Italian Government
82nd Anniversary of the Defense of Rome
Today, at Porta San Paolo and the Park of the Resistance, the celebrations for the 82nd Anniversary of the Defense of Rome took place, with the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto.
"Mr. President of the Republic, I thank you for your continuous and significant presence, the same presence that today gives this ceremony the solemnity and importance it deserves, and that the memory of the Fallen of the Defense of Rome requires.
Today, we are here at Porta San Paolo, in a place that is not just a memory but a living identity of the Nation. September 8, 1943, is a date engraved in the collective conscience: the day when, in a lost and wounded Italy, the courage of a few opened the way to the freedom of all.
The Armed Forces safeguard the memory: only by remembering the sacrifices of the past can we pass on to future generations the horror of war. The example of those who gave their lives calls us, every day, to the value of peace and the responsibility to defend it.
Eighty-two years ago, alongside the military, ordinary citizens – students, workers, young women, and men armed only with courage – came together to defend Rome.
In a time marked by conflicts and tensions that threaten international stability, their example reminds us of an essential truth: freedom is never free. It is the daughter of courage, sacrifice, and responsibility.
Defending peace, investing in security, preserving democracy: this is the mandate they entrusted to us with their lives. We cannot afford to betray it.
Today, more than ever, the spirit of Porta San Paolo must be our compass: to face the challenges of the present and build a fairer and freer future."
Thus spoke Minister Guido Crosetto at the celebrations for the 82nd Anniversary of the Defense of Rome.
The ceremony began at Porta San Paolo with the laying of a wreath at the Monument to the Fallen for the Defense of Rome by the Head of State. Later, at the Park of the Resistance, the President of the Republic paid tribute by laying a wreath at the Monument dedicated to the memory of the 87,000 soldiers who fell during the Liberation War.
