Saturday, 7 March (10:00 a.m., Ridotto del Teatro del Popolo) initiative in memory of the women of Castelfiorentino who contributed to the Resistance and the democratic rebirth of the community.
A journey to rediscover many small ‘stories’ about women, many of which have remained ‘in the shadows’ or even ignored for almost eighty years. An anniversary that aims to pay tribute to the ‘first time’ that women throughout Italy had the opportunity to vote, in March 1946. But it is also a fitting reminder of the contribution made by the women of Castelfiorentino to the liberation movement and the democratic rebirth of the community. This is the meaning behind the initiative “Women’s Suffrage. 80th Anniversary (1946-2026)”, which will take place at the Ridotto del Teatro del Popolo on Saturday 7 March at 10 a.m.
It will be a morning of listening to various testimonies and personal memories, as well as discovering for the first time the “faces” of the protagonists through an exhibition of previously unseen photos and documents, found in public and private archives. The proceedings will be opened by greetings from the Mayor, Francesca Giannì, the Councillor for Memory, Marta Longaresi, and the President of ANPI, Marco Cappellini. There will also be a talk by Antonio Casali (historian) on “Castelfiorentino. The other half of the sky. Unpublished paths of citizenship (1906-1946)”.
Particular attention will be paid to the story of Lea Arzilli, a partisan courier, elected councillor in March 1946 (the other woman was Rosa Casini), and also appointed Councillor, of whom all trace had been lost until now, because after being sent to the PCI party school in Rome immediately after the elections, she fell in love with a man who attended the same school and married him in April 1947, moving to Teramo.
After patient research, her relatives and leading figures in Abruzzo politics who saw Lea as a role model have been identified. For this reason, Giuseppe Casalena, provincial secretary of the ANPI in Teramo, and Guendalina Di Sabatino, president of the Hannah Arendt Women’s Cultural Centre, who knew Lea Arzilli personally and will therefore be able to recount many aspects of her political career, will also speak on Saturday.
“The 80th anniversary of women’s suffrage,” emphasises Mayor Francesca Giannì, “is not just a historical event: it is a date that speaks powerfully to our present. In March 1946, Italian women finally entered the democratic life of the country. It was not a concession, but the result of struggles, sacrifices and the decisive contribution made to the Resistance and reconstruction. In Castelfiorentino, too, many women, often left on the margins of the official narrative, played a decisive role in the liberation and democratic rebirth of our community. Remembering them today means recognising that democracy is born of collective participation and commitment. As an administration, we wanted to recover the memory of these women who not only fought in the Resistance but also contributed actively and continuously to the life of the town of Castelfiorentino. With their civic commitment in the years immediately following the Liberation, they represented a fundamental driving force in promoting important social transformations and strengthening the presence of women in local political life. Memory is not a rhetorical exercise: it is an act of responsibility. At a time when rights can never be taken for granted, we have a duty to preserve and strengthen that legacy, continuing to build a more just, more equal and more inclusive community.”
At the end, there will be a ceremony to present a parchment to the women’s families and the inauguration of the exhibition at the Ridotto entitled “Women in the Resistance and their contribution to the democratic rebirth of Castelfiorentino” (the exhibition will remain at the Ridotto on Saturday and Sunday, after which it will be moved to the “events space” of the Circolo “Il Progresso”).
The ‘Women’s Suffrage’ initiative is part of a larger project promoted by the Municipality of Castelfiorentino and funded by the Region of Tuscany. Project partners: Fondazione del Teatro del Popolo, ANPI Castelfiorentino, SPI CGIL Castelfiorentino, Istituto ‘F. Enriques’, Istituto Comprensivo, Circolo del Cinema ‘Angelo Azzurro’ UICC and cultural association ‘La Stanza Rossa’.
