The history of the Winterline Venafro association was born from the friendship of Renato Dolcigno and Luciano Bucci who, since their teenage years, shared a unique and original passion that led them to achieve an important goal, that of creating the first permanent historical-military exhibition called Winterline, concerning the wartime events that affected the municipality of Venafro and the surrounding lands. 

During these years of adventures and research, the two promoters of the initiative met Donato Pasquale, another founding member of the association, with whom they succeeded in completing a collection worthy of a National museum, consisting of unique and original finds, all discovered in the area from Venafro to the nearby Mainarde Mountains. The material on display in the exhibition, in fact, is owned by Luciano Bucci, Renato Dolcigno and Donato Pasquale, who, in addition to the find, have been responsible for its restoration, cataloguing and maintenance.

As the association was taking its first steps, the activities carried out by the members attracted the attention of Domenico Vecchiarino, who, in a short time, proved to be of fundamental importance to the development of the Winterline association's projects, as well as Eng. Marco Chiaverini, a key player in many projects. 

The strength of the association is encapsulated in two elements, one purely technical that lies in the distinction of the roles held by each individual member, each specialized or rather "passionate" in a particular area of collecting; and the other, perhaps more important, the friendship that is the true glue of the association. Last but not least, we cannot fail to mention the unconditional help and support given to the association, and without which many goals could not be achieved, by Arch. Franco Valente, the person in charge of the premises managed by the association, and Eng. Antonio Buono, the association's first and main supporter and honorary member.

The association continues to grow, enriching its membership with important figures in the field of World War II historical memory preservation, among them Mary Baghan and Paul Hooton, head of the First Special Service Force Veterans Association and head of the London Irish Rifle Veterans Association, respectively.

The staff has also been enriched by other enthusiasts who, like us, share a desire to get together and work to preserve the records of the past.

Tourist packages for the BIT in Milan 

Tourist package "Battlefields tour on the winterline - trekking and museum visit"

The territory around Venafro, in addition to being scenically attractive, was also the protagonist of the Allied advance for the liberation of Italy from the Nazi yoke between November 1943 and February 1944 on what was called, by the Germans the Bernhardt Line, by the Allies the Winterline. 

For decades now, our Winterline Venafro Association has been exploring these places in search and discovery of the physical evidence of this period, and has decided to share, with enthusiasts and the curious, what it has discovered and learned also from the direct testimony of the protagonists. 

Therefore, with this very premise in mind, we come to propose two experiential packages, suitable for people aged 10 and older who have experience of hiking in the mountains, and they are as follows: 

4 steps on the Winterline - The mountains north of Venafro were the first target for the Allies to conquer. On them the Germans resisted tenaciously, and to conquer them the Allies sent many infantry soldiers, rangers and paratroopers. Departure from Venafro 8:30 a.m. by our vehicle, arrival at Conca Casale, headquarters of the German area command from October 1943 to December 1943, ascent along the old mule track, connecting with Venafro, and widely used during the war for troop movement. Stop at strategic points with story telling aided by period photographs to learn about the places and stories of that sector of the front. 

Packed lunch on the Cima del Monte Corno (not provided by the organization) and return to Conca Casale and then return to Venafro and visit our Winterline Venafro War Museum with the thousands of items recovered from the battlefields. The route is about 10Km and you will face an elevation gain of about 400m suitable for those used to hiking in the mountains; 

In the footsteps of the First Special Service Force - In the panorama of wartime events along the Winterline there is one, in particular, that saw the birth of a new military unit, an elite unit called the First Special Service Force, literally the First Special Service Force. This unit is, to this day , considered the originator of modern special forces. Its history , made of very hard training and legendary battles, was born right on the Winterline, on Mount la Defensa, the scene of a very special battle and of which we at Winterline Venafro know the details and will share them with our guests. Departure from Venafro 8:30 a.m. with our vehicle, arrival at Camino, site of the German supply point from October 1943 to December 1943, ascent along the ancient mule track, connecting with the Defensa, and widely used during the war for the movement of supplies. Stop at strategic points with story telling aided by period photographs to learn about the places and stories of that sector of the front. 

Packed lunch on the summit of Mount la Defensa (not provided by the organization) and return to Camino and then return to Venafro to visit our Winterline Venafro War Museum with the thousands of items recovered from the battlefields. The route is about 10Km and you will face an elevation gain of about 400m suitable for those used to hiking in the mountains; 

Details offered: 

Both packages are aimed at normo-equipped people with experience in mountain trekking and hiking, individuals or groups of up to 8 people can sign up for these packages. The planned experience is calculated to take a day of activities, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, you can book both experiences at a discounted price but we do not provide accommodation, for any overnight stays in Venafro we recommend the Dimora del Prete di Belmonte or the Venafro Palace Hotel. 

The cost of each experience is € 200.00 total, for participants 1 to 4, € 320.00 total for participants 4 to 8, each reservation must be confirmed by our team and reservations not confirmed by the Winterline Venafro team will not be considered valid. 

It is also possible to create customized packages related to applicants' needs and will be evaluated according to requests and in agreement with applicants. 

The requested cost covers transportation in our vehicle, battlefield guide, story telling and guided tour of our Winterline Venafro War Museum. 

Reservations can be made from our website www.winterlinevenafro.it 

Winterline Venafro

Palazzo De Utris - 86079 Venafro (IS)

E-mail: winterline.venafro@gmail.com

Website: https://www.winterlinevenafro.it/index.html