Exactly 50 years ago—on 6 May 1976—Friuli experienced one of the greatest tragedies in its history: the earthquake, one of the most devastating seismic events in twentieth-century Italy. At 9:00 pm on what had seemed like an ordinary evening, a 6.5-magnitude tremor on the Richter scale caused more than 960 deaths and left around 100,000 people homeless, devastating entire towns. Further powerful shocks struck in September, on the 11th and 15th, bringing additional destruction and fear to a land that was only beginning to assess the extent of the damage.

The anniversary is being commemorated throughout 2026 with meetings, events, and remembrance initiatives involving schools and institutions. However, Wednesday 6 May 2026—the exact anniversary date—naturally represents the symbolic moment of a story that is above all one of resilience and solidarity. These values made it possible, among other things, to rebuild entire towns—such as Gemona del Friuli, which became a symbol of rebirth—and contributed decisively to the creation of the Civil Protection system in Friuli Venezia Giulia.

It is no coincidence that Gemona del Friuli is the symbolic location chosen for today’s main commemorative event, attended by the highest state institutions, starting with the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, as well as representatives of the Region and the mayors of the municipalities affected by the earthquake.