The Garden of the Righteous in Lugano: Carlo Sommaruga and Anna Maria Valagussa

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Institutional Communication Service

2 March 2018

During the Holocaust Memorial Day held on January 26, the Federica Spitzer foundation and the City of Lugano presented a new project to honour the memory of the victims of the holocaust and of other genocides and racial, religious and political persecutions. The project will lead up to the opening of a Garden of the Righteous in Parco Ciano, which will be held in the presence of the head of the department of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis on April 26.

The Garden will pay homage to the tangible commitment towards the victims of political, racial and religious oppression of four local personalities, who fought such oppressions and saved lives.

The Waldisian Pastor Guido Rivoir (1901-2005), who has been already celebrated at the Lugano Cantonal Library on February 8. The Catholic priest and journalist Francesco Alberti (1882-1939), who will be the focus of a conference at Biblioteca dei Frati Lugano on March 14. Carlo Sommaruga with his wife Anna Maria Valagussa, whose commitment will also be honoured during a conference on March 7 at Università della Svizzera italiana.

The event dedicated to Sommaruga and his spouse will be held at 6pm in the Lugano campus auditorium, with an introduction by USI Rector Boas Erez, and the participation of Cornelio Sommaruga, son of Carlo Sommaruga, former diplomat and CICR president, Anna Maria Valagussa, Renata Broggini, historian, researcher, and author of the book on Italian refugees in Switzerland “Terra d’asilo. I rifugiati italiani in Svizzera” (Il Mulino, 1993), and Pietro Montorfani, head of the Historical Archive City of Lugano.

 

For further information on the programme and on the other events: www.luganocittaaperta.ch

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