Fondazione Pesenti supports the Giorgio Ambrosoli Civil Association in promoting the 10th edition of Civil Virtue Day, held on November 29, 2018, and dedicated this year to Pina Maisano Grassi, wife of Libero Grassi.
THE ASSOCIATION
The Giorgio Ambrosoli Civil Association is an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit organization.
Founded in 2009 by a group of Milanese citizens active in the city’s social and cultural life, the association embodies values such as honesty, respect for the law, and care for the common good—principles exemplified by Giorgio Ambrosoli, and by others like Guido Galli and Libero Grassi, who lost their lives defending the rights of all Italians.
Its mission is to organize events and initiatives that highlight the importance of individual civic commitment in building a fair, free society based on the principles of the Italian Constitution.
Civil Virtue Day
Since 2011, the Ambrosoli Association has worked closely with students and schools through Civil Virtue Day—a day dedicated to raising awareness among young people and the wider public about how civic consciousness can improve everyone’s life across all spheres.
The day features educational activities for citizens and students, from primary schools to universities.
Each year, in memory of Giorgio Ambrosoli, the Day is dedicated to a specific figure whose life and values are shared directly with youth through testimonials from those who knew them personally.
“It makes no sense to call heroic whatwe consider normal. Resisting abuse and oppression—shouldn’t that be normal? Is it only heroes who do such things? What’s so heroic about opposing the mafia? That’s normal. Today, these things are almost forgotten. It’s as if civil, ethical, normal behavior had become something extraordinary.” (Pina Maisano Grassi)
This year’s Civil Virtue Day honors the memory of Pina Maisano Grassi, widow of Libero Grassi, the businessman murdered for his refusal to submit to mafia extortion—an act for which the 2011 Civil Virtue Day was also dedicated to him.
Pina passed away in 2016, but until her final days she continued, with determination and courage, the public fight started by her husband. Through her testimony, she inspired popular movements against all mafia-like behaviors.
Her life represents the virtue of testimony, a fundamental value for educating and shaping citizens who are aware of the rights and duties passed down through history.
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