Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Thursday January 23 Devoted husband of Concetta for 63 wonderful years He will be sadly missed by his many family and friends Rocco has been reunited with his dear siblings Francesco When he immigrated to Canada his love for his homeland remained with him throughout his lifetime He was a professional cyclist with many achievements in his class and an avid sports fan In his spare time you would likely find Rocco tending to his bountiful vegetable garden or enjoying a Formula One race on television Spending time with his grandchildren meant the world to him Family and friends will be received at the Ward Funeral Home 4671 Hwy 7 Woodbridge (just west of Pine Valley Dr) on Tuesday from 2-4 and 6-9 p.m A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday January 29 Entombment to follow at Queen of Heaven Cemetery As expressions of sympathy donations to the Sunnybrook Foundation would be appreciated Click here to donate to the Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors One of the SAS' most daring and outlandish missions of the Second World War has finally been revealed after 80 years The raid deep behind enemy lines on a concentration camp in Nazi Germany-occupied southern Italy to free almost 200 Jews and other prisoners was pulled off by the Special Air Service in September 1943 but thanks to research by historian Damien Lewis the audacious prison break has come to light at last The raid occurred on the night of 13 September 1943 the plight of those held in concentration camps across Europe was largely unknown to Allied commanders.  But that all changed when an escapee from a camp managed to find the Allied headquarters in southern Italy informing the officers that the prisoners were about to be transferred to another camp in Germany a plan was hatched to mount an operation to liberate the camp omitted from the commonly understood history of the Second World War That’s all changed thanks to author and historian Damien Lewis who has written about the raid in his new book SAS: Forged In Hell Mr Lewis said: "To discover a mission of this unprecedented scope - there's nothing else like it during the war which was carried out by SAS operatives including a contingent from the French Foreign Legion who had been recruited to the SAS by the regiment's founder His plan for the prison break involved the hijacking of a train "The idea comes to the fore that they should hijack a train," Mr Lewis said "Steam the train through 100 kilometres of enemy territory load the train with all the inmates from the concentration camp and steam the train back again." described by Mr Lewis as a "die-hard Italian fascist" He added: "They see an Italian train steaming up to the camp "It's only when they burst off that train and storm into the camp that the enemy guards realise that this is an assault.  "It's inconceivable to them that this is really happening "And they take the camp by such surprise that they manage to capture the camp commandant This incredible story has been - at least until now - unknown beyond those who took part in the operation and the Allied commanders who ordered it be carried out Asked why there had been so much secrecy around the operation Mr Lewis said a mission of such daring and success was almost "unprecedented" He said: "My theory is that if you publicise the concentration camps to the British "That would make them less likely to surrender the mission resulted in the freeing of 180 Jewish civilians and other European prisoners from the concentration camp at Pisticci and the capture of its commandant None of the men involved in the mission were awarded commendations Mr Lewis added: "If you wrote this as a Hollywood movie outline people would say 'no Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe to: As the Italian town celebrates its European City of Culture status we revisit the Magnum co-founder’s photographs of Matera from critical moments in its history Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson first arrived in the Italian city of Matera in 1951 commissioned to photograph the historic locale by Italian authorities the area of Southern Italy where Matera is located and famously depicted in the paintings of Italian artists Carlo Levi and Rocco Scotellaro Cartier-Bresson created a comprehensive portrait of the region photographing Matera itself as well as nearby Potenza In 1985 Cartier-Bresson donated his images of Matera to the Italian city The collection comprises images made over two time periods: 1951-’52 and 1972-’73 Carmela Biscaglia is the Director of the Documentation Center Rocco Scotellaro and Basilicata in light of Matera’s status as European City of Culture for 2019 we republish her words from the original catalogue that marked this important acquisition It all began with a donation made by Henri Cartier-Bresson to the Comune of Tricarico (Matera) in 1985 a young poet Cartier-Bresson met on his first visit to Lucania but who died prematurely in 1953 The Foundation has 26 photographs that not only hold a significant position in the 20th century photographic panorama of Lucania but which are images taken by Cartier-Bresson in 1951 to 52 two critical phases in the region’s 20th century history They are accompanied by a commentary by Mazzarone himself the intellectual and doctor with a profound knowledge of Lucania who accompanied the French photographer during his visits to the region The correspondence between the pair is testament to their deep friendship