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Peace School Foundation of Monte Sole
Via S. Martino 25
Marzabotto, Bologna
40043, Italy
Tel/Fax: +39-05-193-1574
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What Happened Here?
Monte Sole is a triangle of valleys, approximately 10 miles south of Bologna, between the Setta and Reno Rivers in the Appenini mountains. Approximately 60 percent of the territory is covered by woods; the rest is meadow, pasture, and farmland. What appears today is a mere trace of what existed at the end of the Second World War, when houses and small villages were scattered throughout the area. From September 29 to October 5, 1944, when the front was a few miles from Monte Sole, Nazi Schutztafel (SS) and Italian Fascist troops slaughtered up to 770 citizens, primarily women and children. Every house was set on fire in an effort to eradicate the villages.
These violent actions against the civilian population, the largest civilian massacre perpetrated by Nazis in Western Europe, were part of the “terror domination” strategy that Nazis and Fascists of the Social Republic carried out after the armistice of September 8, 1943. However, the activities of partisan groups in the area do not adequately explain the scale or savage nature of the massacre.
