Gothic Line Museum in Pianosinatico
Exploring places of the past and relics of the Second World War
History has left a significant mark on Pianosinatico, near Abetone Cutigliano. The Gothic Line passed through the area during the Second World War and bunkers and outposts were hidden on the mountainsides and in the woodland around Cutigliano, near Abetone.
The museum contains relics found by local residents as they returned home when the war was over; the village reduced to a heap of rubble. The display of weapons, documents from the time, personal effects and period clothing, alongside reconstructions of the outposts and uniforms, illustrate a chapter in Tuscany’s history that left its marks on Pianosinatico.
The two-storey museum is divided into several rooms, each of which contains evidence from each faction. One of the 12 outposts, which belonged to the Pianosinatico stronghold, has been reproduced in the German room, while the American room contains materials from the 10th Mountain Division: a corps specially trained to fight in extreme conditions and in the mountains.
Clothing in which partisans went to fight, reproduced according to photos, are located in the partisan room, whereas the Italian room features an original fascist manifesto dating to 1935, which asked Italian families to surrender their gold to finance the construction of war weapons and a lictorial bundle, symbolic of the end of dictatorship.
On the second floor there is a multimedia room and a small library, a faithful reconstruction of an American headquarters and infirmary, the temporary exhibition room and the room dedicated to the First World War where various finds and Marco Luconi's collection of models can be admired.
Near the Museum is the restored monument dedicated to the victims of the Pianosinatico massacre and from there you can take two routes, a short one of 1.5 km and a longer one of about 8 km, along which you can see the remains of bunkers and emplacements. Two of the bunkers have been faithfully reconstructed according to Todt's historical specifications and are equipped with period material and can also be visited inside.