This was a crucial link for Cartier-Bresson to break into that world in keeping with his belief that “whether you move or stay put supported by the community in which you find yourself” Cartier-Bresson viewed photography as an experience that allowed for a fusion between oneself and others “It is by living that we discover ourselves in the same moment that we discover the outside world” Cartier-Bresson arrived in Matera at the end of 1951 sent by the UNRRA-CASAS Prima Giunta which had set up the historic Commission for the study of the city and agriculture in Matera in collaboration with Italy’s National Urban Planning Institute (Istituto Nazionale di Urbanistica) headed by Adriano Olivetti The photographer made initial contact with the group of specialists including Riccardo Musatti Rocco Mazzarone and Friedrich George Friedmann (the German-American philosopher who was the inspiration behind the project) providing a splendid visual analysis of life in the Sassi provided the anthropological basis for understanding the Weltanschauung of those working the land providing 38 indications for urban planning in Matera inspired by the Movimento Comunità (introduced to them by Olivetti) and in the rural settlements such as La Martella and in new neighbourhoods These were to be built following the law on the redevelopment of the Sassi passed by Alcide De Gasperi and their creation would involve the greatest architects and urban planners of the time The presence of each of these groups transformed the region turning it into a hotbed of research after the huge success of the English translation of Christ Stopped at Eboli brought international attention to the plight of the Sassi as part of the new dramatic state of under-development in Lucania it is with great respect for the people and landscape that Cartier-Bresson captures the Lucania of Levi and Scotellaro showing its first signs of change It is at this point that the difficult living conditions in the region began to improve thanks to the redevelopment projects aimed at moving the population of the Sassi into more hygienic and dignified homes at improving literacy and assigning land from the large estates to poverty-stricken peasants in the hope this would enable them to meet their aspirations Iconic of this is the emblematic photo that shows in the background of one of the crowded ceremonies held in Lucania at the time to allocate smallholdings following agrarian reform a peasant showing his thanks by giving an anachronistic “Roman salute” Indicative of the repercussions healthcare and improved nutrition would have on the incredibly high level of child mortality is the photo that catches the moment in which a doctor administers medicine to a newborn infant These photos are typical of Cartier-Bresson’s work in the post-war period when the social objectives of his work had grown significantly the artist did not renounce his “affectionate curiosity for the timeless models of human behaviour and their various incarnations His emotional involvement when he came into contact with poverty in Lucania was significant he put aside his reporter’s scientific detachment and wrote to his friend Mazzarone car me sens si attaché au pays et aux gens que nous avons connu» [“leaves me sad because I feel so attached to the country and the people we have met”] Upon his return to Lucania twenty years later (twenty years that were marked by the gulf between the last phase of subsistence living and the problems involved with nascent industrialisation) Henri Cartier-Bresson uses his second reportage to a social and economic reality that had been changed beyond recognition There were new industrial areas in the Basento valley where methane deposits had been discovered vast areas of swampland around Metaponto had been cleared malaria had been eradicated and irrigation systems put in place that would pave the way for profitable and highly specialised farming The photographer created a comprehensive panorama of the region: of Matera and its surrounding towns of Stigliano of Potenza and the towns of Rionero in Vulture He captured the lives of people in these towns and the countryside the work of the ancient manor farms and the modern smallholdings in Val d’Agri the new farming methods in and around Metaponto the widespread cultural debate within the ancient libraries whilst taking in the transformations brought about by factories viaducts and cement dykes and bridges – think of the image of the bridge in Potenza to connect the city to its industrial estate cave-dwelling poverty and a subsistence economy along the stark ravines of Pisticci and Aliano towards the new opportunities offered by industry and the modernisation of farming With the lens of his Leica trained on the conflict between old and new without ever betraying his ability to penetrate the soul of the individual Cartier-Bresson captured the contrast between ancient and new traditions in Basilicata the combination of Pagan myths and Christian traditions archaic work tools alongside electrical appliances – that of the plough and the donkey the faithful companion of the peasant’s hard work and the tractor and motor car of the returning immigrant The great photographer did not fail to capture the new masses of young men whose aspirations for work were not met and who were readying themselves for a new exodus or the ruling class that continued to distribute favours weak trade unions and political parties who were nothing but “groups of families and migrant clientele” from the moment