Predappio (; rgn, La Pré or ) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in the region of Emilia-Romagna in Italy, with a population of 6,135 as of 1 January 2021. The town is best known for being the birthplace of

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 ...

, dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943. Mussolini is buried at Predappio, and his

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consi ...

is a local tourist destination, as well as a site of pilgrimage for Italian fascists.

History

From its origins (possibly

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

) until the 1920s, Predappio was a rural town of modest size, situated on the hills of Forlì.

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

divided Italy into eleven provinces and Predappio was within the sixth province. It is believed that the town name derives from the installation in those locations of an ancient Roman family: the ''Appi''. The town was accordingly named ''Praesidium Domini Appi'', abbreviated to ''Pre.DiAppi''. Historically, the town developed around the medieval castle, looking down the valley. Along the valley, about from Predappio, the town was known as ''Dovia'' (probably a corruption of the local Roman road ''Duo Via'', Two-Way). Benito Mussolini was born in Predappio in 1883. After a landslide hit the town in the winter of 1923/24 and left many people homeless, the government decided to build a bigger, more prestigious township to celebrate the birthplace of Mussolini, following the architectural dictates of the emerging Fascist Italy. Along with the nearby town of

Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna. The city is situated along the Via E ...

, Predappio was given the title of ''La Città del Duce'' ("The City of the Leader"), after the title taken by Mussolini as Italian dictator. Predappio has become a site of pilgrimage for Italian and other

neo-fascists Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sent ...

, with this development drawing criticism and protests from

anti-fascists Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

. In April 2009, the town council banned the sale of fascist souvenirs. In 2014, Mayor

Giorgio Frassineti Giorgio Frassineti (29 September 1964 in Forlì) is an Italian politician of the Partito Democratico (PD) and from 2009 to 2019 mayor of Predappio. Early life In 1990, Frassineti completed his study in geography at University of Bologna. C ...

announced plans to build in the town "a museum dedicated to the history of fascism"."History of fascism museum to open in Mussolini’s town"
by Nick Clark , '' The Independent'', 25 April 2014 The mayor, who was standing for re-election as a member of the centre-left

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa * Botswana Democratic Party * Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *De ...

, stated that the aim of the council's decision was to have people remember a "fundamental piece of

talian Talian may refer to: *Talian dialect Talian (or Brazilian Venetian, , , but ) is a dialect of the Venetian language, spoken primarily in the Serra Gaúcha region in the northeast of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. It is also spoken ...

history" so that "Predappio would become a place for reflection – cutting the town from the hands of those who want to misuse it." As of early 2016, the museum's construction was still pending, but sale of fascist souvenirs was again permitted in the town. In 2019, Brothers of Italy-backed Roberto Canali was elected as mayor of Predappio, ending the more than 70 years of left-wing rule in Predappio. On 24 July 2019, Canali announced plans to open Mussolini's crypt to the public all year round. Canali said that he wanted to promote the tomb as a tourist attraction to boost the local economy.

Sister cities

Breuna Breuna is a small municipality in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 24 kilometers northwest of the town of Kassel. Its oldest part is the village of Rhöda, first mentioned in the early ninth century. Twin towns — siste ...

, Germany *

Kenderes Kenderes () is a small town in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, Hungary. It is notable as the birthplace of Miklós Horthy, Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1920 to 1944, and for the many memorials dedicated to him around the town. A major t ...

, Hungary

Notable people

(1883-1945), Italian dictator from 1922 to 1943 *

Edvige Mussolini Edvige Mussolini (; Predappio, 10 November 1888 - Rome, 20 May 1952) was the younger sister of Arnaldo and Benito Mussolini. Biography Edvige was the daughter of Alessandro Mussolini, a blacksmith and activist, first anarchist and later socialis ...

(1888-1952), his sister *

Adone Zoli Adone Zoli (16 December 1887 – 20 February 1960) was an Italian politician who served as the 35th prime minister of Italy from May 1957 to July 1958; he was the first senator to have ever held the office. A member of the Christian Democrac ...

(1887-1960),

Prime Minister of Italy The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...

* Benito Partisani (1906-1969), artist *

Pino Romualdi Giuseppe "Pino" Romualdi' (24 July 1913 – 21 May 1988) was an Italian right-wing politician who served both the Republican Fascist Party (PFR) and the Italian Social Movement (MSI). He was the subject of frequent rumours that he was the biologi ...

(1913-1988), politician and journalist * Ivano Nicolucci (1930-2002), musician * Andrea Emiliani (1931), art historian * Vittorio Emiliani (1935), politician and journalist * Gilberto Cappelli (1952), compositor and painter * Marino Amadori (1957), cyclist * Giorgio Canali (1958), musician and singer * Chiara Condello (fl 2016), winemaker

References

External links

Official website

{{Authority control Benito Mussolini