Paths of Peace and Memory

Paths of Peace and Memory

In the municipality of Cesano Maderno (Province of Monza and Brianza, Lombardy), "Paths of Peace and Memory" is the cultural review that the Municipality dedicates to Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27th) and National Remembrance Day (February 10th), extending in some years into spring with numerous events.

A widespread and participatory program

The review combines different languages: bibliographic exhibitions in the Civic Library, historical conferences, dialogues with authors, theatre performances, animated readings for children, and institutional moments. Among the most significant events are the ceremonies for the placement of Stolpersteine (stumbling stones), small brass plaques placed in the urban space to commemorate the victims of deportation and the horrors of the 20th century.

Educating for memory

Particular attention is given to the younger generations, with meetings in schools and readings designed for children, organized in collaboration with ANPI and local institutions. The review addresses both the tragedy of the Shoah and the events of the eastern border, the foibe massacres, and the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus, offering citizens a path of historical deepening and civil reflection. An commitment with which Cesano Maderno confirms the value of memory as a tool for peace.

Stolpersteine, memory in the city

Among the most significant initiatives of the review are the ceremonies for the placement of Stolpersteine, the small brass plaques—conceived by the German artist Gunter Demnig—placed in front of the last known residences of the victims of deportation. Embedded in the city's streets, these stones transform the urban space into a place of widespread memory, inviting passers-by to stop and remember. In Cesano Maderno, the stones dedicated to the sailors who died in the disaster of the ship Oria in 1944 bear witness to how great History has also touched small communities, making memory a shared and daily heritage.