I die with the sole regret of depriving my dearest and most good children of their beloved father, but you have the Fatherland that will take my place. And by this Fatherland, swear, Nino, and make your brothers swear, when they are old enough to understand, that you will always, everywhere, and above all be Italians.

With just a few days to go until the Kingdom of Italy declares war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, irredentist Nazario Sauro, born in Capodistria on September 20, 1880, who took refuge in Venice when the First World War broke out to avoid having to fight in the Habsburg army, delivered to his journalist friend Silvio Stringari a letter addressed to his firstborn Nino, which contains this famous declaration of patriotism.

Before the war, Sauro was part of that generation of young Mazzinians who braved the watchful Austro-Hungarian surveillance to reaffirm the Italian identity of Capodistria and Istria, but he also fought alongside the Albanians in their struggle for independence against the Ottoman Empire.

Stringari was supposed to deliver the letter to his friend's son if Sauro had died in battle: like hundreds of other unredeemed volunteers, the sailor from Capodistria had deserted so he could enlist instead in the Italian uniform and fight for the redemption of those lands that at the end of the Risorgimento had not yet been liberated from Austrian domination.

Sauro carried out several raids as a Lieutenant of the Royal Navy, until he was captured during an ill-fated mission in the Carnaro and tried in Pola. Identified after a dramatic trial that culminated in a confrontation with his mother, who pretended not to recognize him, Sauro, awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valor, was hanged on August 10, 1916.

The ceremony dedicated to the 110th anniversary of Nazario Sauro's sacrifice, held in the late afternoon of Monday, August 10, 2026, in front of the Trieste Maritime Station, concluded with the notes of the Hymn to Istria, sung by the band of the Trieste Provincial Committee of the National Association of Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia. This anniversary, more than a century later, continues to represent for the Julian community a moment of remembrance and reflection on the figure of the sailor from Koper, who became a symbol of courage, identity, and dedication to his homeland.

Organized by the Nazario Sauro Honorary Committee, the ceremony opened with the arrival in the San Giusto Basin of the athletes from the "Nazario Sauro" Merchant Navy Club and the Saturnia Rowing Club, who paid tribute to the memory of the Istrian martyr. It was a particularly significant moment, as those who arrived at the commemoration site were athletes associated with two historic entities in the city's nautical tradition.

This was followed by a blessing imparted by Father Daniele Scorrano, parish priest of the Church of Our Lady of Zion, who also recalled a detail from Sauro's final days. "Contrary to what is often said," he explained, "he did not refuse extreme unction, but received spiritual assistance from an Italian-speaking Franciscan friar in the days leading up to his execution."

Following this, Captain Diego Guerin of the National League read Sauro's spiritual will, a document intended for his children, which highlights his deep faith and dedication to the irredentist cause. These words, 110 years later, formed a key moment of the commemoration. Fulvio Sluga, President of the Nazario Sauro Honors Committee, then emphasized the significance and relevance of the day. Trieste's Deputy Mayor, Serena Tonel, also reflected on the significance of Sauro's choice, reiterating that it remains a source of reflection today. Sauro, she emphasized, "made a life choice and an idea that remains relevant even for new generations."

The ceremony was also attended by Gorizia Mayor Rodolfo Ziberna, Regional Councilor Fabio Scoccimarro, Regional Councilors Michele Lobianco and Carlo Grilli, City Councilors Massimo Codarin, Corrado Tremul, Alberto Polacco, and Luca Salvati, former Regional Councilor Gianni Torrenti, and several representatives of exile associations. Renzo Codarin, representing the National Association of the Elderly and the People's Republic of Italy (ANVGD) and FederEsuli, Fabio Tognoni representing the Association of Istrian Communities, and Piero Sardos Albertini representing the Fameia Capodistriana, were also present.

A preview of the commemoration took place with the laying of a laurel wreath at the memorial dedicated to the Istrian irredentist in the Remembrance Park on the hill of San Giusto.