1944September 1944 – April 1945 · Monte Sole and Bologna
The Gothic Line, the Monte Sole massacre and the liberation of Bologna
In autumn 1944 the Allied advance stalled on the Gothic Line in the Apennines south of Bologna. Hunting the Stella Rossa partisan brigade, SS troops killed about 770 people, mostly civilians, around Monte Sole and Marzabotto between 29 September and 5 October. Partisans fought on in the hills and in the city, at Porta Lame in November, until Bologna was freed on 21 April 1945.
Sites
- Site 1: Monte Sole Historical ParkRuined hamlets, the Casaglia church and cemetery, and memorial paths through the massacre sites.Map ↗
- Site 2: Sacrario dei Caduti Partigiani, Piazza del NettunoWall of photographs of the city's fallen partisans beside the town hall.Map ↗
- Site 3: Porta LameOld city gate with bronze partisan statues, near the scene of the November 1944 battle.Map ↗
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Also in Bologna and Ravenna
More from the Second World War
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