The city during fascism in the Hidden Trento app

This time, users are taken back to the pivotal date of September 8, 1943, guided by the voices of a young girl, Emma, and her father Guido, a journalist fleeing the war.

The Hidden Trento app—developed by the Italian-German Historical Institute ondazione Bruno Kessler in collaboration with History City Apps—now features a new route offering an immersive way to explore the city through various historical periods.

Following the four itineraries focused on the Renaissance and the seventeenth century, the app expands this year into the urban history of the twentieth century with a route dedicated to the fascist era. This journey unfolds in nine stages, highlighting key sites transformed by the regime and tied to the events of those twenty years, such as the former Casa del Fascio, the Palazzo delle Poste, the old police station, the Vittoria Cinema, and the Raffaello Sanzio School.

To experience it, simply download the app—free and available in Italian, English, and German—from digital stores or from the website: https://historycityapps.org/

“Hidden Trento 900,” FBK-ISIG director Massimo Rospocher explained, “is a research and public history initiative that enhances the modern city’s historical pathways already present in the Hidden Trento app. It’s part of the European-wide History City Apps project. The new route, narrated by actress Martina Scrinzi—known for the film Vermiglio—and produced by the Clochart Collective, was created by a team of researchers specializing in fascist history, architectural history, and urban studies.  It introduces an innovative way to study urban spaces and provides access to the latest research through carefully crafted storytelling. While it has clear methodological and educational value for university instruction, it also serves as a powerful tool for making the city’s history more accessible to the public and enhancing museum resources and awareness of Trento’s historical and architectural heritage.”

Supported by the CARITRO Foundation, the project was coordinated for FBK-ISIG by Massimo Rospocher, Maurizio Cau and Alessandro Paris, and involved historians from the University of Exeter, the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering of the University of Trento, the Trentino Historical Museum Foundation, the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage and Activities of the Autonomous Province of Trento.

The project presentation took place in the main hall of the Raffaello Sanzio Primary School in Trento—one of the city’s most iconic architectural complexes, originally commissioned by the regime. The event was attended by Paola Pasqualin (Headmaster of the Istituto Comprensivo Trento 5), Massimo Rospocher (Director, FBK-ISIG), Cristiana Volpi (University of Trento), Elena Tonezzer (FMsT), Maurizio Cau (FBK-ISIG), Alessandro Paris (FBK-ISIG), and Fabio Campolongo (Superintendency for Cultural Heritage and Activities, PAT).