We remember them this way
2019 - 75th Anniversary
Also this year, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the bombing of the School of Gorla, we received the usual message sent by the President of the Republic:
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«The massacre of children and their teachers, in the "Francesco Crispi" school in Milan, is an indelible wound impressed in the memory of our Country. The Second World War produced mourning, devastation, as never happened in the past. The bomb that devastated the building in the Gorla district causing the death of two hundred and four people, including one hundred and eighty-four primary school children, represents a culmination of horror. Seventy-five years after the terrible tragedy, the Republic remembers with emotion the Little Martyrs, the teachers, the desperate family members who were forced to search among the rubble for their children's bodies and then to bear the unbearable pain of their absence. On the morning of 20 October 1944 the "Crispi" school was reduced to rubble following a bombardment by the Allies. A dramatic circumstance that brings attention to the civilian victims of conflicts, a topic unfortunately still relevant in the wars that are opened in different regions. The memory of the children of Gorla must be a further push for the institutions - national and international - and for civil society to strengthen everywhere the commitment to peace and human rights. Remembering also serves to keep consciences vigilant, so that what happened with the war does not happen again, and to witness to the younger boys that only respect for the dignity of others, cooperation, the common sense of responsibility can keep away hate and opposition, poisonous foods of a will to oppression». Sergio Mattarella |
Unlike the other times, the Ceremony took place in two stages: first the religious part with the Holy Mass in the nearby Parish of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus with many citizens who failed to enter due to the very large participation of the faithful.
The Religious Authorities were obviously present, and together with the Civil and Military ones, at the end of the Function, gave life to a procession that reached the Monument.
Here, after the blessing of the Monument, the civil part took place with the presence of the ANA Choir "Stella Alpina" ("Edelweiss") of Berzonno (NO).
We conclude with a group image of the survivors of the "Francesco Crispi" School present at the Memorial, from left: Maria Luisa Rumi, Giancarlo Novara, Graziella Ghisalberti, Sergio Francescatti and Giuliano Lazzaroni.
During the month of October, at the "Casa della Memoria" ("House of Memory") that we thank for the hospitality, the "KIDS - Ancora Piccoli Martiri" ("KIDS - Still Little Martyrs") exhibition was held by the Artist Diego Randazzo curated by Sabino M. Frassà. There were also numerous conferences on the theme of today's wars and the bombing of civilian populations.
The events for the 75th Anniversary, like last year ended with the Chamber Music Concert held in the Parish of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus, in the presence of a large audience.
The Community of those who feel as its own the sad story of the Little Martyrs has liked the interest of TV2000 in Rome that, a few days after the Anniversary, has decided to dedicate part of the transmission "Bel Tempo si Spera" ("Good Time Hopefully") that opens the morning schedule with the memory of the children who lost their lives on October 20 while they were doing their schoolwork. From Gorla a heartfelt thanks to the presenter and to all the collaborators who gave their work for the success of the event. Sergio Francescatti was present at the transmission, remembering that morning, telling all his memories; below is the video of the episode:
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watch on Youtube
If you can not see the movie in the window on the page, clicking on the link you can view it directly in full screen 2019 - 92nd National Alpine Meeting From May 10th to 12th 2019, the 92nd National Alpine Meeting was held in the City of Milan, during which, along with the usual parade through the avenues of the City center, numerous Choir Concerts were held from various italian Regions. One of these days, Saturday 11, the "Stella Alpina" Choir was present at the Monument to the Little Martyrs, arrived from the Municipality of Berzonno (in the Province of Novara) which performed some music tracks from their repertoire followed by the large audience present. We want to thank them publicly for having commemorated the missing children 75 years ago even against the strongly adverse weather conditions. At the end of the event the Choir wanted to leave a testimony of their visit in the Crypt. 2018 - 74th Anniversary A few years from the message sent by President Napolitano, this year from Rome the messages received are even two, the first one sent by the current President of the Republic: The massacre of the "Francesco Crispi" elementary school in the Gorla district, in Milan, is one of the most frightening and harrowing tragedies that took place on Italian soil during the Second World War.
