Partisan Republic of Ossola

The Republic of Ossola, a truly remarkable chapter in the history of the Italian Resistance, lasted for 43 days.
Despite its short duration, the Republic of Ossola was a democratic experiment that amazed the whole world, since it was carried out in a country at war.
The Resistance in Ossola Valley began after 8th September 1943 with the birth of the first anti-fascist groups, which included key figures such as Ettore Tibaldi and Silvestro Curotti. These developed into the first partisan groups, including the “Valdossola”, “Valtoce”, “Piave”, “Beltrami” and “Garibaldi”.
Countless episodes in the war of liberation took place in these valleys: the Villadossola uprising, dramatic deportations, the battle of Megolo, terrible round-ups in Val Grande and the miraculous rescue of the Simplon Railway Tunnel.

These episodes are little-known chapters of a recent past that culminated in the foundation of the Republic of Ossola on 10th September 1944. Unlike other partisan republics, the Republic of Ossola was able, in just over a month, to face the contingencies of war and to form a structured organisation that involved the establishment of a Provisional Government.
During the brief “forty days of freedom”, which are masterfully recounted by Leandro Castellani in a TV series of the same name, illustrious figures such as Umberto Terracini, Piero Malvestiti and Gianfranco Contini collaborated to draft democratic reforms that later inspired the Italian Constitution.

Today, some of these important pieces of history are preserved in the Sala Storica della Repubblica dell’Ossola, located in the Domodossola Town Hall. This room embodies a fundamental chapter in the series of national events connected to Liberation.

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Culture, traditions and folklore
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Ideal for
Couples
Everybody
You will discover
Culture, traditions and folklore
History and art
IAT di Domodossola
Piazza Matteotti (inside the railway station)
28845 Domodossola (VB)
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