Protect cultural heritage to safeguard collective identity and the essential values on which it is based. This is the task of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, which today receives the XVIII International Uberto Bonino and Maria Sofia Pulejo Award in Messina, awarded by the Foundation established in 1972 by the founder of Gazzetta del Sud together with his wife, who over the years has wanted to award distinguished personalities in the cultural and social fields.
A special award, today’s, for the first time awarded to an institution and in particular to the section of the Carabinieri which, as underlined by the president of the Foundation Lino Morgante, president and editorial director of Società Editrice Sud Gazzetta del Sud Giornale di Sicilia, expresses its commitment to legality by combining it with the protection of what represents the most precious and tangible legacy of a past to be honoured, preserved and handed down.
The recognition will be delivered today to Brigadier General Antonio Petti, who has led the Command since last September, during a ceremony to be held at the Vittorio Emanuele theater in Messina at 7 pm in the presence of the civil, religious and military authorities of Sicily and Calabria, including the presidents of the two Regions Renato Schifani and Roberto Occhiuto and the interregional Carabinieri commander Culqualber, Army Corps General Claudio Domizi. The Foundation’s board of directors welcomed the guests, composed not only of the president Morgante, but also of the vice president Francesco Pulejo and Salvatore Ruggero Arena, Sanny Calarco, Margherita Leto, Raffaella Monforte, Giuseppe Santoro and Giovanna Spatari.
Founded in 1969, with the functions of an information and analysis hub also for the benefit of other police forces, in 2001 the Command assumed its current name, counting on approximately 300 qualified soldiers. It is made up of a central structure in Rome and a peripheral structure, belonging to a Group and located in 16 units across the territory (15 Units and a Section for eastern Sicily). Thanks to the experience in Kosovo and Iraq and for the international recovery activities, the TPC Command was identified to constitute the Carabinieri component of the Italian Task Force “Unite4Heritage”, the “Blue Helmets of culture”.
The event’s guest of honor will be the journalist and science communicator Roberto Giacobbo, who during his successful programs has repeatedly crossed the Sicilian and Calabrian territories with their immense beauties. The award ceremony, also created for this edition by the master goldsmith from Crotone Gerardo Sacco, stylizing the concept of rebirth and resilience of the two cities of the Strait in an Arabian phoenix together with the coat of arms of the Gran Mirci of Messina, will be followed by the celebratory concert of the Carabinieri Musical Band, directed by maestro Massimo Martinelli, with songs by Beethoven, Bellini, Rossini, Puccini, Mozart, Morricone. The instrumental ensemble is known throughout the world for its vast repertoire, for the formal perfection of its performances and for the fascination that its musicians arouse, with their splendid uniforms, magnificent composure, and profound musical vocation. The origins of the musical group date back to 1820 to the Royal Carabinieri Corps, which then became Fanfara until it assumed its current name in 1920. Today, with its 102 orchestral members selected through public competitions, the ensemble constitutes a complex structure capable of interpreting famous and rarer compositions in institutional events and international tours.
The band is directed by Maestro Massimo Martinelli, who has been leading it since 1 July 2000 after having held prestigious positions in musical ensembles of other military corps. With the Banda dell’Arma he has conducted concerts in the most important theaters in Italy and abroad and is the author of original pieces for orchestra and choir.
The event (which will be accessed by invitation: entry into the theater allowed from 6pm to 6.30pm), can be followed by the entire public via live television from 6.30pm on the Ses Group TV channels (TGS, channel 12, and RTP, channel 19 DTV, where it will be rerun today at midnight, tomorrow at 11am and 3.15pm and Monday at 3.15pm) and in live streaming on the Gazzetta del Sud and Giornale di Sicilia.
The Bonino Pulejo Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes cultural, scientific, social and educational initiatives. Established in 1972 by the entrepreneur Uberto Bonino, founder of Società Editrice Sud, and his wife Maria Sofia Pulejo, it was created with the aim of transforming private assets into a public resource. It is the result of a vision and sense of civil responsibility of two people deeply rooted in the city of Messina and in the cultural fabric of Southern Italy.
The Foundation today is a point of reference for projects that generate knowledge, opportunities and links between people and institutions, with particular attention to the training of young people. in fact, one of its purposes is the awarding of scholarships to graduates of the Universities of Sicily and Calabria: more than thirteen hundred have been awarded over the years, to enhance the talents of the area and invest in the new generations.
The Foundation is guided by a Board of Directors whose members offer their professionalism to ensure independence, transparency and continuity.