For the first time, the story of the exodus from the Adriatic Frontier will be given space in Italy’s national monument.

Together with FederEsuli, we presented in Rome the MEDIF project – the Exhibition on Dalmatian, Istrian, and Fiuman Exiles. The press conference took place last Friday, July 18th, at the Foreign Press Room in Palazzo Grazioli, in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli.

The exhibition will be inaugurated in October and will offer a vivid and visual account of the stories of over 350,000 Fiuman, Istrian, and Dalmatian people who, in the aftermath of World War II, were forced to leave their homes and their lands in order to preserve their identity.

Eighty years later, the Vittoriano – a symbolic monument of national unity and a home to Italy’s shared history, with over 5 million annual visitors – will, for the first time, host a chapter of history that has long remained on the margins of collective consciousness, transforming it into shared memory for present and future generations.

The event – widely attended by members of the media and associations of exiles – was coordinated by our CEO, Dr. Antonio Scuderi. Joining him at the discussion table were: Renzo Codarin, National President of FederEsuli; Giuseppe De Vergottini, Honorary President of FederEsuli; Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli; Edith Gabrielli, Director of Vi.Ve (Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia); Italia Giacca, currently National Councillor of the National Association Venezia Giulia Dalmazia and herself an Istrian exile; Massimiliano Tita, architect at the Verona-based firm ABC PLUS and curator of the exhibition; and historian and journalist Gianni Oliva.

The approximately 145-square-meter exhibition space, curated by architect Massimiliano Tita and located in the Sala del Grottone, will recount this long-silenced chapter of history through a variety of informative and evocative installations.