On 7th February, 1945, about 100 Garibaldian Gappisti, led by “Giacca,” reached the Porzûs huts not far from the village of Canebola (Faedis), where 17 Osovani partisans were residing, commanded by Captain Francesco De Gregori (“Bolla,” uncle of the singer-songwriter Francesco de Gregori) and Gastone Valente (“Enea”). Upon arrival, Giacca’s Garibaldians executed, without reason or trial, two Osovani commanders and a woman, Turchetti, accused of being a spy by Radio London, blaming them for “collaborating with the enemy.” In the following days, they continued their raids and, in the Romagno Woods near Cividale del Friuli, they executed other people from Osovano, among them the partisan (“Ermes”) Guido Pasolini, brother of the poet Pier Paolo. This horrific event marks the most disastrous point of partisan warfare in these lands, certainly fuelled, though not justified, by the tormented ideological conflict existing in this area. To this day, a commemorative ceremony is held on the first Sunday of February, attended by almost all the surviving Osovani partisans, witnesses of that dramatic period. In 1992, the site of the massacre was visited by the President of the Republic, Francesco Cossiga. Subsequently, in 1997, director Martinelli shot the film “Porzûs,” inspired by these events, which aroused quite a bit of controversy, but which contributed to ensuring that this tragic event is not forgotten. The Porzûs Mountain Hut will soon receive the “National Monument” certificate.
