April 9 represents the Day of Remembrance for the city of Battipaglia.
It marks the anniversary of the unrest that shook the city in 1969 and led to the deaths of two citizens, Teresa Ricciardi and Carmine Citro. That episode became the prelude to the beginning of one of the darkest periods in the history of the Italian Republic born from the ashes of the war.
The event is based on the presentation of the performance “Ida e le altre”, created within the framework of the Avalanche project.
The story we chose to present, however, is not set in that April, but in another dark period for the city: the Second World War, and in particular the events of September 1943, when fire and destruction devastated Battipaglia.
A second second exhibition, although presented, completed the narrative developed within this event “il voto della Libertà” to remember 80th anniversary of the first universal suffrage in Italy
April 9 represents the Day of Remembrance for the city of Battipaglia.
From Universal Suffrage to Civic Resistance (1946–1969)
9 April 1969 is a date deeply embedded in the collective memory and identity of the city of Battipaglia. Although it falls outside the historical period directly addressed by the Avalanche project, it is closely connected to the themes explored within this Work Package.
The events of 9 April 1969 marked the first major social and political crisis experienced by the city after the Second World War. Twenty-six years after the devastation of 1943, the blood of unarmed civilians was once again shed in the streets of Battipaglia, and gunfire once again echoed through the city. This dramatic episode highlighted that democracy and civil rights cannot be taken for granted but must be constantly protected and defended.
The second exhibition developed within this Work Package was conceived precisely to explore the positive legacy of the war: the restoration of freedom, democratic participation, and the right of citizens to shape their own future. These principles enabled the city to embark on a path of reconstruction, economic recovery, and social development. The memory of the 1969 uprising demonstrates that freedom is not a permanent achievement but a value that must be continuously nurtured and safeguarded.
Together, the two exhibitions convey two of the defining themes of the 1943–1946 period. The first focuses on the suffering endured by women, who were often the most vulnerable victims of war and violence. The second highlights their emancipation through the introduction of universal suffrage and their participation in the institutional referendum of 2 June 1946, which transformed women from victims of conflict into active protagonists in Italy’s democratic rebirth.
The suffering of women
We sought to evoke these memories by focusing on the suffering of women, who are often innocent victims in times of turmoil, as in the case of Teresa Ricciardi, who was struck inside her own home. As Elsa Morante wrote, the pain of loss continues to dwell in those who suffer it: “All the sorrows of the world are the same, but those of mothers last forever.”
Unfortunately, history repeats itself: whenever violence escapes control, women are among its first victims—this was true in 1943, in 1969, and it remains true today in too many parts of the world.
