On February 10th, the Day of Remembrance, Italy remembers the victims of the foibe and the Julian-Dalmatian exodus. The solemn ceremonies at the Quirinale and in Trieste

Il Day of Remembrance, established by law no. 92 of 30 March 2004, It is celebrated every February 10th to commemorate the Foibe massacres and the Julian-Dalmatian exodus during and after the Second World War.. The official celebrations include ceremonies throughout Italy, with the central moment represented by the ceremony at the Quirinale, in the presence of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella.

In Trieste, a city symbol of the tragedy, the commemoration is held at the Basovizza Foiba Shrine, National Monument, with the participation of local and national authorities.

The official celebrations: Trieste and Quirinale protagonists

During the morning, at the Foiba of Basovizza, the commemorative ceremony takes place with the presence of the Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio. In the afternoon, instead, the inauguration will be held at Trieste Central Station il Train of Remembrance 2025, an initiative of the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi. The convoy, made available by Fondazione FS Italiane and Gruppo FS, hosts a multimedia exhibition and an exhibition of the exiles' household goods, recounting the dramatic events of the exodus Julian-Dalmatian.

Il Train of Remembrance will remain in Trieste until February 11 and will then stop in other Italian cities. During the stop in Trieste, the train will be open to the public.

Al Quirinal, the solemn ceremony begins at 11:00 a.m.and the participation of the highest officials of the State.

The Meaning of Remembrance Day: The Tragedies of the Eastern Border

Il Day of Remembrance was established for to pay homage to the victims of the foibe and to remember the forced exodus of approximately 250.000 Italians from Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia. These events that took place between 1943 and 1947 have left an indelible mark on Italian history.

Le sinkholes, natural karst cavities of Istria, became places of summary execution. Thousands of people – military and civilians, men, women and even children – were thrown alive or already dead into these depths. The most tragic episodes occurred in 1943, immediately after the armistice of September 8, and between the 1945 and 1947, during the Yugoslav occupation of the Italian border lands. In these years, in fact, Istria and Fiume were annexed to Yugoslavia, and violence against Italians increased dramatically.

Official recognition and collective memory

Il Day of Remembrance, celebrated for the first time on February 10, 2005, was born from the desire to restore dignity and memory to the victims. Law no. 92 of 2004 provided for the birth of the Museum of Istrian-Fiuman-Dalmatian Civilization in Trieste and of theHistorical Museum Archive of Rijeka in Rome, to preserve the history and traditions of the exiled communities.

Every year, on the occasion of Remembrance Day, a commemorative medal intended for the relatives of those killed and thrown into sinkholes in Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia.

Commemorations such as those in Trieste and the Quirinale not only keep historical memory alive, but also represent a warning to future generations, so that similar tragedies do not happen again.