Founded in 1999 by the brothers Andrea and Giuliano Gandolfi, the Memorie d'Italia Museum is part of the Iola di Montese Museum System, established in 2010. This system includes the Raccolta di Cose Montesine.
The museum comprises a series of thematic collections containing around 4,000 original Second World War-era objects, spread over four of the museum's twelve rooms in the former rectory in the hamlet of Iola a Montese in the province of Modena.
Visitors can also explore the battlefields where Allied and German soldiers fought between 1944 and 1945, which were part of the second and last line of resistance of the Green Line, also known as the Gothic Line.

The museum is located at an altitude of 920 metres above sea level, overlooking the town square and next to the church built in 1635. There are large car parkings and nearby farmhouses, one of which is just a short walk away, to provide hospitality.

 The MEMORIE D'ITALIA collections are divided into rooms dedicated to the different armies that were present in the area at the time:
- the US Army's 10th Mountain Division
- the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) 1st Infantry Division and the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).
- the Royal Italian Army and the Italian Social Republic
- the Wehrmacht's Heer: the 232nd Infantry Division and the 114th Jäger Division.
A display case contains items supplied to the British Army.

The objects are grouped by type and represent what was available to soldiers on the front line. Uniforms, decorations, badges, weapons, everyday items, emergency items, and various types of clothing and accessories are on display.
The collections highlight the technical features and quality of the equipment and supplies available to soldiers on the front line, and aim to demonstrate the logistics behind the fighters on various battlefields, according to the axiom that wars are won by the army with the most motivated men and the best logistics.
The museum has been officially recognised by the Association of the Descendants of the 10th Mountain Division, which organises tours of the battlefields of the upper Tuscan-Emilian Apennines every three years. The tours commemorate the fighting of the 5th Allied Army, which led to the 10th Mountain Division breaking through the German defences in this area.
After the conquest of Monte Castello and Montese, the Brazilian soldiers of the F.E.B. replaced the Americans in the rear line.
The rooms dedicated to the history of our country also contain books, school reports and school objects from the 1920s.

The museum is surrounded by battlefields which, between 1944 and 1945, were stained with the blood of soldiers and civilians during one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record.
Today, the Gothic Line Paths cross these battlefields, following the ridges and woods where the opposing armies' trenches and walkways are still visible, and where relics of the war can still be found. It is a path of reflection, surrounded by centuries-old chestnut trees, where memories fade with time.
Between 1944 and 1945, the Green Line II ran along the hills overlooking the countryside. This was the second deep resistance line of the German army and was originally better known as the Gothic Line, renamed the Grüne Linie (Green Line) in mid-1944.

Next to the museum building, a path lined with military equipment runs for about 800 metres along the ridge of Monte Terminale.
On 3 March 1945, after conquering the mountain, the soldiers of the 86th Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division descended towards the town of Jola to liberate it from the German troops. On the summit, near a small oratory and along the ridge, there are trenches and an observatory where soldiers from both sides took place and fought.

At the foot of the hill, a shelter used by the inhabitants of the town to protect themselves from heavy bombardment, especially artillery fire, from both sides was reconstructed in 2013 based on the testimony of those who were there at the time.

The main itinerary starts from the village square car park and runs along a ridge for about 16 km towards Monte della Torraccia and Ronchidoso, up to the summit of Monte Belvedere. The journey takes about six hours. Traces of the battles that took place 80 years ago can be seen on both sides and along the long stretches that cross the woods.