by InTrieste
On Monday, January 27, 2025, Trieste commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day with ceremonies honoring victims of Nazi persecution. The centerpiece of the day’s events was the presentation of honorary medals at the Palazzo del Governo, recognizing Italian citizens who were deported to Nazi camps and subjected to forced labor, as well as their families.
Medal Recipients for 2025
This year’s honorees included:
- Carlo Musizza, interned at Berlin Stalag III D from September 1943 to September 1945. His son, Mario Musizza, accepted the medal.
- Mario Musizza, held at Lublin Stalag 125 from November 1943 to July 1945. His grandson, also named Mario Musizza, accepted the medal.
- Luciano Di Taranto, interned at Dachau, Buchenwald, and Malachyt from September 1944 to August 1945. His daughter, Francesca Di Taranto, accepted the medal.
- Antonio Onofrio, imprisoned at Riemelfeld and Muhldorf from August 1944 to April 1945. His wife, Lida Ban, and granddaughter, Cristina Florean, accepted the medal.
- Mario Sossini, held in Dachau, Buchenwald, Bad Gander, and Sheim starting June 1944. His niece, Cinzia Sossini, and brother, Giorgio Sossini, accepted the medal.
The medals were presented by Pietro Signoriello, Prefect of Trieste; Roberto Dipiazza, Mayor of Trieste; and Fabio Scoccimarro, Regional Councillor for Environmental Protection, representing the President of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Additional Ceremonies
The commemorations began with a wreath-laying at the city’s penitentiary in memory of Giovanni Palatucci, the last Police Chief of Fiume and recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations.” Another wreath was laid at the Trieste Centrale train station, where a plaque marks the deportation convoys that departed for extermination camps between 1943 and 1945.
At the Risiera di San Sabba, a former Nazi concentration camp, a solemn ceremony was held to honor the victims detained and killed there. Wreaths were laid, and interfaith prayers were offered.
A Commitment to Memory
Prefect Signoriello emphasized the importance of remembrance. “Today’s events remind us of the atrocities of the past and the need to combat intolerance and hatred,” he said.
Trieste’s ceremonies reinforced the city’s role in preserving the memory of Holocaust victims while promoting unity and vigilance against prejudice.
