Museum of the Red Cross

The Idea of the Red Cross, the largest international, humanitarian organisation in the world , was born in Castiglione delle Stiviere following to the Battle of Solferino and San Martino. To tell the story there is the International Museum of the Red Cross, set up in Castiglione in 1959. It is shown how the generosity given by the populace in gathering and nursing the soldiers left on the fields in the battle of Solferino ( 24th June 1859) , prompted the young Swiss national Henry Dunant with the idea of a neutral organisation of first aid . Dunant had come to Italy on business and was by chance in Castiglione the evening in which the battle of Solferino just ended . He was confronted with the desolating scenes of an endless procession of carts carrying thousands of wounded , dropping them all over the city. The dedication of the local women who offered aid and nursed everyone regardless of the colour of their uniforms profoundly struck the young man from Geneva, who participated in the work of solidarity attempting to organise the aid in the streets, houses and churches. On his return to Switzerland Dunant narrated his experience in Italy in a book “ A Memory of Solferino” which moved people worldwide and convinced many European sovereigns to back his proposal. Thanks to this, in 1863, it brought about the first International Conference of Geneva and to the birth of the Red Cross. The International Museum of the Red Cross is an emotional encounter with history, discovering what lies behind the objects, the images and documents that testify to the great events of the past, tracking down the feelings, the ideas, the projects of men as we are. It also testifies the nowadays Red Cross activities all around the world. Castiglione delle Stiviere, and the surrounding area is totally to discover : evocative, ancient burgs lying on the hills, rich of history such as Castellaro Lagusello, Solferino, Cavriana, Volta Mantovana, Ponti sul Mincio. A bourn of an high historical-cultural value, relaxing landscapes, easy to reach.