April 25th is a fundamental date for Italy, which celebrates the liberation from Nazi-fascism. In the Veneto, the day takes on a double meaning, also paying homage to the patron saint San Marco.
VENETO. April 25th is a significant day for Italy and, in particular, for the Veneto region. On this date, the seventy-ninth anniversary of the Liberation from Nazi-fascism is celebrated and homage is paid to San Marco, patron saint of Venice. In a press release, the President of the Veneto Region shared his reflections on the importance of this day.
“Seventy-nine years ago our Earth found the freedom it had fought for amidst the rubble of the Second World War. A devastating conflict in which the dictatorship had dragged the country into a tragic series of deaths, pain and destruction. The life in freedom that followed marked the greatest period of social progress and well-being for our people. From the work carried out by our parents and grandparents we learned that there is no Peace without Freedom and there is no Freedom for those who suffer war. A lesson that starts from historical facts, but more relevant than ever today when around sixty dangerous outbreaks undermine peace and free coexistence throughout the world. April 25th must strengthen its symbolic value as a common heritage that must be maintained and increased with a shared path”.
The President highlighted the special bond that Veneto has with this day, as it is also dedicated to San Marco, whose Lion is present on the regional flag. “For us Venetians – continues the President – this day is also the one dedicated to our patron saint San Marco, whose Lion stands out in our flag together with his historic message, making it the only one in the world that contains the word ‘Pax’: Peace. This makes us proud and gives further meaning, for our land, to the civil solemnity of this important anniversary”.
The President then underlined the sacrifice of those who fell for Freedom and the crucial role that Veneto played during the War of Liberation. “Whoever fell for Freedom died for everyone – continues the President of the Veneto Region -. In this we must find the fundamental reason to commit to ensuring that April 25th is everyone’s holiday: if we are a free and democratic country we owe it to the sacrifice made by many to guarantee the freedom that was enshrined in our Constitution. A commitment that was relevant in our Region because one of the most important pages of the War of Liberation was written here. One name for all remains that of a young woman: Tina Anselmi. Faced with the tragedy of the hangings in the avenues of Bassano after the roundups on the Grappa, she chose to become the Gabriella relay: she fought the Resistance, she was the first female minister of the Republic and the mother of the National Health Service.
Finally, the President wanted to pay homage to all the people, especially women, who supported the Resistance in a silent way, enduring risks and hardships. “But a memory must also go to those, starting with many other women, who silently endured risks and hardships, reacting to deprivation, hunger, violence and raids – concludes the President of Veneto -. In our DNA there is this history which, today, in this historical moment requires us to reclaim the value of Peace and civil coexistence between peoples and people”.
April 25 is a day of reflection and commitment to a future of peace and freedom, built on the solid foundations of sacrifice and determination of those who fought for our freedom.
