The Gold Medal of Military Valor () is an Italian

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be in ...

established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers. The face of the medal displayed the profile of the king, and on its reverse was a flag decoration and the words "for Valor". On 14 August 1815,

Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia Victor Emmanuel I (; 24 July 1759 – 10 January 1824) was the Duke of Savoy, King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard states from 4 June 1802 until his reign ended in 1821 upon abdication due to a liberal revolution. Shortly thereafter, hi ...

replaced it with the

Military Order of Savoy The Military Order of Savoy was a military honorary order of the Kingdom of Sardinia first, and of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946), Kingdom of Italy later. Following the abolition of the Italian monarchy, the order became the Military Order of ...

, now known as the

Military Order of Italy The Military Order of Italy () is the highest military order of the Italian Republic and the former Kingdom of Italy. It was founded as the Military Order of Savoy, a national order by the King of Sardinia, Vittorio Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy in ...

Charles Albert of Sardinia Charles Albert (; 2 October 1798 – 28 July 1849) was the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard state from 27 April 1831 until his abdication in 1849. His name is bound up with the first Italian constit ...

revived it on 26 March 1833, and added to it the Silver and bronze medals. These had, on their faces, the coat of arms of Savoy with laurel branches, the royal crown, and the words "for military Valor". On the reverse were two laurel branches enclosing the name of the decorated soldier, and the place and date of the action. With the proclamation of the Republic on 2 June 1946, the coat of arms of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

was replaced with the emblem of the Italian Republic. For actions performed by individuals during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the Gold Medal was awarded some 368 times, as well as 37 times to military units, and once to the Unknown Soldier. Only four of the individual awards went to foreigners, one of these being

Tsar Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...

of Russia. The other three were for acts of gallantry in which the recipient was killed in action or died from his injuries (the Frenchmen John O'Byrne and Roland Morillot, and the American Coleman deWitt). The Gold Medal of Military Valor was one of the most parsimoniously awarded medals of World War I, granted less frequently than even the Victoria Cross which was awarded 628 times. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the medal was awarded to soldiers of the Royal Italian Army; after these forces were reorganized following the

Armistice with Italy The Armistice of Cassibile ( Italian: ''Armistizio di Cassibile'') was an armistice that was signed on 3 September 1943 by Italy and the Allies, marking the end of hostilities between Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was made public ...

in 1943, it was awarded to members of the Allies-supporting Italian Co-Belligerent forces. The Axis-affiliated

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic (, ; RSI; , ), known prior to December 1943 as the National Republican State of Italy (; SNRI), but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò (, ), was a List of World War II puppet states#Germany, German puppe ...

created another design of the medal, with a

Gladius ''Gladius'' () is a Latin word properly referring to the type of sword that was used by Ancient Rome, ancient Roman foot soldiers starting from the 3rd century BC and until the 3rd century AD. Linguistically, within Latin, the word also came t ...

replacing the arms of Savoy, for members of the ''

Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano The National Republican Army (; abbreviated ENR), colloquially known as the Army of the North (Italian language, Italian: ''Esercito del Nord'') was the army of the Italian Social Republic (, or RSI) from 1943 to 1945, fighting on the side of N ...

'' from 1943 to 1945. This version of the award was not given recognition by the postwar Italian government. The Gold Medal for Military Valor is still awarded by the Italian state, and it, along with Silver and bronze medals for Military Valor as well as the War Cross of Military Valor (which can only be awarded in time of war) was established by the Royal Decree of 4 November 1932, in which the purpose of these medals is defined as, "to distinguish and publicly honour the authors of heroic military acts, even ones performed in time of peace, provided that the exploit is closely connected with the purposes for which the Armed Forces are constituted, whatever may be the condition or quality of the author."

