Italy 1943–1945
Sacrario dei Partigiani, Piazza del Nettuno, Bologna
Memorial
The story
On 21 April 1945, the day Bologna was liberated, families began pinning photographs of their dead to the wall of Palazzo d'Accursio, where many partisans had been executed. The permanent memorial by Giuseppe Vaccaro, opened on 25 April 1955, holds more than 2,000 ceramic tiles with names and faces of partisans who died between 1943 and 1945.
What to look for
Look for the photographs among the tiles, then walk into Piazza Maggiore, where Allied tanks and partisans were cheered on liberation day.
Plan your visit
City centre, always visible; Bologna has a limited-traffic zone, so leave the car at your campsite or a car park.
Nearby sites
- Polish War Cemetery, Bologna (San Lazzaro) · 5 km
- Sacrario dei Caduti, Marzabotto · 20 km
- Monte Sole Historical Park — Casaglia · 23 km
- Argenta — the Gap · 41 km
- Argenta Gap War Cemetery · 42 km
- German War Cemetery, Futa Pass · 45 km
All 96 sites in Italy 1943–1945 →
Into Europe: Italy 1943–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The places of the Allied campaign in Italy, from the Sicily landings of July 1943 through Salerno, the Winter Line, Ortona, Cassino and Anzio, Rome, the Gothic Line and the final battles on the Senio and the Po in April 1945.
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