It was Michele Serra, for Corisma (Maddalena Historical Research Committee), who received the Giuseppe Garibaldi award, now in its 7th edition, from Alessandro Carta, president of the La Maddalena Rotary Club.
The recognition, awarded yesterday afternoon in the council hall of La Maddalena, was conferred «for the precious contribution made to the historical and cultural education of the different generations which, by allowing them to know and appreciate their roots, has strengthened the identity and sense of belonging to the island community".
Founded in 2001 on the initiative of Antonio Frau, who is still its president, for the studies carried out with rigorous attention, for the documentary and photographic material, for the testimonies collected and for its publications, Corisma represents an irreplaceable point of reference in the reconstruction of the cultural and historical identity of the Maddalena community, with reference to the neighboring ones of Gallura and the cross-border ones of Corsica.
In addition to organizing conferences, exhibitions and seminars, Corisma has published around thirty books in recent years, most of which edited by Paolo Sorba, which tell the fascinating "small" history of these islands and lands which is intertwined with the "great" one, which saw characters such as Nelson, Napoleon, Garibaldi, Mussolini pass, act and live here. The Giuseppe Garibaldi award had previously been awarded by Rotary to the Gallura magistrate Giacomo Pala, to the parish priests of La Maddalena, Palau and Arzachena, to the Navy, to the Sassari Brigade, to the Corsican community of Bonifacio, to the workers of the Paolo Merlo Hospital.