Vatican Post Office’s joint issue to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the foundation of the Italian Red Cross

Torches lit in solidarity

One hundred and sixty years since the foundation of the Italian Red Cross in Milan on 15 June 1864, four States will jointly issue a commemorative stamp: the Postal Administrations of Vatican City State, Italy, San Marino and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

The stamp will be officially presented on Saturday morning, 15 June, in Rome at Piazza Venezia 11, the offices of the Civita Association, an organization dedicated to promoting the cultural heritage of Italy. Four images of the stamp will be unveiled, one for each State. The stamp depicts a rescue scene at the site of the collapse of the Polcevera Viaduct, known as the Morandi Bridge, which took place in Genoa on 14 August 2018. The sides of the miniature sheets depict lit torches, recalling the Italian Red Cross’ yearly torchlight processions from Solverino to Castiglione delle Stiviere, two highly symbolic places linked to the birth of the Red Cross. During a battle on 24 June 1859, Swiss citizen Jean Henry Dunant went to meet Napoleon III for business, and became involved in a terrible bloodbath, exacerbated by lack of military healthcare. The experience inspired Dunant to establish a volunteer movement to help the wounded on the battlefield.

The following are expected to participate in the official presentation ceremony of the stamp: Mr. Antonino Intersimone, Director of Telecommunications and Information Systems of the Governorate of Vatican City State; Mr. Rosario Maria Gianluca Valastro, President of the Italian Red Cross; Ms. Fausta Bergamotto, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy; Mr. Giovanni Machetti, Director of the Philately Service of Poste Italiane; Mr. Gian Luca Amici, General Manager of Poste San Marino;  Mr. Giorgio Battioni, Managing Director of the Poste Magistrali of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.