I hope the authors don't mind my sharing this with the RS forum --
Loyola Univ. has a program in Rome that grew out of a handful of their alumni who served in the US detachments stationed there during WWII, and the guide that they give current students is a treasure-trove of information, from a fascinating perspective, on the city.
I came upon this publication when looking further into resistance groups that were active in major and not-so-major cities.
Yes, it was mentioned here a few months ago but certainly bears repeating. It's too bad that many Rome guidebooks overlook WW2 sites, especially since Rome has changed little since then compared to many other major Western European cities. This paper fills that gap well.
The information in that paper enhanced our sightseeing in Rome when my grandson and I were there in May. We planned our arrival in Rome so that our first stop from the airport would be Stazione Ostiense, with its Fascist Neoclassical architecture. My grandson's first view of Rome after we got off the FM1 train was Porta San Paolo and the Pyramid of Cestius, but thanks to the Loyola paper we knew it was also the scene of the first battle between the partegiani and occupying German troops in 1943. Later we visited Via Rasella and thought of the hideous chain of events that began there. We visualized Nazi staff cars in front of the Hotel Excelsior on Via Veneto. And so on.
Good find.
You're right, Jeff. One of the the main things that makes European cities special - compared to the western U.S. at least - is the many layers of history all around us. Most travel guides pick one or two of those layers to focus on, leaving both the city and us visitors a little short-changed.
This stands out especially in Provence so far as I'm concerned -- Arles is reduced to Roman river trade and Van Gogh, Orange to Roman provincial rule and wine appreciation, etc. I find myself imagining putting together some contrarian itineraries called 'Provence in Wartime' and 'Normandy in Peace and Prosperity' :-)
