On October 22, 2026, Fiore Marro, National President of the Comitati delle Due Sicilie (CDS), received a prestigious recognition at Montecitorio in Rome for his decades-long efforts to preserve and promote the historical and cultural heritage of Southern Italy. Throughout his life, Marro, a businessman and journalist, has conducted research, published books, and organized conferences and heritage trips to promote a fuller understanding of the history of the regions that once constituted the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
Premio Eccellenze 2026 awarded to Fiore Marro
Hailing from Cervinara, in Irpinia, President Marro founded and continues to lead the Comitati delle Due Sicilie, an organization that unites those seeking to deepen their knowledge of Southern Italy, its history, people, traditions, and place in the broader European and global context. He has helped transform the CDS into an institution capable of bringing historical research from public and private archives, as well as family memories, to a wider audience, creating opportunities for dialogue, cultural exchange, and collective growth.
President Marro is affectionately known as “Mister” by the many young people he has mentored through his years coaching youth soccer leagues in the province of Avellino. His colleagues and readers also refer to him as “Vate,” a title suggesting a visionary or prophetic figure, in recognition of his ability to inspire a collective vision for the South’s future.
Fiore Marro receiving his award from
Deputy Cav. Alessandro Caramiello
He is also the director of Belvedere News and Inviato News, as well as the author of numerous articles and books on Southern history and historical fiction. His published works include Un’anima divisa in due (Giuseppe Vozza Editore, 2007), Uomini del Sud, visti da vicino (Editore Tramontano, 2022), La fine dei vinti (Edizioni L’Aperia), and Briganti e Brigantesse (Capasso Massimo Editore).
President Marro’s strength lies in his unwavering vision for the future and his commitment to academic rigor in the pursuit of historical truth, avoiding mere counterpropaganda, nostalgia, and appeals to victimhood or special concessions. Instead, he invites us to rediscover the immense treasures of our documented history, preserved in the living memory of the people, in local and foreign archives, and in the monuments and buildings that still stand throughout the territory. The South, he maintains, should be understood as any nation would be, with all its complexities, particularities, and contradictions, as well as its remarkable men and women who have distinguished themselves in every field.
The Honorable Alessandro Caramiello, a deputy from Naples, engineer, consultant, and knight of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (SMOCSG), is fiercely proud of his Southern heritage. During the XIX Legislature, he founded the Parliamentary Intergroup for the Development of the South, Fragile Areas, and Lesser Islands. Now comprising 50 members from across the political spectrum, the intergroup also includes a technical committee dedicated to supporting businesses and fostering conditions for sustainable economic growth throughout the regions.
Deeply attentive to his native Campania and the South as a whole, Deputy Caramiello had followed President Marro’s tireless efforts and promptly nominated him for this recognition. He presented the honor during the Eccellenze 2026 conference before an audience of CDS members and citizens from across Southern Italy and the islands who had traveled to Rome for the occasion. Their presence made the ceremony itself a historic moment in the halls of Parliament.
The occasion was a tangible celebration of the unity shared by those who love their ancestral homeland and an important acknowledgment of the need to confront both the positive and negative aspects of their shared history and present circumstances.
President Marro and the Honorable Caramiello spoke about what it means today to provocatively declare oneself Borbonico and embrace the challenge of not only defending one’s true historical identity but also transforming that pride, knowledge, and determination into meaningful action toward future economic and cultural achievement.
All too often, discussions of the South remain trapped in tired stereotypes of criminality, poverty, and emigration, narratives shaped in part by the occupation and forcible annexation of the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies into the emerging Italian state. Such portrayals overlook the region’s complex history and extraordinary cultural inheritance. Marro’s work has challenged these narratives, offering a broader and more dignified understanding of the South and its people.
The CDS, together with supporters of the Two Sicilies community and its diaspora, extends its heartfelt gratitude to Fiore Marro for leading by example, dedicating his time and personal resources to preserving the memory of our homeland, and continually fostering a sense of shared belonging.
Through his tireless efforts, he has demonstrated how we can remain firmly rooted in our heritage while building a stronger future for generations to come. Above all, he reminds us that the South is not merely a land of nostalgia, folklore, and tourism, but a vibrant homeland of excellence and achievement in every field, capable of continuing to make its mark on the world stage.
~ By Cav. Charles Sant’Elia
