Credits: Istituto della Resistenza Apuano, Luca Madrignani
Where are we?
We are in Piazza delle Erbe in Carrara
A large wall mural commemorates Francesca Rolla, one of the Carrara women who protested in the square on 7 July 1944 and obtained the revocation of the evacuation order issued by the Nazis.
On 7th July 1944, the commander of Carrara square, Lieutenant Többens, issued a notice of evacuation scheduled for the 9th. The Nazi plan was developed from the need to clear the rear for a retreat to the Gothic Line and to isolate the partisan formations in the area.
Amidst the general bewilderment, the women of Carrara refused to leave. Their protest in Piazza delle Erbe, now remembered as the birth of the Apuan resistance, was peaceful. Even faced with machine guns, the women continued to sing. Some were arrested and interrogated, but after four days the authorities were forced to lift the eviction order.
The last person to witness this feat was Francesca Rolla, a staffetta (partisan courier) of the Gino Menconi Brigade and President of the Massa-Carrara ANPI, who died in 2010. The mural Non abbandonate la città (Don’t abandon the city) that now dominates the square is dedicated to her. Additionally, a plaque in Piazza delle Erbe recalls Carrara women’s action, an extraordinary example of civil resistance.
Facility or museum: no
Geographic location: Carrara, Tuscany
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