Castel San Niccolò

In preparation for their imminent retreat, German troops had begun to mine most of the roads in the municipal area. While doing so they were continually sabotaged by partisans of the VII Company and by local civilians who had been called in to help clear the mines. A similar thing had happened in Prato di Strada with the bridge over the Solano. On the morning of September 7th 1944, the Germans, furious that the bridge had not been blown up, rounded up all the men in the hamlet. They warned that if the person responsible for the sabotage did not come forward, all the hostages would be shot. The 22-year-old Francesco Grigioni, aware of both the complete innocence of his fellow villagers and the inevitable fate awaiting him and the others, stepped forward and accused himself of the sabotage. He was shot in the back with his hands tied, watched in horror by the other hostages, who were then released.