The Museum for the Memory of Ustica is an exhibition space dedicated to the memory of the tragic plane crash involving flight IH 870, also known as the Ustica disaster.
The Museum for the Memory of Ustica is located in via Saliceto in Bologna, a ten minute walk from the Central Train Station and is open and free, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 17.00 to 20.00.
The Museum project was created thanks to the will of the Association of Relatives of the Victims of the Ustica Disaster and today houses the permanent installation by Christian Boltanski which surrounds the remains of the plane shot down on 27 June 1980.
On the official website of the Museum you will find contacts, timetables and availability.
The Ustica disaster
On June 27, 1980, the scheduled Itavia 870 flight departed from Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport towards Palermo, carrying 81 passengers.
A few hours later that plane will crash into the sea in front of the island of Ustica, off the coast of Sicily, causing the death of the entire crew and triggering a series of questions that no one seemed to want to answer.
The causes of the accident and the responsibilities have been (and still are) the subject of intense debate. Misdirections and controversies have in fact characterized over four decades of investigations into the disaster that cost the lives of 81 people on June 27, 1980.
The Museum for the Memory of Ustica was established to preserve the memory of this tragic event and provide information on the disaster and the investigations that followed.
For this reason, the exhibition space hosts a collection of objects, documents, testimonies and artifacts related to the accident, offering visitors a detailed overview of what happened that day and the consequences that resulted from it.
The Museum for the Memory of Ustica is a significant place not only for the city of Bologna but for the whole country. Knowing this important chapter of Italian history is in fact fundamental to understanding the value of historical memory in the process of understanding and elaborating the tragic events of the past.
How to reach the Museum from Garage Excelsior
The Museum for the Memory of Ustica is located just a 15-minute walk from Garage Excelsior, the car park in Bologna in front of the Central Train Station and a stone’s throw from the historic center.
The car park is spread over two floors and is video monitored and guarded 24 hours a day.
Furthermore, Garage Excelsior is located immediately outside the Limited Traffic Zone: therefore there is no danger of receiving fines and warnings in the months following your stay in Bologna.
