This afternoon (Wednesday June 26th) the ceremony for the conferral of honorary citizenship of Trieste to the Regional Command of Friuli Venezia Giulia took place in the Council Hall Financial Police.
The ceremony in the City Council Hall was preceded, in the Blue Lounge of the City Hall, by the moment of placing the signatures on the Golden Book of the Municipality of Trieste. Furthermore, in the morning, on the Colle di San Giusto, the regional ceremony was held for the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the Corps.
The mayor was present in the City Council Hall Roberto Dipiazza, the council and the specially convened municipal council; the prefect of Trieste Pietro Signoriello; the police commissioner of Trieste Pietro Ostuni; the regional councilor for Security Pierpaolo Roberti; the commanders of the Provincial and Regional Armed Forces; the regional commander of the Guardia di Finanza of Friuli Venezia Giulia, general of the Division John Avitabile; around 20 soldiers of the Guardia di Finanza of different ranks.
The president of the City Council Francesco Panteca he presided over the work of the extraordinary courtroom session, which took place in a solemn manner, and began by asking for a minute of silence in memory of the Financiers murdered in Trieste in 1945.
The president of the City Council declared Francis Panteca: “On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Guardia di Finanza, I express my deep gratitude to the mayor and all the city councilors because they wanted to unanimously support the resolution to confer honorary citizenship to the Guardia di Finanza, a sign of strong attachment to the institutions and appreciation of the Corps. For me today it is an honor, a pride and a privilege to preside over this assembly because I have spent my entire working career in the Guardia di Finanza family. The latter stands out for its fundamental role in protecting the economy, national security, the values of legality, justice and service to the community. These values also reflect the city of Trieste, which in its international economic and port development sees the Guardia di Finanza as an essential collaborator”.
Mayor Roberto Dipiazza he then gave a speech (see the attached document for the full version).
“This year marks the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the Financial Police, an institution which over the years has always sought to renew and evolve, without ever forgetting its values and origins. This award is testimony to the appreciation of the Institutions and of the entire city community towards you. You are the backbone of the country and if you work well, the country works”, is an excerpt from the mayor’s speech Roberto Dipiazza: “How can we forget the sacrifice that in May 1945 involved over 200 Financiers stationed in Trieste who, after having fought for the liberation of the city and the protection of the body, were disarmed and imprisoned by the vanguards of Tito’s popular army, who had taken the control of Trieste. To you, women and men who proudly wear this uniform, I express my gratitude for the professionalism and spirit of sacrifice that has always inspired you in being at the service of the country, of the community”.
Afterwards the mayor Roberto Dipiazza declared the official reason for the award of honorary citizenship and delivered the citizenship certificate, together with the Seal of Trieste, into the hands of the regional commander of the Guardia di Finanza of Friuli Venezia Giulia Giovanni Avitabile.
Below is the text of the official motivation for the awarding of honorary citizenship:
“As a sign of gratitude and appreciation of the institutions and of the entire city community for the fundamental role played by the Guardia di Finanza in Trieste since the first return of the city to Italy in 1918 and for the heroic acts carried out by many Financiers during the second world conflict, even at the cost of their lives, which earned them the gold medal for Military Valor and the gold medal for Civil Merit for the Flag of the Corps, symbols of a supreme sacrifice and an unshakable commitment”.
The commander Giovanni Avitabile he has declared: “I express to you my great emotion of pride in being in this prestigious Hall representing the Guardia di Finanza, which on its 250th anniversary receives honorary citizenship from the Municipality of Trieste. This recognition gives prestige to the body and demonstrates how much the service rendered by thousands of Financiers who worked in this land, sometimes even dying. I was born in Trieste and began to serve, and then returned as regional commander. I never imagined I would have the honor of representing the ranks of Fiamme Yellow women who gave their best in Trieste, and to whom I ideally award honorary citizenship. This recognition is in fact the symbol of their active belonging to the community, of their consideration this has carried out its tasks in the general interest, pursuing the objectives that constitute the meaning of its existence. It is also a tribute to the sacrifices that women and men of the Fiamme Gialle have made and will continue to make”.
The commander Giovanni Avitabile he then donated it to the mayor Roberto Dipiazza the special coins of the Guardia di Finanza, minted by the State Mint on the occasion of the 250th anniversary, and a pin for each member of the chamber.
The Guardia di Finanza was born in 1774 when, at the behest of Vittorio Amedeo I, King of Sardinia, the “Legione Troppe Leggere” was established, the first special body for the financial supervision service, as well as for military defence. For the merits achieved during the Risorgimento, the Guardia di Finanza, as it was called after the Unification of Italy, was granted an autonomous organisation, the use of stars (symbol of belonging to the Armed Forces) and, with Regio Decree of Vittorio Emanuele III, the use of the War Flag.
The first Financiers entered Trieste on 27 November 1918, taking on the task of supervising the port and the city’s toll ring, food supplies and public order in general. The Royal Financial Police played a fundamental role in customs and political-military supervision in Trieste and along the entire eastern border, thanks also to the coastal flotilla, established in 1919 to guarantee the customs and military police service between the Gulf of Trieste and the islands of Kvarner and northern Dalmatia.
In May 1945 the over 200 Financiers stationed in Trieste, after having fought for the liberation of the city and the safeguarding of the port, were disarmed and imprisoned by the vanguards of Tito’s popular army, who had taken control of Trieste. Many of them were then taken to the Borovnica camp and other unknown destinations, from which they never returned.
Precisely in relation to the events that occurred in Trieste and on the Eastern Border in the period following 8 September 943, the Guardia di Finanza was granted the gold medal for Military Valor and the gold medal for Civil Merit for the Flag of the Corps . Col. Persirio Marini, Commander of the Trieste Legion during the Second World War, was later awarded the gold medal of Merit.
Furthermore, after the signing of the London Memorandum, among the Italian troops who returned to Trieste there was also a company from the Guardia di Finanza. In October 1973, the Legion of Trieste was officially re-established and took the name of the 19th Legion, of which the current Provincial Command of Trieste, established in 2000, is the direct heir.
This year marks 250 years since the foundation of the Corps: an institution which over time has always sought to renew and evolve, without ever forgetting its origins and its values, demonstrating a constant commitment to protecting the economic and financial security of the country as well as a particular be careful in expressing your closeness to the community.
