Innovation: A QR code in Salerno to promote local memory of the Great War.

Promoting local memory of the First World War through "narrative soundscapes," short audio stories accessible with a QR code . Franco Arminio, Daniele Biacchessi, and Oscar Farinetti will bring new life to the stories of the fallen, combining historical memory and digital innovation. This opportunity is offered by the "Di bronzo, di marmo, di parole" project by the Salerno municipalities of San Gregorio Magno, Buccino, and Oliveto Citra , developed by Noema ICC. The project is among the 17 initiatives approved in Italy under the 2024-2025 call for proposals for the promotion of the historical heritage of the First World War, receiving financial support from the Ministry of Culture - Directorate General for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape. During the Great War, more than one in three Italians lost their lives as a result of war: 650,000 of these were military personnel. Over 600,000 civilian victims. A deep and painful wound, evidence of which remains in the approximately six thousand war memorials scattered throughout Italy. And the municipalities of San Gregorio Magno, Buccino, and Oliveto Citra have chosen to launch an initiative to enhance their local memories, reviving and recounting them in new ways, especially to young people. Thus, the project was born. The first of the works to be made accessible will be the one dedicated to the War Memorial in Oliveto Citra, and the inauguration is scheduled for this morning at 11:00 a.m., following the ceremony for the Day of National Unity and the Armed Forces in Piazza Monumento.

In the 'narrative soundtracks', the stories are told through the reading and interpretation of prominent figures in the Italian cultural scene: the poet and landscape scholar Franco Arminio, who lends his voice to the monument in Buccino; the journalist and writer Daniele Biacchessi, whose voice narrates the stories of San Gregorio Magno; and the entrepreneur and writer Oscar Farinetti, who interprets the stories of the monument in Oliveto Citra. "Especially in small towns like ours," explains Rita Robertazzi , Deputy Mayor of San Gregorio Magno – War memorials represent a powerful vehicle for conveying the memory of the Great War.” The mayor of San Gregorio Magno, Nicola Padula , explains that “we started with a question: how could the war memorials in our towns communicate the stories they contain in a new way, without altering their form and function in any way. This gave us the idea of ​​what we called 'narrative soundtracks.'” The mayor of Buccino, Pasquale Freda , anticipates that “the second phase of the project will allow us to share local memories of the First World War with the residents of our towns through public events in the form of monologues.” The mayor of Oliveto Citra, Mino Pignata, emphasizes that “the approval of the 'Of Bronze, of Marble, of Words' project represents a new and important recognition of our region's capacity for initiative. It must be said that it was a highly competitive tender, as demonstrated by the presence of prestigious cultural institutions among the funded entities. For years, inspired by Oliveto Citra, other towns in the Sele-Tanagro region have experimented with ways of transmitting memory based on a combination of oral history and new digital technologies. And we are pleased that this approach can now prove useful in honoring the memory of so many young men who died more than a century ago.