big decisions continued to be taken elsewhere Mazzarone was accompanying the great photographer to the Basento valley where the first stone of the many settlements that would never be built was to be laid He asked him to photograph the “conceited face of one of those involved” but Cartier-Bresson replied that he would only do so if the opportunity arose A curious spectator and careful witness even in those circumstances watching those images of his Lucania “with a velvet glove and a falcon’s eye” from a chain of shapes organised instinctively by his gaze they ask us to take stock and provoke emotions of human sympathy and the same joy that he must have felt at the moment of taking the shot Excerpted from the exhibition catalogue of La Lucania di Henri Cartier-Bresson: immagini di una terra ritrovata Loving mother of Antonio Castano and Teresa Castano both of Edmonton Dear sister of Giovanni (Antonietta) Quinto of Barrie and the late Bernardino Quinto ( Angela) the late Vittoria (Quinto) Ricci (late Michael) the late Giuseppina (Quinto) Martino (late Giuseppe) Visitation will be held at the Mundell Funeral Home Orillia for Mass of Christian Burial at 10 o'clock Entombment to take place at Holy Cross Cemetery memorial donations to the charity of Ones Choice would be appreciated Messages of condolence are welcomed at www.mundellfuneralhome.com  Minors were at house party in Marconia di Pisticci in southern Basilicata region Italian police have arrested four people in connection with the alleged gang-rape of two British girls in the south of the country The rape reportedly took place on Monday night at a house party in Marconia di Pisticci a town of about 8,000 people in the Matera area of the Basilicata region are accused of rape and grievous bodily harm Their arrests and custody were ordered by the Matera prosecutor severity and savagery of the violence committed that could be repeated against other women” The men arrested are aged between 19 and 23 police said during a press conference in Matera on Friday are also alleged to have taken part in the group rape which reportedly occurred in the garden of a villa where the party was taking place Police authorities in Matera said on Thursday: “On the night between 7-8 September sexual violence was committed against two foreign minors who were at a party in a villa The investigative unit of Matera police headquarters has begun investigations in coordination with the public prosecutor’s office.” Reports in the local press claim the girls were slapped and punched before being raped by more than one person The girls reported the alleged rape after calling an ambulance and being admitted to Madonna della Grazie hospital in Matera They were in a state of shock and marks on their bodies showed signs of violence The news agency Adnkronos said the girls had since been discharged from hospital the girls attended the party accompanied by an older sister of one of the pair Soon after arriving at what was said to have been a birthday celebration open to anyone they were approached by two of the suspects The girls immediately told the sister of one what had happened and reported the incident to police after returning home described the violence committed against them as “unprecedented” they have been heartened by their families and are confident in the work of justice They hope to soon recover and forget what happened … we would never have thought that such wickedness could happen here,” he told Adnkronos Publication date 30 December 2020 | 21:29 ICT though owner Dimitri Fetokakis believes it could have been much worse who owns Pisticci in Harlem with her husband described the local city pandemic rules as “persecution.” More lenient rules with higher indoor capacity limits of 75 per cent cushioned the blow for Texas eateries “We thank our lucky stars that we are in a city and state that allows us to work I worry about these other states and these other cities They’re just shutting down their economies,”said Fetokakis Niko Niko’s sales were off more than 50 per cent earlier in the year but currently are down only 20 to 30 percent is helped by the fact it has a local following from its 43 years in business It also offered online ordering before the pandemic hit an advantage compared with other eateries that had to master the technology on the fly One of the toughest places to operate has been New York City where the limit was only 25 per cent capacity before Governor Andrew Cuomo again suspended indoor dining earlier this month after a spike in coronavirus infections who with her husband owns Pisticci in New York City said she was ‘exuberant’ the relief bill was finally enacted “It is a persecution which is just unbearable in New York City,” Forte said While she understands the need for public safety she said local officials had taken things to an unhealthy extreme City restaurants also have grappled with confusing and at times illogical rules One city directive earlier this month barred customers from entering the restaurant “for any reason” While the order was quickly amended and clarified New York City Hospitality Alliance chair Andrew Rigie called it “another example of why restaurants and bars feel like government is purposely kicking them in the gut.” who has not been taking a salary during the pandemic welcomed the new government relief package that President Donald Trump signed into law on Sunday but she expects business to continue to struggle this winter Her restaurant is near Columbia University and most students