Museo della Brigata Sassari

Sassari is rightly proud of its military heritage, especially the well-decorated Sassari Brigade, which fought with great gallantry during WWI. You can glean something of the terrible conditions they endured in the tiny Museo della Brigata Sassari in the military barracks.

Uniforms, photos, documents and other memorabilia evoke the ghastly conditions and ferocious bravery of the brigade, who were thrown into the thick of the trench fighting against the Austrians in northern Italy. You can even read the letter in which the Austro-Hungarian commander first gave the brigade their epithet 'the red devils'. There are old guns and grenades on show, and a re-creation of a modern trench. Most touching, however, are the proud poses of the men in the old black-and-white photographs. As this is still an operational barracks you may often find the museum closed.