The celebrations for the 165th Anniversary of the end of the Siege of Gaeta in 1860-61, held in Gaeta on February 14th and 15th 2026, concluded with broad institutional and civic participation.
The initiative, organized with the patronage of local and regional institutions and with the involvement of the Delegations of Rome and Lazio, Campania, Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Molise, Puglia, and Sicily, represented an important moment of historical memory, reflection, and spiritual gathering.
The program began on Saturday, February 14th, with the welcome of the Mayor of Gaeta, Dr. Cristian Leccese, the Delegates of the Delegations of the Former Kingdom and the public at the Diocesan Museum, where participants were able to admire the Banner of the Battle of Lepanto and the findings of the Duchy of Gaeta, led by Director Don Gennaro Petruccelli.
The first day ended with a conference at the Conference Room of Palazzo De Vio, opened by some institutional greetings and followed by a lecture of Professor Roberto de Mattei on the topic “Francis II and the end of a Kingdom”.
The most solemn moment of the celebrations took place on Sunday, February 15th, with the Holy Mass at the “Sanctuary of the Holy Trinity” at Montagna Spaccata, presided over by H.E. Most Reverend Monsignor Luigi Vari, Archbishop of Gaeta and Ecclesiastical Knight Grand-Cross of Grace, in suffrage for the fallen of the Siege of 1860-61 and for the last Sovereigns of the Kingdom of the Two-Sicilies, Francis II and Maria Sofia.
Subsequently, the Rector of the Shrine, Father Daniele Belussi, accompanied the participants to the top of the “Montagna Spaccata” cliff, to the site of the “Transilvania Battery”, which exploded on February 13th, 1861. The commemorative ceremony included institutional speeches, the throwing of a wreath into the sea in honor of the Fallen, the raising of the flag with figures in period uniforms, and a salvo fired by the “1st Regiment King”.
The celebrations were attended by numerous civil, military, and religious authorities and representatives of the Order from various Italian regions, along with representatives of local institutions and associations. Official speakers included the Mayor of Gaeta Leccese and Egidio D’Addio, President of the Lazio section of the National Association of the Nunziatella Alumni.
The initiative confirmed the historical, cultural, and identity-building value of the memory of the Siege of Gaeta, a symbol of the end of the Kingdom of the Two-Sicilies. The significant participation of citizens testified to the area’s profound connection to its history and the preservation of collective memory.
