"Sassari" monument inaugurated

(To Army Majority State)
25/02/20

The Undersecretary of State for Defense Giulio Calvisi spoke yesterday morning at the inauguration of the new monument to the "Sassari" brigade, the most decorated unit of the Italian Army during the First World War, protagonist for more than twenty years in operations in homeland and in peacekeeping missions abroad.

Undersecretary Calvisi was greeted on his arrival in Piazza Castello by the commander of the “Sassari” brigade, Brigadier General Andrea Di Stasio. On the notes of "May 4", the ordinance march of the Italian Army, performed by the musical band of the "Sassari" brigade deployed for the occasion in historical uniform, Calvisi received military honors from a picket in arms of the 152 ° “Sassari” infantry regiment.

During the review, the undersecretary paid tribute to the 152nd regiment's flag of war, decorated with the knight's cross of the military order of Italy, two gold medals for military valor and a gold medal for the value of 'Army. Then the arrival in front of the monument to the "Sassari" brigade for the cutting of the ribbon with the "arburesa", one of the typical Sardinian knives, carried out together with General Di Stasio.

Following the band, he sang "Dimonios", the famous hymn of the "Red Devils", sung by the students of some schools in the city who waved the flag in the presence of the families of Sardinian soldiers who fell in the fulfillment of their duty. General Di Stasio described to Mr Calvisi the features and the meaning of the monument, designed to celebrate the heroism of the young Sardinians and also be a permanent place of reflection in which the new generations can meditate on the harmful consequences of conflicts and desire a world of peace and democracy.

The work, made entirely of granite donated by the municipality of Alà dei Sardi and erected by a team of the 5th genius regiment of Macomer, consists of a base on which a parallelepiped base is placed with an engraved verse in honor of the military "Sassari": "Only those who have known the hardness of the soil and the harshness of the earth can admire the beauty of Heaven".

Above, a column of the same material that stands out towards the sky, laterally bearing the gold inscription "FORZA PARIS" (FORCE TOGETHER), battle cry of the brigade, now used by all Sardinians as an extraordinary declaration of brotherhood. Furthermore, at the top, the historical emblem of the "Sassari" brigade with the motto "SA VIDA PRO SA PATRIA".

The writings and the emblem are made of wrought iron, a non-precious metal used by the Nuragic Sardinians, whose use gave birth to the noble blacksmith's craft. On the side, a commemorative plaque that recites a sentence pronounced in Vicenza against the "Sassari" brigade by General Armando Diaz, Duke of Vittoria, on February 7, 1918, in the aftermath of the first Italian success after Caporetto, the epic conquest of the "Tre Monti" on the Asiago plateau: "You do not know, and perhaps you will never know, what you have done for Italy ...". Finally the flowerbed around the monument, made with white and red floral decorations that recall the colors of the historic "dimonios" insignia.

The work is inspired by the candlesticks of Sassari in the symbolic place of Piazza Castello, where, moreover, the barracks "La Marmora", the headquarters of the "Sassari" brigade command, and from which the ancient ritual of the Faradda di Li still starts today. Candareri (The Descent of the Candlesticks), a party included since 2013 in the oral and intangible heritage of UNESCO humanity which is held every year in the city on August 14, the evening before the feast of the Madonna Assunta.

The undersecretary Calvisi then went to the "La Marmora" barracks for a visit to the historical museum of the great unit where the traditions of the legendary "Red Devils" are kept through an articulated exhibition of finds, memorabilia and vintage photographs.