Francesco Re, the mayor of the ceramic town, is determined: «We will name the new Elipista after her as soon as it is completed». She is referring to Maria Ciofalo, daughter of Giovanni and Giovanna Sortino, university student in Naples, code name Fiammetta-Stella, the first partisan to be parachuted behind enemy lines during the last world conflict.
The enthusiasm of the mayor after receiving an invitation from the ANPI (National Association of Italian Partisans) of Messina, Provincial Committee, to want to consider a due recognition to Maria Ciofalo, born in S. Stefano on March 6, 1913 and precisely in the house at number 82 of via Garibaldi, as the first female paratrooper partisan of the Italian Resistance.
The recognition by the Administration and the Municipal Council of Santo Stefano di Camastra should translate into the naming of a street or a square after Maria Ciofalo. This would nourish the lasting memory of this extraordinary woman from Stefano – protagonist of many risky operations, even engaged in the English secret services – transmitting her values to all citizens.
As for the construction of the helipad, which the mayor intends to name after the heroine of Stefania, the various phases are being completed in order to begin work soon, hopefully immediately after the summer.