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FLORENCE – Pontassieve also celebrates its Liberation with an event on Wednesday 21 August at 9:15 pm in the municipal council chamber promoted by the municipal administration together with many local associations.
A date – August 21, 1944 – that commemorates the entry of the Allied troops into Pontassieve and that this year will be celebrated in an evening introduced by greetings from the administration and representatives of the ANPI Pontassieve-Pelago section that will see a historical introduction by Paola Veratti, readings of historical documents alternating with musical performances by the BBB – Bart Brothers Band, while the closing will be entrusted to the screening of the short film “11 Agosto …a Giulia” by Alessandro Sarti.
From the night of November 9, 1943 until the first days of July 1944, Pontassieve, an important road and railway hub, suffered numerous air raids by the Allies, during which almost 1,000 tons of explosives were dropped. The inhabitants fled to the countryside. The Allied bombings and the German retreat caused serious damage to the production facilities and the interruption of the main communication routes. On August 21, 1944, Pontassieve was occupied by the Allies and on September 27, the local CLN appointed the new Municipal Council, presided over by the socialist mayor Alfonso Benvenuti.