and faculty have been working from home She said the restaurant has added 12 infrared heaters for outside tables and “New Yorkers have stepped up to the plate to show they are absolutely crazy and willing enough to eat outside at 25 degrees.” Pisticci’s sales were down as much as 70 per cent in some months and at best were off 40-50 per cent in summer when outdoor dining was at a peak reasonably priced and a whole lot closer than flushing (La Salle Dumpling Room) uptown Manhattan is a part of New York that is often unfairly overlooked We asked our staff for their favorite restaurants above 120th Street which serve delicious meals ranging from southern comfort to Shanghainese soup dumplings great for dates and dinners with family (Pisticci) images via morningside-alliance.org and foursquare  What Should Acting President Claire Shipman's Nickname Be View Results Produtcs and solutions for business and customers Italy and abroad Live the city with Eni's car-sharing service Reviewing the past to build an alternative future with stakeholders when Enichem transferred its production activities to Polimeri Europa (now Versalis) and was renamed Syndial It had the mandate to manage the remediation of former industrial sites and the treatment of water and waste This path resulted in the growth of our environmental know-how to the point where we are now Eni's global contractor in Italy and abroad This reinforces our mission and supports the company’s market expansion as an operator for other companies in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals completes the acquisition of the share capital of Anic (acronym for Azienda Nazionale Idrogenazione Combustibili) acquiring the share held by the Montecatini company Anic opens petrochemical plants in Ravenna EGAM (Ente Gestione Attività Minerarie) goes into liquidation and is transferred to Eni through its subsidiary Samim the sites of the Sir-Rumianca group (petrochemicals saltworks) and Liquichimica are transferred to Eni in 1981 under Law No Eni acquires the share capital of the Enoxy joint venture in 1982 a company created following an agreement between Eni and Occidental Petroleum in the USA for the development of synthetic rubbers Eni merges the main activities of EniChimica into a single petrochemical company The latter had been managing Anic's companies since 1981 and had acquired them The desire to create a large public-private chemical hub led to the creation of Enimont controlled by the then state-owned company Eni Eni acquires control of the Enimont JV including the petrochemical plants transferred from Montedison The process of privatising Eni began with the company launching its shares on the stock exchange in 1995 Transfer of Enirisorse and Pertusola Sud (mining activities) to Enichem and focuses its mission on the environment Production activities pass to Polimeri Europa (Versalis) Syndial incorporates the remaining activities of Società Ambiente at the Scarlino and Ferrara sites Syndial transfers the Porto Torres plant's production activities to Polimeri Europa keeping its commitment to continue remediation activities on the site Syndial acquires Saipem's waste logistics division Syndial acquires the Environmental Services business division from Saipem Eni Refining & Marketing appoints Syndial to handle the environmental management of decommissioned sites as well as remediation and reclamation of service stations The Gela refinery company transfers the management of its water treatment assets to Syndial Syndial becomes Eni's global contractor for environmental activities Syndial launches the Waste to Fuel pilot plant in Gela to test Eni's proprietary technology that transforms organic waste into bio-oil and water an acronym of Remediation and Waste INto Development Our activities are naturally intertwined with the circular economy principles Spencer Pope could hardly be happier with his major new project in Italy an archaeologist and professor of Classics at McMaster is working his way backwards in time from modern Italy through the Roman empire to a period when the city of Metaponto was a major Greek settlement on the Mediterranean The area is now home to the modern town of Pisticci Pope and his team recently returned from their latest work in Italy having made good progress after picking up the project from classical archaeologist Joseph Carter of the University of Texas at Austin Carter and his team had been working since the 1970s to gather and now the McMaster team is continuing and expanding the work Pope and his McMaster-led team split their days between meetings and fieldwork Through clues provided by shards of pottery and other remnants that continue to come to the surface his colleagues and their predecessors have been developing a record of how people lived in the farming areas surrounding the coastal city where the heel of Italy’s boot meets the arch The project takes old Metaponto as its hub and seeks to understand more about 400 square kilometres of surrounding agricultural communities that fed into the city The same grain fields continue to be farmed today making it a much easier location to study than other settlements that have since been built over each found fragment can tell part of a rich story of how and where people lived over time was part of a disc that represented a woman’s face a kind of gargoyle to ward off evil spirits Another is made and marked in a way that shows it to be a fragment from an everyday plate from Roman times and another from the handle of an amphora