This morning a delegation from the Directorate of ANCI Lazio attended the General Audience of Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter's Square, an appointment of great institutional value that represented the municipalities of Lazio and their communities in one of the most significant venues of the country's civil and spiritual life.
During the Audience, ANCI Lazio brought the Holy Father a gift of local excellence: the Gran Cacio di Morolo, presented in a special reserve matured 24 months and accompanied by an official letter explaining its significance, the link with local communities and the Association's commitment to the project “Common Origin”, dedicated to the promotion of regional agricultural and food products and the traditions that guard them.
Representing the cultural heritage of the territories was also a delegation from the municipality of Ventotene, which flew one of its historic paper hot air balloons - the traditional ballo of the Feast of Santa Candida - the island's identity symbol and intangible heritage handed down through generations. Making the moment even more evocative was the participation of the Ventotene music band, who accompanied the delegation during the meeting.
Particularly significant was the moment when President Daniele Sinibaldi was able to address his personal greeting to the Pope during the hand-kissing, together with the Mayor of Ventotene. A simple but profound gesture, which symbolically represented all the administrators of Lazio.
President Sinibaldi's statement
«To bring our traditions, our products and the voice of our communities before the Holy Father was a profound honour. Lazio is a land rich in identity, memory and daily commitment: being here today means recognising the silent work of our municipalities and the value of the people who animate them. We will continue to represent them with responsibility and pride, in every institutional forum.
I would like to thank all the members of the ANCI Lazio Executive for their presence and for the daily work they do in the service of the municipalities. Special thanks go to the Mayor of Ventotene and to the delegation of citizens who wanted to be here today, bringing with them such a strong identity symbol as the tradition of hot air balloons. Gestures like these tell of the value of our communities, the richness of local traditions, and the profound sense of representation that ANCI Lazio intends to bring to the highest institutional seats», said the President of ANCI Lazio, Daniele Sinibaldi.
ANCI Lazio thus renews its commitment to enhance the cultures, skills and histories of the territories, promoting a model of institutional representation that combines tradition, identity and service to the community.
