May 8, 1948 represents a historic date for our country, and especially for the Senate of the Republic. In fact, on this day the new Parliament designed by the founding fathers comes to life and the hall of Palazzo Madama hosts the first session of the new Senate of the Republic. Unlike the previous Senate of the Kingdom, it is the direct expression and representation of popular sovereignty, as provided for by article 1, second paragraph, of our Constitution.
The first session of the Senate of the Republic
Celebrate the birth of today Senate of the Republic it means preserving the memory of our roots and the role that this institution continues to play in safeguarding representation and the rights of freedom. We want to remember the first session by emphasizing the commitment that the Senate has made, in all these years, towards the entire nation.
The 5 euro coin created by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato is also dedicated to the historic day. It bears on one side the depiction of the legislative hall of Palazzo Madama, with the fundamental dates «May 8, 1948» and «May 8, 2023». While on the back is depicted the "Chariot of the Sun" by Giovanni Paolo Pannini, a fresco created between 1725 and 1726 which currently decorates the ceiling of the Sala Pannini.
The anniversary celebration
The ceremony, in the presence ofthe President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, will be held tomorrow 8 May. For the occasion, the Hall will be decorated with the Italian flag, so as to reproduce exactly the layout of the first session. After the greeting of the president of Palazzo Madama Ignazio La Russa, Anna Finocchiaro, Stefano Folli, Giuseppe Parlato and Ernesto Galli della Loggia will intervene. All called to illustrate the Senate's contribution to the life of our Republic from 1948 to today. One of the most loved Italian singers, Gianni Morandi, will open the event with the anthem of Mameli.
Morandi will conclude the performance with a recital in which he will propose many of the songs that have accompanied the life of the Republic in these 75 years. The ceremony will be broadcast live at 11.30 on Rai 2. Today Sunday 7 May at 17:30, the concert will be held which will kick off the celebrations in one of the most beautiful squares in the world, Piazza Navona. It will be a concert open to all citizens, and will feature 75 members, one for each year of life of the Constitution and the Senate, of the Interforce Band. The event will be live on Rai 3.
Exhibition at Palazzo Giustiniani
A couple of days ago the Senate opened the doors of Palazzo Giustiniani and the rooms where, on 27 December 1947, the Constitution was promulgated by the provisional Head of State and countersigned by the President of the Council of Ministers Alcide De Gasperi, by the Keeper of Seals Giuseppe Grassi and by President of the Constituent Assembly Umberto Terracini. The exhibition offers the opportunity to see live the documents that represent the great stages of the constitutional journey of Italians from the late eighteenth century to the contemporary age.
Focus, of course, on the founding documents of republican Italy, first of all the original of the Italian Constitution, preserved in theState Central Archive and loaned out for the occasion. The document is exceptionally exhibited in the Hall of the Constitution, just steps away from the desk on which the signing took place. From the State Archives of Torino Instead, the Albertine Statute arrived in the two versions promulgated at the time, Italian and French. Other material comes from the book and documentary collections of the Library and the Historical Archive of the Senate.
(Senate of the Republic texts source)
(Featured photo Palazzo Madama – Commons Wikimedia – Flickr CC BY 2.0)
