Italian Auschwitz Memorial Relocated to Florence

The Italian Memorial of Auschwitz, inaugurated in 1980, has been relocated from Poland to Florence's Ex3 in Gavinana. The monumental installation, a tunnel lined with 23 painted strips, was designed by a multidisciplinary team including architects BBPR, painter Mario 'Pupino' Samonà, director Nelo Risi, composer Luigi Nono, and writer Primo Levi, who wrote the text on the entrance plaque. The memorial was closed to visitors in July 2011 by the Polish museum direction, deemed 'too much of an artwork' and 'too little of a documentary monument.' Saved by the Municipality of Florence and the Tuscany Region, a protocol was signed in May 2015 among the city, region, ANED, and Mibact for its valorization. The dismantling, transfer, and reinstallation concluded with the inauguration at Ex3, which previously hosted the Contemporary Art Center of Florence. The site will become a Memory Hub, including a library for documents on WWII deportations and resistance, in collaboration with ANPI and ANED. The restoration was carried out by Cooperativa Archeologia, supervised by Opificio delle Pietre Dure, and supported by Fondazione CR Firenze. The auditorium was renovated, with a new floor doubling the exhibition space. The memorial is free but requires reservation, with guided tours by MUS.E.