The Piazza San Sepolcro () is a

piazza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

in the center of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

not far from the Piazza del Duomo. During the Roman period the piazza was the

forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

at the intersection of the

cardo A cardo (plural ''cardines'') was a north–south street in Ancient Roman cities and military camps as an integral component of city planning. The cardo maximus, or most often the ''cardo'', was the main or central north–south-oriented street ...

and the decumanus. In 1030 the Church of San Sepolcro was founded, giving the piazza its name. On March 23, 1919

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

founded the

Fasci di combattimento The ''Fasci Italiani di Combattimento'' ( en, Italian Fasces of Combat, link=yes, also translatable as ''"Italian Fighting Bands"'' or ''"Italian Fighting Leagues"'') was an Italian Fascist organization created by Benito Mussolini in 1919. It wa ...

at a rally held at the piazza. Participants of this rally were known as sansepolcristi, and were granted special privileges under the regime." Spetta la qualifica di "Sansepolcrista" al Fascista che il 23 marzo 1919 abbia effettivamente partecipato all'adunata di Piazza San Sepolcro e sia in possesso del relativo brevetto rilasciato dal DUCE" Art.13 del Regolamento del P.N.F., 1939-XVII The square was adjacent to the

Palazzo Castani A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whic ...

, the national headquarters of the Partito Nazional Fascista from 1921 to 1924, and of the

Partito Fascista Repubblicano The Republican Fascist Party ( it, Partito Fascista Repubblicano, PFR) was a political party in Italy led by Benito Mussolini during the German occupation of Central and Northern Italy and was the sole legal and ruling party of the Italian S ...

from 1943 to 1945. The term

Sansepolcrismo Sansepolcrismo is a term used to refer to the movement led by Benito Mussolini that preceded Fascism. The Sansepolcrismo takes its name from the rally organized by Mussolini at Piazza San Sepolcro in Milan on March 23, 1919, where he proclaimed th ...

, however, pointed to the original spirit of the movement of Fasci di combattimento in which, alongside nationalist ideas and combative myths, there were strong instances of social palingenesis, egalitarianism and even republican components.

Futurist Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities abo ...

poet

Filippo Tommaso Marinetti Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti (; 22 December 1876 – 2 December 1944) was an Italian poet, editor, art theorist, and founder of the Futurist movement. He was associated with the utopian and Symbolist artistic and literary community Abbaye d ...

composed " Il poema dei sansepolcristi" in commemoration of the event. Veduta di piazza San Sepolcro, Milano con la chiesa

References

San Sepolcro Italian Fascism Odonyms referring to religion {{Italy-struct-stub