Museum of Sicily Landings 1943

This excellent, but not very well-known museum is located near the port of Catania, inside a large restructured complex that used to be an old factory. It shares the space with other museums and other organizations.
There is a large public parking outside the building. Don't forget to pay first, there are frequent checks!

The museum is housed in a large building, over 3 floors, and covers some 3000 sq. meters. Most of it is a permanent exhibition, and a small part is reserved for temporary exhibitions of various WW2 themes.
Entering the museum is a bit particular because every visit starts with a short introduction (in various languages), followed by a visit to a mock-up of a typical Italian small town square. Entry is every 15 minutes or so. From the town square one is led into a dark shelter, where an aerial bombardment is simulated. Very loud noises. After the short bombardment the visitors are led into a copy of the same square, but now showing ruined buildings after the attack.
From here the visitors are free to explore the very expanded collection and displays over the three floors.

There are many weapons and uniforms of all combatants, a mock-up of an Italian bunker, a lot of photographs and newspaper clippings (in Italian), and a few guns, also outside.

For current visiting hours, please contact the museum.

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Source

• Text: Francois Dumas
• Photos: Francois Dumas