On June 23, 2026, at the Auditorium of the Casa della Musica in Trieste, the Istro Veneta Cultural Circle “Istria” organized the round table Remembering Vergarolla on the eightieth anniversary of the massacre.

Reflections were developed on the significance of the tragic event that profoundly affected the fate of Pula and Istria on the 80th anniversary of the massacre of August 18, 1946. The scope and historical context of this disaster must be understood and studied to foster, and pass on its memory to younger generations, a new era of dialogue, understanding, and coexistence in this area.

The following intervened:

Ezio Giuricin, president of the "Istria" Club: Why Vergarolla? Greetings and presentation of the initiative.

Kristjan Knez, President of the Society for Historical and Geographical Studies Piran: Istria and Pula in the immediate post-war period

Lucia Bellaspiga, president of the Italian Association of Pula and Istria – LCPE: Vergarolla, the forgotten massacre: promoting and valorizing the study and memory

Franco Papetti, president of the Association of Italians from Fiume in the World – LCFE: Vergarolla, the wound of exile. The era of hatred and violence at the root of the exodus. How can we remember to overcome trauma and look to the future?

Vito Paoletić, Deputy Mayor of Pula: The City of Pula Remembers Vergarolla. The program of celebrations for the eightieth anniversary of the massacre.

Debora Radolović, President of the Assembly of the Italian Community of Pula: The significance of the memory of Vergarolla for the Community and the Italians of Pula

Livio Dorigo, honorary president of the "Istria" Club: Remembering Vergarolla and my hometown of Pola in those years. Remembering the past to launch a call for peace, dialogue, and reconciliation.

Rosanna Turcinovich, journalist and writer: The role of the CLN of Polesine and the difficult years of 1946 in two books on Maria Pasquinelli

Presentation of the initiatives promoted on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Vergarolla tragedy in partnership with the Circolo Istria (projects accepted into the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region's Culture Call):
Chiara Isadora Artico, “Vergarolla 80 Counter Monument,” “IoDeposito” Association, Gradisca d'Isonzo
Lorena Matic, “Remembering for Those Who Cannot Tell,” Opera Viva Cultural Association, Trieste

The round table can be watched again on the Circolo Istria YouTube channel :

 

The report of the Rijeka daily newspaper La Voce del Popolo :

Vergarolla, eighty years after the massacre, the duty of remembrance