On the Flag

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My grandmother could have told stories for hours. She was someone who always grew emotional when speaking of the flag.

 

Yes, because for her, the flag was a symbol of freedom, of unity, and of the creation of a new identity in which to see oneself reflected.

It represented the blood of her brothers, her father, and her grandfather.

It was indeed a symbol—but a concrete one—of a reality that was alive and tangible to her.

It was a symbol of all those who had fought united under the same banner, sacrificing their lives in the hope of a better future for their children. Symbols matter; they are not merely things to be pinned to one’s chest or displayed on a holiday.

 

We must see ourselves reflected in symbols and the values ​​they embody. Yet, the flag speaks to us of more than just historical events, bloodshed, and sacrifice. It also speaks of our hopes and our capacity for resilience and response.

Never have these themes been more alive or relevant than they are today.

Never have we needed to understand—as we do now—just how fragile and fleeting the concept of freedom can be.

Consider the confinement of recent years due to the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the climate emergency. It is essential to identify with the values ​​and colors of our flag and our homeland—to fight to preserve, maintain, cherish, and defend it.

Our Italy—the Italy described by Carducci with “(…) the snows of the Alps, the April of the valleys, the flames of the volcanoes.

Tricolor Italy.” “And at once, the people sang to their flag that it was the most beautiful of all, and that they wanted it—and freedom along with it—forever!”

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The Story Behind “The Heart Cross”

 

I was telling you about my grandmother—how she would be moved to tears when recounting how Italy became free and united, and when speaking of the Italian flag. Emotions from a bygone era.

Who gets emotional over such things anymore? And yet, last July, I found myself gazing upwards. I was waiting for the *Frecce Tricolori* to arrive and perform their show. My eyes were fixed on the sky, joined by thousands of others.

Suddenly, a roar—and seconds later, there they were, streaking overhead, tracing lines of green, white, and red. Yes.

I was moved. A shiver ran down my spine.

In those colors, I saw the power of hope. I saw my own hopes and the hopes of everyone else on that beach who, like me, was scanning the heavens.

Hopes that were, perhaps, the very same ones my grandmother held so many years ago. Hopes for a better world, for freedom and love. Timeless hopes, hopes that never expire.

 

The "Heart Cross" is one of the most famous and stirring maneuvers performed by the *Frecce*. A hymn to passion and love. They remind us how these two immense forces can lift us up, enabling us to scale the most difficult and challenging peaks of our lives. And it is truly so—in every age and every place: it is always love that moves the world. In my eyes—and in this artwork of mine—I see the colors of the *tricolore*, the tricolor smoke spreading across the sky.

Green, white, and red—distinct at first, then gradually blending together, losing intensity and slowly fading away.

Hope, faith, and love coming together, gradually transforming into the sky. A sky that reminds us how small we are, yet urges us toward greatness.

A sky that reminds us we all inhabit the same earth and that, together, we can achieve great things.

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Title: The Intersection of the Heart

Year: 2022

Medium: Acrylic on wood

Dimensions: The piece consists of two overlapping circles—one solid and one open.

Total diameter is approximately 80 cm; total thickness is approximately 5 cm.