The head of state Sergio Mattarella, celebrates Republic Day in Codogno, the first Italian town to have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Even Mattarella, therefore, puts an end to his institutional isolation and leaves Rome for the first time after the long period of quarantine.
The visit to Codogno is a gesture of closeness and solidarity towards the whole community of the municipality of Lodi, the first 'red area' in the country. Before moving to Codogno, Mattarella will be at the Altare della Patria for a sober ceremony during which he will place a laurel wreath at the unknown soldier. Also for security reasons, the traditional parade of the Armed Forces at the Imperial Forums is cancelled.
Mattarella in Codogno, the first Italian city hit by the pandemic
Codogno is the symbolic place of the pandemic that has claimed tens of thousands of victims in our country since February. The municipality of Lodi and the whole of Lombardy paid a very high price with over 16 thousand dead people, infected by Covid-19. The presence of Mattarella in the town affected in the heart by the powerful and lethal virus that has brought the world to its knees, wants to strengthen the values of republican Italy.
Of a country that, in recent months, has had to close ranks to defend itself from an invisible enemy that has left dead and wounded on the field. The president's visit is a dutiful tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives for Covid but it is also an invitation to hope. An encouragement to start again, right from the region that records the heaviest balance of the unexpected and devastating pandemic: the 'plague of the third millennium'.
A visit that is a symbolic choice
Choosing Codogno has been a clear symbolic value, easily understandable for the whole country. Never before has Lombardy, one of the richest and most advanced Italian regions, been in great difficulty due to the economic crisis generated by the pandemic.
For the governor of the region, Attilio Fontana, “the presence of Mattarella is a particularly important sign of attention towards our land and all the Lombards”. The mayor of Codogno, Francesco Passerini, has announced that the town of Lodi is getting ready to welcome the Head of State. A visit as unexpected as welcome.
