The vessel Klizia has completed its wonderful journey through history and is now moored at the Istria pier in Trieste, awaiting the great celebration that will take place on Sunday, October 8th, during the 55th Barcolana. This short film ( https://youtu.be/tsEWdtIVBic ) is just a preview of the film made during the voyage by director Igor Biddau for RAI, with great sensitivity and talent, capable of engaging viewers in the emotions experienced during the journey.

"After a long journey that touched the Italian and French coasts, during which we met many people to whom we were able to tell about our project" says Federico Marongiu, one of the organizers of the project and son of Giulio, owner and Commander of the vessel that left on July 30 from Fertilia, Sardinia "we have arrived in the Adriatic, to reunite our community with the Lands of the Fathers, abandoned over seventy years ago".

The magnificent journey of the Klizia, in fact, was inspired by the desire to symbolically reconnect these threads, which represent the roots of many families who were able, with hard work and with the respect, dignity and profound values ​​that were at their basis, to build a true example of INCLUSION and RESILIENCE, as the ability to rebuild a life from scratch is called today, starting from the ashes of a war and a dramatic exodus.

«The stages of Ferrara and Venice were a tribute to the community of settlers who arrived in the Nurra Algherese, then marshy and unhealthy, which they transformed into a fertile and lush plain» Giuseppe Bellu, of a Sardinian father and Venetian mother, tells us «they worked very hard and thanks to their experience and great determination, they managed to transform into reality the hope that was at the base of the name Fertilia».

The journey of Klizia was also the intimate journey of Giulio Marongiu, an exile from Pola, a city he abandoned at the age of 8, to which he had never returned until now. Giulio, who in this journey represented all the exiles scattered around the world who have never seen the land where they were born, has closed a circle, at the age of 85, which has allowed him to rediscover within his memories so many images and so many moments that the oblivion of the years had hidden, but never erased.

A journey that also represented the passing of the baton, between three generations, with the hope that the lesson of Dignity, Strength and Courage of the generation that preceded us can be an example for the new generations.

"The arrival in Istria was an emotional moment for me," said Commander Giulio, "first the arrival in Trieste, a symbolic city for us exiles. Then Muggia, then Capodistria and Pirano. A crescendo of emotions as I approached Pola. Then the arrival in Rovigno, with the Klizia accompanied by the Batane and welcomed on the dock by the singing of the "Bitinaduri". Then finally Pola, my hometown. I was overwhelmed by emotion, especially when I hugged my grandchildren, who wanted to accompany me through the streets of the historic center in search of the house where I lived my childhood."

The journey of the Klizia, with its crew, has obtained another important result, which goes beyond the human and intimate dimension, that of having been able to converge around itself many energies that, until now, were disconnected from each other. The collaboration of the major Associations of Italian exiles, together with the Italian Union and the various Communities and Associations that bring together Italians beyond the borders, together, have in fact demonstrated that united we win and we can achieve important results.

The Return to the Land of the Fathers Project, which has obtained the important partnership of RAI, the logo of the Coast Guard, the Institutional Sponsorships of the Senate, the Chamber, the Sardinia Region, the Lazio Region, the Regional Councils of Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Sardinia, of numerous Municipalities, and which has been able to count on the important support of the Sardinia Foundation, the Chamber of Commerce of Sassari, the Decima Regio Olga and Raimondo Curri Foundation, the Cantina di Santa Maria la Palma (Main Sponsor), the new airline Aeroitalia and Autonoleggi Demontis (Travel Partners) and numerous other entities including Acqua Smeraldina, NOX Oceani, the Consortium of the Port of Alghero, Assonautica Nord Sardegna and the Oleificio San Pasquale, will also be told in a Film, produced by Time Multimedia and directed by director Igor Biddau. This important result, made possible in particular thanks to the support of the ANVGD, the CDM (Multimedia Documentation Center of Istrian, Fiumana and Dalmatian Culture) and the Municipality of Alghero, is able to take this wonderful experience beyond the route taken by Klizia, allowing in particular to know the main contents of an experience that, for young people in particular, can represent an example of how we must work to find the reasons to be together to build a future of peace and true European spirit.

The video Return to the Land of the Fathers: the dream has become reality can be seen on YouTube channel CDM – Adriatic Archipelago:
https://youtu.be/tsEWdtIVBic