"The Arsia mining tragedy must be known throughout Italy, and the Ministry of Labor will do its part by awarding the Star of Merit for Labor in memory of that massacre of 185 compatriots," said Minister of Labor and Social Policies Marina Elvira Calderone, who today received the FertiliArt 2025-2050 award at the Bancarella. Eastern Adriatic Book Fair, currently taking place on Riva III Novembre in Trieste within the Barcolana Village.

The Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza, spoke on behalf of the city to the distinguished guest of the event organized by the National Association of Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia together with the Multimedia Documentation Center of Julian, Istrian, Rijeka, and Dalmatian Culture.

Representing the regional council, Alessia Rosolen, Councillor for Work, Training, Education, Research, University and Family, emphasized that knowledge of the Arsia catastrophe and the Julian-Dalmatian exodus (Minister Calderone's mother was born in Arsia a month before the terrible accident and was an exile at a young age) are well known in Trieste, and thanked the Minister for his sensitivity on the subject.

Renzo Codarin, National President of the ANVGD, was delighted to welcome a Minister of the Republic to the Bancarella and explained the significant work being done by the organizations that form the Federation of Associations of Istrian, Rijeka, and Dalmatian Exiles, which he chairs: "The ANVGD is the first association of the Adriatic diaspora to be established, and even today it carries out pioneering work to spread knowledge of our history. This is thanks to the splendid individuals who collaborate with us, such as the group from the Aegean Ecomuseum of Fertilia."

This museum, dedicated to the Julian-Dalmatian exodus and the figure of Egea Haffner, the little girl with the suitcase in the iconic photograph, was designed by architect Stefano Govoni, who specifically designed the corner of the exhibition space where two enormous maps are joined by red threads: each thread was woven by an exile who linked their hometown with the place where their family later settled, in Italy or elsewhere. This web of "threads of memory" inspired the creation of the FertiliArt Award, which certifies the sensitivity and attention that individuals and institutional figures dedicate to the history of Fertilia. In its first edition, the award was presented to Minister Calderone by Alghero City Councilor Raniero Selva.

"My grandmother left Istria by train, taking my mother and only a bundle. The railway worker locked them in a carriage to protect them, and when he reopened it, they were finally safe," recounted the first Sardinian woman to become Minister. "My grandmother told us little about her story; she only remembered with great nostalgia the beauty of those places. The first generations of the exodus often didn't talk about their tragedy. Today, we must not forget but move forward, sending a message of peace, which in this time of conflict is dramatically timely."

Minister Calderone was present at the Bologna stop of the Train of Remembrance in 2024 (a very significant stop considering the episode of the "train of shame") and in Sassari in 2025, then going on an official visit to the Egea Museum in Fertilia, on the northern outskirts of Alghero.

Edvino Jerian, President of the People's University of Trieste, donated two publications to the Minister that his institution has dedicated to Arsia ("The UPT has been working for 125 years for Italian culture in the eastern Adriatic and for 60 years has acted as a link with the Italian communities remaining beyond the border"). Giorgio Tessarolo, Vice President of the Association of Istrian Communities, donated a book of his poems dedicated to Istria, one of which speaks specifically of the Arsia tragedy. Pamela Rabaccio, Vice President of the Giuliani nel Mondo Association, donated a publication dedicated to the Silos, the Trieste warehouse that was the first stop on the exodus for thousands of Julian-Dalmatian refugees.

The morning concluded with an event organized by the Giuliani nel Mondo Association, whose vice president, Pamela Rabaccio, along with President Giorgio Perini and in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, illustrated "origin tourism," which is being developed locally by the Italea Friuli Venezia Giulia project: "By engaging with Italea FVG, new generations of Friulian and Julian emigrants can obtain personalized itineraries to discover the places where their ancestors were born. There are also activities designed for younger generations to encourage them to research their genealogical roots."

 

In the afternoon, the Young People of the Italian Union were guests at the stand set up inside the Barcolana Village, where they presented their projects involving the nine generations (and beyond) of the indigenous Italian community in Istria, Carnaro, and Dalmatia. Starting with "Te gò preparà," a gastronomic journey to rediscover the traditional flavors of Istrian cuisine. As Dyego Tuljak, president of the CNI Youth Association, explains, "this journey introduces us to the Veneto region, with which we have particularly deep-rooted culinary ties, and throughout Italy. To develop it, we participated in a Creative Europe call with FederEsuli, the results of which we will know in a few days. Our goal is to create a moment of rediscovery of our cuisine in every Italian community and in every Italian region where there are Julian-Dalmatian exiles." Alex Zigante also emphasized the aggregative value of this project, which unites generations at the table in the rediscovery of traditions, while Mauro Manca (director of the Egea Ecomuseum of Fertillia) highlighted the importance of similar initiatives to create a virtual Venezia Giulia (Te gò preparà is also a YouTube channel: ) in which native Julians and those from the diaspora can meet and collaborate to get to know each other and make themselves known.

In this regard, the New York Times dedicated an article to this project, highlighting its strong identity. Still on the subject of virtual projects, Aleš Carbozzi illustrated the digitization of the Italian National Community's architectural heritage, which, thanks to photogrammetry and software, allows for virtual tours of Istrian palaces and historic sites. The President of FederEsuli concluded the meeting by suggesting further developments in synergy with the Giuliani nel Mondo, while collaboration with Italian institutions will also be invaluable in the creation of the Museum of the Exodus, which will soon be built in Koper.

The afternoon ended with the joyful presentation of the crew that will compete in the 57th race today.^a This year's Barcolana regatta, the world's most popular, will be held aboard Victoria, the boat that owner Salvatore Taccini, passionate about the history of Fertilia, has registered, flying the flag of the ANVGD and the city of inclusion to once again carry this message across the waves of the Adriatic, a sea that unites and knows no borders.

Lorenzo Salimbeni