Visit of the Valperga Alpini to Rome
Date of the event:
On 14 and 15 October 2026 a delegation from the Valperga Alpini Group, in the Canavese area, spends two days in Rome, taking part in institutional meetings and visiting landmark sites of the capital. The delegation, led by group leader Alfredo Medina, also includes the Alpini groups of Cuorgnè and Castellamonte and is accompanied by the mayor of Valperga, Walter Sandretto, and city councillors Simona Medina and Roberto Nurri. The visit is made possible by the mayor's involvement and by the invitation of the Canavese MP Alessandro Giglio Vigna, chairman of the Chamber's European Affairs Committee [1][2].
The first day at Montecitorio
The first day takes place at the Chamber of Deputies, where the press conference «Conoscere i valori dell'alpinità» («Getting to know the values of the Alpini») is held. The meeting, introduced by Giglio Vigna, features contributions from mayor Sandretto, Colonel Christian Bison, a military policy officer at the Office of the Prime Minister, the National Association of Alpini representative Federico Di Marzo, and group leader Alfredo Medina. The speeches focus on the history of the Valperga Alpini Group, founded in 1948, and the association's role in the area's social network. Mayor Sandretto recalls the group's contribution in emergencies, citing the municipality's fundraising for the populations hit by the Amatrice earthquake, and the collaboration between the city administration and the Alpini, which has become more significant since the municipal Civil Protection group was disbanded [1][2].
The second day: the Vatican, the Senate and the Vittoriano
The second day is devoted to visiting institutions and significant sites. In the morning the delegation is received by the commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, Colonel Christoph Graf, who takes the guests to see areas not normally open to visitors. Afterwards, accompanied by former senator Cesare Pianasso, the Alpini reach Palazzo Madama, where they attend a sitting of the Senate of the Republic. According to group leader Alfredo Medina, the vice-president presiding at the time temporarily suspends proceedings to greet the delegation, and at the Senate restaurant gifts are exchanged with the Senate's president, Ignazio La Russa, himself a former member of the Alpini [2].
The delegation is then received by Colonel Mario Ronchi, director of the Shrine of the Flags (Sacrario delle Bandiere) at the Vittoriano, where the flags and standards of disbanded units of the Italian armed forces are kept. In the museum the Alpini also pay homage at the shrine of the Unknown Soldier, buried there in 1921 [2].
Sources
- Gli Alpini di Valperga «conquistano» Roma — Prima il Canavese, 13 November 2026
- Valperga, una delegazione del Gruppo Alpini e il sindaco Sandretto a Roma - FOTO — Obiettivo News, 13 November 2026