Rome, 16 February 2025
The institutional visit of the 'Treno del Ricordo’ - a project promoted by the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi - was held at the Roma Ostiense Station. The Treno del Ricordo is a historical train provided by Fondazione FS together with the FS Group, which will cross Italy in seven stages and retrace the journey made by Istrian, Fiuman and Dalmatian exiles in the post-war period, , with a travelling exhibition set up inside it.
The event was attended by Maria Teresa Bellucci, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policies, Massimiliano Maselli, Councillor for Social Inclusion and Personal Services of the Lazio Region, Ornella Segnalini, Councillor for Public Works and Infrastructure, and delegate of the Mayor of Rome, Lamberto Giannini, Prefect of Rome Fabrizio Dell'Orefice, Head of Institutional Relations of the Italian State Railways, and Federico Mollicone, Chairperson of the 7th Commission (Culture, Science and Education) of the Chamber of Deputies.
In the four train carriages, visitors have the opportunity to learn about and explore the tragedy of the foibe and the exodus, through a multimedia pathway featuring information panels, archive images and original texts recited by a narrator. The exhibition also includes some of the exiles' household goods on display, preserved and cared for by the Regional Institute for Istrian-Fiuman-Dalmatian Culture in Warehouse 18 in Trieste.
The 2025 edition of the Treno del Ricordo will visit seven cities. It departed from Trieste on 10 February, and will continue on to Padua, Bologna, Rome, Naples and Lecce. The train will end its journey in Sassari, while the closing ceremony will be held in Fertilia, a hamlet in Alghero that in 1948 welcomed the exiles who left Chioggia on 13 fishing boats.
The Treno dei Ricordi was funded through the Struttura di missione per gli anniversari nazionali ed eventi sportivi nazionali e internazionali (Mission Structure for National Anniversaries and National and International Sporting Events), by Ferrovie dello Stato and Fondazione FS Italiane, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and Merit, the Ministry of Defence, Rai Teche, Rai Cultura, Rai Storia, Archivio LUCE and Istituto Regionale per la Cultura Istriano-Fiumano-Dalmata.