Villages, museums and historical trails related to the Liberation, perfect for those who love
travel and learn about history.
From the mountains of Piedmont to the streets of Rome, from the villages of the Apennines to the museums that arose in the
places of Nazi-Fascist repression, the Italian Resistance left deep traces in the
territory. April 25, Liberation Day, is the opportunity to rediscover them: not only as
historical memory, but like a journey to the places where the foundations of Italy were formed
democratic. Italian Traditions offers a selection of destinations to visit among museums, villages,
historic parks and routes linked to the partisan struggle.
Villages, parks and places of remembrance
Monte Sole (Marzabotto, Monzuno and Grizzana Morandi), Bologna
The Monte Sole Historical Park preserves the memory of the massacre carried out between September 29th
and on October 5, 1944 in the territories of Marzabotto, Monzuno and Grizzana Morandi. The troops
Germans and fascists attacked homes, churches and places of refuge to annihilate the civilian network
considered close to the Red Star partisan brigade. The number of victims of the massacre is
generally estimated between 770 and 775, depending on the sources. Today the park is visited
through the Memorial Itinerary, a 20.5 kilometer hiking trail with
departure from Poppe di Salvaro, which touches symbolic places such as Casaglia, Caprara, Cerpiano and
the church of Santa Maria Assunta.
Domodossola and the Republic of Ossola, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
Domodossola was the centre of the Republic of Ossola, a free partisan zone born on the 10th
September 1944 and reconquered by the Nazi-Fascists on October 23. In those forty days the Junta
provisional administered the territory, organizing civil services, school, assistance and relations
with Switzerland. The Historical Hall of the Resistance preserves documents and testimonies of
that experience. The city route touches the City Hall, seat of the Council, the tombstones of the
center and the international station, linked to cross-border connections during the struggle of
liberation.
Saint Anne of Stazzema, Lucca
Sant’Anna di Stazzema, in the Apuan Alps, is linked to one of the most serious massacres in Italy
during the German occupation. On August 12, 1944, the SS, with the support of collaborators
fascists, surrounded the area, where many displaced people had also found refuge. In a few hours
over 500 people were killed, mostly women, elderly people and children. The National Park
of Peace and the Historical Museum of the Resistance reconstruct the massacre in the context of the
war along the Gothic Line front. I “Paths of Peace”, six circular routes, connect
church, ossuary, hamlets and museum, following the routes taken during the attack.
Museums of Resistance and Liberation
Cervi House, Gattatico, Reggio Emilia
Casa Cervi tells the story of the Resistance born in the Emilian countryside. The family moved to
this farmhouse in 1934 and made it, during the war years, a point of reference for
partisans and people on the run. Sharecroppers, innovators in agriculture and opponents of the regime, the Deer
They paid for their choice with their lives: the seven brothers were shot by the fascists on December 28, 1943.
The museum preserves documents, photographs and testimonies that link their story to the
social and political history of the peasant world.
Historical Museum of the Liberation, Rome
The Historical Museum of the Liberation occupies the former SS prison on Via Tasso, active during
the Nazi occupation of Rome. In his cells they were locked up, interrogated and tortured
anti-fascists, military and civilians. The route preserves graffiti of prisoners, documents, photographs and
memorabilia reconstructing German repression and the Roman Resistance. The visit can
ideally continue towards Regina Coeli, Forte Bravetta and the Fosse Ardeatine, places linked
to the detention, executions and reprisals of 1943-1944.
Risiera di San Sabba, Trieste
The Risiera di San Sabba, a former industrial plant, was transformed after ’8 September 1943
in detention and sorting camp under Nazi control. Partisans were locked up there,
political opponents and Jews; many were killed, others deported. In April 1944 he entered
the crematorium works, which made Risiera the only Nazi camp in Italy equipped with
this plant. Today the complex documents the repression in the Adriatic coast, the
deportation and anti-Jewish persecution. Since 1965 it has been a National Monument.
Diffused Museum of the Resistance, Turin
The Diffused Museum of the Resistance of Turin, in Corso Valdocco, tells the story of the city between 1938 and
1948: racial laws, war, German occupation, partisan struggle, return to democracy and
Constitution. The visit can continue in the city through thematic routes linked to the places of the
memory, from the air raid shelter in Piazza Risorgimento to the Martinetto Shrine, up to the
areas marked by deportation and life under occupation, between Piazza Carlina, the former ghetto
Jewish, the Synagogue and the New Gate.
Exploring these places allows you to experience April 25th beyond the celebratory dimension, as
a story still present in landscapes, cities and communities. Each stage tells a story
different fragment of the Liberation and invites us to look at the Italian territory with greater
awareness: not only to remember what happened, but to recognize how much that
past you continue to speak in the present.