The powerful bomb dropped during a wave of Anglo-American bombings that morning of October 20, 1944, left no escape for the children and their teachers: 204 lives were cruelly broken and the desperate families had to recover the bodies of their 184 children from the rubble . On the day of the Anniversary of the Little Martyrs I would like to express my closeness and my solidarity with the families of the victims, the community of Gorla, to all those who in these long years have kept alive the memory of the massacre, and the entire City of Milan that will never be able to cancel such a deep wound. The Republic bows remembering. The Memory must keep consciences alert to the horrors of war and the responsibilities we all have - National and International Institutions, Civil Society, Citizens - to ensure the younger generation a future of serenity and peaceful coexistence. The Massacre of the Little Martyrs, in its unspeakable arthrocity, shows the ruthless inexorability of the logic of war and how tragic and unjustifiable are the deaths of civilians caused by war actions. The impact of conflicts on populations is a topic of great importance, to which unfortunately the necessary attention is not always paid. The civilian victims were an impressive number in the second world war. And it can not leave indifferent the awareness that tens of thousands of civilians continue to pay the price of life in the ongoing conflicts. The Italian Parliament has recently established the National Day of Civil Victims of Wars and Conflicts in the World. The commitment of the Associations of Civil War Victims is precious to increase the reflections on these risks, so that never again, in every latitude, there may still be innocent Little Martyrs. Sergio Mattarella The second is from the Minister of Education, University and Research, Hon. Marco Bussetti: Goodmorning everyone, I am pleased to bring my greetings to everyone present, authorities and citizens during the commemoration of this morning for the 184 victims of the Gorla massacre of October 20, 1944 when an allied air strike hit the "Francesco Crispi" elementary school. I would have liked to be with you in Piccoli Martiri Square, but unfortunately for previous institutional commitments I can not be present. I think it is commendable and of great importance to report to the attention of the
collective consciousness the terror caused by the Second World War. The memory is the only true antidote we possess to act so that the evil of the past does not happens again. Pain and suffering, however, remain indelible, especially when the victims are innocent children. The memory of the violence of the war, of the devastation it brought not only on the battlefields, but also within the city and to the detriment of the civilians, both of warning to the Italian and European institutions. We can not allow it to happen again, we have a moral duty to maintain peace on our continent. Too often, and sometimes in a superficial way, we tend to forget that peaceful coexistence within society, between different cultures, between states is not obvious, is the result of great dramas of the past that some men have courageously mastered by mediating the conflicts. It is particularly striking to commemorate a massacre in a school. The school is lived by children and young people as a safe place, as a second home that protects them, and during the war as a refuge to get away from the perennial insecurity that they lived on a daily basis. The school is a symbol of hope for the future, at school we are educated to "stay in peace", to live with others in the sign of respect and freedom of thought. The educational institutions are the first and fundamental bastion, even today, to face hatred and create the conditions for the moral progress of society. Since I assumed the post of Minister of Education, University and Research, I repeat that at the center of relations between the school walls there must be an idea again: love. Love is the most powerful "weapon" of peace. I thank the National Civil War Victims Association of Milan and the Committee of the families of the victims of Gorla for their efforts to recognize the tragedy of Gorla of national importance on a par with all the numerous other events. Thank you. With regard Hon. Marco Bussetti Particularly appreciated, in the days following the Anniversary, it was the visit of some teachers of the University of Chukyo, in Japan, who were very interested in what happened by interviewing also the present survivors. Here they are in a group photo. The celebrations of the 74th Anniversary were then concluded with the usual Chamber Music Concert held in the Parish of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, in the presence of numerous citizens 2014 - 70th Anniversary At the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the massacre there were, as always, the Local Authorities that we see paying homage to the Little Martyrs during the minute of silence that is observed at 