The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella paid homage to the unknown soldier and to all those who fell for the Liberation at the Altar of the Fatherland, laying a laurel wreath on the occasion of the celebrations of 25 April.
The Head of State was accompanied by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Presidents of the Chambers of Deputies Ignazio La Russa and Lorenzo Fontana. Also present at the ceremony were Army leaders and representatives of veterans' associations.
"Today, Italy celebrates the eighty-first anniversary of its Liberation. The Italian people remember one of the decisive moments in their history: the end of the Nazi occupation and the defeat of fascist oppression, which had denied Italians freedom and democracy ." Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: "Today we celebrate the values enshrined in the Republican Constitution, which have allowed Italy to become what it is and what is recognized by all: a strong and authoritative nation, a leading figure on the European and international stage."
"Women and men of Defense," stated Defense Minister Guido Crosetto in his message, "on April 25, we remember with profound gratitude that generation of Italians, civilians and military personnel, who restored our freedom with great courage and sacrifice, and who remind us of who we are today as a nation and as a community. What makes Liberation Day extraordinary," he emphasized, "is precisely this: the fact that it was born from difficult, dangerous choices, made in different contexts yet united by a common sense of responsibility . It was a widespread and silent commitment, made up of faces, stories, and concrete gestures; a concerted fight against Nazi-Fascism, which then oppressed our homeland and many homelands across Europe, which made possible the rebirth of Italy as a free and democratic country, which later gave rise to the Republican Constitution. A country, ours, which today is a founding member of the European Union and a leading player on the international stage ."
Remembering all this, according to Crosetto, " The same is true for peace, which is not born of simple desire nor can it be considered definitive. This is a truth we perceive today with even greater clarity and conviction. The transformations of the global context remind us that freedom and security are inseparable. Threats take on new forms, compounding traditional ones, and extend across multiple dimensions: military, economic, technological, energy, information, cybernetic, spatial, and cognitive."
