Sant'Oreste (IT)

FORTE CULTURA Station: Soratte bunker system (IT)

The hidden fortress north of Rome: Monte Soratte and its dark secrets

Defence bunkers and nuclear safe havens: Italy's state secret until 2008

The Soratte bunker is an underground bunker complex in Monte Soratte, around 50 kilometres north of Rome. It was built between 1937 and 1943 and served as the headquarters of the Wehrmacht units in the Mediterranean until June 1944. The huge bunker complex was intended to house the Italian government and the Italian military high command in the event of a siege of Rome.

During the Cold War, the bunker was converted into a nuclear bunker for the Italian government and the president. It could have housed 50 members of the government and 50 NATO technicians, but the construction work was never fully completed. The bunker complex was finally decommissioned in 1989, but remained an Italian state secret until 2008.

Today, the bunker complex is a modern historical site thanks to the efforts of the municipality of Sant'Oreste and the Soratte Bunker Association. Visitors can immerse themselves in the special history of the fortress monument in a variety of ways, e.g. with the new narrow-gauge railway or with virtual reality offers.

Discover the exciting history of the bunker complex with FORTE CULTURA.