Notable recipients

The first recipient was

Domenico Millelire Ship-of-the-line Lieutenant Domenico Millelire (1761 – 1827) was a Royal Sardinian Navy officer who was the first man to be awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor. Millelire was born in La Maddalena in 1761. He was the son of Pietro Leoni ...

of the

Royal Sardinian Navy The Royal Sardinian Navy was the naval force of the Kingdom of Sardinia. The fleet was created in 1720 when the Duke of Savoy, Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia, Victor Amadeus II, became the King of Sardinia. Victor Amadeus had acquired the vessels ...

on 6 April 1793 and the latest recipient was in 2014 Chief Corporal-Major Andrea Adorno of the

4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment The 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment () is a special operations forces regiment of the Italian Army based in Montorio Veronese in Veneto. Originally the regiment belonged to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry specialty, but since 14 July 1996 it ...

for combat operations in Bala Murghab,

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

in 2010.

Individuals

* Andrea Adorno *

Cesare Airaghi Cesare Airaghi (4 October 1840 - 1 March 1896) was an Italian military officer and war hero who participated in several conflicts during the 19th century. While attending the University of Pavia, Airaghi enlisted in the 9th Infantry Regiment a ...

* Abele Ambrosini *

Irma Bandiera Irma Bandiera (1915–1944) was a member of the seventh Italian resistance movement#Partisan movement, Gruppo di azione patriottica. In 1944 she was captured, blinded, and killed. Enrico Berlinguer, of the Italian Communist Party, held her in ...

* Francesco Baracca * Cesare Battisti * Giuseppe Baudoin * Emanuele Beraudo di Pralormo *

Annibale Bergonzoli Annibale Bergonzoli (1 November 1884 – 31 July 1973), nicknamed ''"barba elettrica"'', " Electric Whiskers", was an Italian lieutenant general who served during World War I, the Spanish Civil War and World War II. In 1940 he commanded the de ...

* Edoardo Bianchini *

Carmelo Borg Pisani Carmelo Borg Pisani (10 August 1915 – 28 November 1942) was a Maltese people, Maltese artist and Italian Fascism, Italian Fascist spy, condemned to death for treason in 1942. Pisani was a nationalist who believed that Crown Colony of Malta, Mal ...

Junio Valerio Borghese Junio Valerio Scipione Ghezzo Marcantonio Maria Borghese (6 June 1906 – 26 August 1974), nicknamed The Black Prince, was an Italian Navy commander during the regime of Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party and a prominent hardline neo-fa ...

Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia (22 September 1915 – 24 August 1944) was an Italian aviator, and one of the most famous Italian pilots of World War II. Biography Buscaglia was born in Novara, Piedmont, in 1915 and entered the Italian ''Accadem ...

* Giuseppe Caimi *

Nicola Calipari Nicola Calipari (June 23, 1953March 4, 2005) was an Italian major general and SISMI military intelligence officer. Calipari was accidentally killed in Iraq by American soldiers while escorting a recently released Italian hostage, journalist G ...

Inigo Campioni Inigo Campioni (14 November 1878 – 24 May 1944) was an Italians, Italian naval officer during most of the first half of the 20th century. He served in four wars, and is best known as an admiral in the Italian Royal Navy (''Regia Marina'') d ...

* Carla Capponi *

Salvo D'Acquisto Salvo Rosario Antonio D'Acquisto (15 October 1920 – 23 September 1943) was a member of the Italian ''Carabinieri'' during the Second World War. After Italy surrendered in September 1943 to the Allies of World War II, Allies of World War II ...

* Francesco De Rosa * Furio Niclot Doglio *

Luigi Durand de la Penne Marquis Luigi Durand de la Penne (11 February 1914 – 17 January 1992) was an Italian Navy admiral who served as naval diver in the Decima MAS during World War II. He was born in Genoa, where he also died. Durand de la Penne graduated from ...

* Unatù Endisciau *

Emilio Faà di Bruno Emilio Faà di Bruno (7 March 1820 – 20 July 1866) was an Italian naval officer. He was born in the Kingdom of Sardinia and was a key figure in the unification of Italy and the creation of the Royal Italian Navy. Between 1863 and 1864 he toured ...

* Carlo Fecia di Cossato * Giovanni Fornasini * Giuseppe Galliano (twice awarded) *

Joaquín García Morato Joaquín García-Morato y Castaño, 1st Count of Jarama (4 May 1904 – 4 April 1939) was a fighter pilot for Nationalist Spain who had the highest number of aerial victories of the Spanish Civil War. He is credited with 40 aerial victories, f ...

