Mussolini Bas-Relief in Bolzano

Unlike many monuments of past fascist leaders that have been eradicated throughout Europe, Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol, Italy, still includes a monumental bas-relief that depicts Benito Mussolini and reminds locals of the Mussolini Fascist regime of Italy. For fifty years, the bas-relief divided opinions between left-wing groups, who argued for removal, and neo-fascist groups, who argued for it to remain untouched. It remained as the centre of protests for glorifying fascism and reminded both South Tyrol’s Italian-speaking and non-Italian-speaking citizens of a difficult past. This case study examines how artistic interventions can serve as a means to recontextualise a painful historical legacy.