Genoa remembers the victims of the Morandi Bridge: 6 years later, the fight for justice continues.

On the sixth anniversary of the collapse of the Morandi Bridge, Genoa commemorates the 43 victims with a solemn ceremony, while the families still await justice.

August 14, 2018 is a date that Genoa will never forget. That day, at 11:36 in the morning, the Morandi bridge collapsed, swallowing the lives of 43 people and leaving a deep wound in the city and its inhabitants. Six years later, Genoa is preparing to remember that tragedy with a solemn ceremony which will be held at the Radura della Memoria, under the deck of the new San Giorgio bridge, built to replace the collapsed bridge. This commemoration, which will take place in the same neighborhood of Certosa, hit hard by the disaster, represents a moment of reflection and remembrance for the city and the entire country.

The ceremony will begin tomorrow morning at 9:00 with a mass in the parish church of San Bartolomeo della Certosa, officiated by the archbishop of Genoa, Monsignor Marco Tasca. Will follow, at 10:45, the institutional ceremony in the Radura della Memoria, where local authorities will be present, including the mayor of Genoa Marco Bucci, the prefect Cinzia Torraco, and the interim president of the Liguria Region Alessandro Piana. At the entrance to the Clearing, the symbolic place in which it is located a metal plate with the names of the victims, wreaths of flowers sent by the President of the Republic, the Presidency of the Senate, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the relatives of the victims will be placed.

A particularly touching moment of the ceremony will be to 11am, exactly six years after the collapse, when a minute's silence will be observed. This silence will be accompanied by the sound of the sirens of the ships in the port and the bells of all the churches of the Diocese of Genoa, as a sign of respect and remembrance for the lives lost. Before the interventions of the authorities, the orchestra of the Carlo Felice Theater will perform the “Requiescant in pace“, a musical moment that will underline the solemnity of the event.

However, remembrance is not only an occasion for commemoration, but also a moment of reflection on what happened and the consequences of that tragedy. The collapse of the Morandi Bridge has raised serious questions about the safety and maintenance of infrastructure in Italy, and has had a devastating impact on two neighborhoods in Genoa, as well as forcing many residents to leave their homes. The tragedy has also highlighted systemic problems that affect not only Genoa, but the entire country, regarding the management of infrastructure and the responsibility of those charged with ensuring its safety.

The process to determine responsibility for the collapse began in July 2022, and is still ongoing. The proceedings, which are taking place in a tent structure set up in the atrium of the Palace of Justice in Genoa, involve 58 defendants, including managers, officials and technicians of Autostrade per l'Italia, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Spea, the company responsible for maintenance and inspections of the bridge. The defendants include prominent names such as the former CEO of Autostrade per l'Italia, Giovanni Castellucci, and other high-level executives, accused of serious crimes such as multiple manslaughter, road homicide, wilful collapse and failure to perform official duties. The process is extremely complex and requires the examination of numerous expert reports and testimonies. To date, 170 hearings have been held, during which 324 people were interviewed, and the transcripts of the hearings occupy more than 16.000 pages. The proceedings will resume on September 11, and are expected to last until the end of 2025 or even 2026, a long period of time that tests the patience and hope of the victims' families.

The relatives of the 43 people who lost their lives on that tragic morning of August 14, 2018 live every anniversary with renewed pain and with profound frustration at the long delays in justice.

Egle Possetti, spokesperson of the Committee in memory of the victims of the Morandi bridge, underlined how this is a particularly difficult period for family members, who see in the first instance sentence a fundamental step towards obtaining justice. The hope is that the trial can conclude with a clear and fair sentence, which can finally recognize responsibilities and give meaning to the long legal journey undertaken. But there is also the awareness that justice times are slow and that the path to obtaining a final conviction could still be long.

The memory of the victims is kept alive not only through the trial, but also through initiatives such as the Memorial, whose inauguration is scheduled for November 14 this year. For family members, the Memorial represents a fundamental element for preserving the memory of what happened, a place where future generations will be able to understand the extent of the tragedy and reflect on how important the safety of infrastructures is. The Memorial will be a tangible symbol of what happened and a warning so that similar tragedies will never happen again.

The open letter from Giovanna Donato, ex-wife of Andrea Cerulli, one of the victims of the collapse, expresses with touching words the pain and anger of those who lost a loved one in that tragedy. In his letter, Donato describes the silence that surrounds their daily struggle to keep the memory of the victims alive, a silence that contrasts with the indifference perceived at a national level. Despite this silence, the victims' families continue to fight, participating in the hearings, working for the Memorial and trying to obtain justice for their loved ones. Their commitment, their pain and their determination are a powerful reminder not to forget what happened and to continue searching for truth and justice.

Six years after the tragedy of the Morandi bridge, Genoa stops to remember the 43 victims of that terrible collapse. While the city gathers in the Radura della Memoria, The families of the victims continue to fight for justice and to keep the memory of their loved ones alive. The road to a final sentence is still long, but the determination of those who have lost a loved one does not weaken. In this context, the Memorial which will be inaugurated in November represents not only a place of remembrance, but also a symbol of hope for a future in which similar tragedies will never happen again.