San Giusto di Brancoli Remembrance Museum

The Museo della Memoria (Remembrance Museum) was inaugurated on 2 October 2022 and it is housed in the rectory premises next to the church of San Giusto di Brancoli, in a larger and completely renovated location than the previous museum on site. It consists of the museum halls, a large conference hall (named after Piergiorgio Romboli) and an archive with a documentary and photographic heritage of high historical value.

The museum was built by the members of the Brancoli Gothic Line Committee and results from many years of research into both history and objects about World War II. The hall is divided into thematic areas: the 'from the Battlefields' hall houses excavation material found in the area, such as mines, armaments and ammunition, and a miniature reproduction of a minefield, which is useful for understanding the danger of these devices; the 'conferences and historical archive' hall contains a thematically divided photographic exhibition and a specialist library; the 'German and Italian Army (of the Regio Esercito)' hall contains various materials used by the soldiers or equipment, such as uniforms and helmets, as well as a reproduction of a bunker modelled on those built along the Gothic Line; the 'Ivan J. Houston Allied Forces' hall (named after the sergeant of the 92nd Infantry Division, known as the Buffalo Soldier Division, of the United States Army that liberated the Serchio Valley) displays various types of materials that belonged to the Allied army, including several objects donated by Houston's own son, as well as equipment from the peasant culture that first came into contact with the Americans in 1944. The area was in fact liberated by the Allied army and partisans at the end of September 1944.

The museum, a true place of memory, aims to keep memories alive and preserve objects from WWII. It is a cultural and attractive centre for schools, citizens and tourists. Visitors are given details of the material, uniforms and exhibits. Guided tours, by reservation only, are also possible to the Gothic Line fortifications on Monte Pittone along a route of high historical and scenic value.