Sergio Mattarella leads ceremony for 83rd anniversary of Defense of Rome

Italian President Sergio Mattarella led a ceremony at Porta San Paolo to commemorate the 83rd anniversary of the Defense of Rome. During the event, the President laid a laurel wreath at the Pyramid of Cestius to honor the military personnel and civilians who died during the fighting between September 8 and 10, 1943.

Also in attendance were Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, President of the Constitutional Court Giovanni Amoroso, and high-ranking military officials including General Luciano Portolano and General Gianpaolo Mirra.

The anniversary marks the date the Armistice of Cassibile was made public, which ended the alliance between Italy and Nazi Germany and signaled the end of the Fascist regime. The commemoration honors the period when Rome became an ‘open city’ following the resistance against the Wehrmacht.