Commemoration of Italian Military Internees

Commemorations continue to honor Italian Military Internees (IMI) who were deported to Nazi concentration camps for forced labor following the armistice of September 8, 1943.

In Germany, the National Association of Italian Military Internees (ANEI) visited the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp memorial. The delegation visited sites where seven Italian Military Internees were executed in December 1943 and met with memorial officials to discuss a future historical exhibition.

In Italy, institutions are observing the National Day of the Italian Military Internees, a day officially established by law in early 2025. Observed on September 20, these ceremonies honor approximately 650,000 soldiers who refused to collaborate with the Nazi regime or the Italian Social Republic, a struggle characterized as ‘unarmed resistance’.

Regional observances include the awarding of Medals of Honor to the families of the deceased in provinces such as Campobasso, Avellino, Pescara, Bergamo, Piacenza, Imperia, and Varese. Local efforts to preserve memory include the creation of formal registries, such as in Teramo, and educational initiatives involving students to transform private family trauma into a collective national memory.

To ensure historical preservation for younger generations, commemorations have integrated cultural activities, including theatrical recitals and book presentations. In Servigliano, the ‘Casa della Memoria’ association continues to organize guided tours of the former prisoner camp, now the ‘Parco della Pace’ national monument.