Peace as a universal value that immediately refers to the Russia-Ukraine war makes its entry into Italian evaluations for historical and artistic recognitions. To a year since the invasion of Russian troops, Italy has been a candidate for the European Heritage Label – European Heritage Labell- the Peace Park of Sant'Anna di Stazzema, in the province of Lucca and the Benedictine complex of San Vincenzo al Volturno, in the province of Isernia. In a country that Censis has defined as melancholic due to exactly nefarious events such as the Russia-Ukraine war or the pandemic, there is also room to represent values of solidarity and concord, in addition to the landscape and nature. The European title enhances the historical and cultural heritage of the countries in order to strengthen the sense of belonging to the European Union. The two locations in Italy and were chosen from 13 requests received by the Unesco Office of the Ministry. The Italian sites that already boast the recognition are: the archaeological area of ancient Ostia; Forte Cadine, the Casa De Gasperi Museum and the Municipality of Ventotene. The latter was also chosen and awarded for having inspired the first manifesto of the United Europe by Altiero Spinelli, Eugenio Colorni and Ernesto Rossi in 1941. The three anti-fascist prisoners were thinking of a Europe of peace and friendship, which due to the contradictions of history shortly afterwards was instead torn apart by a world war with millions of dead. Today's anxieties about what the Russia-Ukraine war has produced do not only spread melancholy but concern and sadness. Wars always confront us with the weaknesses of politics, diplomacy, men. Sant'Anna di Stazzema still bears the marks of the Nazi massacre of 1944, of 560 innocent people slaughtered without mercy. A horror very similar to what is happening, sometimes in deafening silence, in tormented Ukraine.
The memory of war, a reminder of peace
Since 2000, the Tuscan municipality has been the seat of the Parco della Pace, a garrison of tolerance and friendship. The constitution of the Park took place "thanks to a close connection between uncontaminated nature, the villages and settlements scattered on the hill and the places of the massacre" recalls the Park Authority. Thousands of people arrive here every year and the candidacy for the European Union expresses a severe warning against all forms of violence and contempt for democracy. The worldwide value of Sant'Anna for the Ministry of Culture, is “highly representative through the evocative capacity of a common memory which recalls the values of peace, the exchange of knowledge between peoples, the founding values of democracy". There has been no trace of all this in the Russia-Ukraine conflict for a year. San Vincenzo al Volturno, in Molise, is the other place of faith and universal harmony that Italy wants to see recognized in the European context. For centuries, the Benedictine abbey has spread the "Rule" of San Benedetto, protector of Europe. The site now has a enhancement, conservation and knowledge project of the structure to return to the center of Europe. Mariassunta Peci, President of the Commission of the Ministry of Culture, recalls that the monastic site was the unifying element of the Holy Roman Empire, before and of common European values, after. The two applications will be presented to the European Commission in these days, at the latest by 1 March. A coincidence - hopefully lucky - with the first year of war in Ukraine and that two tragic and at the same time exciting symbols could accompany the conflict towards its end.
