A week-end of history and entertainment: spend your 25th april in Italy!!

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25 APRIL 1945 – 25 APRIL 2009

64th ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION

What a better occasion is there than the 25th April, this coming week-end, to brush up on a bit of our history, celebrate our past and why not visit some of the most beautiful places in Italy too?

 

In Italy, the 25th April marks a very important date: it’s the Day of Liberation and we will be celebrating its 64th anniversary. Historically on this day Italian people celebrate the end of the Nazi-Fascist period and the release of the country from the dictatorship of Mussolini, Hitler’s ally, after the victory of the anti-fascist Partisans, who organized the Resistance in order to regain freedom and democracy.

 

It was on 25th April 1945 that the troops of Partisans, with the help of the British and American allies,  were victorious in the major cities, such as Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice,  liberating them and Italy in general from German occupation:  in this way, it was possible to lay the foundations for a new era, a new future.

Partisans were men, women, boys, soldiers, workers, peasants…..that is to say, people with different political ideas or religions, and from all kind of social classes; however, they decided to organize themselves and work together, putting their lives at great risk, in order to achieve a real democracy for Italy, based on respect for human rights and  individual freedom, abolishing any kind of discrimination regarding race, gender or religion.

The Italian Constitution, born of those anti-fascists’ ideas of freedom and democracy, was actually written by the very men who had fought against fascism. Today, in fact, it’s often said that our Constitution is the “daughter” of the anti-fascist Resistance.

For all Italians, this day represents an occasion to remember that Freedom is not something to be taken for granted or an automatic right that is self-perpetuating. We should be proud of all those men and women, of all ages, who died during that period fighting for the democratic rights which nowadays we all enjoy without a second thought.

For this commemorative occasion, almost every Italian city organizes a large number of events and performances, so that, if you don’t know how to spend this public holiday or you haven’t had time to put together any ideas for a trip over the next week-end, we would be glad to recommend a few suggestions to you.

• Florence: the celebration begins at 10.15 am in front of the “Monumento ai Caduti” where lots of laurel crowns will be placed in the presence of various dignitaries. Then, the celebration will continue in Piazza della Repubblica where the raising of the flag is expected, to conclude with a procession leading to Palazzo Vecchio where the mayor of Florence will make a speech.

If you should choose Florence as your favorite destination to spend the day, you can also enjoy the 73rd International Exhibition of Artisanship, discovering the typical features and peculiarities of all those kind of crafts which make this Italian region unique.

• Milan: this year the celebration for the 64th anniversary of the Italian Resistance will have a national character, taking the theme of the defense of the Italian Constitution, with the participation of the main public authorities;
• Cremona: If you are particularly fond of art and painting, you absolutely can’t miss the opportunity to visit this city that, on this day, is proud to be exhibiting the colossal “La Suite 347”, the complete cycle of 347 engravings by that versatile artist, Pablo Picasso.
• Rimini: for those who can’t conceive of living a life away from the sea, we recommend the “White and Blue Exhibition”, an outstanding nautical trade fair where more than 250 boats, of all dimensions, will be presented directly by the most exclusive Italian shipyards. Dinners, parties, jazz concerts and theatrical shows will enliven the nights of this week-end, transforming the city into a wonderful and elegant lounge of luxury.

We have only listed a few of the numerous events which will go on everywhere in Italy over this week-end: if you decide to follow our advice we will be glad to have spent some time together, otherwise, Italy is full of extraordinary beauty…..just enjoy it!!!