Sentiero della Memoria

In 2014, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Nazi-fascist reprisals, Vestenanova remembered its dead and the sacrifices of many families destroyed by the fires of their homes, barns, livestock, savings, and memories of a lifetime and organized a  walk through the streets of the martyrs of July 10 (Luisi, Pezzati, Montanari, Brusaferri) with the presence of the banners of Alpini, Fanti, and retired Carabinieri and the participation of hundreds of people.

Through meadows, woods, and valleys, a long and dignified procession of people walked for 3 hours on a beautiful sunny day, stopping  at the streets that had been burned, at the plaques or crosses that remember the places of the killings and listening to the testimonies of the children and grandchildren of the victims, in an atmosphere of emotion and respectful homage to the innocent slain.

That dreadful 1944 presented a terrible toll of death and destruction: 15 civilian victims and 5 burned streets on July 10, 4 victims and 24 streets set on fire on September 12 and 14, 3 victims on November 18.

22 innocent deaths and a destroyed village in 1944, plus another 13 deaths in 1945, led to Vestenanova being awarded the bronze medal for military valor, the only municipality in the province of Verona to receive this recognition, in addition to the gold medal from the city of Verona.

With the help of these precious witnesses, it was possible to reconstruct the events of that year and retrace the human stories of the 22 innocent victims of 1944. The memories were collected in a booklet titled  "The Painful Path of Memory. 1944-2014".

For more details on the route, click here.