On the occasion of the anniversary of April 19, the day on which the Philhellene George Gordon Lord Byron died in Missolonghi in 1824, making the date a celebration of militant Philhellenism, Marco Galdi, president of the Italian Philhellenic Society and promoter of the Network of Italian Philhellenic Associations, wrote a text that was shared and signed by the presidents of the associations belonging to the Network, and which is reproduced below:
Letter to the Philhellenes of Italy on the day
Greece celebrates militant Philhellenism.
Letter to the Philhellene women and Philhellene men of Italy on the day on which Greece celebrates militant Philhellenism.
19th of April 2026
On 19th of April 1824 in Missolonghi, Lord Byron, who had come to support the Greek People in the struggle for their independence against Turkish oppression, died.
Seven years ago, on April 19, 2019, during a public reflection, the President of the Società Filellenica Italiana, while evaluating the achievements of the recent period, noted: 'If, however, something has been lacking in the past three years, it has been the widespread involvement of a broader philhellenic movement: we all perceive around Greece, its extraordinary history, the thought of its philosophers, and the depth of its poets, a widespread attention—a kind of veneration, especially on the part of people of culture. And yet, from such a rich humus, the sprout of militant philhellenism struggles to flourish.' He concluded: 'We must reflect in the near future on the causes of this. And we will do so, as always, by dialoguing with the Hellenic diaspora, which has been and remains the lifeblood of philhellenism in every era.
Well then, the work of these last years, the relationships that have grown among us throughout Italy, allow us today to observe how the awareness of belonging to a single movement is developing and how Italian Philhellenism, despite many difficulties, is more than ever alive and active.
In the letter of February 19, 2025, as heads of various Italian philhellenic associations, we have already contributed together, each providing our own definition of philhellenism. Today, with this joint statement, we intend—once again together—to take stock of what has happened and share it with our members and our friends.
In October last year, during a meeting commemorating the martyr of Philhellenism, Santorre di Santarosa, organized in Turin by the 'Piemonte-Grecia Santorre di Santarosa' Association, the symbol of the 'Italian Philhellenic Network' made its first public debut. A 'Greek thread' running through Italy—so reads the blue inscription surrounding the logo proposed by Emanuela Capurso and enthusiastically approved by all of us. Seven associations with offices in various regions of the country and in Greece ('Borgo dei Greci' in Tuscany, 'Dopolavoro Filellenico' in Puglia, 'Filellenia' in Sicily, 'Piemonte-Grecia' in Turin, 'Società Filellenica Italiana' in Campania, 'Società Filellenica Lombarda' in Lombardy, and 'Amici di Leros') have decided to communicate, coordinate their efforts, and undertake joint initiatives. Thus, today, the idea of a unified philhellenic movement operating throughout Italy is becoming a reality.
Ma il 2025 non è stato solo l’anno di nascita della Rete Filellenica italiana. Nell’autunno, infatti, è giunta la straordinaria notizia del riconoscimento, da parte dell’Unesco, del 9 febbraio come “Giornata mondiale della lingua greca”: un progetto nato nel 2014 proprio in Italia, dalla passione del Prof. Jannis Korinthios, all’epoca presidente della Federazione delle Comunità e Confraternite elleniche in Italia, ma supportato fin dall’inizio dai licei classici italiani e dal movimento filellenico. Un motivo di orgoglio, per tutti noi, questo, ma anche una ragione di ulteriore responsabilità, che ci induce ogni anno a riflettere sulla vitalità di questa lingua, sulla sua straordinaria capacità di produrre pensiero complesso, su quel “filo greco”, che attraversa, questa volta, l’intera cultura occidentale e che ci rende portatori di valori unici e preziosi per l’umanità.
But 2025 was not only the year the Italian Philhellenic Network was born. In the autumn, in fact, came the extraordinary news of UNESCO's recognition of February 9th as 'World Greek Language Day'. This project was born in 2014 right here in Italy, fueled by the passion of Prof. Jannis Korinthios, then president of the Federation of Hellenic Communities and Brotherhoods in Italy, and supported from the very beginning by Italian classical high schools and the philhellenic movement. For all of us, this is a source of pride, but also a reason for further responsibility. It prompts us every year to reflect on the vitality of this language, its extraordinary capacity to produce complex thought, and that 'Greek thread' which, this time, runs through the entirety of Western culture, making us carriers of unique and precious values for humanity
And while the initiatives organized by the individual Associations that make up the network continue with fervor (to name just a few examples: the exhibition 'Greece outside of Greece' in Turin, 'Taranto calls Sparta' in Puglia, the 'Philhellenic Festival' in Naples, the publication and numerous presentations of a volume on 'Greek Livorno' in Tuscany, cultural meetings in Monza, in Platanos on the island of Leros, in Catania, etc.), joint initiatives are beginning to emerge and take shape. These include the Cineforum curated by Giancarlo Antonucci, available online to all our members, and the Greek language courses offered free of charge to all our associates, thanks to the intervention of the extraordinary Ambassador of Greece to Rome, S.E. Eleni Sourani.
Among these joint initiatives, on this day of militant Philhellenism, we are pleased to announce that the first edition of the 'Hellenic Days' (Giornate Elleniche) will take place in Florence and Livorno on November 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2026. Organized by the Italian Philhellenic Network, the theme will be 'Byzantine Scholars and the Italian Renaissance.' It will be yet another opportunity to reflect on Greece's extraordinary contribution to our culture, as well as a chance for us to meet and plan for the future together.
It is therefore with the awareness of the path accomplished, but also with the responsibility to carry it forward, that we greet, on the day on which the martyrdom of the Philhellenes who died for the freedom of Greece is commemorated, the women and men of culture of our country, inviting each and every one of them to join our associations and to share the values of civilization and peace of which Philhellenism is the bearer.
“Dopolavoro Filellenico” “Filellenia”
Giancarlo Antonucci Carmelo Siciliano
“Piemonte Grecia Santorre di Santarosa” “Società Filellenica Italiana”
Alexis Tsoukiàs Marco Galdi
“Società Filellenica Lombarda” “Amici di Leros”
Theodora Konstantopoulou Enzo Bonanno