Venice was largely unaffected by attacks during the Second World War. However, industrial areas in Mestre and Marghera were repeatedly bombed and railway lines to Padua, Trieste, and Trento. Under the command of Lieutenant General Freyberg, British and New Zealand troops of the British Eighth Army liberated Venice on 29 April 1945, which had been a hotbed of anti-Mussolini Italian partisan activity.
Leftist governments ran Venice immediately after World War II, but centre-left or centrist governments replaced these for much of the 1950s and 1960s. Venice grew rapidly, and the reconstruction period completely reshaped the future of the historic city.
Below are some fascinating historical photos that will take you back to 1950s Venice.
