Italian Cold War Bunker in Affi to Open as Museum

A sprawling nuclear bunker built between 1960 and 1966 near Verona in the town of Affi is being converted into a Cold War museum. The 140,000‑square‑foot facility contains about 100 rooms linked by more than half a mile of tunnels, with features such as a war room, communications centre, gym, bar, workshops and dormitories designed to sustain 300 personnel for 30 days.

Ownership passed from Italy’s defence ministry to the municipality of Affi in 2018. A 2022 study led by architecture professor Michelangelo Pivetta of the University of Florence mapped the complex. Italy’s parliament approved €7 million for museum construction, with part of the site slated to welcome visitors as early as next year and full completion targeted for 2029. Mayor Marco Sega described the project as a historic moment, emphasizing the responsibility to preserve and reinterpret the former NATO command site.