When organizing a holiday in Sabina, it is not easy to find yourself short of ideas regarding what to do and what to see. This time we’d like to tell you about a very particular place, wrapped in history that fades into legend and mystery, whose allure is a result of it being in the bowels of the mountain, and by stories regarding it that are not too well known and therefore susceptible to give rise to enigmas, not (yet?) confirmed by anestablished truth. The Soratte Bunker awaits you, just half an hour’s drive from Cicignano.
An underground bunker looks like the motif of a science fiction novel or war movie. But, as we know, scripts and the intertwining of books originate in the mind of a man, and the mind of a man originated the idea of the need for an underground bunker. Thus, at the behest of Benito Mussolini in 1937, the construction of tunnels in the bowels of the mountain began at Monte Soratte, with the aim of protecting him in the event of an air attack.
Winds of war in 1930s Europe
Very threatening winds of war blew in Europe in the Thirties made up of totalitarianisms and nationalisms, whereby France and Great Britain’s timid diplomatic efforts proved to be quite ineffective in contrasting Hitler’s initiatives.
For his part, Mussolini, head of fascist Italy, although initially inclined to Western diplomacy, was perhaps all too aware of having a basic affinity with the Third Reich, almost an ideological twinning, if one can actually speak of ideology in this regard. Much more so than he was close to Western democracies, which during that period showed all their fragility.
Wanted by Mussolini, used by Hitler
In this context, we frame, from a historical point of view, the need to build a bunker in case of anti-aircraft bombing. It is a shame that the network of tunnels built in Sabina, so close to Rome and therefore so easily reachable by the high offices of the state, served the Nazis who benefited extensively from it.
When Hitler’s army spread throughout Italy, the troops led by General Kesselring settled in the Center of the Peninsula, right here on Monte Soratte; a safe, strategic, excellently defensible area. So much so that a heavy Allied aerial bombardment, which took place in May 1944 with the aim of destroying the now German base, failed miserably. When, the following year, history took that well-known turn, the occupants hastily left the bunker and, it seems, buried coffers stolen from the Bank of Italy here. They have yet to be found, confirming the aura of mystery revolving around this fact, which however has never historically been proven.
A bunker by the will of NATO
Years of total abandonment followed, until the fascist refuge became of interest to NATO. The world did not seem to have learned much from its recent events and was, once again and stupidly, on the verge of a war, this time a nuclear war. Therefore, it is this context of a Cold War that explains the will of the Atlantic Alliance to create an anti-atomic bunker which, in the case of an apocalyptic scenario of attack on the capital of Italy, could have hosted and saved the highest offices of the State in a similar situation. Another mystery regarding this place, which we know little about, is linked to the fact that the works ended abruptly, without having been completed, in 1972, and the causes of this change in the project are not known.
An intricate system of underground tunnels
The maze of tunnels is a small underground city, and it is one of the most impressive works of its kind in Europe. Partially accessible by vehicles, through the renovation work wanted by NATO, it was structured to accommodate a hundred people for several months, ready for the most terrible eventualities. And there were many and particularly ingenious measures adopted, such as placing an organic substance on the walls and on the directions, capable of producing phosphorescent reflections that kept the light on longer than artificial solutions.
The suits warn by those whose task was to decontaminate top level personalities such as the President of the Republic upon accessing the bunker, or the wing that was to host him, can still be seen. All of which, fortunately, never happened.
How to visit the Soratte Bunker
To date, the management of this site is entrusted to a non-profit association, called “Bunker Soratte”, which organizes guided tours, studies the documents and the history of the Bunker and discloses knowledge of the site and the historical period it refers to.
Worth noting is the event that is usually organized close to the anniversary of May 12, the date of the bombing of Monte Soratte, which includes the projection of films and re-enactments with figures dressed in period costumes.
Needless to say, seeing a soldier with the insignia of the Reich in this place is quite impressive! For reservations and information, you can contact the association at the following email: bunkersoratte@gmail.com
Where to find the Soratte Bunker
Access to the Monte Soratte tunnels is located in Sant’Oreste, in the province of Rome, and precisely in Viale Europa. Easily accessible from Rome, but also from the rest of Central Italy via the A1 motorway, Sant’Oreste exit -follow the signs that lead
to the center. An alternative route is by via Salaria, after which, at the exit from Passo Corese Fiano Romano, you can take the Civitellese Provincial Road towards Sant’Oreste.
From the Residenze del Borgo di Cicignano take the Regional Road 657 and then the Provincial Road 30 in the direction of Viale del Vignola in Sant’Oreste.
And you will immerse yourself, almost literally, because you enter one of Sabina’s mountains, in an atmosphere that is made up of romantic rural landscapes and the serene calmness of a bucolic setting. Above all, however, you’ll find an atmosphere that not only refers to the Middle Ages and Roman era, but also contemporary history, of a past, not too distant in time, with which the Italians have not yet fully come to terms, and most importantly do not know in depth.