that wealthy Greeks had used for wine or olive oil the pieces allow researchers from multiple disciplines to assemble a complex understanding of the evolving lifestyles living arrangements and even politics of the time there is nothing as valuable as being there in person seeing the relationship between the territory and the water helps you understand what might have attracted someone to a site,” he says “It’s a skill and a sense that can only be created there.” Pope is hopeful that in coming years the project will expand to take in McMaster researchers from several disciplines They could use imaging and 3D printing to make perfect replicas of broken shards and even to produce facsimiles of entire pieces “I feel very fortunate to be here at McMaster where we have a broad university with experts in many different fields,” Pope says “Our core skills here in Classics are Greek but we shouldn’t think of those as the limitations of the field Pope and his team plan to return to walk the fields that extend for kilometres around the hub of Metaponto to gather more pieces that will show them the best places to dig deeper in the search for the ruins of homes and places of worship But none of it can happen without diplomacy To be able to do the work requires developing the trust of government officials in Italy who are naturally concerned about their antiquities and of the farmers who may be leery of having an important discovery on their farms that there is a healthy population of descendants of the modern town of Pisticci now living in Southern Ontario who are proud to have a McMaster-led project revealing the historical importance of a place they love Pope and his colleagues tread as carefully and respectfully through their administrative work as they do through their fieldwork – that’s what the jackets and ties are for – and Pope says the blend is what makes the work so interesting “It’s one of the most satisfying things you can do when you’re working in archaeology,” he says we’re meeting with the Superintendent of Heritage The next day we’re in the field in t-shirts.” Here are some things you can do if your romantic partner has gone down a conspiratorial rabbit hole The new initiative brings together a series of programs that give researchers the resources opportunities and connections they need to build on their discoveries to drive change McMaster University is committed to providing websites that are accessible to the widest possible audience © 2025 McMaster University Washington’s long-awaited pandemic relief package offers a lifeline to the devastated US restaurant industry but eateries still face months of turmoil before they are clear of the coronavirus crisis The $900 billion bill that provides more funding for the Paycheck Protection Programme (PPP) comes too late for the estimated 110,000 restaurants that have closed their doors permanently Those that survived the shutdowns and restrictions on indoor dining can borrow up to $2 million in loans that would convert to grants if at least 60 per cent is spent on payroll.  Despite some improvements from the original PPP that Congress approved in March restaurants gave mixed reviews of the programme and some worry the funding will fall short.  said on Monday she was “exuberant” the relief bill was finally enacted Without it she would have had to lay off the entire staff “Our back is completely against the wall,”  Forte told AFP We’re all in this for the staff right now.”  owner of the Hunt and Alpine Club in Portland has not decided whether to seek another PPP loan It “seems like a band aid,” he told AFP “We don’t know what our business is going to look like when the snow melts.” a recent survey from the National Restaurant Association shows more than one-sixth of the nation’s restaurants have closed and a majority expect continued furloughs and layoffs for at least the next three months said the crisis has forced eateries to adapt “We’re just hustling,” he said When in-person dining was banned in the early days of the pandemic Niko Niko’s cut managers’ salaries by 40 per cent and they joined other staff assisting with curbside pickup He also organised pop-up events in the suburbs taking orders online and setting up mass-distribution sites without delivery charges Fetokakis said he expects to apply for a PPP for his catering business and for the downtown location that has suffered most with many people still working from home has found it difficult to adapt as business has fluctuated especially given the time-intensive nature of good barbeque: smoked beef brisket requires 15 hours of prep time.“The dining public is just a lot more emotional,” said co-owner Stephen Carroll of the unpredictable flows that make it difficult to know how much food to cook.  