He was the last survivor of the 622 veterans of the Battleship Roma , the flagship of the Royal Italian Navy that sank on September 9, 1943 in the Gulf of Asinara , after being bombed by military aircraft in the aftermath of the armistice , an event in which 1,393 people lost their lives. Gustavo Bellazzini was 103 years old, at the time on board as a stoker, a historical testimony of a dramatic event that is commemorated every year with a solemn ceremony on Lungomare Balai, in Porto Torres, in front of the monument dedicated to the fallen of the battleship Roma.
A memory that he was able to pass on with dignity, becoming the spokesperson of a generation hit hard by the war and keeping the memory alive in the new generations. He had arrived in Sardinia, in Porto Torres, on the occasion of the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the sinking that were held, on September 9, 2023, on the aircraft carrier Cavour in the waters off the island of Asinara, a day celebrated in the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella.
"Today, in saying goodbye to a man who made memory a moral duty, the city of Porto Torres, which every year remembers the tragedy with a solemn ceremony on Lungomare Balai, in front of the monument dedicated to the fallen of the battleship Roma, renews its commitment to safeguard and honor his example, so that the sacrifice experienced in those waters is never forgotten", is the message of condolence from the municipal administration.