Mapping the Destruction and Reconstruction of Italian Cities in World War II. The Case of Brescia

In Italy shortly before the end of the Second World War, a Legislative Decree (1 March 1945, No. 154) was issued containing ‘Norms for reconstruction plans for war-damaged settlements’. In subsequent years, numerous Italian municipalities adopted this urban planning instrument, which aimed to heal the wounds of war while trying to preserve ‘the structure and character of the urban centre’. The reconstruction plans often included documents and maps of the damaged and destroyed buildings, mainly relating to the oldest parts of cities, which served as the basis for developing new plans. In many cases, however, the reconstruction plans were an opportunity to alter historic city centres radically for reasons of traffic mobility and speculation. Analysing damage maps makes it possible to understand and compare the condition of cities before they were destroyed and the post-war design plans. Based on the documentation of war damage and reconstruction, this paper analyse the case of the city of Brescia in the context of Italy as a whole.