Not the traditional and coveted reception in the Quirinale Gardens, but a show in the square. Or rather, in the squares, in a virtual embrace with the Italian people.

To celebrate a special Republic Day, precisely 80 years after the referendum that changed the course of Italian history, Sergio Mattarella has chosen a show entitled "The Faces of the Republic." On the evening of June 2nd, starting at 9:00 PM, the show will retrace eight decades of our country's history for two hours, through the voices, stories, and performances of actors, musicians, singers, and athletes who have brought Italy to prominence around the world.

A format developed by the Quirinale together with RAI, in collaboration with SIAE and ANCI, which will take place in the Piazza del Quirinale, before approximately 2,700 invited guests, and thanks to live broadcast on Rai1, also in the squares of several Italian municipalities via giant screens set up for the occasion. "Going out into the squares is a powerful idea of openness," explains Giovanni Grasso, Presidential Advisor for Press and Communications, during the presentation. He is joined by RAI CEO Giampaolo Rossi, who announces: "We are activating a special program, involving all TV and radio channels, digital platforms, and our social media with historical insights, concerts, and extraordinary information activities." The goal, explains the manager, is "to enhance RAI as a bastion of national identity" because "over these 80 years, the public service has accompanied Italy's journey, recounting its transformations," and today this immense heritage is preserved in the archives of the company on Viale Mazzini.

Performing on stage will be leading figures from the world of music, including the National Symphony Orchestra of the Conservatories, the Laudate Dominum Choir, the Jubilus Ensemble Choir, Paolo Fresu, Danilo Rea, singers Annalisa, Luca Barbarossa, Gianni Morandi, Giuliano Sangiorgi, and mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, who will perform Lucio Dalla's "Caruso" for the first time. Actors such as Paola Cortellesi, Carlo Verdone, Luca Zingaretti, Massimo Popolizio, Marta Gastini, Cesare Bocci, Cristiana Capotondi, Carolina Crescentini, and Flavio Insinna will also be present. The films will be narrated by Francesco Pannofino, while Roberto Bolle will perform a dance to the tune of Giuseppe Verdi's "Va, pensiero." There will also be athletes: Beppe Bergomi, Alex Del Piero, Bebe Vio, Federica Brignone, Arianna Fontana, and Abdon Pamich, a track and field legend of the 1950s and 1960s, forced to flee Rijeka on foot with his brother at the age of 13 during the Julian-Dalmatian exodus to escape Tito's fury. Leading authors such as Maurizio De Giovanni, Massimo Martelli, Vladimiro Polchi, Rossella Rizzi, Alessandra Ferrari, Pietro Galeotti, Pamela Maffioli, and Agostino Giovagnoli collaborated on the show's scripts. "This project is the culmination of a journey that began years ago," says SIAE President Salvo Nastasi. "The authors enthusiastically agreed when it was proposed to us, because they are the underlying theme of the event, and this makes us proud."

The goal is to make all Italians feel part of the same community, of the Republic. Cooperation among municipalities is crucial to this . "Many are already making their commitment to the celebrations, which will culminate this evening," says ANCI Secretary General Veronica Nicotra. "In approximately 100 municipalities across Italy, many young people and students in particular will be invited to attend the spectacle. In addition to the giant screens, several mayors are organizing their own events in the hours leading up to the event, featuring plenty of music and entertainment, in many provincial capitals but also in smaller towns."

Before “The Faces of the Republic”, on June 2nd, at 6:50 pm on Rai networks, another program created for the occasion will also be broadcast, entitled “Let's talk about it with the President”, in which Mattarella answers questions, especially from young protagonists of Italian life .

In the morning, the Head of State will be at 9:15 a.m. at the Altar of the Fatherland, along with other high-ranking officials, to lay a wreath at the Unknown Soldier. From 9:30 a.m., he will attend the traditional military review of the various corps on Via dei Fori Imperiali. The June 1st program remains unchanged, with the exception of the late afternoon reception. From 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the doors of the Quirinale Gardens will be open to the most vulnerable sections of the population, with associations that provide assistance to the disabled, the Red Cross, the Sant'Egidio Community, the Bambino Gesù Foundation, and many others. The music will be played by the Joint Armed Forces Band, the Alpine Choir, and the young members of the Jazz Campus Orchestra, who will then meet the President of the Republic at 12:00 p.m. At 3:30 pm, the solemn Changing of the Guard will take place, and at 6 pm, finally, the traditional classical music concert offered in the Cappella Paolina to ambassadors and high officials, performed by the Orchestra of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, conducted by Maestro Michele Mariotti, with music by Gioacchino Rossini (Overture to 'The Italian Girl in Algiers' and 'The Barber of Seville') and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K550).

(Unioneonline)

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