Museo della Brigata Val di Vara

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 museum is located in the Castello Doria Malaspina in the town of Calice Al Cornoviglio, an organizational center for partisan activity in the region. The Castello Doria Malaspina was a fortified point garrisoned by Italian Social Republic troops of the National Republican Guard (Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana) which the Val di Vara Brigade unsuccessfully attempted to attack and occupy on June 19, 1944. While the attack was unsuccessful, the garrison ultimately feared encirclement and withdrew a few days later. The museum aims to present both the operational activities and the human side of the Val di Vara Brigade, and displays written documents, photographs, weapons, uniforms, and other objects which document partisans’ lives.