REX, a myth from the shallows

REX book presentation The memory of the famous Italian liner REX, which ran aground between Izola and Koper during the Second World War, where it was shot down by the British Air Force, remains anchored in the collective memory of our places and our people. The Maritime Museum "Sergej Mašera" in Piran, in collaboration with numerous experts, collectors and witnesses from Slovenia, Italy and Croatia, has prepared and published a complete and complex monograph on the ship, which inspired Federico Fellini and in many ways dramatically symbolised the rise and fall of an era and a regime. In 2008, the Maritime Museum also dedicated a high-profile exhibition to the Rex. The book, rich in documentary and photographic material, was edited by Nadja Terčon and co-authored by Franco Juri, Snježana Karinja and Bogdana Marinac. The external expert contributions are signed by Mitja Lamut, Andrej Gaspari, Danijel Germek and Ljubomir Radić. Maurizio Eliseo, Flavio Testi and Lorenzo Borrelli, outstanding experts and authors of books on Rex, contributed the Italian perspective and memory. Some local witnesses have contributed articles and material on the memory from our shores, and prominent journalists write about the media's understanding of Rex in the book. "REX, the Myth from the Shoal" is the first monograph on the ship in Slovenian, with longer summaries in Slovenian, Italian, English and Croatian. Original texts by Italian authors are also published alongside Slovenian translations. The publication of the book was made possible by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and the Municipality of Piran. Presentations of the monograph in our four Istrian municipalities are made possible by the Maritime Museum "Sergej Mašera" Piran, The Municipality of Piran, the Self-governing Community of Italian Nationality Izola, the Coastal Self-governing Community of Italian Nationality, the Municipality of Izola, the Regional Museum Koper, the Municipality of Koper, Municipality of Ankaran and Ankaran Intergenerational Centre.