The Museo della Brigata Val di Vara (Val di Vara Brigade Museum) presents the history of the partisan Val di Vara Brigade, which resisted German and fascist occupation in the La Spezia region from 1943 to 1945. Part of the partisan Justice and Liberty Column (Colonna “Giustizia e Libertà”) and organized several different times, the unit was composed of local soldiers and partisan volunteers and ultimately under the command of Daniele “Dany” Bucchioni.
The Museo Storico della Resistenza di Villadossola (Villadossola Historical Museum of Resistance) presents documentation on resistance to German and fascist occupation in the Ossola Valley (Val d’Ossola) from 1943 to 1945. Several hundred written records and photographs document partisan activity in the region, including the establishment and subsequent destruction of the Free Republic of Ossola (1944).
The Casa della Resistanza (House of Resistance) in the town of Fondotce is a center for the Associazione Casa della Resistenza (Association for the House of Resistance) which seeks to further research, documentation, and education on resistance and liberation in the region from 1943 to 1945.
The Ecomuseo della Resistenza "Il Codirosso" (Ecomuseum of the Resisance “Il Codirosso”) in Rossana presents the history of partisan resistance to German and fascist occupation from 1943 to 1945 in Rossana and the surrounding Varaita Valley. A permanent exhibit displays weapons, uniforms and clothing, books and films, drawings and artwork, audio testimonies and interviews, and written records describing the activities of local partisans and liberation.
The Museo della Resistenza di Boves (Boves Musuem of Resistance) contains a small permanent exhibition on partisan resistance to German and fascist occupation from 1943 to 1945 in the town of Boves and the surrounding community. Objects on display include period clothing and uniforms, weapons, written records, and photographs that describe local experiences including the Boves Massacre which saw the destruction of much of the town and the murder of 23 Italian civilians by German Waffen-SS troops on September 19, 1943.
The purpose of this website is to offer a guide to both general public and researchers of the museums of European political and violence, what content they offer and the topics that are not sufficiently represented. This website wants to help us to rethink the realities, shortcomings and possibilities of Public History in Europe.
This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
