On 9 October 2026, sixty-three years will have passed since the night of the Vajont disaster. Longarone, Erto, Casso and the municipality of Vajont will once again gather at the places marked by the tragedy to remember the victims and pass that memory on to younger generations.
The official programme, published by the Municipality of Longarone and the Vajont Foundation, runs from 3 to 11 October. It is more than a sequence of ceremonies: it brings together testimony, education, music, worship and civic responsibility.
From 3 to 11 October: communities united in remembrance
On Saturday 3 October, at 10 a.m., the Popoli d’Europa Hall will host the round table “Vajont: la parola alle vittime”, focused on memory, education, justice and peace. Later that morning, Longarone will confer honorary citizenship on the Railway Engineers. A remembrance gathering will be held near the dam at 6 p.m., followed by the concert “M’innamoravo di tutto” at the Cultural Centre at 8.30 p.m.
On Sunday 4 October, a wreath-laying ceremony and Mass will be held at the Fortogna Monumental Cemetery at 9.30 a.m. as part of the Survivors’ Day. On Thursday 8 October, children from Longarone primary school will read “La profezia del torrente vecchio – Storia di Vajont”. Memory remains alive only when it becomes shared knowledge.
The programme on 9 October in Longarone and Fortogna
The central day begins at 8.30 a.m. at the Longarone Cultural Centre with the school project “Una maglia per il Vajont” and the 35th anniversary of the twinning with Urussanga. A wreath will be laid in Pirago at 9.30 a.m.
The civic and religious ceremony at Fortogna
In the afternoon, the municipalities of Longarone, Erto e Casso and Vajont will lay wreaths at the Fortogna Monumental Cemetery at 3 p.m. The civic commemoration will begin at 3.15 p.m., followed by Mass for the victims at 3.30 p.m. Another wreath will be laid at the Villa Malcolm memorial at 5 p.m. The day in Longarone will conclude with a vigil in the archpriest’s church at 9.30 p.m.
Erto, Casso and Vajont: services and candlelight walks
Services, wreath-laying ceremonies and candlelight walks will also take place in Erto, Casso and Vajont. They will lead to the moment of silence at 10.39 p.m. at the church of Sant’Antonio al Colomber, marking the time forever associated with the night of 1963.
To allow the community to participate and observe the commemorations, the Municipality of Longarone has ordered shops and public venues to close from 3 to 5.30 p.m. and again from 9 p.m. onwards.
The Alpini in the 1963 rescue operation
For the Alpini of the Belluno area, Vajont is not a distant memory. Following the disaster, soldiers of the 7th Alpini Regiment were among those deployed in the rescue operation, together with other Army units and volunteers who reached the devastated communities.
For the courage, selflessness and outstanding sense of duty shown during those days, the War Flags of the 7th Alpini Regiment and the 6th Mountain Artillery Regiment were awarded the Gold Medal for Civil Valour. This is part of the regiment’s history, but also of the civic history of the entire province of Belluno.
Vajont and the beginnings of the Salce Alpini Group
The connection reaches Salce directly. Our Group had been established in March 1963, but its official inauguration and the blessing of its pennant were postponed. The ceremony finally took place on 25 October 1964, after the year of mourning proclaimed for the victims of Vajont.
This was more than a change of date. From the very beginning, it placed the new Group within a wounded community and within a clear understanding of the Alpini spirit: remembrance, restraint, solidarity and service.
A photograph among the ruins: from Beppe Giaccone to MEMORIA
Many years later, a photograph connected with Vajont opened a new path. The Group’s “Col Maòr” newsletter had published an image of a Mass celebrated among the ruins of Longarone’s church. Beside the altar stood an altar boy dressed as an Alpino: Giuseppe “Beppe” Giaccone.
The search for that photograph (article in Italian), its names and dates led to the creation of MEMORIA, the Salce Alpini Group’s project for collecting documents, images and testimonies. The historical caption dates the celebration to May 1964 and names a military chaplain known as Father Luciano. Both details still require independent confirmation. This, too, is part of remembrance work: distinguishing what the documents prove from what remains to be verified.
To remember is to keep searching
The 63rd anniversary calls for more than silence. It calls for careful use of sources, respect for the victims and responsibility in passing history on.
Anyone who holds photographs of Alpini involved in the rescue operations, letters, names or family memories is invited to contact the Group. Every contribution will be recorded, compared with the available sources and, whenever possible, returned to the community through the stories of MEMORIA.
Useful information and official sources
The complete programme and any updates are available on the official websites of the Municipality of Longarone and the Vajont Foundation (tel. +39 0437 1956909).
Sources: Municipality of Longarone; Vajont Foundation; Italian Army; Col Maòr archive. Header photo: Esercito Italiano — licence CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IT.
