Geode of Remembrance

The village of Cereglio, located in the town of Vergato about 10 kilometres from the capital, was included in the last retreat of the Gothic Line and remained under the control of the Nazi army from September 1943 to April 1945. The heights overlooking the villages were an integral part of the defensive ridge line from which the Germans controlled the Reno valley and access to the Porrettana state road. In mid-April, the Allied army liberated the territory up to Mount Pero. Instead, American and Brazilian troops made the final onslaught and apprehended several German soldiers. 

On 23 April 1989, the Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia (ANPI) (National Association of Italian Partisans) promoted the installation of a monument about one kilometre upstream of the village of Cereglio, near the crossroads going up towards Tolè on the Cereglio-Zocca road. It bears the following inscription: "In this hilly setting, united by their love of peace, freedom and social justice, American and Brazilian soldiers and partisans from Italy fought against tyranny and Nazi-fascist terror. 

On 6 April 2019, next to the monument in remembrance of combatants, the 'new' war memorial entitled 'Geode della Memoria' (Geode of Remembrance) was inaugurated. The monument was commissioned by the Vergato section of the ANPI, the ANPI Provincial Committee of Bologna and created by Paolo Gualandi in collaboration with the 'I.I.S.' school. Luigi Fantini'. The monument replaced a copper work stolen from the same location a few years earlier.