A night vigil in Piazza della Signoria, a commemorative procession, and a conference on unresolved judicial questions will mark the anniversary of the 1993 Via dei Georgofili bombing on 26-27 May. The Cosa Nostra attack that killed five people in the heart of the city.
Florence will commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the Via dei Georgofili bombing across two public events on 26 and 27 May. The mafia attack struck the centre of the city on the night of 26–27 May 1993, killing five people and causing severe damage to buildings and artworks in the vicinity of the Uffizi Gallery.
A vigil until 1:04 a.m.
The commemorations begin on Monday 26 May with a public evening in Piazza della Signoria titled Aspettando le 1.04 — Waiting for 1:04 a.m. — the exact time the bomb detonated near the Uffizi and the Torre dei Pulci, seat of the Accademia dei Georgofili. The event starts at 9.30 p.m. and will be hosted by actress Giulia Weber.
Among the speakers is Pietro Grasso, former president of the Senate and former national anti-mafia prosecutor. He will also pay tribute to magistrate Gabriele Chelazzi, the prosecutor who led investigations into the 1993 bombing campaign and died in 2003. Magistrate and writer Annamaria Frustaci will also take part.
The cultural programme includes the theatre performance Non ai vivi, ma ai morti, written and performed by Matteo Pecorini and Marta Materassi, followed by the concert Alba by the duo Madera Balza, featuring Monica Demuru and Natalio Mangalavite.
Shortly before 1:04 a.m., participants will join a procession to Via dei Georgofili, where a laurel wreath will be laid at the site of the explosion to the sound of the Martinella, the historic bell associated with Florence’s civic ceremonies.
The five victims
The bomb, planted by Cosa Nostra, killed Angela Fiume, Fabrizio Nencioni, and the couple’s two daughters, Nadia aged nine and Caterina aged fifty days, along with university student Dario Capolicchio. Florence recently named the new bridge linking the Bellariva and Gavinana districts after the two sisters.
Councillor for culture, memory and legality Benedetta Albanese said the Georgofili attack continues to raise questions about democracy, legality and civic responsibility in contemporary Italy that have not lost their urgency.
Conference on unresolved judicial questions
On Tuesday 27 May, a conference titled Massacres and attacks: the incomplete mosaic of judicial truth will take place at 5.30 p.m. in the Salone dei Cinquecento inside Palazzo Vecchio. The event will address ongoing efforts to clarify aspects of the 1993 mafia bombings that remain judicially unresolved. Speakers will include lawyers representing associations of victims’ families. Anti-mafia prosecutor Nino Di Matteo is also expected to attend, alongside video contributions from Salvatore Borsellino, Michele Riccio and Gianfranco Donadio.
The conference is organised by the Association of Families of the Victims of the Via dei Georgofili Massacre, together with Antimafia 2000 and the Movimento Agende Rosse. Entry to the Salone dei Cinquecento requires advance booking by email. The event will also be streamed live in a separate room within Palazzo Vecchio, subject to available seating.
