Florence WW2 Liberation Commemorations 2024
August 11 marks the anniversary of the liberation of Florence from retreating Nazi-Fascist forces thanks to the Italian resistance fighters (partigiani) and the Allied soldiers. One of Palazzo Vecchio’s three bells, the “Martinella,” will toll at 7 am as it did on August 11, 1944. A laurel wreath will be placed on the plaque on the via dei Gondi wall of Palazzo Vecchio (City Hall) with statesman Piero Calamandrei’s words on the Liberation: “It was not donated but reconquered at the price of ruin, torture and blood. Liberty alone was a vehicle of social justice inspiring the insurrection of the Florentine people and the victory of the Allies. Liberty abides in this building of the city fathers, which stood tall above the rubble of destroyed bridges.”
Eighty years later, a ceremony will take place in Piazza dell’Unità at 9:45 to remember the events, and a wreath placed on the monument to the war dead. Florence mayor Sara Funaro will also address the public from the steps of Palazzo Vecchio at 10:30 am.
A free showing of the documentary “Firenze 1944” will take place at 7:30 pm, in piazza Signoria. Two local RAI journalists recorded sounds and interviews with residents during the retreat of the German army, vividly portraying the sequence of events leading up to the liberation of the city and the consequent destruction of medieval buildings and all the bridges except for Ponte Vecchio. The documentary was put together 10 years later. A Q&A will follow the screening.
