At the event, which was attended by a large number of people, Cuban Ambassador in Rome Mirta Granda highlighted the historic importance of the inauguration of the sculpture, named “El Che,” the first to be located in this European nation to honor the memory of the iconic Latin American guerrilla leader.

Also present at the event were Carrara Mayor Serena Arrighi; the president of the province of Massa-Carrara, Gianni Lorenzetti; Municipal Culture Advisor Gea Dazzi, and the director of the Havana-based Che Guevara Studies Center, María del Carmen Ariet, as well as the coordinator of the Promotion Committee of this initiative, Alfredo Helman; Argentine sculptor Jorge Romeo, author of the artwork; Vincenzo Calo, member of the Secretariat of the National Association of Partisans of Italy (ANPI); and Marco Papacci, president of the Italy-Cuba National Association of Friendship (ANAIC).

The sculpture, which is 2.15 metres high, is composed of a white marble base on which the famous image of Che, cast in iron, taken by Cuban photographer Alberto Korda, stands. It was placed on the Baluardo Staircase, one of the emblematic places in Carrara.

Its realization was possible thanks to a collective effort, with the support of the people, who financed the project through a collection, according to Helman.

The event was supported by local authorities, as well as by various organizations, including ANPI, ANAIC, the Italian General Confederation of Labor (CGIL), and the Italian Recreational and Cultural Association (ARCI). “I believe that Italy deserved to have a statue of Che Guevara, because Italian youths, and historically the people of this country, have been defenders of the values that he promoted and defended,” the Cuban ambassador stated.

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