IMPORTANT UPDATEUPDATE 2/14/24 - June 22, 2024 will be the day for the traditional torchlight processional (Fiaccolata) from Piazza Castello to Solferino at the CRI Village of Castiglione delle Stiviere! Once again we will celebrate the spirit of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and all the people who are a part of it! This is an annual event not to be missed!
Registration for Solferino 2024 is not yet open!!! Last year registration opened early May so keep checking back here for the registration link! SolferinoThe Birthplace of the Red Cross
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T E S T I M O N I A L S
Inspired People
"Find the Henri Dunant that is in you" ~ Francesco Rocca, President of the Italian Red Cross and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
“The Solferino torchlight procession is a moment of reunion for the entire Red Cross at every level and gives a chance to express themselves to those who are the main architects, the Volunteers. There is in volunteering a unique drive to act, to be part of a project that wants to bring to life the reasons for a choice. This is why the Red Cross every year does not fail to give a voice to the Volunteers, to those who believe in solid principles and give them life. An appointment that is theirs and for them. And for this it does not need anything else ”, declares Rosario Valastro, President of the Italian Red Cross.
"We come here to get inspiration and we are all inspired. We come here to get motivation and we are all motivated. We come here to commit ourselves and here we are. When we have our doubts and fears I can say they are alleviated because we are not alone." ~ Elhadj As Sy, Former Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
"The square of Solferino crowded with choirs and colors. The church where the women of Solferino treated the wounded whatever their origin, with water (little) and love bindings. The torches with its acrid smell. The fields and streets where they consummated a slaughter become the largest party of the Movement in the world. If the souls of the fallen could speak, they would have sung with us ... bitterly partakers of having contributed to all this. "Cristian Bacci - Trieste
Chris Spalding, Former Division Partner - American Red Cross, Service to the Armed Forces (Read the full story here)
"I have been part of some pretty remarkable experiences in my life. World shaping, humanizing, dehumanizing, intimate, global, outrageous, precious, important and life altering events. However, I was not prepared for how deeply effected I was by Solferino and the Fiaccolata.
To be among thousands of selfless humanitarians from 60 different countries and share an historic occasion left me electrified. To walk shoulder to shoulder with people who have not only given of themselves but have had to receive aid and support in troubled times was immensely moving. To stand in the place where Henry Dunant so bravely and adamantly inserted his values and regard for human life 159 years ago was inspiring. To feel the love, respect, devotion, courage, determination and warmth from total strangers who are actually family nearly crushed my heart with joy."
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