Commemorating la Giornata dell Memoria per il Popolo Duosiciliano

Servant of God King Francis II and Queen Maria Sophia of the Two Sicilies

February 13th is the annual Giornata dell Memoria per il Popolo Duosiciliano, or Day of Memory for the People of the Two Sicilies. A solemn day, it recalls the fall of Gaeta to the Piemontese invaders in 1860 and the final departure of young King Francis II and Queen Maria Sophia from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. This eventually led to Italian unification, which has proven to be, both under the House of Savoy and the equally contemptible Liberal Republic, a bane to the people of the South. 

The purpose of the commemoration is not to play the victim or spew vitriol, but to better understand who we are as a people and where we want to go in the future. Unquestionably the conquest of our ancestral homeland was a ruinous event, but the tragedy should be used for a positive renewal. If we study our history, jealously keep our traditions and folk ways, and devoutly practice the Faith, we can successfully resist the cultural erasure hammering away at our community.

Unfortunately, due to ongoing COVID restrictions and other hindrances, we are unable to publicly commemorate as a group this year, however we wholeheartedly express our solidarity with our Neo-Bourbon brethren in Italy and scattered throughout the world who are observing the day. Though a small gesture, at dinner tonight we will raise a glass and toast the loyalists and our former monarchs.

More importantly, in our intimate circles we will continue to pass our faith and heritage on to the next generation, counteracting as best we can the wanton materialism, progressive social engineering and cultural leveling ravaging the modern world. The most fitting way to honor the memory of our ancestors is through continuity. By remembering them we will give their sacrifices meaning. And in the spirit of our noble forebears, we will continue to fight. Our battle cry is Altar, Throne and Hearth. Viva ‘o Rre!

~ Giovanni di Napoli, February 11, The Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes

This year’s commemoration, normally held at Gaeta, the site of the heroic resistance of the Duosiciliani, will be celebrated virtually on Saturday, February 13th. Starting at 14:45 the event will be marked by online presentations and speeches via its website and all social media platforms currently used by the Movimento Neoborbonico, including Facebook.

For more on the siege of Gaeta see our Siege of Gaeta (1860). For our previous posts of the Day of Memory see Days of Remembrance in Gaeta, City of Memory and Comitati delle Due Sicilie USA Mark Day of Remembrance for the Fallen of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.