11.25, the hour of the bombing. The Mayor Lawyer Giuliano Pisapia then read a message sent by the President of the Republic that we report: Dear Mayor, I refer to your kind letter of July 28, with which you wanted to announce the initiatives organized by the Municipal Administration and the local section of the National Association of Civilian War Victims to honor the memory of the victims of the Gorla School and his teachers, who were killed under the bombings that hit Milan hard on October 20, 1944. In the regret of not being able to be present at the commemoration, I consider myself intensely involved in the memory of a tragedy that marked with profound sorrow our memory and which forces us all, even today, to a common reflection on the horrors of war and the immense suffering suffered from the civilian population. The awareness of the inestimable value of peace, which each of us is still called to defend through dialogue, mutual respect, tolerance, is strengthened. With these sentiments, I send to you, to the Milanese Community, to the Authorities present and to those who will participate in the celebration my heartfelt greeting. Giorgio Napolitano On the Friday before the ceremony, from the monument the children of the schools of the area have launched 184 balloons linked to as many kites that have risen towards the blue sky A gesture of twinning with their 184 schoolmates who disappeared seventy years earlier The following Sunday, at the Elfo Puccini Theater, the director Renato Sarti proposed an excellent stage reading of the events of that morning interpreted by the actress Giulia Lazzarini with the collaboration of Federica Fabiani and Matthieu Pastore. And now we propose you a video taken from Youtube with a song written specifically for the Little Martyrs of Gorla:
watch on Youtube
If you can not see the movie in the window on the page, clicking on the link you can view it directly in full screen
Italiano English L'ultima lezione The last lesson Dicono che quìle stelle non vedraima io ti mostreròcomete spente oltre quei solail'autunno caleràil grigio intorno a tesenza orizzonte piùchiudi gli occhi e immagina lassù vedrai risplendereun altro firmamentosentirai piangerequalcuno andato via prima del tempo 20 ottobre, il cielo nerobombe come grandine184 stelle rosa e blusalivan su vorrei sapere sese almeno si vergogneràchi ha mirato i bimbiinvece di un soldatoe l'ultima lezione gli ha rubato intanto ancora adessolo chiamano "il nebbione"a me sembra lo stessofumo di mitraglia e di cannonela Martesana vàvicino al Monumentoma non cancelleràle tracce di un dolore senza tempo 20 ottobre, il cielo nerobombe come grandine184 stelle rosa e blusalivan su all'ultima lezioneneanche il tempo di imparareche in guerra non c'è vinto e vincitoree non sai mai chi è il liberatore They say that herethe stars you won't seebut I'll show youcomets off beyond those floorsautumn will fallthe gray around youwithout horizon anymoreclose your eyes and imagine up there you will see shineanother firmamentyou will hear cryingsomeone gone away ahead of time October 20, the black skybombs like hail184 pink and blue starsthey went up I would like to know ifif at least he will be ashamedwho has aimed to the childreninstead of a soldierand the last lesson he stolen them meanwhile again nowthey call it "the big mist"to me it looks the sameof machine gun and cannon smokethe Martesana goesnear the Monumentbut it will not cancelthe traces of a timeless pain October 20, the black skybombs like hail184 pink and blue starsthey went up at the last lessonnot even time to learnthat in war there is no loser and winnerand you never know who the liberator is We sincerely thank the Authors, Andrea Zampieri and Pierluigi Arcidiacono, for having given such a profound song to our 200 Little Angels, even if they forced us to take handkerchiefs ... A memory of Paola Canovai for the little Annamaria Pioltelli I write to our Parish of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus and to the Gorla Domani Association,
to which I belong, to share, a few days from the seventieth anniversary of the massacre of the children of Gorla, the memory of a child I did not know personally,
for obvious reasons of age, but which I carry in my heart for many, many years, together with his little companions. I will be happy if you want to read it and,
with me, remember Annamaria, her parents, the other little ones and all those who were overwhelmed by that tragedy ... I remember when, as a child, I went with my grandmother Cristina
to find Mrs. Adelaide. A lady who, then, seemed to me very old. Making the accounts now, she will have been between sixty and seventy years old.
She lived with her sister in the apartment above that of my grandparents, in Monza Avenue 156, the same building where I live today, with my husband and my two girls.
One of the few palaces of Gorla to remain intact after the bombing of October 1944. Mrs Adelaide had hung a large picture in the room, which I always watched.
