An Afternoon with Mussolini: Uncovering Fascinating Secrets about a Legendary Dictator!

Are you ready for some dark tourism? We visited Mussolini's hometown, birthplace, and resting place.

****Disclaimer****
We are not Mussolini supporters, and we are not supporters of fascism! We are simply interested in history, and it's always good to know the history of the place you live in.

The mausoleum where Mussolini is buried is located in his hometown of Predappio, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, 200 miles northeast of Rome. The tomb is open year-round from 8-4:30 and there’s no admission price.

Mussolini’s tomb:
Predappio, Italy
Open year-round
Daily hours 8:00-4:30
No admission price

Next, we saw Mussolini’s childhood home, also in Predappio, which is now a museum. Mussolini was Italian Prime Minister from 1922 to 45, and was called “Il Duce”. This period in history is controversial and a sore spot for Italy. To begin with, Fascists wanted to return Italy to Roman values, and wanted to recreate Roman ideals in Italian society.

*Fact: The Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D.

Mussolini actually did many positive things for Italy, but the problem with Fascism was that there was no tolerance for any opposition, and dissidents were either imprisoned or killed.

His life had a grim end in 1945, when he and his mistress were executed and hung upside down in a public square in Milan, where crowds shouted and abused the corpses. He was buried in an unmarked grave but, in 1946, his body was dug up and stolen by fascists. It was recovered by authorities who hid the corpse for eleven years, finally in 1957, he was buried.

Pro’s of Fascism:
-Strong security
-Nationalism and patriotism
-Improved welfare
-Socio-economic equality
-Less bureaucracy
-Faster decision-making in government

Con’s of Fascism:
-Limited freedom of speech and human rights
-Enhanced power abuse
-Increased political abuse
-Poor governing ethics
-Negative impact on the economy
-Disregard of international law

(Source: Ablison Energy)

Mussolini’s 3 battles:
The Battle for Grain
The Battle for Land
The Battle for the Lira

One very interesting and even shocking thing was gift shops dedicated to Mussolini, full of fascist symbols and paraphernalia, including some icons remnant of Hitler’s regime, because as you may know, Mussolini formed an alliance with Hitler in 1939 during the Second World War, known as the Pact of Steel. In fact, our tour guide in his house would later tell us that this was probably Mussolini’s biggest mistake.

But evidently there are still people supporting Fascism and followers of the Mussolini regime, since the shop had a constant stream of people to buy souvenirs. You can find a variety of things to buy including signs, hats, skulls, pillows, and even baby bibs.

The next stop was Villa Carpena, the “House of Memories” Museum, the mansion where Mussolini lived as an adult with his family. It’s in Forli, a short drive from Predappio and is run by a husband and wife team, long-time friends of the Mussolini family who poured their whole life savings into buying this place and creating a museum to honor him.

Villa Carpena – Villa Mussolini
“Casa dei Ricordi” (House of Memories)
Forli, Italy
Open 9:30-12:00 / 2:30-6:00
Admission 15 euros / 10 euros for groups of 10 or more

Group visits and tours can also be arranged for the house which is full of Mussolini’s prized belongings. First we got our tickets from the owner Domenico Morosini and then we joined a group of about 15 other people having a tour.

*The owners claim Villa Carpena is haunted by ghosts of the Mussolini family!

As I mentioned, it’s always good to inform yourself about history, and to know both sides of any story. Until next time, thank you for watching this short account of one piece of Italy’s dark history.

Видео An Afternoon with Mussolini: Uncovering Fascinating Secrets about a Legendary Dictator! канала Cheryl Obal, Cross-Cultural Communication Expert