Roma greets Silvio Di Francia, the former Capitoline councilor for culture who died at the age of 69, after an illness that in 2020 forced him to give up his last public office, that of councilor for culture of the Municipality of Latina. Journalist (he had worked on Rai Radio 3), sportsman (he had been a martial arts champion and president of the Lazio Karate regional committee), Di Francia had dedicated his life to politics, the environment and culture. Already a militant of Lotta Continua, close to the Greens and then to the Democratic Party, Di Francia was councilor for culture with the Veltroni junta, then city councilor, president of Zètema, consultant for the presidency of the Lazio Region and councilor for the municipality of Latina. Hundreds of family, friends and politicians this morning wanted to pay homage to the coffin in the funeral home set up in the Capitol.
On the notes of Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’, the images of Di Francia scroll by. Images that tell of his passion for music, his political commitment, his love for karate. On the coffin, next to the flowers of his wife Daniela and the family, a black belt.
“In this which is the Sala della Protomoteca, the most important room, it does not contain all the people who have come to remember Silvio – said Eugenio Patanè at the opening of the funeral commemoration – also for this reason, the funeral home will remain open even after 1.30 pm to allow everyone to say hello to Silvio”.
“We salute a unique person. Who has been able to give so much to this city. A mild, strong and gentle point of reference for a political, citizen and civil community to which he has given so much – said the mayor of Roma Roberto Gualtieri- He had uncommon human qualities. And today’s emotion proves it.
We must grasp and honor his legacy, the teaching of having combined culture with attention to minorities. We will work to remember the name and the work done by Silvio Di Francia in this city”.
Former Senator Luigi Manconi spoke of the “wisdom and meekness that accompanied his life and his politics, which exalted the aspect of dialogue and exchange. Which emphasized the search for what is common, and not the emphasis on what divides”. Manconi also recalled that Di Francia was above all “a Roman citizen, a life lived between Torre Maura and Preneste, where the judo gym was located”. In the hall, also the young people of the judo gold flames of the Police and the judo yellow flames of the Guardia di Finanza.
“Silvio had a young spirit. But he was also cultured, prepared, tenacious: even when he was forgotten by politics he went to find a creative path in the city of Latina – said Francesco Rutelli – with his humility lined his wisdom. The discipline of judo taught him to live with a painful disease. Remembering it, we must cry and smile. Because he has always known how to play as a team. They knew him in all quarters because in all quarters he had done something. He went, built, solved. A witness to a policy made of meekness, concreteness and honesty”.
“He was one of the most important politicians of this city- said Walter Veltroni- For his concreteness, his anchoring to his ideals. Silvio has always remained himself, and has brought radicalism to the government. He has always been in the minority. And for this he has always known how to guarantee dialogue. The years we spent together were the best years of our lives. Six of that council have left. It is a great suffering for me to think back on these disappearances at an unjust age. But Silvio lived a splendid life, the life he would have liked to live ”.
“He did not live any of his passions as a spectator, he was an actor in all of them – said Marino Sinibaldi, journalist and radio host and friend of Silvio Di Francia – He was humanity better than Roma: open, skeptical but never closed in on itself, generous. It is now in the heart of this city and occupies an important place. As a place it will have in the heart of all of us”.
Among the many in Campidoglio to remember Silvio Di Francia, also Miguel Gotor, Marta Bonafoni, Sabrina Alfonsi, Filippo Sensi, Monica Cirinnà, Bianca Berlinguer, Roberto Morassut, Damiano Coletta, Michela Di Biase, Luciano Nobili. THE LAST GREETINGS TO SILVIO DI FRANCE, THE GENTLE COUNCILOR
