Discover the struggle for resistance as you walk through the historic center of Lucca or hike the valleys of Garfagnana. Let yourself be drawn to the mountains around Bologna and the sadly famous town of Marzabotto, where, between 29 September and 5 October 1944, Nazi units and fascist forces of the Italian Social Republic indiscriminately killed nearly 800 people. Today, Marzabotto stands as a place of remembrance and a symbol of peace and offer a beautiful memorial surrounded by mountains. Embark on a journey through Tuscany’s and Emilia-Romagna’s WWII history, following trails that connect you to museums, memorials, and the voices of those who lived through these defining moments. Walk in the footsteps of history - walk the Liberation Route in Italy.&nbsp;

View of Lucca

Florence American Cemetery and Memorial

Sant'Anna di Stazzema

War Memorial in Marzabotto

Italy’s Route through History

​​The total war and the presence of the Gothic Line marked the territory between Pistoia and Marzabotto, along the Porrettana state road, from September 1943 to April 1945. The German troops' occupation, assisted by members of the Italian Social Republic, resulted in round-ups, massacres and deportations that were accompanied by a far-reaching modification of the territory, involving the building of defensive structures in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines to slow down the Allied advance towards northern Italy during the final stages of WWII: bunkers, tunnels, trenches and fortifications are still visible today. ​&nbsp;​The Resistance's role was effective in countering the Nazi-fascists' activities both militarily, through armed actions and strategically, through acts of sabotage and intelligence services to the Anglo-Americans. In parallel, the civilian population suffered from the Allied air raids whose main goals were to destroy communication lines and industrial areas, but which claimed thousands of civilian victims. There was a sharp break during the passage of the front, between summer and autumn 1944: on 8 September Pistoia was liberated, and Porretta Terme at the beginning of October. The Anglo-Americans arrived within the borders of Vergato when they halted their advance, which resumed the following spring, actually marking the birth of the 'no man's land' between the two opposing fronts. The Allied army's colonial troops, particularly the South African ones, as well as the Brazilian ones, played a leading role along the Porrettana, establishing deep ties with the local inhabitants that resulted in some marriages.&nbsp;​&nbsp;​Post-war memorial stones, monuments, plaques, roads, memorials, shrines, paths, parks were inaugurated in remembrance of wartime events and in order to set a physical place of historical remembrance in the urban and social framework. Retaining the remembrance of certain events evokes personal and collective thinking, proving that remembrance cannot be resolved only in sporadic and celebratory events, but must be an integral part of the population's daily life.​

Italy

From Pistoia to Marzabotto along the Porrettana road 

The presence of the Gothic Line and the Nazi German occupation marked the Lucca area between the Serchio Valley and Garfagnana between September 1943 to April 1945. The territory was deeply changed with the building of defensive structures, still preserved and which can be visited today. These include casemates, tunnels, anti-tank walls and fortifications. The German and Fascist armed forces organised roundups, arrests, and deportations, and carried out massacres of both civilians and partisans.These episodes were joined first by fierce Allied bombardment and cannon fire, then by battles to conquer positions on the Gothic Line. These caused casualties and changed the daily life of the local civilian population. The role of the Resistance - particularly active in the Lucca area with the 'National Liberation Army XI Military Patriots Zone' commanded by Manrico Ducceschi - was effective in opposing the Nazi-Fascist, both militarily through armed operations, and strategically through acts of sabotage and information services to the Anglo-Americans.The route starts at the recently renovated San Giusto di Brancoli Remembrance Museum, which houses materials, documents and photographs. It then reaches the tomb of Father Aldo Mei - buried at the Church of San Pietro Apostolo in Fiano di Pescaglia. A partisan and martyr of the Resistance, Father Aldo Mei's bloodied shirt, hat and glasses are preserved in a glass case. After a few kilometres, Borgo a Mozzano represents a unique case in the itinerary: it is possible to visit the Museum of Memory, the Gothic Line fortifications, the Devil's Bridge - spared from destruction -, the Socciglia labour camp memorial stone, and the memorial to partisan Pietro Pistis. The latter was a former Sardinian straggler soldier killed during an attempt to blow up a railway bridge. Going up the Serchio Valley, visitors arrive at Bagni di Lucca, where the former hotel Le Terme, now in decay, was the site of a concentration camp for Jews. Sommocolonia was the village most affected by Operation Wintergewitter, an attempt by the German Army to weaken the Allied positions. Before reaching Castelnuovo, where memorial stones and plaques have been placed, be sure to notice the Memorial to the Fallen of the Italian Social Republic, a place of pilgrimage for right-wing extremists, located in the hamlet of Palleroso. Finally, on the ascent to the Passo delle Radici, visitors encounter the bridge dedicated to partisan Attilio Vergai, and the memorial stone in memory of two women who were killed by a mine blast.

