Municipal Museum of Remembrance and History

The Museo Civico della Memoria e della Storia di Isernia (Municipal Museum of Remembrance and History) located in the town's main square, next to the monumental Fontana Fraterna, preserves artefacts, objects, writings and images relating to the passage of the world conflict along the Gustav Line between 1943 and 1944. Organised in three sections, the Museum's main focus is on the military relics of soldiers who fought in the Italian campaign, and the remembrance of the civilian victims of the tragic bombing on 10 September 1943. On that day, in fact, with the specific intention of cutting off the escape route for the retreating Nazi troops, US B-17 bombers heavily struck the town centre, missing their strategic targets and causing destruction and death. A section on the tradition of Tombolo and a section dedicated to Celestine V complete the museum exhibition.

There is also a particular story linked to the bombing of the town of Isernia which is characterised by the use of history for public purposes. In fact, immediately after WWII, two memorial plaques were placed in two different locations downtown to commemorate those who died in the bombing of September 1943. The gravestones mention around 4,000 victims: an extremely high number, which later proved to be unrealistic, but which nevertheless earned the award of a Gold Medal of Civil Valour. The two tombstones that can easily be visited, located close to the Municipal Museum, thus embody an instrumental use of history that is, in any case, a singular peculiarity worthy of interest.