* Maurizio Giglio * Luigi Giorgi (twice awarded) * Luigi Gorrini *

Giuliano Gozi Giuliano Gozi (7 August 1894 – 18 January 1955) was San Marino Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Secretary for Foreign Affairs and ''de facto'' Sammarinese Fascist Party, Fascist leader of San Marino from 1918 until 1943. He also held the role of C ...

* Amedeo Guillet * Filippo Illuminato *

Antonio Locatelli Antonio Locatelli (19 April 1895 – 27 June 1936) was a pioneering Italian aviator and National Fascist Party legislator. He served in Gabriele d'Annunzio's air squadron during the war against Austria and was decorated. After the war, he becam ...

(thrice awarded) * Orlando Lorenzini *

Hans-Joachim Marseille Hans-Joachim Marseille (; 13 December 1919 – 30 September 1942) was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot and flying ace during World War II. He is noted for his aerial battles during the North African Campaign and his Bohemian lifestyle. One of ...

* Giulio Martinat * Luigi Mascherpa *

Umberto Masotto Umberto Masotto (1864-1896) was an Italian Captain who served in the First Italo-Ethiopian War. He commanded the 4th Mountain Artillery Battery during the Battle of Adwa but was more famously known for being the first field gunner to receive t ...

* Corrado Mazzoni *

* Tito Minniti * Roland Morillot * Pore Mosulishvili *

Joachim Müncheberg Joachim Müncheberg (31 December 1918 – 23 March 1943) was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot during World War II and an ace credited with 135 air victories. The majority of his victories were claimed over the Western Front, with 33 claims o ...

* Angelo Orzali * Luigi Arbib Pascucci * Pietro Pedranzini *

Sandro Pertini Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio "Sandro" Pertini (; 25 September 1896 – 24 February 1990) was an Italian socialist politician and statesman who served as President of Italy from 1978 to 1985. Early life Born in Stella (province of Savona) as t ...

Luigi Reverberi Luigi Reverberi ( Cavriago, 12 September 1892 – Milan, 22 June 1954) was an Italian general during World War II. Biography Reverberi attended the Military Academy of Modena and graduated as second lieutenant; with this rank he fought in ...

* Luigi Rizzo (twice awarded) * Giovanni Romero *

Fulco Ruffo di Calabria Fulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda (12 August 1884 – 23 August 1946) was an Italian World War I flying ace and senator of the Kingdom from 1934 until his death. He was the father of Paola, Queen of the Belgi ...

Teseo Tesei Teseo Tesei (3 January 1909 – 26 July 1941) was an Italian naval officer, who invented the human torpedo (called ''Maiale'', Italian for "pig") used by the ''Regia Marina'' during World War II. Early life and education Teseo Tesei was bo ...

* Virginia Tonelli *

Enrico Toti Enrico Toti (20 August 1882 in Rome – 6 August 1916 in Monfalcone) was an Italian cyclist, patriot and hero of World War I. Life Enrico Toti was born and raised in San Giovanni, a popular district of Rome, by his father Nicola Toti, a ra ...

* Leandro Verì * Luigi Viviani * Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke * Trentino La Barba

Military units

The first military unit awarded a Gold Medal was His Majesty's Dragoons Regiment (''Reggimento Dragoni di Sua Maestà'') on 21 April 1796 for the unit's conduct during the

Battle of Mondovì The Battle of Mondovì was fought on 21 April 1796 between the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte and the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont led by Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi. The French victory meant that they had put the Li ...

