A journey between memory and history that spans three centuries of Italy will be at the center of the meeting scheduled for 16 April in Cosenza, in the spaces of the “De Fiore” Library of the Fermi–Brutium high school, where the volume “The ancestors of a cardinal” will be presented.
A story between family history and national events
The book, signed by Maris Martini Facchini, younger sister of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, reconstructs the history of the Martini family through a genealogical path that winds from the Savoy courts to the Risorgimento, up to the twentieth century. Published in August 2025 by Àncora, the volume intertwines private memories and public events, providing a gallery of figures united by values of seriousness, civil responsibility and social commitment.
The work is enriched by the preface by Ferruccio de Bortoli, the afterword by Liliana Segre and a contribution by Carlo Casalone, offering a reflection that also extends to the figure of Cardinal Martini and his message of dialogue and peace.
The meeting at the Fermi–Brutium
The initiative, promoted by the Fermi–Polo Brutium high school together with the “Emozioniamoci” network and the ANDE and UCIIM associations, is intended as a moment of training and intergenerational discussion. The works will be introduced by greetings from Rosita Paradiso, head teacher and president of UCIIM Cosenza, Giovanna Giulia Bergantin, president of ANDE Cosenza, and Fabio Mandato, editor of Parola di Vita.
The author Maris Martini Facchini will speak online from Turin, talking with Annalina Paradiso and Don Giacomo Tuoto. The meeting will be coordinated by Rosanna Labonia, ANDE national councilor.
An appointment in the name of memory
The event fits ideally into the path of initiatives dedicated to the memory of Carlo Maria Martini, in view of the centenary of his birth. During the meeting there will also be a ceremony for the appointment of Marilù Sprovieri as honorary member of ANDE Cosenza, recognition for her cultural and civil commitment.
An opportunity to reread, through a family story, some of the most significant pages of Italian history, putting past and present in dialogue.