"The journey of this train is a beautiful project that is uniting Italy in the name of remembrance. The Ministry of Culture has collaborated on an initiative that makes us very proud and for which we thank the National Anniversaries mission structure led by the Minister Andrea Abodi, the State Railways, the FS Foundation and all the institutional entities that allowed the realization, which finally restores due visibility to the tragedy of the foibe which, for decades, was a torn page of history, a black hole in the memory, surrounded from ambiguities and omissions, which has only recently been painstakingly filled. Today's demonstration in Naples also demonstrates how the right dignity and memory are finally being restored to the tragedy and the Julian-Dalmatian exodus".
The Minister of Culture declared it, Gennaro Sangiuliano today at the Central Station of Naples on the penultimate stage of the Train of Remembrance, which left last February 10th from Trieste on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of the Day of Remembrance in memory of the victims of the foibe. Minister Sangiuliano is in Naples, after having participated together with the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, at the departure of the train in Trieste.
"The culture - continued Sangiuliano – as this train demonstrates, however, it can do a lot to provide remembrance and justice. On February 10th we decided to give a message of national unity, illuminating three symbolic places with the tricolor: the Brera art gallery in Milan, the Colosseum in Rome and Capodimonte here in Naples. Not a random choice. In Naples there was a welcoming experience different from those shameful pages that humiliate us. While in Bologna, for example, ideological protestors of the communist party even prevented the exiles from getting refreshments by pouring milk intended for children onto the tracks, in Naples, right in the gardens of the Capodimonte Park, our brothers from Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia they were welcomed with humanity".
"We therefore welcome back to Naples today a train that brings with it the memory of the suffering and humiliation suffered by the Julian-Dalmatian Italians due to the communist violence of Tito. Naples knew how to welcome and today, like yesterday, knows how to remember our brothers from Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia. Italians twice: once by birth and once by choice. To whom we owe our gratitude and our shared memory".
"Reconciliation will soon have a place in Rome that will tell the story of this national tragedy, made up of stories, characters, collective and individual events. The Bill for the establishment of a large National Museum of Remembrance, near Piazza del Popolo, which sees the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, as the first signatory, has in fact already been approved and we hope to open it to the public in a few years. It is an act of justice that has been awaited for too long”, concluded the Minister.
The Train of Remembrance project was born from a resolution of the Culture Commission of the Chamber of Deputies voted unanimously and is implemented by the Mission Structure for national anniversaries and national and international sporting events of the Presidency of the Council, by Ferrovie dello Stato and the FS Foundation Italian, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and Merit, the Ministry of Defence, Rai Teche, Rai Cultura, Rai Storia, Archivio LUCE and the Regional Institute for Istrian-Fiume-Dalmatian Culture.
The Memory Train is a historic train, made available by the FS Italiane Foundation and specially set up with a multimedia exhibition and the display of the exiles' original objects. The Memory Train will conclude its journey on February 27th in Taranto station.
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