Fondazione Falcone's cultural strategy for anti-mafia memory

The Fondazione Falcone in Palermo, established in December 1992 after Giovanni Falcone's assassination, has developed an innovative cultural program to commemorate the 1992-93 mafia massacres. Instead of traditional commemorations, the foundation—in alliance with the Ministry of Education, Fondazione Federico II, State Police, and Carabinieri—has filled Palermo with giant artist murals dedicated to Falcone, Borsellino, and Don Puglisi, plus installations like Velasco Vitali's 'Branco' dog sculptures and Val Gardena woodcraft. Curated by Alessandro De Lisi and Vincenzo di Fresco, the project began in 2021 when COVID-19 made the annual May 23 Capaci memorial impossible. The article argues the Italian state should adopt this private initiative as a national model, funding the foundation's effective memory-keeping formats.