. Although at the time the Medal was exclusively awarded for personal bravery, King

Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia Victor Amadeus III (Vittorio Amedeo Maria; 26 June 1726 – 16 October 1796) was King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard state, Savoyard states from 20 February 1773 to his death in 1796. Although he was politically conservative, he carrie ...

ordered the regiment's

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

to be decorated with two medals for saving his army from

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's attack. Until 1859, when the rules for awarding the Gold Medal were expanded to include cities and military units, only the ''"Cuneo"'' Brigade was awarded a Special Gold Medal of Military Valor by King

Charles Felix of Sardinia Charles Felix (; 6 April 1765 – 27 April 1831) was the King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard states from 12 March 1821 until his death in 1831. He was the last male-line member of the House of Savoy that started with Victor Amadeus I ...

for suppressing the Revolution of 1821. The first unit to be awarded the Gold Medal after 1859 was the French Imperial 3rd

Zouave The Zouaves () were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army and other units modelled on it, which served between 1830 and 1962, and served in French North Africa. The zouaves were among the most decorated units of the French Army ...

s Regiment for its conduct in the

Battle of Palestro The Battle of Palestro was fought on 30–31 May 1859 between the Austrian Empire and the combined forces of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and Second French Empire, France. The Franco-Piedmontese forces were victorious. It was fought just sout ...

. The latest unit awarded the Gold Medal was the

Jewish Brigade The Jewish Infantry Brigade Group, more commonly known as the Jewish Brigade Group or Jewish Brigade, was a military formation of the British Army in the World War II, Second World War. It was formed in late 1944 and was recruited among Yishuv, Y ...

in 2017 for the brigade's service during the Italian Campaign of

. The following list contains only the military units, which were awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor twice. In total 112 gold medals were awarded to units of the Italian army: 105 to regiments and 7 to battalions. * His Majesty's Dragoons Regiment (1796

, the only cavalry unit to be awarded twice) * 1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" (1860 Siege of Gaeta, 1917

Tenth Battle of the Isonzo The Tenth Battle of the Isonzo was an Italian offensive against Austria-Hungary during World War I. Background With nine largely unsuccessful Isonzo battles conducted within an eighteen-month period to date, Italian Chief of Staff Luigi Cadorn ...

) * 5th Infantry Regiment ''"Aosta"'' (1859 Battle of San Martino, 1917-18 Italian Front) * 6th Infantry Regiment ''"Aosta"'' (1859 Battle of San Martino, 1917-18 Italian Front) * 9th Infantry Regiment ''"Regina"'' (1859

, 1915-16 Italian Front) * 10th Infantry Regiment ''"Regina"'' (1860

Battle of Castelfidardo The Battle of Castelfidardo took place on 18 September 1860 at Castelfidardo, a small town in the Marche region of Italy. It was fought between the Royal Sardinian Army – acting as the driving force in the war for Italian unification, against ...

, 1915-16 Italian Front) * 13th Infantry Regiment ''"Pinerolo"'' (1915-18 Italian Front, 1941

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian campaign in Greece, Italian invasion of Greece, and War of '40 in Greece, took place between Italy and Greece from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. This conflict began the Balk ...

) * 47th Infantry Regiment ''"Ferrara"'' (1915-17 Italian Front, 1940-41 Greco-Italian War) * 48th Infantry Regiment ''"Ferrara"'' (1915-17 Italian Front, 1940-41 Greco-Italian War) * 80th Infantry Regiment ''"Roma"'' (1941–42, 1942-43 Eastern Front) * 84th Infantry Regiment ''"Venezia"'' (1911

Italo-Turkish War The Italo-Turkish (, "Tripolitanian War", , "War of Libya"), also known as the Turco-Italian War, was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911 to 18 October 1912. As a result of this conflict, Italy captur ...

, 1943 Resistance to German forces in Yugoslavia) * 151st Infantry Regiment ''"Sassari"'' (1915–16, 1918 Italian Front) * 152nd Infantry Regiment ''"Sassari"'' (1915–16, 1918 Italian Front) * 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment (1941–42, 1942 Eastern Front; the unit is also the custodian of the medal awarded to the III Bersaglieri Cyclists Battalion in 1915–18 on the Italian Front) * 6th Bersaglieri Regiment (1942, 1942-43 Eastern Front) *

8th Bersaglieri Regiment The 8th Bersaglieri Regiment () is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Caserta in Campania. The regiment is part of the army's infantry corps' Bersaglieri speciality and operationally assigned to the Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi". The r ...

