Base Thunder
Former NATO missile base, currently a one-of-a-kind museum in Europe
Nowhere else in Europe is quite like this former NATO missile base, which is now a museum about the Cold War and the threat of nuclear conflict
Memories of the threat of nuclear war and tensions between East and West are vividly brought back to life by missiles pointing into the sky, hangars, underground bunkers and radars at Base Tuono. Between 1966 and 1977 it was an Italian Air Force and NATO missile base. At 1,897 metres above sea level, it was the highest site of its kind in Europe.
It was subsequently closed for many years and then reopened as a prominent Cold War museum. Visitors get a chance to discover the Nike Hercules defensive system, with a look at the launch sequence, the trailers for the electronic gear and a missile launch simulation. There is nowhere else in Europe quite like this museum complex. Guided tours can be booked.