Trieste, the moral capital of the Exodus, and Fertilia, the city where it was founded that welcomed hundreds of Istrian, Fiume, and Dalmatian exiles to Sardinia, are also consolidating a relationship of collaboration and cultural planning at the institutional level. Trieste's mayor, Roberto Dipiazza, was in the village north of Alghero for the inauguration of the Egea Ecomuseum, dedicated to the history of the exodus and to Egea Haffner, the famous "girl with the suitcase," whose photo has become a symbol of the abandonment of their homeland by 350.000 Julian-Dalmatians. In 2023, Dipiazza welcomed the crew of the vessel. Klizia which had sailed from Sardinia to Istria on the "Return to the Land of the Fathers" voyage. Yesterday, in the prestigious setting of the Salotto Azzurro of the Trieste City Hall, a delegation from the Municipality of Alghero, led by Councilor Raniero Selva and accompanied by the President of the National Association of Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia, Renzo Codarin, and Vice President Alessandro Cuk, was welcomed by the mayor and Councilor Michele Babuder.

It was thus announced that, in the name of Fertilia, a city of welcome and inclusion, at the 57th edition of the Barcolana, Salvatore Taccini's boat Victoria will compete under the flag of the founding city, which has become the epicenter of a growing number of projects aimed not only at commemorating historical events but also at strengthening the identity of Adriatic Italianness, both among the new generations of exodus and in collaboration with the native Italian community in Istria, Carnaro, and Dalmatia. Dipiazza expressed his hope that this relationship will soon be sealed with the naming of a public area or a new street in Porto Vivo after Fertilia. The mayor of Trieste also received from Vittorio Baroni, coordinator of the Northeast Adriatic Europe Project, the Silver Lion – The Flagship Venice Istria Lussino, a precious work created by Meneghetti, the Goldsmith of Venice, which celebrates the Julian capital as a bridge city between Veneto, Istria and Carnaro.

In the afternoon, the events scheduled for the second day of the Eastern Adriatic Book Fair, organized by the ANVGD and the Multimedia Documentation Center of Julian, Istrian, Rijeka, and Dalmatian Culture, took place at the stand set up on Riva III Novembre within the Barcolana Village.

Lorenzo Salimbeni (CDM) outlined the significant work the Ministry of Education and Merit, together with the Istrian, Fiume, and Dalmatian Exile Associations, is undertaking to raise awareness of the history of the Adriatic border. National and regional teacher training seminars, a summer school, in-depth webinars on specific topics, and preparatory training activities are available for the remembrance trips specifically funded by the Ministry following last year's amendments to Law 92/2004 establishing Remembrance Day. A regular stop on these trips is the Basovizza Foiba Documentation Center, which, since its inauguration, is managed by the National League on behalf of the Municipality of Trieste and has attracted over 1.400.000 visitors, nearly half of whom were students.

Film critic Alessandro Cuk's new book, "History of the Cinema of the Adriatic Border 1945-2025," was then presented. It premiered at the Venice International Film Festival as part of the "Cinema of the Adriatic Border at the Venice Film Festival 2025" series. "In the 80 years since the end of World War II," Cuk emphasized, "cinema about the eastern border enjoyed an initial period of interest, which then waned as the history of the foibe and the exodus gradually faded into oblivion. The establishment of Remembrance Day in 2004 revived interest in the topic, and recent years have seen a significant increase in films and documentaries, often to which the ANVGD has provided direct support or patronage.

In this regard, the Association of Istrian Communities presented the four latest documentaries it made with photographer and filmmaker Marco Tessarolo, which can be viewed freely on the association's YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@associazionedellecomunitai2062/

Fabio Tognoni, Vice President of ACI and FederEsuli, outlined the process that has led to the production of an increasing number of video documents to tell the story of Istria, while Deputy Vice President Giorgio Tessarolo briefly presented the documentaries "Viva San Zorzi!", dedicated to Saint George, patron saint of Piran; "Lonely and Abandoned Places of Inner Istria"; "The Three Wise Men in the Frescoes of Istrian Churches"; and "The Dance of Death": valuable tools for preserving and understanding Istria's artistic heritage.

The last meeting was dedicated to the Corsa del Ricordo, the sporting event organized by the ASI (Italian Sports and Social Association) with the support of the ANVGD (National Association of Italian Volunteers) to bring the history of the foibe and the exodus to the sporting arena. Twelve years ago, the first edition was held in the Julian-Dalmatian Quarter of Rome, and it has since grown to include more and more cities throughout Italy, including the islands, from February to November. For example, in Trieste, the route winds around the Basovizza Foibe, and the recent 205th edition; in Novara, the Villaggio Dalmazia, which welcomed the exiles; and this year's new events include Grosseto, where an evocative night race was held, and Fertilia, where it will debut on Saturday, October 25th.

The day's grand finale was the arrival of the Victoria vessel, welcomed into a suggestive sunset to the tune of "Dimonios," the anthem of the Sassari Brigade, which also fought on the Gorizia Karst in the First World War, and whose anthem is also a sort of anthem for Sardinia.