Naples – A private visit to the Pompeii Archaeological Park turned into a double encounter for President Sergio Mattarella, filled with humanity and symbolism: on one side, the young men and women of the Il Tulipano social cooperative, engaged in work inclusion programs; on the other, Don Maurizio Patriciello, the parish priest of the Parco Verde in Caivano, known for his work in the "Land of Fires."
Mattarella was accompanied by the director of the Park, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, to Parvula Domus, the Tulipano cultural and social farm, where social agriculture and greenery projects are developed.
Here the Head of State spent a long time with the young people, listening to their daily experiences inside the park and taking a few souvenir photos.
"The President's words," says Giovanni Minucci, president of the cooperative, "were an extraordinary recognition for us and an encouragement to continue. He emphasized the importance of inclusion in the world of work, and this filled our young people with joy and hope."
Minucci speaks of an "international best practice" that is bringing concrete results to Pompeii: "With Parvula Domus, we are working on wonderful projects involving social agriculture and green space care.
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The unscheduled event: the meeting with Don Patriciello
The visit also featured a highly emotional unscheduled event. The Prefect of Naples, Michele Di Bari, surprisingly invited Father Maurizio Patriciello to join the President on his tour of the houses and alleys of the excavations. The priest had been harboring a desire for months: to present Mattarella with the album of photographs taken during the Head of State's visit to his parish on January 5th.
"The prefect knew how much I cared," the parish priest recounts. "This morning, around 10:30, I was able to meet the President, who was with his daughter. We looked through the photos together, then I had to say goodbye to him and head to Lusciano."
Don Patriciello spoke to him about the commitment to commemorate Giuseppe Di Matteo, the boy killed by the Mafia at 16, after whom the Municipality of Lusciano has just decided to name a soccer field. Mattarella, the priest reports, expressed great appreciation for the project.
The parish priest's story ends with an unexpected gesture: "Before leaving, he took my hands and kissed me on the cheek. I would never have expected it, nor would I have dared to do it myself." The visit, held in the utmost secrecy, was attended by Director Zuchtriegel, the President's daughter, and their respective escorts.
A private day, but one of profound significance: a President who listens, meets, and symbolically embraces two fronts of the same battle—that for the dignity of the most vulnerable.
Comments (2)
WHAT A DISGUSTING PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC
The meeting between Mattarella and the Tulipano youth was wonderful, but I don't understand why there's such a need for ceremony. True inclusion must be simpler and more direct for everyone, not just in projects.