During the German Army occupation of Italy during the years 1943-45, many in the Rom, Sinti, and Camminanti ("gypsy") nomadic communities were deported and killed in concentration camps. The Rom and Sinti are large nomadic communities that move throughout Western Europe, while the Camminanti community is a small nomadic community based in the Sicilian region of Noto, and who travel sporadically offering hand-crafted repairs.
Depending on the european region, they have different names: Rumungri, Tattaren, Bergitka, Sinti-Gackanè, Gypsies, Kalé.
Dedicated on January 2001 by the Opera Nomadi, a non-profit organization that caters to the interests of the nomadic community, and by the Comunita' Ebraica, an organization that represents the interests of the jewish community in the city of Rome.
More recently, memorial and remembrance processions have included lesbian and gay organizations.
The street is named "Via dei Zingari", which translates to "Gypsy Street".
Right next to the plaque is the address of a relative of one of the deported, that latter which transcribed a message with the address while en route to Germany, and whose one-page message survives in the archives of documentation of deportees, viewable here at
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visit link)
full text of the plaque:
IL COMUNE DI ROMA
L'OPERA NOMADI E LA COMUNITÀ EBRAICA
POSERO A PERENNE RICORDO DEI
ROM SINTI E CAMMINANTI
CHE INSIEME AGLI EBREI
PERIRONO NEI CAMPI DI STERMINIO
AD OPERA DELLA BARBARIE GENOCIDA
DEL NAZIFASCISMO
PERCHÈ QUESTA STORIA NON SI RIPETA PIÙ
PER NON DIMENTICARE
PER LA FRATELLANZA FRA TUTTI I POPOLI
+S.P.Q.R. GENNAIO 2001