At times the restaurant has given away surplus food to food banks or you lose sales when you don’t have enough,” he said.Carroll said he is not sure if the restaurant will apply for another PPP. The earlier round allowed him to avert layoffs but the original rules mandated the money be spent within eight weeks Congress in June extended the deadline to use the funds to 24 weeks but by then RayNathan’s had already spent most of the money The PPP also has been a source of controversy after huge amounts went to publicly-traded companies including Shake Shack and Ruth’s Chris before the chains returned the funds and after revelations about funds going to tenants of buildings owned by the Trump Organisation and the family of Jared Kushner President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and advisor the programme has been credited with saving millions of jobs and again became the prime vehicle for providing government support to small businesses.After months of grinding talks on the second round of stimulus Congress approved $284 billion to fund PPP but includes some features specific to restaurants It allows restaurants to receive loans up 3.5 times their monthly payroll compared with 2.5 times for other industries Restaurants also may deduct business expenses paid with PPP loans The Paycheck Protection Programme is open to all industries but allows restaurants to receive loans up 3.5 times their monthly payroll Industry leaders had been championing the $120 billion Restaurants Act which would provide grants that can be used to pay back debt as well as low-interest 10-year loans designed to put restaurants back on solid footing for the medium-term The Democratic-controlled House passed the Restaurants Act and it currently lists 52 bipartisan supporters in the Senate a vice president with the National Restaurant Association the targeted bill “was just too much to get done”. But he said the PPP improvements would provide help in the interim as the industry prepares for another push in Washington next year please register for free or log in to your account elevated mDfIt Maria Teresa (Mastronardi) Barbalinardo passed away on June 3rd 2020 at Humber River Hospital in Toronto Maria Teresa (known as Teresa and Teresina) was born in Pisticci the daughter of Maria Caterina Lomassaro and Michele Mastronardi elevated mDfIt Maria Teresa was named after her grandmothers Maria Teresa Forte and Maria Teresa Pernette Teresa grew up on a farm in southern Italy Teresa married Domenico Barbalinardo on December 22nd 1949 Domenico and Pasqualina moved from Pisticci Ontario Canada in the early 1950s where they raised their family of four daughters followed by one son Teresa was proud of her family’s accomplishments of higher education and an ironman are among her grandchildren’s’ successful careers The stability and size of Teresa’s family is a testament to her love of family and dedicated work raising them elevated mDfIt Teresa is survived by her devoted husband Domenico Barbalinardo (Pisticci June 1927) to which she was married for over 70 years her loving sister Grazia Mastronardi-Matera of Pisticci Italy and brother Michele Mastronardi of Pisticci elevated mDfIt Teresa is survived by her five caring children and their spouses: Pasqualina Saverino married to Attilio Saverino Maria Caterina Kieffer married to Campbell Kieffer Anna Bernard married to Edward Alan Bernard Nicola Barbalinardo married to Maureen Barbalinardo elevated mDfIt Teresa is survived by her 13 affectionate grandchildren and spouses: Domenico Saverino married to Nada D’Aquilante Anna Maria Giansante married to Agostino Giansante Selina Marie Puente married to Alexander Puente Christopher Snyder married to Jessie Dobson-Snyder Michael Barbalinardo married to Danielle Barbalinardo Colleen Barbalinardo and Allison Barbalinardo Teresa is survived by her adoring great-grandchildren: Cristina Patricia Saverino elevated mDfIt The funeral service will be held on Friday Entombment will immediately follow at Holy Cross Cemetery There will be no visitation (except limited immediate family) due to Covid19 restrictions I will never forget when her and Uncle Domenic would come for a visit She would always have a new pair of slippers for us and a bag of produce from their garden To the beautiful soul who opened the door for my dad upon arriving to Canada in 1950 Our deepest condolences to the entire family Sincere condolences to the entire Barbalinardo family on their loss From my family to yours we will be praying for you all in this time of grief and sadness My deepest condolences to the entire Barbalinardo clan Peace of Mind has never been so Affordable We are offering 0% interest for up to 48 months on the purchase of a grave Copyright Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Services – Archdiocese of Toronto | Privacy Policy | Accessibility This Page Has Washed AwayLooks like this page has disappeared with the tide — perhaps it’s buried in the sand at Vazon or drifting off Petit Port Italian police have arrested four suspects in connection with the violent gang-rape of two underaged British girls at a birthday party in a small town in the country's south The incident allegedly happened Monday night at a house party in Marconia di Pisticci a town of some 12,000 inhabitants in Italy's mountainous Basilicata region "The two victims were reportedly approached by two young men who seemed to have taken advantage of their physical state possibly due to alcohol," said Pietro Argentino public prosecutor in the nearby city of Matera "Two others arrived later and the rapes happened in a field next to the villa," Argentino told the AGI news agency one of who is said to have relatives in the town near the Gulf of Taranto were allegedly slapped and punched before being gang-raped they told their parents what happened when they later arrived home and were taken by ambulance to a hospital in Matera all from Marconia di Pisticci and some of whom had criminal records Four other men are also being sought in the case and we hope the judicial authority will do justice to the girls and their parents for what they had to endure," their lawyer Giuseppe Rago said "The girls are certainly not well," he told the AGI news agency please register for free or log in to your account.