Meloni pays tribute to Falcone in Palermo and unveils the Fiat Croma used in the Capaci massacre.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spent a day in Palermo dedicated to remembrance and revitalizing the state's commitment to fighting organized crime, just days before the 34th anniversary of the Via D'Amelio massacre. The official visit opened with a moment of silence along the A29 highway, near Capaci, where magistrate Giovanni Falcone, his wife Francesca Morvillo, and their security detail Vito Schifani, Rocco Dicillo, and Antonio Montinaro lost their lives on May 23, 1992. Here, the Prime Minister laid a bouquet of flowers before the memorial stone, paying tribute to the victims of one of the most dramatic episodes in the history of the Republic.

At the end of the day, Meloni shared a message on social media that summarized the significance of her visit: "Capaci is one of those places that reminds us all of the sacrifice of Giovanni Falcone, Francesca Morvillo, and the men of her escort. Remembrance is a duty. So is the commitment against the Mafia."

The emotion of unveiling the Fiat Croma from the massacre

The most intense moment of the day took place at the Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino Museum of the Present in Palazzo Jung, where the white Fiat Croma in which Giovanni Falcone, Francesca Morvillo, and the judicial driver Giuseppe Costanza were traveling on the day of the Capaci attack was officially unveiled. The car, devastated by the explosion of over 500 kilograms of TNT placed under the highway, today represents one of the most powerful symbols of the state's fight against Cosa Nostra.

Don't miss the latest news from La Milano: Add us to your favorite sources on Google in just one click.

The car was kept for fourteen years at the Giovanni Falcone Penitentiary Police Training School in Rome and was subsequently temporarily entrusted to the Falcone Foundation as part of a project dedicated to the memory of the victims of mafia massacres. Before being placed on permanent display, it was moved along a thirteen-kilometer route, dubbed the "Itinerary of Memory," from the Ciro Scianna barracks to the museum in Palermo.

Meloni: "The Capaci massacre changed Italy forever."

In her speech, the Prime Minister called the unveiling of the Croma "a penetrating and cutting emotion" that confronts us "with history with a capital H." According to Meloni, the massacre of May 23, 1992, represented a watershed moment in the country's collective consciousness, forcing Italy to finally acknowledge the true strength of the Mafia and the need to fight it unambiguously.

"In Capaci, the mafia failed to subdue the state," the prime minister stated, emphasizing that Cosa Nostra's goal was to intimidate institutions and convince Italians of the mafia's invincibility. On the contrary, Meloni observed, that strategy had the opposite effect, generating a civil reaction that involved thousands of citizens and strengthened the legal front.

"Falcone and Morvillo were ordinary people who chose the right side."

In remembering Giovanni Falcone and Francesca Morvillo, the Prime Minister wanted to highlight the human dimension of the two figures, underlining that their example lies not in extraordinary qualities, but in the ability to choose good in decisive moments.

"Heroes aren't people with extraordinary powers," Meloni declared. "They are people who, when the time comes to choose, know which side to take." The Prime Minister recalled how Falcone and Morvillo lived their daily lives without pretending to be symbols, despite being fully aware of the risks their commitment entailed. This message was addressed especially to young people, who are called to understand that even everyday choices can contribute to building a society founded on the rule of law.

Remembering Falcone and Borsellino and the right to the truth

Meloni then also remembered Paolo Borsellino, assassinated fifty-seven days after Falcone in the Via D'Amelio massacre, calling the two magistrates "two men, two friends" united not only by their battle against the Mafia but also by the loneliness and isolation they had experienced at certain times in their lives, even from those who should have supported them.

The Prime Minister recalled the most recent investigations by the Caltanissetta Prosecutor's Office and the work of the Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission, arguing that today the legacy of Falcone and Borsellino continues to speak to Italian institutions and society. She also reiterated the government's commitment to strengthening anti-mafia legislation, maintaining the 41-bis regime against mafia bosses who meet the necessary conditions, protecting witnesses, and shedding full light on the still dark pages of the massacre season. "The Italian people have the right to know the truth," she stated.

Maria Falcone: "Memory must be alive and speak to young people."

Particularly moving was the speech by Maria Falcone, the magistrate's sister and president of the Falcone Foundation, who was visibly moved during the ceremony. For the first time, she stood before the Fiat Croma in which her brother lost his life, and she described that moment as a pain capable of suddenly bringing back memories of all the years that have passed since the massacre.

Maria Falcone emphasized that the Museum of the Present was created with the goal of transforming memory into a permanent tool for legal education. "Memory must not be dead, but alive and active," she declared, explaining that the emotion evoked by that place can become the starting point for educating new generations of aware citizens. Before the Croma, she added, "we must bow," not as a symbol of defeat, but as an emblem of the rebirth of the State and civil society.

Security in Palermo: Summit at the Prefecture with Piantedosi and Nordio

During her visit, the Prime Minister also chaired an extraordinary meeting of the Provincial Committee for Public Order and Security together with Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio. The meeting focused on the security situation in the Sicilian capital, particularly in light of the recent operation that led to the dismantling of the so-called "Kalashnikov Gang."

Meloni thanked the judiciary and law enforcement for their work, assuring them that "anyone who thinks they can take Palermo back, or terrorize honest workers, will face a determined state that reacts and strikes." The prime minister also announced the goal of preparing an extraordinary plan to control the area in the neighborhoods most vulnerable to crime, such as Zen, and also considered involving the Army in joint operations should it be necessary to intervene in the regulations governing Operation "Safe Streets."

Data on the fight against the mafia and assets returned to citizens

During the meeting at the Prefecture, the Prime Minister also outlined some of the results of the fight against organized crime in the Palermo metropolitan area. She noted that 118 high-impact operations have been carried out since 2023, involving over three thousand police officers and tens of thousands of checks across the territory.

Meloni also highlighted how over the past four years, assets confiscated from the mafia and returned to the community in the metropolitan city have increased by approximately 60%, with 128 properties primarily earmarked for social purposes and emergency housing. This result, according to the prime minister, demonstrates how wealth seized from criminals can be returned to citizens and transformed into a concrete instrument of development and legality. The state, she concluded, "has not lowered its guard" and will continue to adapt investigative tools to the evolution of mafia organizations, increasingly oriented toward infiltrating the legal economy and exploiting new technologies.