Predappio (; rgn, La Pré or ) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in the region of

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, with a population of 6,135 as of 1 January 2021. The town is best known for being the birthplace of Benito Mussolini,

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in tim ...

of Italy from 1922 to 1943. Mussolini is buried at Predappio, and his mausoleum is a local tourist destination, as well as a site of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

for Italian fascists.

History

From its origins (possibly

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

) until the 1920s, Predappio was a rural town of modest size, situated on the hills of Forlì.

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

divided Italy into eleven provinces and Predappio was within the sixth province. It is believed that the town name derives from the installation in those locations of an ancient Roman family: the ''Appi''. The town was accordingly named ''Praesidium Domini Appi'', abbreviated to ''Pre.DiAppi''. Historically, the town developed around the medieval castle, looking down the valley. Along the valley, about from Predappio, the town was known as ''Dovia'' (probably a corruption of the local Roman road ''Duo Via'', Two-Way). Benito Mussolini was born in Predappio in 1883. After a landslide hit the town in the winter of 1923/24 and left many people homeless, the government decided to build a bigger, more prestigious township to celebrate the birthplace of Mussolini, following the architectural dictates of the emerging Fascist Italy. Along with the nearby town of

Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna. The city is situated along the Via ...

, Predappio was given the title of ''La Città del

Duce ( , ) is an Italian title, derived from the Latin word 'leader', and a cognate of ''duke''. National Fascist Party leader Benito Mussolini was identified by Fascists as ('The Leader') of the movement since the birth of the in 1919. In 192 ...

'' ("The City of the Leader"), after the title taken by Mussolini as Italian dictator. Predappio has become a site of

for Italian and other neo-fascists, with this development drawing criticism and protests from

anti-fascists Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

. In April 2009, the town council banned the sale of fascist souvenirs. In 2014, Mayor

Giorgio Frassineti Giorgio Frassineti (29 September 1964 in Forlì) is an Italian politician of the Partito Democratico (PD) and from 2009 to 2019 mayor of Predappio. Early life In 1990, Frassineti completed his study in geography at University of Bologna. Ca ...

announced plans to build in the town "a museum dedicated to the history of fascism"."History of fascism museum to open in Mussolini’s town"
by Nick Clark , ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', 25 April 2014 The mayor, who was standing for re-election as a member of the centre-left Democratic Party, stated that the aim of the council's decision was to have people remember a "fundamental piece of talianhistory" so that "Predappio would become a place for reflection – cutting the town from the hands of those who want to misuse it." As of early 2016, the museum's construction was still pending, but sale of fascist souvenirs was again permitted in the town. In 2019,

Brothers of Italy Brothers of Italy ( it, Fratelli d'Italia, FdI) is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Italy. It is led by Giorgia Meloni, the incumbent Prime Minister of Italy and the first woman to serve in the position. Acco ...

-backed Roberto Canali was elected as mayor of Predappio, ending the more than 70 years of left-wing rule in Predappio. On 24 July 2019, Canali announced plans to open Mussolini's crypt to the public all year round. Canali said that he wanted to promote the tomb as a tourist attraction to boost the local economy.

Sister cities

* Breuna, Germany * Kenderes, Hungary

Notable people

* Benito Mussolini (1883-1945), Italian dictator from 1922 to 1943 *

Edvige Mussolini Edvige Mussolini (; Predappio, 10 November 1888 - Rome, 20 May 1952) was the younger sister of Arnaldo and Benito Mussolini. Biography Edvige was the daughter of Alessandro Mussolini, a blacksmith and activist, first anarchist and later sociali ...

(1888-1952), his sister *

Adone Zoli Adone Zoli (16 December 1887 – 20 February 1960) was an Italian politician who served as the 35th prime minister of Italy from May 1957 to July 1958; he was the first senator to have ever held the office. A member of the Christian Democra ...

(1887-1960),

Prime Minister of Italy The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...

* Benito Partisani (1906-1969), artist * Pino Romualdi (1913-1988), politician and journalist * Ivano Nicolucci (1930-2002), musician * Andrea Emiliani (1931), art historian * Vittorio Emiliani (1935), politician and journalist * Gilberto Cappelli (1952), compositor and painter * Marino Amadori (1957), cyclist *

Giorgio Canali Giorgio may refer to: * Castel Giorgio, ''comune'' in Umbria, Italy * Giorgio (name), an Italian given name and surname * Giorgio Moroder, or Giorgio, Italian record producer ** ''Giorgio'' (album), an album by Giorgio Moroder * "Giorgio" (song), ...

(1958), musician and singer * Chiara Condello (fl 2016), winemaker

References

External links

Official website

{{Authority control Benito Mussolini