"Sigonella, when Italy said no to the US": the talk of the town.

"Sigonella, when Italy said no to the US" Forty years after the night that changed history, the book by Fleres and Garofalo will be presented in Agrigento.

AGRIGENTO – The night between October 10 and 11, 1985, marked a turning point in Italian foreign policy. A diplomatic crisis that pitted Italy against the United States, it is retraced today, forty years later , in the book "Sigonella. The Hour Left for History," written by Salvo Fleres and Paolo Garofalo , which will be presented on Thursday, July 24, at 7:00 p.m. in the Garden of the Diocesan Museum (Mudìa) , at Via Duomo 96 in Agrigento .

The meeting, promoted by the Circolo della Stampa – Assostampa Agrigento , in collaboration with L'Amico del Popolo and the Diocesan Museum , will offer the public the opportunity to reflect on one of the most controversial and decisive pages in the history of the Republic: the Craxi government's firm opposition to the United States' request to hand over the Palestinian terrorists who kidnapped Achille Lauro .

The volume, published by Officina Stampa , reconstructs the events of that dramatic night with journalistic rigor and analytical insight, restoring context and key figures. The narrative is enriched with firsthand accounts, unpublished documents, and unanswered questions , with a particular focus on the political background and the international repercussions. A crisis that involved figures such as Craxi, Cossiga, Andreotti, Di Pietro, and Spadolini , but which also witnessed the courage of men like Giuseppe Gumina and Mario Passaro .

Salvo Fleres , former regional deputy and senator, expert in human rights, and Paolo Garofalo , founder of the Mediterranean Studies Centre, have signed a text that goes beyond the news and delves into the connections between politics, law and national sovereignty .

The evening in Agrigento represents an opportunity to reread that story in light of current events and to understand how Italian foreign policy has changed – or perhaps not – over the last forty years .

Free admission while seats last. For information: www.museodiocesanoag.it | www.assostampa.it .

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