Reggio Emilia unveils memorial for WWII military internees

A commemorative plaque has been unveiled at the Istoreco headquarters in Reggio Emilia to honor approximately 8,000 Italian military internees from the province during World War II. The memorial recognizes those who, following the armistice of September 8, 1943, refused to collaborate with Nazi-fascism or the Italian Social Republic, choosing instead imprisonment and forced labor in Nazi concentration camps.

The plaque was donated by the De Lucia family in memory of Alfonso De Lucia, a military paramedic captured in the Balkans who remained interned until 1945. The ceremony was attended by local officials, including Prefect Salvatore Angieri and Mayor Marco Massari, as well as 102-year-old Luigi Andrea Corti, a survivor of the 1943 deportations. The initiative aims to preserve the historical memory of the citizens who chose captivity over collaboration.