The Historiale di Cassino is the first example in Italy of a new way of telling history based on the use of different modes of expression. The result of contamination between the languages of cinema, museography, visual arts, and new models of edutainment, it employs techniques and technologies for the dissemination of cultural content.
In thirteen rooms, it is a permanent multi-media exhibition that recounts the events, the geo-strategic context and the memories of the local population on the Battle of Montecassino and the events that affected the territory of the martyrology during the Second World War. An eminent place dedicated to the historical memory of one of the bloodiest and most emblematic battles of the conflict, which becomes a journey into the European conscience and the capacity for rebirth of a population that lost everything, even its own identity, but that had the strength to rise from the ruins, becoming an example for the entire international community.
The Historiale revisits the traditional concept of the war museum, predominantly built on material elements and of which there are distinguished examples all over the world, focusing on more purely immaterial dimensions. It is the space of memory that, leaving aside the exhibition of relics, of which the Cassino area is already rich, places man, soldier or civilian, and his experience at the centre.
The challenge was to use codes in the story that are more in keeping with the sensitivity of our time. The modalities used and the way in which these are composed in the tour are quite particular. Images, films, set designs, artistic creations and installations with special effects are all accompanied by a soundtrack conceived room by room, according to an articulated repertoire that follows the narrative and thematic thread of the exhibition. A fusion of styles and languages that succeeds in making the visit live as an experience to be remembered and that invites personal exploration.
Conceived and realised by Officina Rambaldi s.p.a., commissioned by the Committee for the Celebrations of the Battle of Montecassino and with the patronage of the Ministry of Defence, the Historiale was financed by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities.
Art director is Carlo Rambaldi, the storyboard creator is Gianpiero Perri, the set design is by Emmanuel Bourgeois, technical and artistic coordination is by Jean François Touillaud.