Florence’s Murate Prison

Florence’s Murate prison, historically known for its detention function since the 19th century, played a central role during the Nazi occupation and the Italian Resistance. The facility, located in the heart of Florence, became a place of detention for anti-fascists, partisans and strikers, many of whom were deported to Nazi concentration camps. Its history during the war period represents a tragic testimony to Nazi-Fascist repression and the determination of the resistance movement.

In the early decades of the 20th century, the Murate Prison was used as a place of imprisonment for anarchists, socialists, and antifascists. Notable inmates included figures such as Gaetano Salvemini, Alcide De Gasperi, Nello Rosselli, Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti, Carlo Levi, and Guido Calogero. During the Fascist regime, it became a symbol of political repression, housing many opponents sentenced to lesser terms, while political leaders were transferred to penitentiaries further afield.

With the German occupation of Florence, which began in September 1943, the Murate continued to serve as the city’s main prison, housing political and antifascist prisoners. During this period, under the direction of Giovan Battista Mazzarisi, the prison managed to distinguish itself in a context of violence and abuse. Mazzarisi actively opposed the transfers of inmates to Villa Triste, home of the notorious Band Carità, known for the torture inflicted on prisoners. His contacts with the Resistance and his efforts to protect prisoners made him a target for the Nazi authorities, forcing him to relinquish his leadership of the prison. After the liberation of Florence, Mazzarisi was reinstated at the behest of the Tuscan Committee for National Liberation (CTLN) and confirmed by the Allies.

The Murate prison was one of the transit points for numerous political and anti-fascist deportees. Two of the most infamous convoys are that ofMarch 8, 1944, bound for the Mauthausen concentration camp, and that of June 21, 1944, which departed from Fossoli.

• The March 8, 1944 transport: This convoy, classified as “transport No. 32” according to Italo Tibaldi’s studies, took 597 deportees to Mauthausen, 338 of them from Tuscany and 328 arrested in the province of Florence. Many of them had been detained following the strikes of March 1944, which had involved thousands of workers in the large industrial plants of Florence, Prato and Empoli. The arrests, made with the cooperation of Italian and German authorities, also affected individuals apprehended during raids in Florence’s working-class neighborhoods, such as San Frediano.

  Upon arrival at Mauthausen, deportees were subjected to strict quarantine and then transferred to various subcamps, including Ebensee, Gusen II and Hartheim, infamous for its gas chambers. Of the transport, 19 percent of the deportees survived, while81 percent died from the terrible working conditions, diseases and executions.

• The June 21, 1944 transport: This convoy, which departed from Fossoli, carried 53 people, many of whom had previously been detained at Murate. Among the deportees were well-known antifascists, such as Enzo Gandi, Giulio Bandini, Marino Mari and Dino Francini, who had been arrested for activities related to the Resistance. Others, such as Marcello Martini and Guido Focacci, had been captured in operations against the clandestine Radio Cora network, active in connections with the Allies. This transport represents one of many examples of the ferocity of Nazi-Fascist repression against the Tuscan Resistance movement.

Conditions in the Murate prison during the occupation were harsh, but the prison distinguished itself by not being a place of systematic torture, thanks to the work of Mazzarisi and the prison staff. The testimonies of surviving deportees highlight the climate of fear and uncertainty that permeated the prisoners’ lives. Many were victims of sudden and often fatal transfers to concentration or transit camps such as Fossoli.

At the same time, the prison became a center of moral and political resistance. Among the prisoners were prominent figures in the Tuscan and national Resistance, who tried to keep the struggle alive even behind bars. The clandestine network of the Florentine Resistance, supported by figures like Mazzarisi, was crucial to maintaining prisoner morale and attempts to sabotage Nazi operations.