On 4 November, on the occasion of Italy’s National Unity and Armed Forces Day, a delegation from the Institute of National Remembrance, represented by the Office of International Cooperation and Adam Siwek, Director of the IPN’s Office for the Commemoration of the Struggle and Martyrdom, laid flowers at the Italian Military Cemetery in Warsaw.

Established in 1926, the cemetery is the final resting place of 868 Italian soldiers who died in captivity during the First World War. It also commemorates more than 1,400 Italians who lost their lives during the Second World War, including victims of German prisoner-of-war camps and concentration camps. Their remains were transferred to Warsaw in the post-war years.

The cemetery stands as a lasting memorial to the Italian soldiers and civilians who perished during both world wars and as a testament to the human cost of the conflicts.

Italy’s National Unity and Armed Forces Day, observed on 4 November, commemorates the anniversary of the 1918 Armistice of Villa Giusti, signed between Italy and Austria-Hungary, which brought hostilities on the Italian Front of the First World War to an end.