WWII in the Serchio Valley and Garfagnana

​​The German occupation of Italy and the establishment of the Italian Social Republic caused massive changes in the lives of the civilian population and all those categories already being persecuted by the Fascist Regime. Scoundrels, young people, displaced persons and early anti-fascists formed the first partisan formations in the Lucca and Valdinievole areas. Economic production was transformed and partly halted by the war. Severe bombing and shelling affected the area until the Liberation. &nbsp;​The route starts from the area where the concentration camp of Colle di Compito, in Capannori, was located, established in July 1942 to intern Allied soldiers captured on the various war fronts. It is then possible to visit memorial stones, plaques and monuments in memory of various war victims (bombings, Nazi and fascist massacres, partisans) and to reach the tomb of the partisan and writer Carlo Cassola, author of 'La ragazza di Bube' and 'Fausto e Anna'. Afterwards, we head to the Svizzera Pesciatina, deeply affected by the Nazi massacres and close to the Gothic Line, characterised by a unique landscape in terms of colour and liveliness, rich in castles, villages, art and nature. The itinerary then winds its way to Ponte Buggianese along the paths of memory of the Massacre of the Padule di Fucecchio (Fucecchio Marshes), to Massa and Cozzile for a memorial stone in memory of three partisans who died after an attack on a Nazi convoy, and to Montecatini Terme where five stumbling stones were placed in 2022 in memory of a Jewish family arrested and deported. The last stop along the route is Monsummano Terme, where Albert Kesselring, commander of the Waffen SS and the Wehrmacht in Italy, stayed between June and July 1944. Monsummano was one of the places most affected during the Massacre of the Padule di Fucecchio (Fucecchio Marshes), when on 23 August 1944 German army troops claimed 174 victims, including women, the elderly and children. A number of memorial stones, plaques and monuments have been placed in the area. A section of the Town and Territory Museum is dedicated to the massacre.​

​​From Capannori to Monsummano between internment, deportation, Nazi-fascist massacres and the Resistance movement​ 

​These locations reconstruct the various aspects of Lucca's Resistance. The sites describe German violence and Allied bombing and the trail passes through the places of fascist power and partisan counter-power. The tour also reconstructs the birth and development of the Resistance, with reference to its political and military articulation, but also to the specific role of religion, women and intellectuals. ​​Particular attention is paid to the dynamics of the Liberation at the beginning of September. <div data-youtube-video=""><iframe class="video" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sLipO_U3wRA" start="0" width="640" height="480"></iframe></div>Lucca is also a beautiful city with a rich artistic and cultural heritage, dating back to the Roman times. You will admire its intact Renaissance-era city walls, its Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, which was once a Roman amphitheatre, and its Guinigi Tower, a 45-metre-tall tower that dates from the 1300s. This tour will give you a unique perspective on the history and beauty of Lucca and its surroundings.

Italy’s Route through History

Themed routes

From Pistoia to Marzabotto along the Porrettana road

WWII in the Serchio Valley and Garfagnana

From Capannori to Monsummano between internment, deportation, Nazi-fascist massacres and the Resistance movement

War and Resistance in Lucca

Map

Photos

Italy’s Route through History

Themed routes

From Pistoia to Marzabotto along the Porrettana road

WWII in the Serchio Valley and Garfagnana

​​From Capannori to Monsummano between internment, deportation, Nazi-fascist massacres and the Resistance movement​

​​War and Resistance in Lucca​

Map

Photos

From Capannori to Monsummano between internment, deportation, Nazi-fascist massacres and the Resistance movement

War and Resistance in Lucca