Florence’s Festa della Donna & the Return of Stolen Red Bench

Sunday, March 8: FESTA DELLA DONNA (Women’s Day).

Today, it is common for women in Italy to observe the holiday by passing time together or by sharing meals with one another.   At the Abetone ski resort, for couples who buy a ski pass on March 8, the woman will be granted free admission. However one chooses to observe La Festa della Donna, it remains undisputedly, a day of recognition for the political, economic, and social achievements of women worldwide.

In Florence, the public was shocked to see a stolen red park bench replaced on the morning of February 20 in Via Allori. Two nights prior, the symbolic bench was unscrewed from the base and stolen from the garden in Florence’s district 5.

In November of 2018, five red benches were put in parks across the city as a symbol to end violence against women. On the morning of February 20th, to the surprise of the public, the bench was not only returned, but left with an apology note, stating “Sorry for what happened, we weren’t aware of the significance of why the bench is red. We know that having brought it back will not be enough to excuse the outrageous  gesture we made.” The authors of the note signed with the initials “OGDT,” leaving a sense of anonymity. The note being written on a torn piece of notebook paper, led authorities believe the act had potentially been carried out by a young resident of Florence. 

When the bench disappeared on February 18, Alessia Bettini, the parks councilperson of Municipality of Florence described the raid as, “an unacceptable act: we reported the theft to the police and we will replace the bench as soon as possible.” She also appealed to citizens to report any evidence that could lead to the identification of the thieves. ” On February 20th, Bettini made a powerful comment on Facebook stating, “what a joy today after such an offensive act. During the night the red bench was brought  back to its rightful place in Via Allori. #Denouncing is always useful: as is getting indignant at things that are not right. Change is possible.” (maria barker)

To read more in Italian, visit Florence’s La Repubblica newsite.