AVEZZANO (AQ) – The pouring rain may have postponed for a few days the outline of the 78th Italian Republic Day in Avezzano (student choir, musical performance by the band, tricolor trails in the sky thanks to the Fly Team air patrol and maxi tricolor flag carried in the Alpine Procession), but it certainly did not diminish the feelings of dedication and attachment towards a historical anniversary that is embroidered in the chest of every Italian. This morning, for the celebrations of June 2nd, the mayor Giovanni Di Pangrazio and all the civil and military authorities, together with a host of associations, paid homage to the fallen at sea and to the fallen of all wars, with the laying of laurel wreaths at their respective monuments, in Piazza Matteotti and Piazza della Repubblica. With the publicly expressed commitment of wanting to recover as soon as possible the important ceremony that had been organized for today, the mayor himself then wanted to welcome all the police forces, the representatives of the fighting and military associations and the social sector in the council chamber, for the ritual speeches. At his side, representing the Abruzzo Region, the councilor Massimo Verrecchia who thanked all the associations present for their commitment to protecting memory, and the president of Assoarma di Avezzano, il 1st Captain Floriano Maddalena which, together with knight Pietro Antonio Di Matteo, president of the Arma Aeronautica Association, he has been involved in the organization of national holidays for 50 years.
“Seeing before me – said the mayor – so many people in love with their uniform and who decided, a long time ago, to serve this country with self-sacrifice, touches me and touches us deeply. Italy became a Republic with the referendum of 1946 and, on that occasion of epochal change, for the first time the right to vote was also recognized for women. From that first historical spark, our Constitutional Charter arose, which is the most beautiful in the world. In it, there are carved two words which are eternal, viz “equality and sharing”. Every people and, therefore, every individual – continued Di Pangrazio – must be recognized as having the right to emancipate themselves through their own personal path. In Europe, the path of women has been traced not without obstacles, considering that equal gender opportunities have been recognized as a value by the EU since the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Until 1965, for example, in France, married women they couldn’t even have money in their own name or go to a bank without their husband. Today, however, everything has changed and even in other countries in the world they are experiencing winters or springs, at the level of equal opportunities. We must always help, as a country system, peoples in their march towards self-determination, without attaching labels: wars, in fact, are unleashed precisely because we no longer look at others as human beings of equal dignity, value and importance, but as a faceless label that is often hated. We take inspiration from the genuine feelings of the little ones and, with a work of maturity, we put love back at the basis of our daily actions”.
Present in the council chamber were the president of the municipal council, Fabrizio Ridolfi, the deputy mayor Domenico Di Berardino, the councilor with responsibility for the local police, Cinzia Basilico and the municipal councilor Stefania Antidormi. Among the seats of the assembly hall, there were also many representatives of the Italian Red Cross.
At the end of the speeches, two gifts were given to the 1st Captain Maddalena and the knight Di Matteo by the mayor: two medals depicting the Mars symbol of the Chimera, which takes on various meanings, including strength, power and wisdom.
“In 50 years, it is the first time I have received a gift of this kind. – Maddalena said, moved – Our mayor is unique and I thank him for always having respectful and synergistic attention with the world of arms associations”.
Finally, the mayor then publicly congratulated the commander of the Avezzano Carabinieri Company, Luigi Strianese, for having been promoted to the rank of Major and affectionately greeted the deputy commander Giovanni Luccitti, of the Penitentiary Police, who will instead retire in brief. The ceremony, made more sober and smaller due to bad weather, was also attended by the mayor of children and young people of the city of Avezzano and some members of the Council.
