On Friday, July 10, shaded by the centuries-old trees of the Garden of Palazzo Giustiniani Bandini at the Abbadia di Fiastra, the first meeting of the review “Oltre il Giardino. Percorsi di storia, resistenza e memoria” (Beyond the Garden: Paths of History, Resistance, and Memory) took place. The event was organized by the Casa della Memoria of Urbisaglia in collaboration with the Fondazione Giustiniani Bandini and Meridiana Snc.
At the heart of the meeting, which drew an audience of more than 50 attentive participants, was the theme of sharecropping (mezzadria) and, in particular, its role during the twenty years of the Fascist regime.
The proceedings were opened by Giovanna Salvucci, President of the Casa della Memoria. In presenting the review, she explained that—unlike last year’s edition, which focused on the human and personal dimensions of internment—this year’s events place rural laborers at the center of attention: their lives, their work, and their complex relationship with the war, internment, and the welcoming of prisoners.
Francesco Rocchetti, Provincial President of ANPI Macerata, introduced the evening’s speaker, Dr. Federico Gestri, noting that his research—titled “I mezzadri e il ruralismo fascista. Società, economia e forme di resistenza nelle campagne toscane (1927-1943)” (Sharecroppers and Fascist Ruralism: Society, Economy, and Forms of Resistance in the Tuscan Countryside)—was recently awarded the Premio Boarelli.
The meeting got into full swing with a dialogue between Matteo Petracci, Scientific Director of the Casa della Memoria, and speaker Federico Gestri.
Following a tribute to Adriano Ciaffi—the recently deceased member of parliament from Macerata who was among the leaders of the parliamentary battle to abolish sharecropping and transition it into leasehold contracts—the discussion unfolded. It traced the beginning of the process through which sharecroppers claimed their own historical subjecthood; Fascism’s attempts to penetrate the rural world through the dopolavoro (after-work clubs), corporatism, and Fascist trade unionism; the extent of consensus toward the regime; the forms of dissent and organized opposition; and, finally, the impact of the war on the rural world.
The hope is to see Gestri’s research published soon, in order to thoroughly analyze its contents and properly disseminate a study that closely addresses events deeply tied to our history.
Upcoming Events of the “Oltre il Giardino”:
Friday, July 24, at 6:00 PM
Paolo Giunta La Spada
Internati e concentrati. Internamento e persecuzioni dell’Italia fascista nella documentazione d’archivio (Interned and Concentrated: Internment and Persecution in Fascist Italy through Archival Documentation – Affinità Elettive, 2026).
Introduction by Giovanna Salvucci.
Friday, September 11, at 6:00 PM
Federica Sargolini
Ma la memoria è dolce (But Memory is Sweet – Giaconi, 2025).
Introduction by Matteo Petracci.
Ph. by Elisa Praga
Campo di internamento di Urbisaglia (1940-1943)