by InTrieste
A new monument commemorating the victims of the foibe killings and the postwar exodus of Italians from Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia was unveiled Thursday in Trieste, marking two decades since Italy established the Day of Remembrance dedicated to those events.
The installation, titled Momentum, was placed in Largo Panfili, near the city’s Lutheran church. The work was created by Jasmine Iannì and Giuseppe Sabatino, students at the Academy of Fine Arts in Reggio Calabria, under the supervision of professors Luigi Citarrella, Francesco Scialò and Pietro Colloca. It was selected as the winning entry in a competition organized by Italy’s Ministry of University and Research.
Speaking at the ceremony, Fabio Scoccimarro, the regional councillor for the environment, energy and sustainable development, said the monument would help preserve the memory of a chapter of history that remains deeply significant in Italy.
“A monument dedicated to the tragedy of the foibe and the Istrian, Fiuman and Dalmatian exodus makes the memory of what happened more vivid and enduring,” Scoccimarro said. He also emphasized the importance of teaching the subject in schools so that similar tragedies are not repeated in the future.
The foibe killings and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Italians from territories that became part of Yugoslavia after World War II remain among the most debated and emotionally charged episodes in modern Italian history. Since 2004, Italy has observed the Day of Remembrance on February 10 to commemorate the victims and the exiles.
Scoccimarro noted that the wounds left by the immediate postwar period in Trieste have not entirely healed but expressed hope that the monument could contribute to greater public understanding of the historical events.
The sculpture will remain in Trieste for one year before beginning a 19-year journey through the capitals of Italy’s other regions. Organizers say the traveling exhibition is intended to promote awareness of the history associated with the Day of Remembrance across the country.
During the event, Scoccimarro also voiced support for establishing a permanent home in Trieste’s Campo Marzio railway station for the “Train of Remembrance,” a traveling exhibition that tours Italy each February as part of the commemorative observances.
The ceremony was attended by local and regional officials, as well as Iannì, one of the monument’s creators, and Piero Sacchetti, director of the Academy of Fine Arts in Reggio Calabria.
