Recognition
of Salvo D’Acquisto’s Offering of His Life
Servant of God Was a Salesian Past Pupil
The offering of life of the Servant of God
Salvo D’Acquisto, layman, born in Naples on October 15, 1920, and martyred in
Palidoro, Italy, on September 23, 1943.
Salvo D’Acquisto was the eldest of 5 children
and grew up in a virtuous family environment. From an early age, he was
influenced by the Salesian spirit, attending kindergarten run by the Daughters
of Mary Help of Christians in Naples-Vomero. He later enrolled in the Salesian school
of the same neighborhood, completing 4th grade and, in 1933-34, the first year
of secondary school.
A generous and thoughtful young man, Salvo
was shaped by a strong family education centered on hard work and honesty. This
upbringing instilled in him a deep sense of responsibility, both at home and in
school. By the age of 14, he was described as “reserved, prudent, and
reflective.” His formation within his family and the Salesian environment would
later be reinforced by his service in the Carabinieri (Italian military police),
molding his character for the ultimate sacrifice he would make.
At 18, he joined the Carabinieri. Between
1940 and 1942, he was deployed to Libya, where he openly displayed his moral
convictions, making the sign of the cross in public and reciting the Rosary. As
a vice brigadier, he was later assigned to the station in Torre in Pietra (Fiumicino,
Rome).
Following the Italian armistice on September
8, 1943, in a period of great confusion amid battles near Rome, an SS unit took
refuge in an abandoned former Guardia di Finanza (Italian financial military police)
barracks near the Tower of Palidoro, within the jurisdiction of the Carabinieri
station in Torre in Pietra.
On the evening of September 22, 1943, during
an ill-advised inspection of abandoned ammunition crates in the barracks, a
group of German soldiers was caught in an explosion, resulting in casualties.
The following morning, the German commander, seeking retribution, visited the
Carabinieri station demanding answers.
With his commander absent, Salvo D’Acquisto
attempted to explain that the explosion was an accident, but the German officer
refused to believe him, treating the event as an act of sabotage. As a result,
22 innocent townspeople from Torre in Pietra were rounded up, transported to
the base of the Tower of Palidoro, and forced to dig their own mass grave,
preparing for execution.
As the execution was about to proceed, Salvo
D’Acquisto negotiated with the German officer. Shortly after, all 22 captives
were released—except for him. In an extraordinary act of self-sacrifice, he
falsely confessed to being solely responsible for the incident, offering his
life in exchange for the freedom of the others.
The 22-year-old Carabinieri officer was
immediately executed, while the hostages were spared.
The decree recognizing his sacrifice
acknowledges that his act was not merely “a simple act of civic solidarity or
secular philanthropy” but rather an integral part of “a consciously and
consistently Christian way of life.”
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