Celebrations for the Day of Italian Internees in German Concentration Camps during the Second World War

On Sunday, September 20, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., a ceremony will be held in memory of the Italians interned in German concentration camps during World War II at the Famedio degli Internati Militari Italiani (Historical Memorial of Italian Military Internees) in the Urban Catholic Cemetery. In the presence of civil, military, religious, and educational authorities, the program includes greetings from Mayor Emanuele Capra, President of the Anti-Fascist Unitary Committee and President of the City Council, Giovanni Battista Filiberti, and Andrea Desana, President of the "Li Riprieremo a Casa in Monferrato" Association and National Director of the ANRP (National Association of Prison Veterans). This will be followed by a speech by Antonella Bartolo, author of the book "Matite Sbriciolate" (Brittled Pencils), and readings by Giorgio Milani, which will precede the laying of a wreath at the Famedio degli Internati Militari Italiani (Historical Memorial of Italian Military Internees) and a religious address by Military Chaplain Don Giuseppe Cesana. This year, the celebrations will extend beyond the single day and will include additional opportunities for dissemination: from September 25 to October 11, 2026, the former Chapel of Monferrato Castle will host the documentary and historical-artistic exhibition "Drawings Tell the Story of Prison Camps," conceived by Antonella Bartolo, author of the book "Matite sbriciolate," dedicated to the drawings of Captain Antonio Colaleo, a military internee during the Second World War. On Friday, October 2, 2026, at 6:00 PM, the former Chapel of the Castle will host a meeting with Dr. Gerardo Severino, Colonel (Aus) of the Guardia di Finanza and Military Historian, author of the research that reconstructed the story of English soldier Tom Harry Darbyshire, who died in the Ganga Tom Massacre. Giovanni Battista Filiberti, President of the Joint Anti-Fascist Committee and President of the City Council, said: "Remembering the Italian Military Internees means preserving a fundamental chapter in our history and transmitting to new generations the value of the choices made, even under the most dire conditions, in defense of freedom and dignity."