by Maximiliano Crocamo
Interview: Pierpaolo Roberti, FVG councilor for local authorities and security
More than a century after Italian troops first arrived in Trieste at the end of World War I, the city marked the anniversary on Monday with a solemn ceremony recalling the 1918 landing of the Bersaglieri from the destroyer Audace — a moment celebrated locally as the “first redemption” of the city.
The commemoration, held between Piazza Unità d’Italia and the waterfront Scala Reale, drew civic and military authorities as well as veterans’ associations and residents. Wreaths were laid in honor of the fallen, and the Bersaglieri’s 11th regiment, accompanied by its fanfare, took part in the formal salute.
“The reenactment of the Bersaglieri landing and the first redemption of Trieste is a moving and meaningful moment,” said Pierpaolo Roberti, the regional councillor for local authorities and security, who represented the Friuli Venezia Giulia region at the event. “Even today, 107 years later, the presence of so many people confirms the city’s deep connection to our uniforms.”
Mayor Roberto Dipiazza and Prefect Giuseppe Petronzi joined the ceremony, which also featured the city’s gonfalon bearing the Gold Medal of Military Valor, Trieste’s highest military honor. Earlier in the afternoon, a ceremonial tricolor relay descended from the hill of San Giusto to meet a contingent of Bersaglieri arriving by patrol boat from the Coast Guard, converging at the Fountain of the Four Continents under clear autumn sun.
Roberti emphasized the importance of transmitting historical memory to younger generations in an era without mandatory military service. “It is essential that the values of attachment to the nation and knowledge of our history are passed on,” he said. “Moments like these can capture attention, spark interest, and keep memory alive.”
The ceremony is one of several annual events in Trieste tied to Italy’s November 3 anniversary, when the city — long under Austro-Hungarian rule — came under Italian control at the close of the Great War. For many here, the day remains a potent reminder of the city’s complex past and enduring civic identity.
