughout the year by school groups and historical memory associations.

Why attend

Those who attend the commemoration will find a brief, intimate, and open ceremony: no tickets or reservations are required. It is an opportunity to learn about a lesser-known page of the capital's history and to understand how the day of June 4th, celebrated in Rome as the Liberation Day, also carries the memory of one of its final tragedies.