Cinecittà. A refugee community in postwar Rome – by Katarzyna Nowak
Cinecittà Camp, located in Rome, Italy, was a notable post-World War II displaced persons (DP) camp. Established on the grounds of the famous Cinecittà film studios, which had been damaged during the war, the camp provided temporary shelter for thousands of refugees and displaced persons, including Holocaust survivors and those uprooted by the conflict and shifting European borders. In 1947, serving as a transit and repatriation camp, it had aa turnover of about 3000 to 4000 persons monthly. It became one of several DP camps in Italy under the administration of international and local agencies, including the International Refugee Organization (IRO). The Vatican Relief Commission, Joint, and other agencies also operated in the camp. The camp’s facilities were often overcrowded, and conditions were basic, but it served as a critical transitional space for individuals awaiting resettlement to new countries or seeking to reunite with lost family members. The experience of life at Cinecittà Camp reflected the larger struggles of post-war Europe to address the humanitarian crises caused by war and displacement.
Discover snippets from the lives of the inhabitants of Cinecittà Camp by hovering over the picture of the camp where the refugees lived in bird’s eye view.
Historians often have access only to fragmentary records on individuals which do not convey the whole story but help to shed lights on aspects of refugees’ lives. Here these fragment help to piece together a story of the Cinecittà camp’s unique character.
Please note that some of the stories featured here are distressing.
Technical implementation by Konstantin Schischka.