It was a picture obtained by the union of the enlargements of two photos: that of a middle-aged gentleman, dressed in dark, with a gentle gaze, and that of a six-year-old girl.
The photos were originally in black and white, because they were taken when the color ones did not exist yet, but the one of the girl had been colored afterwards,
so that the bow in her hair and dress were of an ancient rose, of those that did not they use more, a rose that made me think of dead, past things. Annamaria. She was Annamaria, Mrs. Adelaide's child. It had remained under
the rubble of the "Francesco Crispi" School, centered in full by the allied bombs, on the morning of October 20, 1944. Her father arrived shortly after the explosions, he had tried,
with other adults, to pull out the children, but he was remained buried by a collapse of the rubble. Mrs. Adelaide had remained alone. I think that for the shock she had a paresis,
in fact her face, which seemed so strange to me, was troubled by a grimace, always. A grimace of pain. But her sweet eyes, I remember them, when she told me about her baby.
That little girl that the teacher had protected with her body, so that she had been extracted lifeless from the rubble, but without a scratch, told me her mother.
A poor single mother, who was taking a little revenge on death and a life too cruel: they had killed her baby, but they had failed to deface the beauty of that little creature
of six years. I loved Mrs. Adelaide. But how much, as much as I want more now,
after she has left us for so many years. Now that I'm a mother too. Now I fully understand her tragedy, which, even then, I already sensed in its gravity. My oldest child goes to the Francesco Crispi school: they rebuilt it, but in a different place;
now it's in the park of Villa Finzi, it's a happy school and a little crazy, full of children. Now, in place of the old school, in Gorla, there is an ossuary monument,
where the remains of many of the "Little Martyrs" rest. There is also Annamaria, along with her dad. I went to see her many times. So many times I asked myself
the meaning of his life and his absurd death. I am a mother, now, a little mother with two little girls, in a world that,
seventy years after that October, is again beaten by threatening winds of war. I can only pray that my girls are allowed to live always in a Country in peace, a free country,
a country where going to school is a right and not a danger. For now it is so, for now we are on the right side of the world, but how many Annamaria
there are still today in the world? How many Mrs. Adelaide? Humanity, today like yesterday, sacrifices to ideologies or money what is most sacred; trample, starve, violent children.
Every now and then I look at my girls and shiver: so small, fragile, vulnerable. So shining and full of life. As bright and full of life, I'm sure, it was you, Annamaria, along with your companions. I was allowed to grow up, Annamaria, now I'm no longer like you, I'm great, like your mother,
like your teachers ... and as they did I try to protect the little ones, I try, for what I can, to educate for respect and peace. And every October 20th I will always be there, in Piccoli Martiri Square, and I will bring my girls and I will talk about you:
because you are never too young to learn how to hate war. The children of the School of Gorla. They died in 184. A useless bombardment. It was the October 20, 1944. A heartfelt thanks to the singer Enrico Ruggeri who, with his message, works to keep alive the memory of the Little Martyrs of Gorla. Clicking on the image of the newspaper A sign explains to the citizens the meaning of that monument. The ceremony that takes place on October 20 in which many inhabitants of Gorla participate, as well as those coming from out of town. AND I HAD SAID TO LOVE YOU AS BROTHERS ... Thus recites the inscription on the Altar inside the crypt where the remains of the Little Martyrs of the school of Gorla rest. The plaque at the entrance to the ossuary crypt. A special thanks to the Councilor Leo Siegel who, organizing evenings on the theme, helps keep the memory alive. Some photos of the prayer vigil held on December 24th, Christmas Eve, near the ossuary monument, where many citizens go to light a candle for the children who are no longer among us and bring a toy for the little ones who they are not lucky enough to spend Christmas in a family. A heartfelt thanks to all those who, instead of spending the Holy Night in the intimacy of their own home, will again gather our invitation; at midnight it will be possible to follow the Holy Mass in the nearby Monastery of St. Clare or in the Parish of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Those who wish can visit the monument and the crypt where the remains of the children rest on the first and third Sunday of each month and on public holidays (except August), in Gorla, in Piccoli Martiri Square. 
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