Province of Reggio Emilia, Italy

The Province of Reggio Emilia, located at the very heart of the Emilia-Romagna Region, stretches from the vast plains in the north, where the main Italian river (the Po) flows, to the welcoming landscape of the Appennines mountains in the south, which reach the peak of 2150 m with its highest mountain – Monte Cusna. These are the places where Matilde of Canossa has lived, the queen who was among the main protagonists of the second millennium in the western European history.

The Province plays the role of an intermediary local authority between the 45 local municipalities and the Regione Emilia-Romagna (which represents the regional government). It represents the 500.000 inhabitants of the Reggio Emilia territory, promoting their interest, fostering and coordinating the local development.

Following its coordinating functions on a vast area, the Province promotes a well balanced social and economic development for its community, assuming as strategic objective the overall investment on: research, knowledge and vocational training, the valorization of its landscapes, the local territorial and environmental development, the local welfare, which is known worldwide as best practice of the local community.

This Province also promotes gender equality in every field and cares about the identity of its community through the memory of its inhabitants.

Since 2005 this local administration coordinates a project called "Beyond the 60°. From Resistance to the present day. The women from Reggio Emilia consciously protagonists." whose promoters are: Province of Reggio Emilia, two Partisans associations (ANPI and ALPI-APC), ISTORECO (Historic Institute for Resistance), Istituto CERVI and 3 Trade Unions (CGIL,CISL,UIL).

These are the objectives of the project:

  1. To recognise the active role women have played in the fight against Fascism and Nazism, often undervalued by the women themselves;
  2. To promote gender equality in historical studies;
  3. To make the younger generation aware of the active role women have played, especially in our province, not only in the fight against fascism and Nazism, but also in the construction of our democracy.

Considering all this, our partnership in the E.R.A. project is a logic consequence of this local project.

We are especially interested in the interviews to resistance-witnesses made by young people in their own language but having consciousness of the gender equality.

We would like to make clear the motivations and values which have convinced so many women to make such an experience during II WW, often fighting a "Resistance without weapons" or the so called "Civilian Resistance", which has involved thousands of them in our territ

The Province of Reggio Emilia, located at the very heart of the Emilia-Romagna Region, stretches from the vast plains in the north, where the main Italian river (the Po) flows, to the welcoming landscape of the Appennines mountains in the south, which reach the peak of 2150 m with its highest mountain – Monte Cusna. These are the places where Matilde of Canossa has lived, the queen who was among the main protagonists of the second millennium in the western European history.

The Province plays the role of an intermediary local authority between the 45 local municipalities and the Regione Emilia-Romagna (which represents the regional government). It represents the 500.000 inhabitants of the Reggio Emilia territory, promoting their interest, fostering and coordinating the local development.

Following its coordinating functions on a vast area, the Province promotes a well balanced social and economic development for its community, assuming as strategic objective the overall investment on: research, knowledge and vocational training, the valorization of its landscapes, the local territorial and environmental development, the local welfare, which is known worldwide as best practice of the local community.

This Province also promotes gender equality in every field and cares about the identity of its community through the memory of its inhabitants.

Since 2005 this local administration coordinates a project called "Beyond the 60°. From Resistance to the present day. The women from Reggio Emilia consciously protagonists." whose promoters are: Province of Reggio Emilia, two Partisans associations (ANPI and ALPI-APC), ISTORECO (Historic Institute for Resistance), Istituto CERVI and 3 Trade Unions (CGIL,CISL,UIL).

These are the objectives of the project:

  1. To recognise the active role women have played in the fight against Fascism and Nazism, often undervalued by the women themselves;
  2. To promote gender equality in historical studies;
  3. To make the younger generation aware of the active role women have played, especially in our province, not only in the fight against fascism and Nazism, but also in the construction of our democracy.

Considering all this, our partnership in the E.R.A. project is a logic consequence of this local project.

We are especially interested in the interviews to resistance-witnesses made by young people in their own language but having consciousness of the gender equality.

We would like to make clear the motivations and values which have convinced so many women to make such an experience during II WW, often fighting a "Resistance without weapons" or the so called "Civilian Resistance", which has involved thousands of them in our territory.

Massimilla Rinaldi
Coordinator of the project "Oltre il 60°...