Built at the end of 1943, this was one of more than forty public air raid shelters made with anti-bomb techniques by the Municipality of Turin. From the autumn of 1942, frequent bombings on the industrial capital of Piedmont highlighted the need to offer adequate shelters to the population. The Risorgimento square shelter was one of the largest, designed to accommodate up to 1,150 people in an area of about 550 square metres. It consists of three tunnels of about 40 by 4.5m, connected by eight passages, and is located at a depth of 12 metres, equipped with toilets and a first-aid post. A pedal-driven dynamo provided light and ventilation in the event of a power failure.

The destruction caused by the war and the desire to erase the memories of that tragic period meant the shelter was forgotten for decades. It was not identified and provisionally reopened until the 1990s thanks to the information given by witnesses of the period and surveys regarding the construction of an underground garage. It was reopened to the public later that year on Liberation Day. Today, it offers educational and guided tours, managed and organised by the Museum of Resistance, Deportation, War, Rights and Freedom of Turin.

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