Terzilio Cardinali was an Italian fighter known for his role in Albanian resistance.

He was born on July 25, 1913 in Terranuova Bracciolini

Terranuova Bracciolini

Terranuova Bracciolini is a comune in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 35 km southeast of Florence and about 25 km northwest of Arezzo...

. A baker by profession, as an anti-fascist he participated in clashes with Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....

's Fascist gangs

Squadrismo

Squadrismo was the use of violence by Italian Fascist gangs from 1918 - 1922. Squadrismo consisted of fascist squads who were led by the Ras...

 in his youth. When Italy capitulated on September 8, 1943, he was a sergeant in the Arezzo Division

53 Infantry Division Arezzo

The 53 Infantry Division Arezzo was a regular Infantry Division of the Italian Army during World War II.-WWII:The Arezzo Division took part in the Italian invasion of Albania in 1939. It was next involved in the Greco-Italian War in November 1940, as part of the Italian III Corps, suffering heavy...

. After an appeal by Albanian partisans to continue their war against Germans, Terzilio together with other Italian soldiers formed the Antonio Gramsci Battalion

Antonio Gramsci Battalion

The Antonio Gramsci Battalion was formed on 9 November 1943 from captured Italian soldiers who wished to continue the war by resisting Nazi German forces in Albania. In the beginning its forces amounted to 137 men who chose their own leaders: Terzilio Cardinali , Alfredo d'Angelo , Giuseppe Monti ...

. He was elected by his fellows as the commander of the battalion, a post he maintained up to July 8, 1944, when he was killed among fierce fights in Strelce, Dibër region.

For his deeds he was decorated with Gold Medallion of Honor by Albanian and Italian government. Today a street in Rome is entitled after him.