A New Beginning

For the Campana dei Caduti, one hundred years is not a milestone, but a starting point. One hundred years after its fusion, the message of Maria Dolens is more relevant than ever and has been declined in a very rich programme covering the whole of 2025. The calendar of events was presented on 2 April at the Foundation's Alberto Robol auditorium on the Miravalle hill. Those present included the Director, Marco Marsilli, the mayor of the municipality of Rovereto Giulia Robol, the president of the Vallagarina Community Stefano Bisoffi, the president of the provincial council Claudio Soini, and the vice-president of the Autonomous Province of Trento Francesca Gerosa.

In his welcoming remarks, the Director emphasised that, when developing the content of the programme, the Foundation began with 'a number of general considerations.' First and foremost, from the desire to offer future visitors an appropriate mix of art exhibitions, musical performances, academic events, theatrical performances, moments of spirituality and more. Secondly, by seeking to 'team up' with the city's other museum institutions, taking advantage of mutual synergies'. From this perspective, he added, "I am particularly pleased that the first event on the calendar—the exhibition ‘The Myth of Maria Dolens’—features contributions in the form of works or documents not only from Mitag (the new name of the Italian War History Museum), which provided the majority of the loans, but also from Mart, the Civic Museum, and the Trentino Historical Museum.’ Another objective, he continued, is to 'strengthen the strong link of continuity between the Miravalle Pass and Rovereto "City of Peace". The latter's historic centre will be transformed from 25 to 27 July into the ideal stage for one of the most popular events of our centenary year, 'Invisible Cities'. The mayor of Rovereto spoke next, emphasising that the centenary 'is an important occasion for us to celebrate the Campana dei Caduti, the symbol which has made Rovereto "City of Peace" famous all over the world, but that it is also an opportunity to renew our commitment to promoting the culture and values of Peace'. In Rovereto, he added, 'the fundamental values of harmonious coexistence and European integration are imprinted in the very identity of the community and should be promoted and celebrated as such. The Campana dei Caduti is, in this context, an extraordinary symbol, it is more than a monument, it is a call to active engagement, and as such it fits perfectly into the future vision of our city'. 

For her part, the Vice-President of the Autonomous Province of Trento focused on young people, emphasising that 'we all have an important moral duty, and that is to take our children, our young people by the hand and accompany them so that they can do an even better job than those who have gone before them'. She added, "Each time the Campana dei Caduti tolls, it reminds us of what has been, of the memory of the people who sacrificed themselves for us, for future generations; a monument that carries important values: the value of Peace, of memory, the value of respect for human rights. "To these values, however, we must also add those of inclusion, integration, and the vital awareness that each of us, in our own small path and slice of life, can truly make a difference. 

So much has been done, but we must not stop here.’