Rooms of Memory

Siena and its territory were strongly involved in the last phases of the war: the former German allies turned into an occupying force throughout the centre-north of the country. With support from Hitler, the collaborationist government, the Italian Social Republic (RSI) was established.

The Stanze della Memoria (Rooms of Memory) museum was set up in 2007 in the former headquarters of the RSI, which were known as the Casermetta. There, arrested anti-fascists were interrogated and tortured, and Republican National Guard units departed to round up and shoot partisans. In addition to 12 exhibition rooms, the centre features an educational room, used as a lab for students.

The exhibition, curated by the Istituto Storico della Resistenza Senese e dell’Età Contemporanea (Historical Institute of the Sienese Resistance and Contemporary Age), focuses on the events linked to the occupation, repression, and Resistance. The Sienese partisan movement, which included the Spartaco Lavagnini Garibaldi Brigade, the Monte Amiata Patriot Unit, the 23rd Guido Boscaglia Garibaldi Brigade and the SI.MAR Brigade, played a leading role in the Liberation struggle.