by Federica Sgorbissa and Francesca Rizzato [SISSA MEDIALAB]
In Trieste, within the CU REMEMBER project, we designed and implemented two walking tours exploring how Nazi-Fascist persecutions intersected with the scientific, social, and institutional history of the city. These pilot activities have now been consolidated into a handbook, available in both Italian and English in the download section of the website, designed to enable teachers and educators to replicate or adapt the experience independently.
The two tours
The first itinerary, set in the city centre, focused on the Jewish community and on Trieste’s pioneering role in the spread of psychoanalysis in Italy. Starting from the Museum of the Jewish Community of Trieste Carlo e Vera Wagner, the tour followed the traces of figures such as Edoardo Weiss and Vanda Schrenger, alongside writers and artists like Umberto Saba and Arturo Nathan. Moving through the city, students encountered places marked by the 1938 racial laws, including the high school Liceo Petrarca, from which Jewish students and teachers were expelled. The Stolperstein (“stumbling stone”) dedicated to Maura Morpurgo offered a powerful moment to reconnect individual stories of persecution with the present-day urban space.
The second tour took place in the former San Giovanni psychiatric hospital and addressed the relationship between mental health, civil rights, and institutional violence. It explored how a place of care gradually became a space of exclusion, and reflected on the deportation of Jewish patients during the Nazi occupation. Figures such as Evelina Ravis and Franco Basaglia helped frame a broader discussion on the evolution of care, dignity, and rights, while the commemorative plaque for deported patients highlighted what we defined as “betrayed care.”
A participatory experience
Both tours were conceived as participatory experiences rather than traditional guided visits. Each student received a “passport” linked to a historical figure and was invited, if they wished, to read and share that person’s story during the walk. This simple device proved highly effective: it fostered attention, personal engagement, and a sense of responsibility towards the narratives being explored.
The Handbook
The handbook brings together the structure of the two itineraries, historical content, printable materials such as maps and “passports”, and methodological reflections on how to address complex and sensitive topics with students. Particular attention is given to inclusion, emotional engagement, and the role of educators in facilitating discussion rather than providing fixed answers.
The handbook was presented on May 14 during a public event in Trieste organised by the University of Trieste, one of the CU REMEMBER partners. The event is primarily addressed to teachers and educators and will offer an opportunity to explore the materials and discuss how they can be used in different educational contexts.
A clear takeaway emerged from the pilot activities: engaging with memory through places, biographies, and lived experience can open up deeper forms of connection and understanding. In Trieste, this meant connecting the history of the Holocaust and Nazi-Fascist persecutions with broader questions about science, rights, and society—questions that remain deeply relevant today. Another important aspect that emerged, particularly during the visit to the former psychiatric hospital, is that current events can “enter” the tour itself as a topic of discussion (often brought up by the students). To address important yet potentially controversial issues effectively, preparatory classroom sessions—possibly involving experts—can be helpful before the visit.
Credits
The tours and the handbook were developed by SISSA Medialab in collaboration with the Museum of the Jewish Community of Trieste Carlo e Vera Wagner.