by Nina Vaclavikova
Interviews: Harald Prening – teacher from Austria; Leona Brede – teacher from Germany; Rene Leiner – teacher from Estonia
In a ceremony held Tuesday morning in the City Council Hall, Mayor Roberto Dipiazza welcomed a group of about 30 students and teachers from across Europe, marking the start of the seventh edition of “International Friendship Week,” an educational exchange program hosted by the Istituto Deledda Fabiani.
The visiting delegation, which includes participants from Austria, Germany, Turkey, Hungary and Estonia, will spend the week in Trieste from April 12 to 18 as part of a long-running initiative designed to foster cross-cultural understanding among young people. The program is coordinated by the institute under the leadership of its principal, Tiziana Napolitano, and guided by faculty members including Martina Vesnaver.
Accompanied by the city’s education councillor, Maurizio De Blasio, Mayor Dipiazza greeted the group and emphasized the importance of such exchanges in strengthening ties across Europe.
“These meetings offer an opportunity for dialogue and mutual understanding,” Mr. De Blasio said, thanking the school for organizing what he described as a valuable and recurring initiative that contributes to building a shared European identity.
In his remarks, Mayor Dipiazza placed the gathering within the broader historical context of Trieste, a port city long shaped by cultural, ethnic and religious diversity. He recalled the city’s turbulent 20th century, marked by two world wars, and highlighted more recent efforts at reconciliation in the region.
Among these, he cited a 2010 concert in Piazza Unità that brought together Giorgio Napolitano, Danilo Türk and Ivo Josipović, as well as a 2020 meeting in which Sergio Mattarella and Borut Pahor jointly commemorated victims of wartime violence at the Foiba di Basovizza and a monument to executed Slovenes.
Addressing the students directly, the mayor underscored their role in shaping the future. “You are the generation that will carry forward the work of peace,” he said.
The event concluded with an expression of hope from organizers and city officials that the program will continue to grow, welcoming new students in the years ahead.
