The neighbouring communes of Affile and Filettino are small rural localities nestled in the green hills of Lazio about 60 km from Rome. With only around 1,000 inhabitants each, these forgotten miniscule communities have only hit the headlines in the past decade due to ongoing public debate surrounding the creation of a controversial monument (in 2012) in honour of a local fascist general named Rodolfo Graziani who was responsible for mass atrocities during his lifetime. The recent monument, however, is not the only commemoration to Graziani as both municipalities, which have long-held neofascist leanings since World War II, hold multiple memorials in his honour which exist in various forms.

AUTHOR

Affile and Filettino: Victoria Witkowski

Learn more about contributors

Trieste is the capital of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. As a very important port of the Habsburg Empire, Trieste was – and still is – a multi-ethnic and multireligious city. It became part of Italy after the First World War and, when Fascism was installed, the Italian authorities used architecture and monumentality to reinforce and, above all, to underline the italianity of Trieste. Considering the region’s importance during the First World War and the proximity of the Redipuglia war cemetery, a lot of monuments and street names are related to the victims not only of the First World War, but also of the wars that succeeded, including during the colonisation of East Africa during Fascism.

AUTHOR

Trieste: Iris Pupella-Noguès

Learn more about contributors