Salvo D'Acquisto

Salvo Rosario Antonio D'Acquisto MOVM (15 October 1920 – 23 September 1943) was a member of the Italian Carabinieri during the Second World War.

After Italy surrendered in September 1943 to the Allies of World War II, the Germans occupied most of the country. On 22 September, two German soldiers were killed and two others wounded when some boxes of abandoned munitions they were inspecting exploded. The Germans insisted it was sabotage, and the next day they rounded up 22 civilians to try to get them to name the saboteurs. The soldiers made the prisoners dig their own graves when they continued to assert their innocence. D'Acquisto, in charge of the local Carabinieri post, was taken to the prisoners. When it became clear that the Germans intended to kill them, D'Acquisto "confessed" to being solely responsible. He was executed by firing squad, but the civilians were released unharmed.

D'Acquisto was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour. He was given the title Servant of God by Pope John Paul II.

In 2025, Pope Francis declared him Venerable, the next stage on the path to canonization.