However, the living conditions of the commoners were harsh due to heavy taxation by the feudal class which left them impoverished. The Napoleonic period saw the emancipation of Alfonsine, which in 1814 became a municipality. The following year, after the fall of Napoleon, the country returned to the Holy See. In 1859, with the loss of papal power in Romagna, Alfonsine was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia, which in 1861 became the Kingdom of Italy. In the beginning of the 20th century Alfonsine experienced social unrest. The harsh living conditions at the end of the previous century led to the formation of bands of outlaws, but also to the creation of political associations and charitable organizations which worked to improve the living conditions of the lower classes. On the eve of World War I, from the 7th of June to the 13th of June, 1914, known in Italy as "Settimana Rossa" (Red Week), there was widespread unrest in Alfonsine, during which both the city hall and the church were set on fire. During World War II, bloody clashes between the occupying Germans, Allied forces and Italian partisans, took place in Alfonsine, especially along the Senio river. In the area 70% of the houses were destroyed, while the historic center was completely destroyed by the Germans before their retreat northward, after having been heavily bombed by the Allies. The center of Alfonsine was later rebuilt between 1946 and 1956 by the architect Giuseppe Vaccaro. After World War II few historic buildings were left standing. Among them is the "Oratorio di S. Vincenzo Ferrari" (Oratory of San Vincenzo Ferrari) built in the mid-18th century, which houses a painting of the Virgin Mary attributed to the Longhi school. Also noteworthy is the reconstructed "Santuario della Madonna del Bosco" (Shrine of Our Lady of the Woods). Rebuilt on the ruins of its predecessor, it hosts a collection of 18th and 19th century Christian artifacts. In piazza Monti, where the original parish church was located, now stands the "Chiesa del Sacro Cuore" (Church of the Sacred Heart). The parish church was instead rebuilt at a new location and dedicated to Saint Mary. The Special Natural Reserve of Alfosine is part of the Regional Park of the Po Delta. It consists of three areas that were once inhabited, and subsequently converted to parkland and returned to a natural state.