It's oversized and probably supposed to be flattering in that fierce expression of grim determination the sculptor gave him in typical masculine fascist style — cf. Foro Italico! But I just found it as ridiculous as all the footage of Mussolini giving speeches that I've ever seen.
These mannerisms just don't work on me. Some of the second-league Mussolinis' tombs also have marble busts, but these are smaller and stylistically less bathed in brute testosterone than the big man's. Some are also accompanied by framed photos of the respective family members.
Some real spooky items are to be seen to the sides of the big Duce bust: There are small rectangular display boxes set into the wall and here, behind glass, you can see some genuine Duce relics: a pair of battered black leather boots presumably his, together with a small cross and some illegible document , a neatly folded black shirt remember, Mussolini's fascists were also known as the Blackshirts , something that might have been a black hat, and a small jewel-case-like box what it might contain I have no idea.
As if that wasn't already enough, there's also another room branching off the main crypt hall opposite the tomb and this really is a full-on Mussolini shrine. It's designed like a chapel maybe it is one, given the crosses and candles but is also full of Duce memorabilia, photos, inscriptions, slogans, and even little trinkets such as a toy lion and little bells.
He originally adopted it from an alleged Ancient Roman salute, but it became mostly associated with Hitler 's Nazi Germany where it was copied as early as the mids and then quickly made compulsory once the NSDAP was in power. When I visited the Mussolini crypt there was a larger group of visitors ahead of me, some of whom just couldn't get enough of taking snaps with their phones, so while waiting for them to finish and move on I browsed the guest book for a while.
There was even a shakily hand-drawn swastika in there! It makes you shudder. Finally, when you then take the steps back out on the other side of the crypt you pass numerous plaques on the wall continuing the Duce-worship theme. The image of the man with his right arm up also features here.
However, once you step back out in the open, the whole spooky aura dissipates like a short-lived apparition. Relieved, I took a deep breath and walked back to the car. But I must admit that the whole experience, short as it had been, kept haunting me for quite a while afterwards. Location: in Predappio's cimitero monumentale, a good mile 1. Access and costs: a bit off the tourist trail, but easy to get to by car; free of charge.
This article is more than 2 years old. Mussolini and fascist memorabilia on sale in Predappio Tricolore. Thousands of curious visitors — and fascists — descend on the Apennine town.
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