Winding its way over 23 km of trails through small hamlets and woodland around the village of Montese, the “Places and Paths of Memory” open-air museum is enriched by monuments, the Historical Museum at Montese Castle and the Museum of Memory in Iola. A dialogue between past wartime and present peacetime, the “Diffused Museum” stretches through the mountains and valleys of Montese, recounting the harshness of the period between the summer of 1944 and the end of the Second World War, in April 1945.
As the allied troops advanced towards the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, the first allied aerial bombardments began. From the winter of 1945 until the end of the conflict, the area was subject to allied incursions and shelling from both sides. During that long year of hardship and violence, the local population had to learn to live with both the destructive power of weapons and raids at the hands of the Axis forces. Cellars and barns were used as hideouts, air-raid shelters were dug throughout the area; in the centre of Montese people even hid down in the sewers.
The trail, which is clearly signposted and easily accessible, can be done in stages, and is suitable for the whole family as well as school groups. The museums of Montese and Iola make the trail even more interesting from an educational point of view. And so, a day out in the countryside, surrounded by hills and mountains, woodland and meadows, can turn into the chance to discover and learn more about the history of the area.
