Battle of Valle Giulia
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Valle Giulia is the conventional name for a clash between Italian left-wing militants and the Italian police at Valle Giulia
, Rome
, on March 1, 1968. It is still frequently remembered as one of the first violent clashes in Italy's student unrest during the protests of 1968
(the Sessantotto, sixty-eight), and has gained some sort of mythical status.
and of the faculty of architecture of the La Sapienza Rome's University. After the faculty had been occupied by the students, on February 29 the police intervened expelling the occupants and established a police presence.
On March 1 some 4,000 persons (mostly students) moved from Piazza di Spagna to the faculty, with the intention of expelling the police . They attacked with stones and other objects. Only a few policemen were provided with firearms (which, in any case, were not used), but the assault ended with a total of 148 policemen and 478 students wounded. 232 people were arrested. Eight police vehicles were burned.
The attackers included several people which would later become well-known in Italy: the future singer-songwriter and television director Paolo Pietrangeli
(who wrote a song about the episode), later right-wing minister Giuliano Ferrara
(who was wounded in the fray), Luca Liguori, Aldo Brandirali and Oreste Scalzone
, co-founder, in 1969, of the extreme left Marxist group Potere Operaio
.
Writer and film director Pier Paolo Pasolini
later wrote:
Pasolini stressed the fact that most of the rioting students belonged to the bourgeoisie.
Valle Giulia
Valle Giulia is a valley area of Rome, immortalised in Fontane di Roma....
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, on March 1, 1968. It is still frequently remembered as one of the first violent clashes in Italy's student unrest during the protests of 1968
Protests of 1968
The protests of 1968 consisted of a worldwide series of protests, largely participated in by students and workers.-Background:Background speculations of overall causality vary about the political protests centering on the year 1968. Some argue that protests could be attributed to the social changes...
(the Sessantotto, sixty-eight), and has gained some sort of mythical status.
Overview
Valle Giulia is the seat of the Modern Art GalleryGalleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, or the National Gallery of Modern Art , is an art gallery in Rome, Italy, dedicated to modern art....
and of the faculty of architecture of the La Sapienza Rome's University. After the faculty had been occupied by the students, on February 29 the police intervened expelling the occupants and established a police presence.
On March 1 some 4,000 persons (mostly students) moved from Piazza di Spagna to the faculty, with the intention of expelling the police . They attacked with stones and other objects. Only a few policemen were provided with firearms (which, in any case, were not used), but the assault ended with a total of 148 policemen and 478 students wounded. 232 people were arrested. Eight police vehicles were burned.
The attackers included several people which would later become well-known in Italy: the future singer-songwriter and television director Paolo Pietrangeli
Paolo Pietrangeli
Paolo Pietrangeli is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed six films between 1975 and 2001. His 1977 film Pigs Have Wings was entered into the 27th Berlin International Film Festival.-External links:...
(who wrote a song about the episode), later right-wing minister Giuliano Ferrara
Giuliano Ferrara
Giuliano Ferrara is an Italian politician, journalist, founding editor of Il Foglio, and TV presenter.After the militancy in the PCI and PSI, in the nineties has become a supporter of Silvio Berlusconi, and finally one of the most intellectual representatives of Italian Theoconservativism-Life and...
(who was wounded in the fray), Luca Liguori, Aldo Brandirali and Oreste Scalzone
Oreste Scalzone
Oreste Scalzone is an Italian Marxist intellectual and one of the founders of the communist organization Potere Operaio....
, co-founder, in 1969, of the extreme left Marxist group Potere Operaio
Potere Operaio
Potere Operaio was a radical left-wing Italian political group, active between 1968 and 1973. Among the group's leaders were Antonio Negri, Franco Piperno, Oreste Scalzone and Valerio Morucci, who led its clandestine...
.
Writer and film director Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual. Pasolini distinguished himself as a poet, journalist, philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, newspaper and magazine columnist, actor, painter and political figure...
later wrote:
Pasolini stressed the fact that most of the rioting students belonged to the bourgeoisie.