MuBa43 - Museo della Battaglia di Ortona

MuBa43, the Museum of the Battle of Ortona, preserves the memory of the fighting in December 1943 and its impact on civilians and soldiers. Opened in 2002 in the former Sant'Anna complex, it presents the battle through testimony, photographs, objects and a model of the town.

Why it matters

The Battle of Ortona was fought street by street from 20 to 28 December 1943 and left much of the town in ruins. The museum remembers the civilian victims as well as the Canadian and German soldiers who died there, framing the local history as a reflection on the human cost and destruction of war.

What to notice

The exhibition follows civilians' experiences through photographs, testimony and a scale model of the town centre. Other sections bring together objects recovered from the battlefield, soldiers' personal effects and material relating to military strategy and wartime propaganda. The municipal “Banca della memoria” preserves accounts from witnesses to the events.

Context and history

The museum opened on 6 May 2002 in the former convent of Sant'Anna on Corso Garibaldi. Its collection grew through community donations and the recovery of material from the surrounding countryside. Ortona received the Gold Medal for Civil Valour in recognition of the suffering endured by its people during the battle.