From the sites of the Gothic Line to a shared itinerary across San Marino, Romagna and the Marche, transforming the traces of war into paths of memory and mindful tourism. This is the goal of the project “Gothic Line – Itinerary of Peace”, promoted by the Secretariat of State for Tourism and presented this morning, 7 September, to the Captains Regent Alice Mina and Vladimiro Selva at Palazzo Valloni.
The initiative aims to promote San Marino’s Castelli, neighbouring municipalities, and the museums and memorials that stand along the historic route of the Gothic Line. The project was conceived by Gabriele Geminiani, with editorial coordination and graphic design by Bear Communication, led by Loretta Montironi, and historical consultancy by Daniel Cesaretti.
The result is a guide bringing together three routes along the Gothic Line, crossing the areas of the Foglia, Conca, Marecchia and Savio rivers all the way to Pesaro and Cesena. It is a tool designed for visitors interested in thematic tourism, but also for local communities. The press release speaks of an identity that “draws on the memory of those dramatic days, turning it into a warning and a resource for peace“.
The audience was also attended by the Ambassador of Italy to San Marino, Fabrizio Colaceci, mayors and councillors from the Marche and Emilia-Romagna regions, a delegation of Castle Councils (Giunte di Castello), and the former Captain of the Castle of Faetano, Pier Marino Bedetti.
The Captains Regent stressed that “historical memory must never be reduced to a mere exercise in commemoration, but must become an ethical and civic warning for younger generations“. The Regency also reaffirmed that San Marino, despite its small size, “possesses a universal moral stature, capable of becoming a voice for shared messages of peace and brotherhood among peoples“.
From the 1944 bombing to the battle of Monte Pulito
The project also revisits some of the most difficult chapters in the Republic’s history during the Second World War. The Gothic Line, a defensive system built by the German army, also crossed San Marino’s territory, marked by the bombing of 26 June 1944 and the battle of Monte Pulito on 18 September of the same year.
During the latter, Nepalese soldier Sher Bahadur Thapa distinguished himself and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross; he has been commemorated since 2008 with a memorial stone. The Secretariat notes that the Monte Pulito memorial stone has over time become a destination for international visits.
The itinerary also includes other sites and testimonies, from the tunnels of the Electric Railway, which sheltered thousands of displaced people, to the Monument to the Fallen of the 26 June 1944 bombing, as well as the inscriptions found in the Castles of Serravalle and Montegiardino. Among the themes covered is also the protection offered to Jews, commemorated by the plaque in the Jewish Ghetto, the testimony of Blessed Alberto Marvelli, and the plaque of gratitude donated by the Municipality of Rimini in 1975.
Pedini Amati: “Tourists want to understand the territory”
“Gothic Line – Itinerary of Peace” also links to The Lovely Places, the tourism cooperation programme promoted by the Secretariat of State together with the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions and more than 120 Italian municipalities.
“Contemporary tourism – explained the Secretary of State Federico Pedini Amati – is increasingly a search for meaning, authentic experiences and identity. Tourists don’t just want to see a place, they want to understand it, and this guide moves in that direction“.
The stated goal is therefore to connect San Marino, Romagna and the Marche, turning the sites of the conflict into stops along a historical and cultural route. A memory that, the statement concludes, is being reinterpreted as an “active resource that fosters peace, social cohesion and cultural promotion“, through cooperation between territories and the development of sustainable tourism.
