Trieste: Consul General Ivana Stojiljković visits mayors and Serbian associations in Italian municipalities

29. May 2022.
Consul General of the Republic of Serbia in Trieste Ivana Stojiljković has visited the Italian city of Vicenza and the municipalities of Lonigo, Alonte, Montecchio Maggiore, and Arzignano. These municipalities are inhabited by a large number of Serbian citizens and have many Serbian associations.

Consul General Stojiljković visited the Serbian association “Jelek” from Arzignano, and talked with its members about the results of their prior activities and planned activities, including a project titled Ćirilica (Cyrillic alphabet). She attended an event called “Meeting of the diaspora in Italy on St. George's Day (Đurđevdan)”, organised by the Folk Arts Society “Duga” from Montecchio Maggiore. This event was also attended by all Serbian associations from the Veneto region and numerous guests, including Assistant Mayors of the municipality of Montecchio Maggiore in charge of culture and cooperation with national minorities.

During her visit to the municipalities of Lonigo and Alonte, Consul General Stojiljković met with the Mayors of the two towns, Pierluigi Giacomello and Luigi Tassoni, in the reception hall of the Pisani Palace. Greetings, introductions, and an hour-long discussion about the opportunities for further cooperation took place, in the presence of numerous members of the City Council and city institutions, as well as Serbian citizens who were in attendance. Silvio Bragulosi, and Italian man from Lonigo was also in attendance, who recited the lyrics of the traditional Serbian poem “Tamo daleko” to show his gratitude to the Serbian family that had saved his father in 1941.

Accompanied by both Mayors, Consul General Stojiljković visited the town of Alonte, including a Serbian supplementary school with 30 students who performed for the guests. In addition to Consul General Stojiljković and the two Mayors, the attendees were also greeted by a local Catholic priest who was letting the Serbian associations use the school premises. He expressed his wishes that the number of students would increase and that the premises would be used permanently for education and learning the Serbian language and culture.

Consul General Stojiljković gifted books to the school library, and in turn received a letter of appreciation and a large depiction of the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade made of various cereals.