(1941-42

Western Desert Campaign The Western Desert campaign (Desert War) took place in the Sahara Desert, deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the main Theater (warfare), theatre in the North African campaign of the Second World War. Military operations began in June 1940 with ...

, 1943

Tunisian Campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. Th ...

) *

5th Alpini Regiment The 5th Alpini Regiment () is a mountain warfare regiment of the Italian Army based in Sterzing in South Tyrol. The regiment belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and is assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Julia". On 1 November 18 ...

(1940-41 Greco-Italian War, 1942-43 Eastern Front) *

8th Alpini Regiment The 8th Alpini Regiment () is a mountain warfare regiment of the Italian Army based in Venzone in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The regiment belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and is assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Julia". On 1 ...

(1940-41 Greco-Italian War, 1942-43 Eastern Front) *

9th Alpini Regiment The 9th Alpini Regiment () is a mountain warfare regiment of the Italian Army based in L'Aquila in Abruzzo. The regiment belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and is assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense". The regiment wa ...

(1940-41 Greco-Italian War, 1942-43 Eastern Front) * 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment (1940-41 Greco-Italian War, 1942-43 Eastern Front, the only artillery unit to be awarded twice) The 4th Alpini Regiment currently also displays two Gold Medals of Military Valor on its flag, however the two medals were awarded to the regiment's Alpini Battalion ''"Aosta"'', and the Alpini Skiers Battalion ''"Monte Cervino"''.

Locations

The first geographic entity to be awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valor was the city of

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...

in 1866 for its five days long resistance to

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

assaults during the

First Italian War of Independence The First Italian War of Independence (), part of the ''Risorgimento'' or unification of Italy, was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other conse ...

. Vicenza is also the only city to be awarded the medal twice: the second time for its participation in the

Italian resistance movement The Italian Resistance ( ), or simply ''La'' , consisted of all the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social Republic during the Second World War in Italy ...

during

. The latest city to be awarded was

Varzi Varzi is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 70 km south of Milan and about 40 km south of Pavia. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of I ...

for the creation and defence of the Partisan Republic of Alto Tortonese between September and December 1944. Examples: * Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia *

Province of Alessandria The province of Alessandria (; ; in Piedmontese of Alessandria: ''provinsa ëd Lissändria'') is an Italian Provinces of Italy, province, with a population of some 425,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The prov ...

Province of Asti The province of Asti (; Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ''provincia d'Ast'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Asti. To the northwest it borders on the Metropolitan City of Turin; ...

Province of Pordenone The province of Pordenone (; ; ) was a province in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, subdivided from the province of Udine in 1968. Its capital was the city of Pordenone. The province was abolished on 30 September 2017; it wa ...

Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; ; ) is a (municipality) and capital of the province of Ascoli Piceno, in the Italy, Italian region of Marche. Geography The town lies at the confluence of the Tronto, River Tronto and the small Castellano (river), River Castell ...

Bassano del Grappa Bassano del Grappa ( or ''Bassan'', ) is a city and ''comune'', in the Province of Vicenza, Vicenza province, in the region of Veneto, in northern Italy. It bounds the communes of Cassola, Marostica, Solagna, Pove del Grappa, Romano d'Ezzelino, Va ...

Lanciano Lanciano (; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Chieti, part of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It has 33,944 inhabitants as of 2023. The town is known for the first recorded Catholic Church, Catholic Miracle of Lanciano, Eucharis ...

Marzabotto Marzabotto ( Medial Mountain Bolognese: ) is a small town and ''comune'' in Italian region Emilia-Romagna, part of the Metropolitan City of Bologna. It is located south-southwest of Bologna by rail, and lies in the valley of the Reno. The area in ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

for the Four days of Naples in 1943 *

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

A full list of regions, provinces and cities, which were awarded for their bravery can be found at :it:Città decorate al valor militare per la guerra di liberazione.

University of Padua

The

University of Padua The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...

is the only educational institution which was awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valor. The university received it on 2 November 1945 for its furious resistance to German occupation in 1943–1945.

References